Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-01-02
CHAPTER III.
WESTWARD, no!

-
hi the search for Annie Ralston. All
iu.u,.ueurlG y ~ low und force that
influence could control was
ato action. But it was of no
willy Chinaman and the man
Scared face had done their
out an error. They had left
betray them. The police
lifted.
be father of the missing girl.
splendid specimen of Ameri'
.dged that when not suffer.
kyreat affection the ex-Sen-
IAN whose talents and bear.
Ike him marked man in
any land. My heart
p in his great grief, and
W of him and realized
I'm under which he was
more I cursed myself
iool for not strangling
imam The night I saw him and
chance to do it.
met, also, Annie's brother. Ed
Id Ralston was man OF many
Die qualities. He was intellectual,
was noble minded; but his time
Is spent in his library with his
boks. When called upon to meet
be world and grapple with one of its
ragedies he founders. heiplessiy'
utterly lost in the whirlwind OF crime
That he saw whirling around him. He
resembled somewhat the girl 1 had
seen. and whose picture the captain OF
nolice had shown me- After few
days acquaintance with Edward Raj,
ston. I declared him to be a royal
good fellow. In this Twas heartily
seconded by my legal friend.
I had even dragged Langston into
I the case. His experience in compli-
Gated criminal cases-always, OF
course, in a professional capacity
assisted me not a little in solving some
of the riddles of this peculiar kidnap-
ing or abducting or whatever else his
legal lore might name it.
AS for me, the more thought over
it the more morbid L became. l had
come to believe that upon me lay the
responsibility for the second disap-
pearance and escape. This thought
being burned into my brain. it was
but another step to decide that 1T was
nv duty to search until Annie Ralston
was found, no matter what the cost
was haunted day and night by
visions of that pale, beautiful face
living so helplessly on the pillow:
Often would grow almost sick and
dizzy when thought of her and her
probable fate.
Langston, much to my surprise
plunged heartily into the search. lie
was better posted on police ways than
1 was; and often when 1 rebelled at Q
seeming lack of interest, he would
assure me that it was all right and
then tell me of some secret line Of
action that was being followed.
But it was all of no use. In the
language of the people who choose
their phrases for their expressiveness
aud not for beauty, we had been "put
to sleep"
We began to get discouraged. In
fact, that became my chronic condl
ton. I neglected my meals; I neg
lected my patients. My entire being
was absorbed by the thought that
must find Annie Ralston.
One day, when the police had abou
exhausted their efforts and were
going to declare the game lost, anc
the poor fathers heart was full O.
misery, the superintendent received
telegram from Victoria, Vancouver
that again plunged us all into fever
At the same time it lifted our hopes
and overwhelmed us with despair
This telegram was short; it nigh
mean nothing. it might mean every
thing. All it said was:
~. --"Youag woman answering description
Annie Ralston sailed In steamship Ketot'
to-day, 2 p. M, with two Chinese servants
"BAYLIs, Chief"
Upon receiving this telegram tn
superintendent called us together 10
immediate consultation. No details
Identification were given. The new
was yery meager. OF one thing W
we're certain: Annie Ralston did no
sail on the Ketoto of her own will.
telegraphic correspondence between
the superintendent and Chief Bayli
followed. But little more could b
learned save the important fact tina
the young woman had not engage
passage in person, and her name di'
not appear on the books of the com
bany. Two staterooms had been en-
gagged; one for Chang Lung and tn
other for Sid Kee and wife. 1t wa
farther stated that, when the pas
sengers appeared, Sid KEGS wife,
beautiful American, was very ill AM
apparently unconscious. 1t was be
lieved by the agent of the company a
Vancouver that the two Chinamel
occupied one stateroom and Sid Kee'
"wife" the other.
This information, as may we'll b
imagined, simply whetted my appetit
for the chase. But the police SCENE
to lose their ardor. At any rate, tn
superintendent protested to doubt tn
identity of the woman on the Ketot
as Annie Ralston.
'It is impossible" he said, ''tha
these Cinnamon could get an uncor
scious girl out of San Francisco with
out the police knowing it,"
ST don't know about that" I RI
piled, bluntly. "They succeeded i
getting her out of house. with on