Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-08-28

L
never acts on impulse"
Davis looked at me with that exas-
perating smile of his.
Kent" he replied, when you have
been married as long as l have, when
you know women as we'll as do, you
VIII realize the folly of trying to find
reasons for the things women do.
Their minds are not governed by rea-
son, but by impulse. Every sane wom-
an knew that the hobble skirt was an
aDsurdity, yet when Fashion decided
IN favor of the hobble skirt it was
worn. | doubt very much if Miss Far
rlsh herself could tell you why she
asked you to discontinue your inves-
tlgat1on. Probably she acted on i'm
pulse. By this time she undoubtedly
is just as eager as she ever was for
you to go on
What would you adviser"
I'D go on" said Davis laconically,
as ne lighted another cigarette.
For moment l was almost shaken
in my determination to do nothing un-
til had seen Louise. 1t seemed as if
Davis might be right. Perhaps she
had acted only on impulse Perhaps
her love for me had made her feel
that the investigation might lead me
into danger. But l reconsidered. She
had given me her love and trust and
confidence. She surely was entitled
to full confidence from me. l could
not honorably continue the investiga-
ton without first seeing her.
i am going to town on the first
train" l said decisively. 81 shall do
nothing until / have seen her"
And l shall go on with the inves-
tigation," said Davis with that exas-
perating smile of his.
lmpatiently l turned and left him
/ choked down cup of coffee and hur-
ried to the station. The journey
seemed miles and miles long, though
the train made few stops. AS soon as
the ferry landed me in New York l
sprang into a taxi and ordered the
driver to take me at once to the Far
IRISH house. Not until we had turned
into their street did l realize that it
was still too early for me to try to see
Louise, even on such an urgent mis-
sion as mine. A few doors away from
the house l stopped the chauffeur and
babe him drive up the avenue to the
entrance of Central park.
| dismissed him there and strolled
aimlessly into the park. l would wait
until ten o'clock before l tried to see
Louise. Still bordering the situation,
| strolled along one of the park walls
and flung myself on a bench by the
little lake where the swan boats are.
There was no one about at that early
hour and | was glad of it. l wanted
to be alone and think
How long / sat there do not know.
l was so deep in thought that there
was neither sight in my eyes nor hear
ing in my ears. Yet the eyes will not
be denied their rights. A feeling came
over me that some part of my brain
was trying to tell me something. 1t
came more and more forcefully. MY
eyes were seeing something which
they were trying to compel me to no
tice.
What was it?
pulled myself together with start
and looked about me.
With an exclamation of horror
sprang from the bench and gazed into
the lake just in front of me. Floating
on the surface, not fifty feet from
where l had been sitting, was the
body of woman.
"Other suicides, other suicides"-
Davis remark of two days before kept
jigging through my brain. Other sui
cides! Katharine, Elser, the woman
at Ardway-his prophecy had been
right-and was this another in the
terrible chain?
| ran like a mailman toward the
park entrance, where l remembered
| had passed a policeman. 1t was
with relief that l found him still
there.
There's a woman-drOwned- the
lake!" l gasped, pointing over my
shoulder.
He ran back to the lake with me
and together we waded out in the shall
low water where the body lay. In my
horror at the unexpected sight l had
not stopped to note her appearance,
nor could l have told whether she
was young or old, dark or fair
l looked at her now with more than
interest-with a feeling of sorrow, of
understanding. The deed of Katha-
rine Parrish had brought me to
closer sympathy with unfortunate per-
sons Influenced to seek death. AS
saw that this poor girl was young and
fair | sadly wondered what tragedy
had driven her to drowning.
Never shall l forget the impression
the picture of this suicide made on
me! She lay on her back, with long
blonde tresses of welIkept hair float
ing out on either side of her shapely
head. Her eyes were closed, but her
shapely brows and long dark lashes
made her face comedy even in death.
Her clothing, / observed, was we'll
made, and though wet and soiled as 1t
~ L / Z, iY,o