The age-herald., 1898-09-25

| general shape ana trlmneSS or the loot | print. A woman usually wears shoes in | keeping with the rest of her costume" | At this point in the analysis the dog who, l after sniffing at the foot mark and uttering
 series of wild barks, had wound a spiral l about the place with his nose to the ground | and then vanished, reappeared and rushed l up to Will with whines of satisfaction. In | his mouth was a number ten boot which l had evidently trod many corn row dur ! ing the summer. Before we could recover | from our astonishment a native, hot 1 breathless and angry, and armed with a 1 club rushed into our circle. threatening l vengeance on the dog and demanding his
 property. Will, somewhat abashed, return 1 cd the boot, and we soothed the man as 1 best we could. He was Farmer Post whose
 house was located a mile above the mill.
 MT. Post" asked after peace had been | restored. Are there any young ladies stop l ping at your house?'
 1 We knew he had no daughters. i Mary lady" said he, "and what's more, | don't want none"
 "Well," I explained, i've have become in- 1 terested in this foot print and cannot | imagine what girl could have made it or l what she q with her other foot" l Post gazed curiously at the print mo-
 ment, then light broke over his face and he gave a loud guffaw.
 "Me and my boys were out this mornin', fishin'," he said soon as he could speak. Just there where that ere foot print is was tin can which he wanted to bail out | with I run the boat up to the shore and Bob he stepped out with foot, picked | up the can and then backed off again." "Observe," said the irrepressible George, | "that this last theory also falls for want | of confirmation
 Will looked troubled
 'I say" he asked after pause, "how old l is that boy?"
 sfTJa'c old oOniOt Christmas | and tall for his age He was up to the city | tother day and got a pair of them new 1 fangled shoes. He do have a small foot, | that's fact"
 The following morning Will came in from an early walk and in some excitement | beckoned me to follow him. I did so, won- l dering, but he youchsafed no explanation | until we had passed our dear track" and | pushing through thicket of hazel prush 1 came out into an open space rod or two l beyond. He then silently pointed to the | ground, and looking, saw almost the act counterpart of our foot print It was broader, however, and longer, and was pressed deeper into the mud
 "I was not satisfied with old Posts ex- planation," he said, land concluded to in- vestigate further It being evident that the man was sincere, one of two things must have been the case. Either my theories were wrong and that was young Posts foot print, or else there were two foot prints so near together that the man was deceived and mistook one for the other.'
 I nodded appreciatiVely
 "So I came out this morning to look for the other print There is no good landing place below the first track: therefore l came direct to this spot. Here is where the boy got out of the boat as you can see."
 There was no doubting it. The mistake was an easy one for the man to make, as the two clearings greatly resembled each other and he had not observed closely. But the other track; the trim little foot print of dainty womanhood? The mystery was greater than ever, for it had come to us that ours and Posts were the only boats on the river for several miles in either di- rection.
 The mystery remained unsoved when, all too soon, our outing came to an end. Re- gretfully, we took the train for Chicago from the nearest station and plunged into work once more. Friendships cemented to- gether by several weeks of close compan- ionship incident to camp life are enduring. We four found leisure enough to frequently meet at the club and more often at WilPs cosy home.
 'I am going to make a call, tonight" said Esterbrook to me several months after our return from Mill-on-the-Fox, "and l wish you would go with me. I'll agree to intro duce you to the loveliest girl you ever set eyes upon."
 smiled and consented. I was somewhat of a recluse and Will often planned to draw me out.
 "Is the girl as beautiful as she of the mysterious foot print?" asked.
 "Come and see for>yourself," he replied.
 Margaret Windsor certainly was beau- tiful young woman. Generations of refine ment and culture had left their mark in every smile, every motion She was plump and rather tall, and noticed in sudden movement of a small, well shaped foot that the instep was high and arched. This last fact recalled to me the incident of the mys-A terious foot print and always at loss for something to say in the presence of an at tractive woman, I hailed the suggestion with delight. Miss Windsor" I asked, "did Esterbrook ever tell you about our experience at his -- rzx