Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-05-06

| Cut All L "oAL " hlOM. l suppose MIS-
Hamilton will not trouble about the
woman, unless the child should be
found, and then they might, unless
stopped, try blachmail again"
Late as il was, I asked him 10 q
with me to see Mrs. Hamilton, and that
lady had not retired to ner room. She
was astonished at the intelligence
brought by Ferguson, and said she was
highly satisfied with the result Of his
investigations. She renumerated us
both handsomely, and entreated us TO
snare neither trouble nor expense in
cur endeaVours to trace the missing
boy.
4 fortnight elapsed, and then there
was another phase % this strange re-
nance. The clerk to the city Paro-
chial Board received letter from a
firm Of solicitors acting on behalf of
the alleged mother of the child, asking
for the present whereabouts Of the de-
serted baby. OF course. the clerk re-
ferred them to me. In relating the
facts Of the case to the mothers legal
advisers, I tried to obtain some inf1r-
nation about their client, but without
success. That she must be respectable
was proved by the high standing of the
agents she was employing, and I began
to think there must be some romatic
story in connection with the chiId's
| parentage. That the latest applicant
was undoubtedly the mother of the
| child ChnVTT1o hT-f hn ~.
card not only pricked exactly like the
one found with the p00rnou8e waif. but
with the appeal to the poorhouse Off
Gals in the same handwriting. We
we're, of course, obliged to confess that
the child had been stolen, and the
, mother, We were informed, was in a
terrible state of grief.
There being plenty Of funds now
available, every possible effort was
made to trace the lost child, but with
cut result. The large rewards offered
brought numbers of children who had
been found deserted in all parts of the
country, but BERTHE seemed to have
completely vanished
Nearly twenty years had rolled away,
and had left the place to set up for
myself as a private detective MI
Hamilton had retired from business,
and resided for the greater part of
each year on an estate he had pur-
chased on the Isle OF Jura. They had
often invited my wife and I to pay
! them visit for week or two, and the
doctor having recommended a change
OF air for Mrs. Sharp, I wrote to Mr.,
Hamilton intimating that if convenient
we would be with them that day week
The reply was characteristic of the
Hamilton's, assuring us of a warm wei
come.
It was the third week in September,
and the weather was delightful when
we arrived. But three days afterwards
there was sudden drop in the barome-
ter, and Mr.. Hamilton and I were told
by a COastguardsman that there would
be storm before morning, and proba-
bly, wreck or two on the rugged
coast, a thick fog having come on.
We were sitting in the verandah
smoking, just before the time for re-
III lis, NdC1l LIIC DOOll vi d SISlldl gun
started us both.
Some ship in Distress" said Mr..
Hamilton. What do you say, shall
we go down to the shore?"
BY all MEANS" said I, although the
wind was rising higher every moment.
In u few minutes we were in the
midst of a group of anxious people, the
excitement being increased by the I'M
certainty whether the ship on the low
rocks near the shore could hold to-
gether until the lifeboat arrived, the
station being three miles away.
Presently the fog lifted for a minute or
two, and the crew of the Inflated YES
sci could be seen clinging to the rig
ging.
1--WE must throw them a line" said
a tguardsman, and the rocket was
speedily got ready.
I had often read of this ingenious
method of establishing communication
between the shore and the ship, and
watched the process with interest.
Bang went the rocket, and that it had
reached the ship was plain, because
WI en- the rope was drawn taunt it could
rot be pulled far. But there was no
response from the ship, and after wait
ing several minutes it was felt that the
Pc or fellows on board must be too
much exhausted to avail themselves of
the means for reaching the shore.
"a good swimmer to go to the ship"
was the whisper that went round, and
it reached the ears Of young man, a
stranger to all present, who at once
volup teered to go out, and By the aid
CT the line get aboard.
But it is lot fast and may give way
with your weight" said the Coast
guardsman.
1T matters nothing. I can swim;
and if l fail there is not soul on earth
to trouble about me-"
l was standing near him, and while
a0mirirg the young fellows courage
could not but note the bitterness of his
tone when he had said this.
| Events turned out exactly as the
! Coast guaTdsman had intimated. The
| line suddenly grow slack, and we knew
! that the brave fellow had it's help no
longer. I suggested thai it should be
drawn in, but was told that the swim
mer would have drawn it taunt if he
! had wished to be pulled ashore. Five
minutes passed, and then the line got
| taUnt again, and the cradle was hastily
! shipped, and allowed to run down to
/ the vessel our end of the rope being on