The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-07-06
CHAPTER IL
A BRIDES vAGARY..

Two minutes later. / was speeding
downward In the elevator, having
paused only long enough to give word
of instruction to the head clerk. A
glance at my watch showed me that IL
j would catch the 1898, had no time
to lose; but luckily a cab was passing
at the moment, and I jumped aboard
the boat for Jersey City just as the
gates were closing.
Not until l was safely aboard the
train did I give myself time to con-
lecture what this imperative summons
meant. but during the half-hour run to
the little New Jersey city, had ample
time to try TO puzzle II out.
One thing was quite certain-it was
no ordinary emergency which had
moved Mr. Royce to summon me from
the office at time when I was so
| badly needed there. ] got out the tele-
gram again. and read 1t, word by
word. 1t affected me as a wild cry for
help would have done. at midnight, in
some lonely place and Ii was just that
"a wild cry for help. But why had he
| needed aid, when he himself was so
clear sighted, so ready witted, so fer
tile Of resource? What was this as
founding occurrence which confronted
him, this crisis so urgent and over
whelming that it had shaken and
startled him out of his self-control I?
The message itself was proof of his
deep excitement. Apparently he had
wired for me instinctively. finding him
self suddenly In the tolls of some di-
leinma, which left him dazed anu
nerVeleSS.
Ever since the time / had succeeded,
more by luck than anything else, in
discovering the whereabouts of Frances
Holiday, and solving the mystery of
her fathers death. our junior partner
had conceived a tremendously exalted
| opinion Of my abilities as an untangler
Of abtruse problems, and never lost an
opportunity Of referring to me such as
| came in his way. Every firm Of prac-
| ticing lawyers knows how frequently
a case hinges upon some puzzling point
| of eyidence-how witnesses have way
of disappearing-an Graham & Royce
| had their full share of such perplexing
| tangles. IT had come to be one Of the
unwritten rules of the office that such
| points should be referred to me. and
| while / was by no means uniformly
successful in solving them, 1 always
| took lively pleasure In the work. IT
| was no doubt that habit which had
caused our junior to turn to me in this
emergency. could guess how terri
| flying 1t must have been to overwhelm
so completely man so we'll balanced
and self-controlled-I could almost see
| the trembling hand with which he had
penned the message.
| So it was with a certain quickenina
| of the pulse that 1 stepped from the
| train at the triangular Elizabeth sta
| ton. and an instant later Mr.. Royce
| had me by the hand.
1--WE a carriage over here, Lester. {"
| he said, drawing me toward it, and I
| noticed that he was fairly quivering
with excitement. II thought you could
| make this train" he added, as we took
our seats and the driver whipped up
smartly. II knew you wouldn't lose
any time and can't tell you how
glad am to have you here. Curtiss Is
all broken up-doesn't know which way
to turn Neither do l.. l had just sense
enough to send you that wire"
Il thought 1t was mystery of some
Sort" I said, beginning to tingle In
sympathy with him. What has hap
pened?"i
THE bride-to-be has disappeared. !"
answered Mr.. Royce simply; van
ished-skipped QUIT"
! For a moment scarcely understood.
| II seemed preposterous to suppose that
l had heard Alright.
Disappeared" / echoed helplessly.
Skipped out!"
Yes. skipped outp and Mr.. Royce
crushed his unlighed cigar sayagely In
/ his fingers and hurled 1t through the
carriage window. II haven't the slight
est doubt that she deliberately ran
away"
The sight Of his emotion Gained me
a little.
'At the last moment o., I questioned.
practically at the last moment--less
than an hour before the time set for
the ceremony. She was getting ready
for twas in her wedding dress, In
| fact i tsll you. Lester
Wait" I said, putting out re-
| straining hand. Begin at the begin
ming. What's her name?"