Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-08-09
ready. Thank God that 7 have still I
brouo ca, What Ia IN bo doDa 9p

ready. Thank God that I have still a
brave son. What is to be donef"
"Percy is coming to help me tomor-
row or next day." said. II thought
it would be as we'll to have him here
You know him and like him."
"Kind Percyl" murmured mother.
"He is friend indeed"
"And meanwhile I shall 90 to Erin
Okla by the very first train I can catch
tomorrow morning in order to make In.
quiries on the spot Whom did you send
from here9"
"The second coachman. Pavel, an
honest fellow. He knows the keeper.
Armin, and interviewed him at Erin
Okla. Armin could give him no satis-
faction"
II shall see Armin for myself and
many other people besides, said. 81
shall make preliminary inquiries to-
morrow and then come back for Percy
and continue them together with him. "
'But have you any sort of notion as
to what can have occurreda That Is
what is 80 dreadful to me that cannot
imagine what nature Of calamity could
possibly have happened to him. ] feel
so helpless about It,.
81 cannot, really, until I have made
inquiries, dear mother. It is possible
that poor father may only have fallen
from the train en- route and rolled down
an embankment. You have not seen the
line to Erinofka. 1t is mere toy rail
way, with gauge but three feet wide
and tiny carriages like small buses
with balconies. The train runs most
unsteadily, and father might have fallen
asleep and been jerked from the bal
cony without any one seeing. He might
have lain stunned until some one found
and took him into shelter. The finder,
unaware of his name, would be unable
to communicate with his friends, and
poor father still too Ill perhaps to give
him any information. That is at least
a theory and would account for the abb
sence of news. Then there Is another
thing that might possibly have hap
pened, though admit it does not seem
very likely
"Go on. Boris, tell me everything
you have thought of, " said poor moth
er. who wept quietly through my some
what grewsome recital. "How dreadful
to think that my poor dear Vladimir
may be lying even now unconscious,
and we unable to help him because ig-
norant where to look for him-God
grant it Is not that"
"He will have found kind friends,
never fear," l said, "but my other
theory is leas painful to contemplate. I
told you the worst first. It is this: Fa-
ther is we'll known and known to be
rich too. 1t may be that some wretched
fellows, desperate perhaps for want of
money, may have formed band, like
Greek brigands, to abduct him. If 30,
they will send a deputation one day,
presently, or a message, claiming q sum
Of money for his ransom.
"Is that possible, here in civilized
Russia ?" said mother wistfully. 81
have never heard Of anything Of the
kind, have your AT all events, not in
this part of Russia"
was obliged to confess that I had
not.
"But we must not reject the idea on
that account. We must weigh and In
vestigate every notion either Of us has,
however wild or impossible 1t may be-"
"Yes, yes, that is true. We will not
leave a stone unturned" said mother.
travelled up to Erinofka the next
morning. I could not help thinking, as
I stood upon the balcony outside the lit
tie railway carriage, that any one tired
from a hard days shooting over the
moors and leaning on the rail as now
leaned might most easily be pitched out
by jerk of the train. Jerks, violent
ones, were common enough, for the
train was but a makeshift thing and
the line very narrow and badly laid. 1t
had been made for the sole use Of fac
tory of some sort, close to Erinofka, the
manufactured goods being sent by its
means to st. Petersburg, while the raw
materials were carried up from town to
the works.
Accidents were Of frequent occur
renee, though the train went 80 slowly
that personal injury was rare. Passen-
gers were allowed to use the line, which
was thus most useful for my father and
his fellow sportsmen. He might easily
have fallen out then. But in that case
would not Hulbert-who was shooting
with him that day, as I had ascertained
have known Of 1t either at once or
when the train arrived at st. Peters.
burgH At any rate, he would have miss
ed my father and have given the alarm.
As a matter Of fact, and as I discovered
presently, Hubert had remained behind
for another days sport when my father
returned, Hubert returning on the
Thursday and father on the Wednesday,
90 that the accident-if 1t happened
would have occurred without Hubert
knowing anything about it.
/ found Armin, the keeper at the
lodge It was from him that / learned
that father had started for home earlier
than Hubert He had done 80, Armin
explained because he had found thf t
the birds were still go small that he dh
not care to shoot them. Armin had been
away in town when our man came to
make inquiries 1t was Spiridon that
the man had interviewed.
"Did you see my father off on the
Wednesday, Armin ?" I asked him. Ar
min reflected. No, he said presently,
he had not He had been out or the
moors till late with Mr.. Hubert If
our men had been told that the count
retnrnad with Mr.. Hubert il was q