Evening journal., 1904-07-02

the San Francisco papers had held
forth at much length upon the hotels
~unbrokcn succession Of festivities"
She had also noted that prominent
among the newest arrivals had been
Mr. Nat RidGeway OF San Francisco.
who had brought down from the city
aboard his elegant and sumptroualy
fitted yacht Petrol a jolly party, COM
posed largely of the seasons debu-
tantes. TO be mentioned &. the latter
category was Miss Josie Herrick
whose lavender comi9g out tea at the
beginning OF tie scason was still
srbioct Of comment among the gos-
sips -and an tic rest OF it.
The petrcl had been in the harbor
hut q few days and on this evening Il
dance was given at the hotel i'm honor
Of her arrival II was to be cotIllon.
and Nat Ridgeway was going to lead
with Josie Hrrrick.r There had been
roaching party TO Tia Juana that day,
and Miss Iieirick had returned to the
hotel only In time TO dress. by $3.50
She emerged from the process which
y
sister. her maid and one OF the hotel
chambefmaids-a dainty. firm corsetod
little body. AN tullc. white satin and
high piled hair She carried Marcchal
Mel roses. ordered by wire from Mon.
iorcy ana about an hour later when
Rldgeway gave the nod TO the waiting
musicians and swung her off TO the
.I .N..a N
more graceful little figure upon the
floor OF the incompatible round ball
room of the Coronado hotel
Tho cotllon was a great success
The cnsigns ana younger officers OF
the monitor. at that time anchored or
the hotel attended I'm uniform, and
enough ST the members OF what was
known in SAN Francisco as the dane
ing set were present to give the af-
fair the necessary cntrain- Even Jerry
Haiaht who belonged more distinctly
70 the country club set" and who had
spent the early part Of that winter
shooting elk in Oregon, was among
the ranks of the 'royers," who group
ed themselves about the drafty door.
ways and endeayored 70 appear uncon-
scious each time Ridgeway gave the
signal for a break
The figures had gone round the hall
once The first set7 was out again.
and as Ridgeway guided Miss Herrlcll
by the "rovers' she looked over the
array of shirt fronts. searching FOR
Jerry Haight
"Do you see Mr. Haightg" she asked
Of Ridgeway. II wanted TO favor him
this break. l owe him two already,
and he'll never forgive me II l over
look him now"
Jerry Haight had gone TO the hotel
Office FOR n few moments rest and a
cigarette and was nowhere I'm sight
But when the set broke and Miss Her
rick, despairing Of Jerry, had started
out TO favor one of the younger en-
signs. she suddenly jostled against him
pushing his way eagerly across the
floor IN the direction Of the musicians
platform.
"Oh." she cried. 'AIr. Ialeht. you've
missed your chance-I've been looking
FOR your
very excited. He crossed the floor. al
most running. and went up on the plat
FORM where the musicians were mean
dering softly through the mazes of LA
Paloma." and brought them TO an
abrupt silence
Here, l say, Haight," exclaimed
Ridgeway, who was near by, you can't
break mp my figure like thatw
"Gr me a call there on the bugle." {"
said Haight rapidly 10 the cornetist
Anything to make 'em keep quiet a
moment"
The cornetist sounded n couple Of
notes, and the coullon paused in the
very act Of the break. The shunllng Of
feet grew stiil. and the conversation
ceased. A diamond brooch had been
found no doubt, or some supper an
nouncement was to be made But Jer-
~ Haight with great sweep of his
arm, the forgotten cigarette between
his fingers. shouted out breathlessly:
Ross Wilbur is ont in the Office Of
the hotellp
4 There was an instant's silence and
when a great shout Wilbur found.
Ross Wilbur come back from the dead!
R6Ss Wilbur hunted for and bootlessly
traced from Buenos Ayres i'm the south
10 the Aleutian islands in the north
Ross Wilbur, the puzzle of every detec-
tive bureau ON the coast the subject of
thousand theories, whose name had
figured in the scare heads Of every
newspaper west of the Mississippi.
Ross Wilbur seen az fashionable tea
hQd his club Of an afternoon, then sud
DENY blotted out from the world of
men, swallowed up and engulfed by
the unknown, with not so much as a
button left behind: Ross Wilbur. the
suicide; Ross Wilbur the murdered:
Ross Wilbur, victim Of a band Of kid
napers, the hero of some dreadful
story that was never to be told. the
mystery The legend behold he was
there. back from thc rnaiown. drap.
pea from iae clouds spcwcd mo nrain
from the bowels Of the eart, n ,rrita.
bic god from the machine Who n n
single instant was TO disentanale All
the unexplained complications of tboso
past winter months'
''IIerc hc comes. shontcd Jerrv. his
eyes caught by a group of men in fuu
dress and gold lace who came tramn
ing down the hail 10 the ballroom
bearing a noneescrirt feiirc on thcil
shoulders. Here he comes-ihe boy.