Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-09-22

the threshold.
"A telegram for you, Mr.. Lester
she said. and held it out to me. Il told
the boy to wait"
Thank you l said, and tore open
the envelope. "There'll be no answer
! added, a momen later, n shut the
door somewhat hastily 1 fear, but Mrs.
Fitch's eyes are sharp ones, and | did
not wish her to see my face just then.
/ dropped into my chair and read the
message again:
Il advise you to return TO Elizabeth
at once. New developments in which
you will be interested.
New deveIopments!" All, Godfrey
knew me we'll! For already my fatigue
vas forgotten in the ardour OF the
chase, and a moment later / found my
self changing from slippers to shoes
as fast as my fingers could handle the
laces.
Mrs. Fitch met me on the stair.
Not going out again, Mr.. Lester!"
self"
II can't help it, Mrs. Fitch" 1 said.
"Tve got to 60"
Not bad news, l hope?"
mo"
"And you'll be back soon?'
Not tonight, Pm afraid"
VA, ASAA2~AA5SJ Va
But I left her protesting on the step.
and hurried down the street. Mrs.
Fitch meant well, but she was ome
times a little in the way.
I took the elevated to Cortlandt
street, and hurried down TO the ferry,
expecting every instant to hear the
gong which announced the departure Of
minutes to wait before there was a
train, and I spent them walking fever
ishly up and down the narrow waiting
room, where the roads patrons are
herded like cattle behind the Slated
gates
AT last the gates opened; there was
the usual rush to the boat; the slow
crossing Of the wide river, with the
cool salt breeze coming In from the
ocean; the stampede to the coaches
through the great Jersey City station;
and finally / found myself in a seat,
with the train rumbling out from under
the long shed.
/ stared out into the night, wonder
ing what the new developments could
be. They must nave been unusual and
unexpected ones, to stir Godfrey to
sending me that telegram! But what
could they be? For the present, the
case was closed. Curtiss and Miss
Lawrence were both in ~mid-ocean, and
any further developments must await
their meeting. Besides, II was only q
few hours since / myself had left
Elizabeth, and there had seemed no
prospect then Of anything further hap
pening there. Godfrey had announced
his own intention of leaving The place
at once-he had said that the case
wasn't worth wasting any more time
over. What, then, had detained him?
Was 1t possible, I asked myself, that
Marcia Lawrence had not sailed on the
TT-,hri4 4hnN thn Y1ngcn oro hnd hann
merely q blind, that she had foreseen
that we would trace 1t to the West
street office, that she had written 1t on
9. sheet of th5 steamers paper for the
purpose OF d~eceiving US? Yes. that
was clearly possible. She may have re-
turned homo, and Godfrey, discovering
the return, had summoned me tc be
present at her unmaskingl I had really
only half-believed hat 1t was she
whom Curtiss had deserted upon the
Umbria's forward deck. But If she
had, indeed, done all this, she must be
far more deeply versed In deception
than I had supposed. I should hardly
have given her credit for laying a plan
so adroit as that: but n can never
fudge a woman's capabilities.
Suddenly conscious again OF my IA
tigue, I laid my head back against the
seat, and dozed away until the sharp
call of the brakeman aroused me. Not
until I had left the train did I remem-
Der that Godfrey had appointed no
rendezvous. He might, perhaps, be
awaiting me at the hotel, or. at least,
he had certainly left a message there
for me, and I started up the street.
But an inquiry Of the clerk developed
the fact that, while Godfrey was still
stopping there, he had gone out i'm
mediately after dinner, and had left no
message Of any kind. For a moment
I was fairly taken aback, so confident
had I been; but perhaps Godfrey had
deemed q message superf1uous after
the hint given in the telegram knew
how he detested the obvious. He had
no doubt thought that hint sufficient
and IT was.
Elevent o'clock was strik-
ing as I gained the street
again. and turned my steps toward the
Lawrence place. If there were indeed
any new developments, 1t must be
either there or at the cottage that they
dent; that could be the only rendez-
vous II was there Godfrey was await
ing me. So / walked on rapidly, and
In a very few minute reached my des-
tination.
The house was dark and gloomy, as
Il had been the night before. I en-
tered the ground and made a careful
CIRCUIT VI al Ptd1ts "a " 6iiili-
mer of light could / detect at any Of
the windows. There was nothing to
indicate that any one was stirring, nor
did I come upon any trace OF Godfrey,
though I half expected to collide with
him at any moment. Plainly there was
nothing TO be discovered here, and at
last / turned my steps toward the
path which led to the cottage.
Then suddenly / stopped, for II
seemed TO me that ] had caught sight
of a dim figure fitting among the
trees. / was facing the street, and
the glow from the arc lights there
made a grey background against which
fancieo I saw a shadow moving. /
strained my eyes-yes-there II was
again, approaching the house along
the rath.
/ am no more superstitious than most
men. yet. for an instant, the notion
seized me like an electric shock. that
this was no earthly visitant. But /
shook myself together and LEANED for
ward watching II from behind a shelf
tering tree. 1t went directly TO the ball
cony steps. and mounted them with q
swiftness which showed how familiar
IL was with the place. Had been