Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-06
DAILY SHORT STORY
ABDUCT ED.
ICopyriGht. 1871. by =. B. Lewisl


SO. she walked up the road about
mile. accompanied by her maid. They
sat down in the shade of I large rock,
and after perhaps half an hour Miss
Bailey fell asleep. and the maid got up
and began gathering bouquet.
AS they left the sanitarium Wit
less yOkel named Adair was moving
weeds in a field up the road. but
neither of the women observed him.
He followed after them, keeping in
the fields and determined 10 take adj
vantage of any opportunity. The maid.
Sarah. was not over 200 feet away,
though out Of sight of her mistress,
when Adair crcpt up 10 the sleeping
girl. passed his folded handkerchief
over her mouth and tied il, and by
the time she was awake he was carry
ing her off in his arms.
she naturally enough cried out and
struggled. but her cries We're muftied,
and her strength was taken away by
the surprise of the moment Adair
carried her across an open field forty
rods wide, and yet a boy at work ut
the north end OF it and only forty
rods away did not see him. \ sports
man ut the south end, about rs far
away, was looking about for game,
and yet he was as blind as the boy.
The maid returned to find her mis-
tress gone, and, though surprised at
the fact, she argued that Miss Bailey
had returned to the hotel. She took
her own time about getting there, and
it was o'clock before there was any
irlr a Il hnfnrp
any one was sent out in search.
Something had happened during the
interval to deepen the mystery. Miss
Baileys room had been plundered of
her trunk and clothing. The maid
occupied Il room adjoining. and yet
some one had come by night and re
moved the things without raising the
slightest alarm. Most of the cloth
ing was hanging up. The garments
had been taken down and placed in
the trunk and the trunk carried down
pair of stairs, through two halls and
out of Il back door.
Until the father arrived il was gen
orally believed that the girl had fled
with lover who had followed her to
Scotland. He soon dispelled that be
lief and stopped all gossip, and then
professional detective was told to
20 to work He was soon satisfied
that the whole thing was the work of
some daring villain, and as Mr.. Bailey
was very wealthy man it was nat
ural TO conclude that his daughter had
been abducted in order to cXtOrt Il large
sum Of money. The man who carried
her off was also the one who carried
her trunk from the Sanitarium. If he
was not going TO hold her several
weeks somewhere, why was the need
of the extra clothing: And yet the
idea of such crime being perpctratcd
in Scotland almost paralyzed the Of
ficer and made him doubt his own con
illusions.
Meanwhile. how Jared it with the
girl AS she was being carried across
the field she recognized Adair as an
employee of the Sanitarium. Though
greatly surprised at his actions, she
was not very much frightened. think
ing he had made mistake and seized
her i'll place of some country girl. He
talked to her as he hurried along, say
ing he meant her no harm, but was
only trying TO win a wager made with
a friend. ON the far side of the clear
ed field Miss Bailey made such fight
that he had to put her down. and she
also got the handkerchief clear of her
mouth. Then he threatened her with
death if she raised an alarm, and she
walked the rest of the way TO a cave
about two miles distant. He had fur
nished the opening with Il rude but
stout door, and as soon as she was
safe inside lie put up the bar and re-
turned 10 his work without his alb
sence having been noticed. That night
he returned TO the cave and informed
the girl that he had fallen in love with
her and would keep her prisoner until
she agreed 10 marry him. II was he
who carried her trunk out of the hotel.
Adair visited the cave but once in
twenty-four hours. and that was at
about o'clock in the evening. He pro
vided the prisoner with light and food
gave her all the news ana was partic-
ularly jubilant over the way he was
foOling the ScarChcrS. He usually re-
manned for It couple of hours. and al
ways treated the girl with the greatest
respect. He would even shed tears
his purpose After two weeks had
passed. and finding that he could not
be moved from his position, Miss
Bailey consented to wed him. having
no intention of course of standing by
her word. For some reason he doubted
her. but at the same time would not
abandon his idea.
When three weeks had passed Adair
was becoming dangerous and the young
woman stood in fear Of her life. He
dared not let her out. and he had come
TO see that she would not marry him.
Things were at their worst when a
simple incident solved the whole prob
lem. one OF the kitchen servants no
ticcd that Adair had greatly changed
of late. and she had her eye on him
when he slipped some food from the
table into his handkerchief Nothing
was said 10 him ut the time. but the
woman put this and that together and
finally suspected the truth. She COM
rT,,lDicarpd with the detective and that