Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-09-14
CHAPTER NIl1-(continued).

" oCiock. i should be at the Offlce
n, say. As minutes. I would wire Cur
:iss at once and the rest would be i'm
ais hands. My connection with the
Ease would end. And yet, it was not
Wlthout a certain regret that l would
'ellnquish it-for l had not solved the
mystery; that was. il anything, more
7npenetrable than when had first APP
preached 1t. Godfrey's %specious theory
Which 1 had myself ut first believed
Il put aside. for, ven from the broken
sentences which had fallen from Mrs.
Aawrence's lips. l could see that it
was not the right one. If Marcia Law
:ence had fled in order to protect the
memory OF the dead, there could be
40 question OF Il living husband. But
though rejected that explanation.
t was evident that. With the data at
land, l could form no adequate one
20 replace it.
I went over In my mind every phase
II The affair from first TO last; | en-
aeavored to sift out the significant in
:identS and to reject the imnlaterial;
tried to weld them into a compact
mass, but they would not be welded.
There was nothing to connec them,
20 common thread upon which they
could be strung; all that l had in my
possession was a bundle of facts which
seemed to be fatty self contradictory.
I remembered Mrs. L~awrence's as
constituent when I had mentioned he
existence of the letter. h had she
said? Il thought it was that woman!"
Which woman? Evidently the elder
Kingdom, since she had at once sent
for her. That nae been my suspicion
that 1T was she or her sister who
aad betrayed the secret. Yet the let
ter would seem to prove that it was
some one else. And it struck me as
significant that at no time had Mrs.
Lawrence appeared to suspect the
maid.
Was there really any connection. l
wondered, between that old tragedy
IN Mrs. Lawrence's life and this in the
life of her daughter? l reviewed again
the story DIR. Schuyler had told me.
How the lives of the Endicotts and
The Kingdoms and the Lawrences had
nterwined. l got out my notebook and
Gketched a rough table showing their
relationship.
AS I gazed down at this, two names
seemed to stand out more wildly
than all the rest. l closed my eyes
end called before me the faces Of two
beautiful women. L had lever seen
either of them in the life-of one.
had only u photography; of the other
the parlor of the Kingdom cottage
but they had somehow assumed for
me personalities distinct and vivid.
Marcia Lawrence and Ruth Endicott
the tragedy of fate linked them to-
Gether. Beautiful, young, accomplished,
-eare amid gentle surroundings, both
had tasted the bitterness of life. From
the very house whence Marcia Law
renee fed, Ruth Entlicott had started
on her hopeless search for health.
The train slowed up for Jersey City
Nnd in a was rolling under the
great shed Twenty minutes later ]
opened our office door. MIR. Royce
had goEa nut for lunch-which re-
indcd me that 1 had missed mine
nglin-Dut he came in almost imme-
liaielN.
"Wella" he cried, as he crossed the
threshold and came forward with ex-
You'd better wire Curtiss to come
pack,' l said.
!. 'You've news for him."
nodded
Il knew you'd have" he said ex-
forms toward him and wrote a rapid
message. "Curtisa is staying at a lit
tie place on Jamaica bay. He was
afraid to go any farther away, l sup
pose. He ought to be here in an hour
he added, n called a boy and gave
him the message.
Then he swung around to me again
Now. let's have the story he
prompted. Il know there's a story
Yes" l. said; there's a story.
was just"
The door burst open with a crasl
and in came Burr Curtiss himself.
II couldn't stay away n longer,
ne cried. II was eating my heart out
lave you any news?"
sit down. Curtiss, n pull your,
self together" i%nterposed our junior
catching him by h arm. This won
do. ! just wired you to come on. Yo,
must have met the boy"
II believe I did knock over q young
ster just outside the DOR.
We'll. there's no damage done.
guess. Since you're here, Lester, 70
a go right ahead with the story"
But n thing frst," %interrupte,
our ellen client. MI Did you find out wher
NO." I answered. But / have
message from her"
Thank God" he murmured. an,
sank back in his chair. I guessed wha
his fear had been-that Marcia Law
rence was no longer among the liv
ing.
Looking at him closely 1 wa
shocked at the change a single da,
had wrought in him. His eyes wer
b%loodshot from want Of sleep, his fac
pale and drawn, his hair and bear
unkempt. In a word. he had cease
to be the handsome. we'll groomed ma
the world knew as Burr Curtiss.
1 related my doings briefly. includ
Ing only the essential points. Then
hlaced the message In his hands. II
read It, his ace %quivering.
But this tells US nothing" he sal
hoarsely. looking up at me with piteou
eyes.
Except that she was in New Yor
this morning-and wants to fight he
battle out by herself"
Curtiss was on his feet. his face livi,
Blu she shan't fight it out by her
.n,Pw hA crfoA "DO vO,, thfn< Tn, quo