Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-02-07
of them down to where traced

mob of them down to where I traced
the captain. l am going on to meet
them there
Then I'll go too. Wait here, please,
while put on my hat" and she rang
the bell. When the man comes, tell
him to bring my bike around. No; Id
better take YOU with me. Order my
pony cart. Say it must be at the door
in ten minutes from now"
In less than ten minutes she came
down stairs, dressed for driving and
buttoning on her gloves.
Come, sir" She said, brisker and
sharper than, ever. II cannot easily
forgive your previous dilatoriness, but
we must try and make up for lost time.
Here is the pony cart, and we will take
the dog
When we reached the Strahalian
road to my deep chagrin, the boy Jo-
seph was not there, nor was he to be
seen anywhere near or far. Now L
could have staked my life on little Jo-
seph Walls. He was a London lad
who had seen much in his short life
ON shore and afioat. for although l had
picked him off crossing ON account
of his quick tongue and bright ways he
had been to sea on Thames lighters
right round the coast. Now l was
training him to our business. He took
W ~ lAIiGM MIldl WAS ea-
pected of him and was not the sort to
be fooled into quitting his post or GO
ing off on fandangoes on his own ac-
count.
Miss F'alrhome turned on me like a
tiger when we drove past the house
and back still without q sign of Joe.
Get out of this cart and go and ring
the bell she said liercely. The SOON
Ell we get inside that house the better.
Make haste, please
1 hammered at that door and hung
on to that bell till ] woke all the
echoes of that dead-alive suburb. No
one came. There was not sign of life
within. Presently the police came up,
and the general, who had been cruis-
ing about on his bicycle, Joined miss
outside. They all stopped there. talk
ing TO her a bit, and | judge they We're
hesitating to act, arguing it out With
the general, who was Very fierce and
positive. ordering them about
short and sharp, but doing little good
till missy took up the running. But
she soon sent them flying in after me
and came with them. One of the con-
stables ran around to the back where
he found a strip of garden with a low
WALL. He was over that like a flash
and i'm through the sculery window.
Half a minute more and we heard him
ssiAs iieiitiiio NtiS ~ 'ipVi. Hell We an
trooped into the entry and ram through
the house. some high, some low. but
none of us finding anything. There
Was not a scrap of furniture nor the
signs of any occupancy that we could
see.
But miss, she also hunted, hallooing
on the collie dog with a Go look.
Roy, worry, worry, worry, which
drove the beast nearly mad. He hunted
and quested through the house With
short. swapping bark. as if he was
rounding UP a sheepfold, and it was
he. marvellous ANIMAL who led us into
the basement, into a sort of cellar be-
tween the front parlor and the kitch-
EN-. Here he raced round and round
like thing possessed. yelping furious
~. The place was all black darkness.
No windows, not a CLINT of daylight.
But some one struck a match and lit
a bullseye, and we could make out
what there was there. One big, long
table, kitchen table, with seats on
each side, and at the end strange
thing that told its own story
Continued Next Week)