Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-03-01
CHAPTER NIX.
THE YOGI

The events of the day the followed
Sunday shall pass over as briefly as
may De. 1T was for me a day of dis
appointment eliminating in despair,
and. looking back at it, | remember is
as a grey day. windy, and with gusts
DIR. Hinman stopped for us, and Cod
frey and 1 accompanied him to the
service over the body of the murdered
man. We were the only outsiders
there, besides the undertaken and his
assistants. and they We're not admitted
to the ceremony. This was witnessed
only by Miss Vaughan, Mahbub and us
tnfee. The servants We're not there,
and neither We're Miss Vaughan's
nurses.
1 nave v seen a more impressive
ilgure than Silva made that morning.
His robe were dead black, and in
contrast to them and to his hair and
But. after the first moments, the cere-
mony failed to interest me; for Silva
spoke a language which 1 supposed to
be Hindustani, and there was a mo-
notony about it n about his gestures
winch ended in getting on my nerve
1t was over, Miss Vaughan slipped
away The yogi and Mahbub followed
her, and then we three stepped for
ware for a last look at the body.
1t was robed all in white. The I'M
dertaker had managed to compose the
features, and the high stock concealed
the ugly marks upon the neck. So
there was nothing to tell of the
OF his death, and there was a certain
majesty about him as he lay with
hands crossed and eyes closed.
we left h room in silence, and
Hinman signed to the undertaken that
the service was ended.
Il am going with the body to the
crematory.' he said, and presently
drove away with the undertaker, ahead
of the hearse. Godfrey and 1 stood
gazing after it until it passed from
sight, then. in silence, we walked down
the drive to the entrance. The gard
ener was standing there. and regarded
us with eyes which seemed to me dis
tinctly unfriendly. He made no sign
of recognition. and, the we
were outside, he closed the gates and
Ike them carefully, as though obey
ing precise Instructions.
So a Godfrey. in a Nv tone, as
we went on together. 1.-The lock has
been repaired. l wonder who ordered
that done?"
Miss Vaughan. no doubt" 1 an
swered. "She wouldn't want those
gates gaping open.''
Perhaps not" Godfrey assented;
but would she want the barrier in
tact? Remember. Lester, it's as much
a barrier from one side as from the
other"
We'll. she won't be inside it much
longer" I assured him. I'm going to
get her out this afternoon"
The words were uttered with a con-
fidence I was far from feeling, and l
rather expected Godfrey to challenge
1t, but he walked on without replying,
his head bent in thought. and did not
again speak Of Miss Vaughan or her
affairs.
He drove into the city shortly after
lunch. n it was about the middle of
the afternoon when l presented myself
again at the gates Of Elmhurst II
rang the bell. / waited five minutes
and rang again. Finally the gardener
came shutting down the drive and
asked me what I wanted. told him
had an appointment with his mist
ress; but, instead Of admitting me, he
took my card and shuffled away with
it.
l confess that l grew angry, as |
stood there kicking my heels at the
roadside, for he was gone a long time,
and all these precautions and delays
were incomprehensible to me. But he
came back at last, unlocked the gate
without a word. n moti0ned me ia
enter. Then he hooked 1t again, and
led the way up the drive to the house
The house maid me us at the doc ol
the library, as though she had been
stationed there.
III you will wait here. sir" she said,
Miss Vaughan will see You"
q hope she In WELL" / ventured
thinking the girl might furnish IN.
with some clue to all this mystery, hn:
she was already at the door.
quite well. sir" he said. and the
next instant had disappeared.
Another 10 minutes elapsed. and
then. just az I was thinking seriously
OF putting on my hat and leaving the
house. l heard q step coming down
the stair. A moment later Mis-.
Vaughan stood on the threshold.
had taken it for granted that, re-
lieved OF her fathers presence, shl