The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1912-02-23

"a
she had done him that she saw him
from her partners shoulder before he
picked her out from a score of other
comely young women on the floor.
Miss March instantly wearied Of the
waltz, to the dismay of the youth
whose arm encircled her; and who
rather fancied himself as dancer
She lost no time in having herself es-
corted to a small conservatory. where
she dismissed her partner with scant
ceremony, and where, few moments
afterward, she was joined by Girls.
void.
Even then the debutante's unwilling
tangling of the threads of Griswold's
fate might not have had such influence
upon his future If she had approached
her subject with directness. Had she
told Griswold at once what she had
said to the detective concerning his
skill as draughtsman, the clubman's
suspicious would have been aroused,
and he might have taken steps that
would have had marked effect upon
the development Of the great Mission
er mystery. But Dorothy was too flut.
tered, too prettily remorseful, to go
straight to the heart of the subject,
and In her innocent endeavor to post
GrlsWold In respect of her chat with
Britt without making him think she
was a gossiping little busybody, she
protracted her interview with the club.
man through SO many dances that
when It ended Griswold persuaded him.
self the morning would be ample time
to do that which he felt must be done
to avert the probable consequences Of
Dorothy's girlish frankness. His van.
ity again played its part, too, for when
he had thanked little Miss March for
what he pleased to consider her inter.
est In him, and when Dorothy, having
signally failed to impress upon him the
impersonal nature of her conscience
stroke, found herself in q further flut.
ter Of bewilderment, Curtis Griswold
proceeded to parade her up and down
the dancing floor as effectively as he
had shown of the rich and beautiful
widow in the larger ballroom little
farther up the avenue. Griswold
prided himself on his versatility. He
argued that It was as easy for him.
as he would have expressed it to bis
club intimates, ito put a Ally through
her PAGES" as it had been to advertise
the fact before the whole ballroom
that Doris Missioner, the fastidiou:
beauty and worshiped possessor O
many millions, apparently was on tn,
point Of accepting hin, as her secon,
matrimonial venture.
| All Of which resulted in Griswold'
/ Ions stay. ct the dancsyinahiss ride Wit
Dorothy to her home In an AUTOMOBILE,
otherwise occupied only by satisfac
torily self-centered chaperon; and /,
his waste Of further time at one OF his
clubs after parting with Miss Marcel
and her duenna-a waste of hours any
one OF which might have been made a.
useful to him as year of ordinary
time. He was further disposed to pro
crastinate in this crucial moment b.
the success of the Headquarters man
In throwing all suspected persons of
their guard by keeping Elinor Hol
comb in the Tombs. Through all his
work on the Missioner case, Britt had
been beset with requests from Mrs
Missioner, Sands and other friends OF
the widows secretary, to permit them
to give bail for her. Sands and Mrs
Missioner were particularly insistent
in their desire to see Elinor at liberty
Fitch, though normally his wish to see
his fancee free must have been
stronger than that Of anyone else, was
partly reconciled to her protracted i'm.
prisonment by the detectives frequent
assurance of her ultimate vindication.
Moreover, the doctor, in consequence
of his work on the case with Britz, had
direct knowledge Of the Importance
that the suspicious of others should
not be alarmed. He had been with the
detective when the card of Bruxton
Sands was discovered in the posses
sion of the old curiosity shop man; he
knew Of the note addressed to Curtis
dear" and signed "Millicent," and also