The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-09-14
CHAPTER xIv-(Continued) /.

tap at my door stopped me. l opene,
1t to find Mrs. Fitch, my landlady, oil
the threshold.
| "A telegram for you, Mr.. Lester,
she said, and held it out to me. II tolt
the boy to wait"
Thank you," said, and tore opel
the envelope. "There'll be no answer
I added. a moment later, and shut tn,
door somewhat hastily I fear, but Mrs
Fftch's eyes are sharp ones, and / die
| not wish her to see my face just then
] dropped into my chair and read tn,
message again:
II advise you to return to Elizabeth
at once. New developments in which
you will be interested
New Developments" All, Godfre,
knew me well! For already my fatigu,
was forgotten in the ardour OF tn,
chase, and moment later found my.
self changing from slippers to shoe,
as fast as my fingers could handle tn,
laces.
Mrs. Fitch met me on the stair.
mot going out again, Mr.. Lester!
she protested. why you'll kill your
self"
II can't help 1t. Mrs. Fitch" said
I've got to CO."
mot bad news, hopper"
mo"
And you'll be back soon?"
mot tonight, I'm afraid"
"Oh. nonsense, Mr.. Lester"
But / left her protesting on the step
and hurried down the street. Mrs
Fitch meant we'll but she was some.
times little in the way.
/ took the elevated to Cortland,
street, and hurried down to the ferry
expecting every instant to hear the
gong which announced the departure Of
the boat. But found that I had IL
minutes to wait before there was g
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 l found myself in a seat
with the train rumbling out from under
the long shed.
stared out into the night, wonder
ing what the now developments could
be. They must have been unusual AND
unexpected ones, to stir Godfrey tC
sending me that telegram But what
could they be? For the present, the
case was closed. Curtiss and Miss
I<dWICltCS were pOlIl III Illu-OCCdIi, dllO
any further developments must await
their meeting. Besides, 1t was only q
few hours since / myself had left
Elizabeth, and there had seemed nc
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 II possible, I asked myself, that
Marcia Lawrence had not sailed on the
Umbria, that the message had been
merely blind, that she had foreseen
that we would trace 1t to the West
street office, that she had written 1t on
a sheet OF the steamers paper for the
purpose Of deceiving us? Yes, that
was clearly possible. She may have re-
turned home, and Godfrey. discovering
the return, had summoned me to be
present at her unmasking! / had really
only half-b believed that IL was she
whom Curtiss had deserted upon the
Umbrias forward deck. But IL she
had, indeed. done all this, she must be
far more deeply versed In deception
than I had supposed. l should hardly
have given her credit for laying a plan
so adroit as that; but one can never
Judge a woman's capabilities.
Suddenly conscious again OF my IA
tigue, laid my head back against the
seat, and dozed away until the sharp
call Of the brakeman aroused me. Not
until had left the train did / 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
a 4, 81
message of any kind. For a moment
I was fairly taken aback, SO confident
had been; but perhaps Godfrey had
deemed a message superfluous after
the hint given in the telegram knew
how he detested the obvious. He had
no doubt thought that hint sufficient
and ii was.
ing as gained the street
again. and turned my steps toward the
Lawrence place. If there were indeed
any new developments. it must be
either there or at the cottage that they
had come to light. That was self evil
dent; that could be the only rendez-
yous; it was there Godfrey was await
ing me. So I walked on rapidly. and
In a very few minutes reached my des-
tination.
The house was dark and gloomy, as
1t had been the night before. / en-
tered the ground and made a careful
circuit of the place, but not glim-
mer of light could l detect at any of
the windows. There was nothing to
indicate that any one was stirring, nor
did come upon any trace of Godfrey,
though j 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 l stopped, for It
-oemed 10 ne that / had caught sight
OF dim figure fitting among the
trees. ] was facing the street, and
the glow from the arc lights there
made grey background against which
! fancie6 / saw a shadow moving.
strained my eyes-yes--there it was
again, approaching the house along
the Path.
l am no more superstitious than most
men. yet, for ar instant, the notion
seized me like an electric shock, that
this was no earthly visitant But /
shook myself together and leaned for
ward watching 1t from behind a Shelf
tering tree. 1t went directly TO the bal
cony steps. and mounted them with a
swiftness which showed how familiar
1t vas with the place. Had I been