River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-02-02
CHAPTER xII.-CoSrrsuED.


tCoPyigsteI ISL. By e ". DRiiaglana II.
R.yLfs Rssereedl
CHAPTER xH-Coxr1xuED
Tic others Of the household were for send
ing out Immediately TO search the neighbOT-
hood and discover some trace Of the lost
Princess All the available males We're
accordingly pressed into the service, and
sent out 70 sc1Ur the country in every direc-
ton The first objective point. Of course,
was the road in the vicinity Of the pool
But not the slightest clue could there be
discovered. The heavy rains had Obliterated
all the whecl-tracks made by the wagon
into the wood where TIC Princess hal first
been carried Searching far and wide. they
could hud positively nothing in the way of a
trace O. their lost mistress.
Meanwhile, Dimitri returned from an in
tervIew with the carriers, and these individ-
uals all agreed in saying that they had seen
a h0rsewoman emerge from the cliff road
and ride rapidly toward the village on the
public road From their description Of the
woman and her horse Z could be none other
than the Princess herself
They sact with no stranger, excepting
huutsrlau VINO hailed them near the cliff
road, an3 g1t them al into some angry
dispute with regard To the Ian thercabouts
They, too, observed tho loud whistle, but
supposed It that of some hunter ceiling MS
dogs
Ere Dimitri left the inn. a farmer, also
living ID the neighb0rhO0d. entered.
dreBched through and through 10y the
storm. On his way to St. Mal0. ne had be-
come alarmed az the severity of the storm,
and, slspprsing It an a.l-night affair, turned
back 20 the inn OF the village.
Dimitri remembered meeting with him,
just after Catherine and himself passed the
pool
Here now was q clue.
The wagoucrs were not TO be diverted
from their idea tina they saw the Princess
gong toward the pool.
Had this farmer, on the este side Of the
pool seen herr No, he had not. He saw
40 one, excepting q stranger whom he found
sitting by the roadside. This man and him
selI GA Dyed "a long talk about crops-a talk
Of perhaps one quarter Of an hour I'm length.
10 woman Vl75cd them or that he was
sHFc-.I- least no woman excepting the one
'-yslil that man. pointing 20 Dimitri and
referring. q course, % Catherine He, too.
observed the sharp calls Of The whistle
LYDIA listened quietly 10 D5mitri's story.
Here, ~ last. was "a trace 10 Natalie-the
oaig clue perhaps TO her disappearance.
send for all the yvaggu-gs and the farm
1aAA4A
Tho dripping band Of peasants soon ap-
pearcJ in thc han. Little rivuIets triclzling
down frct1 their dreLcrcd garments and
covering the iJo- with miniature ponds
They stood aGidled together. awe-struck
and ay,zya a,i
Que-,i7riHg them, Lydia found that Nata-
lie must have been lost between the wagon
ers On one siis Of the pool and the farmer
On the ether side; and. therefore, In the
neIgh5Crha0l If, and yc=y probably AZ, the
pool itself; and that the stranger who
C1uverscd win tine farmer and also tine
huut5mau who disputed with the carriers.
were, undoubtedly. accessories To the abb
dUction-for they both disappeared almost
Immediately after the second whistle
The wagner said that the first call was
heard Just before they saw the Princess.
The mystery Of Natalie's disappearance
now became clear 10 Lydia
The Understandable would she have be
Iievcd her cars had she been told who he
was must have been on the watch for the
poor girl The warming signal Of her ap-
prOach toward the abdUctCrs was the first
blast Of his whistle. This, too, warned the
outpost on the opposite side Of the pool and
both cu-p1sts stGrped all passengers upon
the road, thus TseveutiI & interference with
the capture cf Natalie
As soon as the Princess had been secured,
her Cdptars. i'm torn. gave the signal 70 their
acComplices that the deed was done and the
coast clear.
Unless Natalie was stil in the neighbOr-
hood az the pool which was highly imprOb-
able-ste must -c been carried toward
the sea-cUast; for that she and her captors
did ROT come toward the village was quite
certain from the statement Of the peasants /;
. aaH Fs-..
lowed the opposite dircctj0n-sO reasoned
Lydia, and correctly But her intuition
told her Il was too late now for res, Uing her
friend.
a fun hour and half had elapsed since
NataHc's disappearance. and it was now al
most eight O'Clock To the sea-coast from
the pool was q drive Of perhaps thrce-quar-
tiers Of an hour. Therefore. If Natalie had
been carried thithcr. she was By this hour
far al sea. undoubtedly.
Still, as the storm gave signs OF abating,
Lydis ordered her carriage 90 follow, while
she herself with Dimitri and others. has
tened forward on horseback to the coast.
Dimitri had always imagined his mistress
= peerless rider. but found Lydia quite her
equal Do their best. the men were always
some distance behind her
They met several of the searching party,
who declared that every nook and crevice
had been examined more especially in the
neighb0rho5d Of tue brook All efforts
faiied To discover any thing like the faintest
Clue-beyoud grove in which there had
been recent euCoupuCut Bits Of bread
were streyvn about upon the turf that bore
the iIaprluts ~ horses feet as they could
see by the light Of thcir lanterns lydia
perceived that u had been the hiding-p,ace
of the auiuctors
Onward she dashed toward the sea-coast,
the men following her.
Each person with whom they met was
closely questioned. but not one had seen or