The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-10-29
CHAPTER vL-(continued.)

shut the door after him.
1t was maybe twenty minutes after
that that the doorbell rung, and when
l opened the door, there was q wonan
standing on the steps,"
lie stopped and swallowed once or
twice, as though his throat was dry,
| saw that his fingers were witch
Ing ~nervously.
Did you know herr" questioned
Grady.
Rogers loosened his collar with a con-
vulsive movement.
mo. sir, I'd never seen her before"
he answered hoarsely.
Describe her"
Rogers closed hts eyes, as though in
an effort Of recollection.
"She wore a heavy veil. Sir, 50 that
! couldn't see her very well; but the
first thing / noticed was her eyes-they
We're SO bright, they seemed to burn
right through me. Her face locked
white behind the veil. and I could see
how red her lips were-I didn't like her
looks, sir, from the first"
"Hew was h dressed?"
In q dark gown, sir, cut 30 skinny
that I knowed she was French before
h spoke"
"Ah!" said Grady. "she was French.
was she2"
Eyes. sir; though she could speak
some English. She asked for MIR. Van
tine. I told her MT. Vantine was busy.
And then she said something very fast
about how she must see him, and all
the time kept edging in and in, till
| the first thing l knowed she was inside
the door and then she Just pulled the
door out Of my hand and shut it. ask
you, sir. Is that the way a lady would
behaved"
NO" said Grady, st dare say not.
But go ahead-and take your lime
Rogers had gained his ~self-conh-
dence, and he went ahead almost glioly.
"'See here, madam says I. we've
xhad enough trouble here today with
Trenches, and if you don't get out
quietly, why, I'll have to put vol out.
az must Mistaire Vangtine," she
says, very fast. I must Mistalre Wang
tine. It Is most necessarie that l see
Mistaire Vangtine.'
"'Then I'll have to put you out, says
I, and took hold of her arm. And at
that she ~screanwd and jerked herself
away; and I grabbed her again, and
lust then Mr.. Vantine opened the door
there and came cs!t into the hall.
whats all this, Rogers" he says
Who is this party?
"But before I could answer, that wflc
cat had rushed over to him n begar
to reel off a string Of French so fas1
I wondered how she got her breath
And Mr.. Vantine looked at her KIND o.
surprised at first, and then he got more
interested, and finally he asked her II
and shut the door, n that was thu
last I saw Of them"
"You mean you didn't let the woman
out?" demanded Grady.
Eyes. s1l, that's Just what I mean.
thought if Mr.. Vant1ne wanted to tall
with her, well and good; that was hi!
business, not mine; so I went back t.
the pantry to help the cook with tn
silver, expecting to hear the bell ever.
minute. But the bell didn't ring. ant
after maybe half an hour. | came on
in the hall again to see If the woman
had gone; and I walked past the doc
of this room but didn't hear nothing
and then 1 went on to the front door
and was surprised to find 1t WASH
latched."
"Maybe you hadn't latched it," sug
gested Grady.
TT has snap lock, sir; when tina
slammed it Shut 1 heard !
catch"
you're sure of that?"
quite sure, sir"
"What did you do then?'
II closed tn the e., door, door. sir H. 6 an
I felt uneasy, some way; and
stood outside the door there list
/ eNlUS, Dul 1 COulIIl I AlVal Ill Gal
then 1 tapped, but there wasn't n
answer; SO I tapped louder, with m
heart somehow working right up int
my mouth. And still there wasn't r
answer, so I just opened the door an
looked inland the first thing I saw we
him
Rogers stopped suddenly, and caug1
at his thrOat again.
I'll be all right in a minute. sir" /
gasped. ut takes me his way som,
times"
mo hurry Grady assured him. ar
then, when his breath was comiL
easier, What did o do them"
~ was so scared I couldn't scarce
stsas1, sir; but I managed to get to tt
foo% of the stairs and yell Tor Park
and he come running down-and that
all ] remember. sir"
'"The woman wasn't here?"
mo, sir"
Did you look through the rooms
mo, sir; when I found the trout do
open, I knowed she'd gone out. s.
hadn't shut the door because she W;
afraid I'd hear her
That sounds probable agre
Grady. But what makes you thil
she killed Vantine?"
well, sir" answered Rogers. slowl
IT guess 1 oughtn't to have said thu
but finding the door open that We
| vi iCi SO'AiAS VA "a oAiNAi1 o.
of upset mel didn't know Just what
was saying"
You don't hin so now, then
questioned Grady, sharply.
~ don't know what to think, sir
You say you never saw the WON
before?"
Never. sir"
Had she ever been here before?'
II don't think SO, sir. The first thi
4 she asked was if this was where \
Vantine lived"
Grady nodded.
Very good. Rogers" he said. &c
I be offering you a place on the fol
4 next. Would you kno this woman
\ you saw her again?
Rogers hesitated.
IT wouldn't like to say sure, SIR"
| answered. at last. II might and
might not"
Red lips and a white face q
bright eyes aren't much to go o
Grady pointed vi Cant you give
a closer description"
I'm afraid not. sir. I Just got a G
eral impression, like. of her fl
through her veil"
You say o didn't search tn
roo,os?"
NO. sir. 1 didn't come inside
door."