Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-10-19
CHAPTER xxIL.-(Continued.)


ed for the street.
Il ca IT ftlG it now, Silas; | will bring
il hoInt win me and you can do it to-
morrow.
Vexe6 ald annoyed at this trifing,
ran round TO the front of the house.
But to rerenter the pit was impossible.
The people were crowding out in one
dense stream; so | was obliged to stand
aside Until my companions should APP
pear, or until the passage was suffi-
ciently cleared for me to go back to
seek them.
| had not stood there many seconds
before | saw Mrs. Wilson forcing her
self through the crowd and looking wild
ly about her. She caught sight of me in
an instant.
Where is Clara?" she cried. gasping
for breath. II have lost her in the
crowd. Some men pCshed between us,
and separated her from ne; and from
that moment have lost sight of her.
Look about you. She must be in the
street"
The audience were now dispensing in
all directions. Up and down, in and out
the crowd, here, there and everywhere,
l eagerly sought for her but she was
nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Wilson, stand
ing in doorway, trembling and wiring
ing her hands, soon collected small
crowd round her.
Had they seen young lady, in
black dress, with long golden hair" she
never ceased asking.
At last a man suggested that the po-
liceman who had been standing about
the door during the latter part of the
performance was the most likely person
to have seen her.
Yes. He had seen a young person an
s,vering the description. She had been
one among the first of the crowd to come
down the passage. She looked as if she
had lost some one. When she got into
the street young man touched her upon
the arm and said something, and she
walked away with him. Then he lost
sight of her
what was the man like?' l asked.
"Oh, he was a youngish smooth-faced
fellow, with cap on" was the reply.
The very man who had beckoned me
out of the pit. 1t was a plot, then;
bat by whom originated, and for what
purpose?
Take q cab; go to Bow street police
station at once, and / will follow you in
a few minutes" l said to Mrs. Wilson.
Back l rushed to the stage door. Had
Mr.. Montgomery left the theater? He
had followed out at my heels, was the
answer.
Suddenly l bethough, me of the public
house frequented by Josiah and Mr.
Montgomery. Away / rgu thitLer Nc;
they had not been there that evening
Then l went down to Bow street, where
alive, giving her deposition.
"Are you quite certain that the young
lady has not gone off of her own free
will ?-some sweethearting case, per-
haps-only for little walk-met some
one she knew. and finding that she had
missed you, he has taken her homer
suggested the functionary who was tax
ing down the dispositions.
Pray disabuse your mind OF such an
idea, the young lady in question has no
friends except those you see here
knows no others-associates with no
Others"
The solemn earnestness of my tones
seemed to convince him of his error, for
from that time he gave US more seri-
Gus attention.
"a description shall be sent to the diff
fcrent heats and police stations, and you
had better issue bills, and IL you care
to go to the expense, advertise i'll the
daily papers. If we hear anything, we
will let you know. But you can make
your mind easy upon one point-at least,
/ think so; wherever she is, she has
gone with her own free will. There's
no accounting for the vagaries of girls"
Both myself and Mrs. Wilson felt very
angry ut the light and skeptical manner
in which a subject so momentous to us
was treated; but the officer only smiled
at our warmth.
Mrs. Wilson expressed her intention
of issuing bills early the next morning,
offering a reward for her discovery.
There was nothing more to be done in
that place. for the cab was waiting,
and | persuaded her to return home inn
mediately. She implored me TO accom-
pany her No, would search the neigh
bcrhood; l might chance to get some
tidings
Finding that all her entreaties were
In vain, the old lady reluctantly depart
ed alone.
Mr. Jonathan was standing upon the
doorstep when the cab drove up. Before
the cabman could descend from the box.
he had the door open.
"Where is she-where is Clara?" he
asked seeing but one person within.
Too utterly terrified and bewildered to
think of the oddly of such a question
from a stranger whom she had never
seen before, Mrs. Wilson could only gasp.
"She is gone-run away with"
Ten minutes afterwards, Mr.. Jona-
than jumped into the cab that had
brought her home, and which he ordered
to stay. ITO the Bow street police
station as fast as you can drive" he
cried.
All that night l wandered about IL
frenzied state up and down the streets,
down by the river, l know not whore.
1t came on to rain, and / was soaked
to the skin. Still, hour after hour. 1 in
gered about the same spot; the dawn
broke and merged into broad daylight,
and the hustle of the day began, yet still
l could not tear myself away; the pass
ers-by shrank from me-they must have
thought me an escaped lunatic. At last,
1 felt that nature could hold out no long
er; that l must fall down upon the
pavement if | walked about any longer.
l can remember dragging myself down
to my lodging throwing myself in my
wet clothes upon the bed, and then
al is a blank.
CHAPTER XIII.
Wild. grotesque ! Intasma-a sense
Of intense suffering, aching pains, parch-
inc thirst and an arfttl onOreSsfOn uD-