Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-07-27
AFFAIR AT
ri y RETH BY Burton E: Stevenson: mu
Holiday Cae" Ste.
New York-aenry Holt & Co-laN.
Bv Burton E. Stevenson.
oh. no, Quite the. contrary

a conclnsion?" | persisted. mo a
woman who would condemn Il maj UNI
heard--who would overlook the possi-
billty of a mistake and be convinced
tial evidence?"
she was not such a at ALL"
he said decidedly. She was just the
opposite of all that"
That makes it more difficult" 1
pointed out.
II know; I've thought it all out. as
we'll as I'm able-only there's a blank
a reason. l have the right to know
Yes / assented heartily. I'm
doubtedly you have the right to know
1t. There We're on solid ground. Well,
that point is settled then. And now 1
must ask You another question. Mr..
Curtiss, which YOU may resent, but
should ask If I'm to be of any help to
YOU"
II think I can guess what it is. Mr..
Lester" and he smiled grimly. Since
Marcia disappeared, I've reviewed care
fully my whole past life. and I can
find nothing in it which would justify
In the slightest degree such an action.
I've not been a saint. but at least I've
never been ~dishonorable nor dissolute.
Does that answer the question:"
Perfectly" l said. There could be
no doubling his utter t%ruthfulness.
And your family history?"
is neither long nor brilliant. My
father n mother both died when /
was a baby. I was raised by my grand
parents"
They lived in New York;"
No; Long Island. MY grandfather's
name was John Curtiss. He managed
an estate belonging to a New York
anker. He was an honest n hon
orable man.
Yes; he and his wife have Deer dead
ten years and more"
You have no brothers or sisters ?'
NO; nor any other near relatives"
That was the end of that theory then.
II he secret did not concern Curtiss.
it must concern Miss Lawrence her
self. More and more felt that she
was the victim of a plot. or the maids
completely. 1 had not the shadow of a
doubt-but was Mrs. Lawrence u party
to it, too?
I turned back to her. She was, APP
parently. so busy with her own
that she paid no heed to what
was passing. How explain her calm
ness, her lack of interest? How. ex-
cept in the theory that she knew where
her daughter was. had assisted in her
disappearance and approved OF it? 1
1elt my blood warm suddenly in Cur
tiss's behalf. If he had been the vic
tim of an adventures. it should be my
business to expose her!
But a second glance at Mrs. Law
rence's face showed me the folly of
such thought. h was no adventures
she was a gentle, cultured christian
omar who had suffered, as all NOR
tails must. but had still preserved her
sweetness n serenity. as few mortais
DO. Yet more and more was per-
picked by that indefinable abstraction in
her behavior, which seemed somehow
out of tune with the circumstance. Per
maps she was really more moved thar
she seemed to be; perhaps her apparent
lndllTerence was in reality only an add
mlrable ~self-control. / fancied that It
had given way for an instant when she
wa telling us the story of her daugh-
ters disappearance. If I could only hit
upon some way to startle her out of
her self-possession, I might yet learn
She turned suddenly and met my
eyes. She blushed acknowledgements
she read my thought: and instantly /
blamed myself for my clumsiness in
permitting my suspicion to appear in
my c 1t was a mischance not cas-
lily retrieved.
u have told you all I know" she
said, rising quickly, and answering the
question I had not uttered. Il feel the
need of rest. If 1 can help you in n
way. command me-"
THANK you," l answered and opened
the door for her.
She paused on the Observation-Disclosures
around-her eyes rested on Burr Cur
tlSS'S dreary face. In an instant. she
was beside him. bending over him with
infinite tenderness.
Dear boy" she said. SO low I could
scarcely hear her. and smoothed back
4 " III n NrA 1900
~. dear boy, don't worry so. nm
sure It will all come right"
he looked up and smiled at her
TREMENDOUSLY. With a quick impulsiye-
ness. she. stopped and kissed him. then
went rapidly from the room, leaving
me, at least. more puzzled than before
at this sudden glimpse of un~suspected
depths OF tenderness.
I closed the door after her and turned
back to Curtiss.
Has Mrs. Lawrence favored your
suit for her daughters hand?" asked.
Favored it," he repeated. Yes.
from the very first"
Then. in your opinion. she couldn't
have had anything to do with this
disappearance-advised 1t. perhaps as
sisted In it?"
surd." "o
And yet" I began.
III you knew her." he interrupted.
you would see its %absurdity. She has
always been most kind to me. You
saw
Yes" I nodded.
She has always been like that. She
has treated me az a dearly beloved
son ever since we told her OF our en-
gagement."
There has been no cloud?"
Not the slightest! She seemed to
share in her daughters happiness and
In mine. Sha has told ma mora thnn