The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1901-02-16

ceiling, but we could see 1t was meant
10 make some che fast to-a pair of
stocks, you might say, or a whipping
post. And so it had been used, no
doubt. For there were a long chain
and padiock hanging between the up
rights just over a low bench that
served as a seat for whoever was held
there a prisoner.
This was where the coolie ragged
about most f%fercely, shifting, scenting,
encouraging voice of missy, Who shout
ed. "Lu-lu-lu, good dog; find him. then.
Where is he? Out With him LULU"
or course his master had been there.
None of us had any doubt of that, any
more than of the plain fact that he was
not there now. We looked at each other
blankly, after a bit, hardly knowing
what to do or say next, till miss
stamped her foot and cried, "Nell?"
II have my suspicious began the
sergeant, knocking his hands together
rather jovially, till the dust flew out of
his white Isle thread gloves. It's not
all fair II square. / shall make a re-
port to that effect and await instruc-
tons"
"Pshaw!" interrupted Miss. And
meantime Mr.. WoL I may be murdered.
l shall offer a reward of $500 to who
ever finds him, but it must be within
the next twenty-four hours"
Now you're %talking,"I said heartily,
land l don't see we can gain much
by staying here. The cage is empty,
and We've got to follow the birds wher-
eve they have flown"
II you will excuse me-" said the
sergeant. who had got mighty eager
when he heard of the reward. 9TH
most proper course, as l see 1t, is to
start from this here house. Whose is
it? Who took it? Likewise who put
up this apparatus, and Why When
those questions is answered by the
neighbors, house agents, tradesmen
and such like, we may come to lay our
fingers on them as is responsible for
this here business"
You had better do all that, them
said the general, very discontented.
land l shall go to New Scotland Yard
to the fountain head. There's more in
this man than You buffers seem to
think. We4want the best man they've
got. a real detective, to take up the
case
This was aimed at me. 1t was UNI
kind, you'll say. But after all now
much had dom and where was boy
Joe?
Its not like him." I was SAYING half
to myself as we stood together, miss
and l, While she was taking the rib
bons and with one neat brown shoe on
the step was just getting into her cart.
Either he's been caught spying-and
that's rot like him-or he's hanging on
to their heels like a bird lime. But
What In thunder's that?'
/ saw some rough writing in white
chalk upon the gate. and an arrow fig
ured there with the point toward Lon
don:
cooked it. Fol!erin' on. Joe"
They We're as plain as print, so was
their naming, and l pointed out the
words triumphantly to Miss Fairholme.
Il knew that boy wouldn't fail me.
He's got grit, he has. Some day he'll.
be able to teach me my business"-
II wish he would begin soon,'' said
miss peevishly. ITS always the same
story. Some dag, one day, next day,
never. And all this time he-poor Cap
tain Wood-is''-
With that she gave her pony a smart
cut with her throng, and the beast,
nearly springing through his collar,
started off like a mad thing. with the
other mad beast OF a dog yelping and
s%creeching and jumping up at his muz-
zle or trying to bite at his heels. The
general also gave me a contemptuous
good day and, springing IN to his
bike like a boy, ven off at a real
right down scorching pace after. the
buggy.
expect that is the last l shall see of
her, for che never took a card of mine
or asked where she could find me
again, and I've fully made up my mind
that never SO long as l live win l hunt
after her. When Joe reappears, as [
tell you, gentlemen, | most confidently
expect he will at any moment and
with important news. so that / can pick
up fresh threads I'll do the next iob
alone. | don't want any highfaiutin
young duchesses treating one like dirt,
for q true born American citizen is as
good as n emperor. let alone IA pert
mink with ever so pretty a face. We
shall see. If there was no better rea-
son than the wish to humble her. 1
mean to see the thing right through to
the very end.
CHAPTER vi.
PASSAGES FROM THE DIARY OF
WILFR1DA FAlRHoLME.
S S. Chattahoochee. July 17.-Al-
though still harrassed and oppressed
by hideous anxiety. 1 want, in this my
first momen of leisure, to set down
clearly and fully the strange events
that have occurred since that memora-
bic evening in Princes Gate. I have
been in q whirl ever since. But | have
forgotten nothing. Every act, every
thought is indelibly fixed in my mem
Dry from the ome that l realized
my loss.
Forget. I shall never forget that
afternoon when the American detective
brought me the news. What an odd
creature he was. Very nue. over
dressed. with a sort of company man
ner voice. which didn't disguise ..l.s
Yankee accent or tone down his awful
Americanisms. l know now tina the
poor wretch was honest and straight
forward. but l could not get over my
r~epuSEance to him at first.
And so when we got to the Very
house and drew quite blank / made up
my mind that the man was an arrart
inpostor. Nothing fell out as he said.
His boy would be on the watch"
There was no boy. He was quite Ger
tain of che house into which Willie
had been carried. The police broke iii.
There was no Willie Wood.
The whole thing was humbug. / felt
convinced of 1t and said so, only to re-
Sret it directly after. 1t could not be
quite humbug, or, II 1t was, Roy, dear
Willie's lovely dog, was in it, too for
Roy had certainly smelt him out in the
cellar where we found the awful appa-
ratus and things, and l ought to have
known that a dogs instinct is always
true. Blu l vas very short with Mr.,
SnuyZer and left him in a huff. 1t was
d mistake, Of course for it was losing
q chance. The man might be useful
and after all he was the only one who.
whether the right or the wrong one.
had any sort of clew. That was good
old Sir Charles C~o!!ingharn's opinion
and Colonel Bannister's, the official,
chief constable or assistant commits
sioner or something whom the general
brought with him to Hill street. /
found them there closeted with mother.
who had heard all about 1t from them.
She was rather in q limp condition,
dear mother. having quite failed to
take in the SITUATION and unable to say
or suggest anything.
The colonel-he was rather a cross
looking, middle aged man. with square
cut, short whiskers and a bristline
gray niustache-took me sharply to
task for letting the American slip, and
l should have been offended at his
tone, but ] knew l had been wrong.
From what you tell us he had no
doubt been in communication with
Captain Wood yesterday, and he would
q V saved us some time and trouble
if we had him under our hand now,
He must he hunted up" said the col
Gnei.
Your cop Know him at Scotland
Yard. He was there today, and they
sent him on to the United States con-
sulate. He told me hat himself, l
said.