Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-03-30
BY Mary Roberts-Rinehar,


the priest"
Her color was slowly coming back,
and she smiled.
my name is. Fleming, Margery
Fleming" she said after a seconds
hesitation, "and my father, Mr.. Allan
Fleming, is the man. oh, Mr.. Knox,
what we are going to do? He has been
gone for more than a week."
No wonder she had wished to con-
,ceal the identity of the missing man.
So Allan Fleming was lost A good
many highly respectable citizens would
hope that he might never be found.
Fleming, state treasurer, delightful!
companion, polished gentleman and
successful politician of the criminal
type. Outside in the corridor the office
boy was singing under his breath. "Oh
once there was miller" he sang.
"who lived in MILL" It brought back
to my mind instantly the reform meet
ing at the city hall year before,
where for a few hours we had blown
the feeble spark Of protest against ma
chine domination to a fame. We had
sung song to that very tune, anu
with this white-faced girl across from
me, its words came back with revolt.
ing truth. 1t had been printed and cir
culated through the hall.
ooh, once there was a capitol
That sat on hill,
AS it's too big to steal away
It's probably there STILL
The rings hand in the treasury
And Fleming with sack.
They take it out in wagon loads
And never bring It back"
put the song out Of my mind with
a shudder.
II am more than sorry" said
was, too; whatever he may have been,
he was her father. "And of course
there are q number of reasons why
this ought not to be known, for time
at least. After all, as I say, there may
be dozen simple explanations, and
there are exigencies in politics"
II hate politics! she broke in sud-
denly. "The very name makes me Ill.
When l read Of women wanting TO-
to vote and all that, l wonder If they
know what 1t means to have to be po-
lite to dreadful people people who
have even been convicts, and all that.
Why, our last butler had been a prize
fighter!' She sat upright with her
hands On the arms Of the chair. That's
another thing, too, Mr.. Knox, The day
after father went away, Carter left
And he has not come back"
Garter was the butler?"
Eyes"
"a white MANI"
ooh, yes.'
"And he left without giving you any
warning?"
Eyes. He served luncheon the day
after father went away, and the maids
say he went away Immediately after.
He was not there that evening to serve
dinner, but--he came back late that
night, and got into the house, using his
key to the servants entrance. He slept
there, the maids said, but he was gone
before the servants were up and we
have not seen him since.
made a mental note Of the butler.
we'll go back to Carter again."
said. "You father has not been i'll, has
he? mean recently"
She considered.
Il can not think of anything except
that he had tooth pulled" She was
quick to resent my smile. ooh, / know
Pm not helping yOu," she exclaimed,
"but have thought over everything
until / can not think any more. al
ways end where begin"
"You have not noticed any mental
symptoms-any lack Of memory"
Her eyes filled.
"He forgot my birthday, two weeks
ago" she said. ut was the; first one he
had ever forgotten, in nineteen Of
them"
Nineteen! Nineteen from thirty-six
leaves sixteen!
"What meant was this" explain
ed. people sometimes have sudden
and unaccountable lapses of memory
and at those times they are apt to
stray away from home. Has your father
been worried lately?"
''He has not been himself at all. He
has been irritable, even to me- and ter
rible to the servants Only to Carter
he was never ugly to Carter But / do
not think it was a lapse Of memory.
When I remember how he looked that
morning, believe that he meant then
to go away 1T shows how he had
changed. when he could think Of going
away without a word, and leaving me
there alone"
"Then you have no brothers or sis
ters?"
"None. came to you-'there she
stopped.
please tell me how you happened to
come to me-" i urged. II think you
know that / am both honored and
pleased"
Il didn't know where to CO." she
confessed, 80 took the telephone d.
rectory, the classified part under At
torreys, and after shut my eyes, |.
put my finger haphazard on the page.
It pointed to your name"
am afraid / flushed at this, but it
was wholesome douche. In a moment
l laughed.
eve will take it as an omen.' said,
.and will do all that can. But I am
not a detective, Miss Fleming. Don't
YOU think we ought to have one?"
"Nct the police!" she shuddered Il
thought you could do something with.
out calling in a detective"
Suppose you tell me what happened
the day your father left, and how he
N,cr NM fto I;t4Io tl,sr -r-