The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-06-22
m,rbt 90 there. and pernans sne wo,

take 1t from you"
"Capital" the tinker exclaimed. "Tll
see If / can serve thee. Marry, good
youth, I'll even give away thy money
an take credit for thy benevolence.
Teacher, philanthropist, lover-I be-
lieve thou'rt ready to write"
"The plan of my first novel is COM
plete," said Trove. 'That poor thief
he shall be my chief characteristic
man of whom you told me-"
"Poor man! God make thee kind to
him." said the tinker. can thou'rt
willing, I'll hear o. him tonight. When
the freight flickers-that is the time,
boy, for tales"
They built rude lean-to, covered
with bark and bedded with fragrant
boughs. Both lay in the freight, OAR
rel smoking his pipe, as the night fell.
"Now for thy tale" said the tinker.
The tale was Trove's own solution OF
his life mystery, shrewdly come to aft
er a long and careful survey Of the
known facts. And now, shortly, time
was to put the seal of truth upon it
and daze him with astonishment and
fill him with regret of his cunning. 1t
should be known that he had never
told Darrell or any one of his coming
in the little red sleigh.
He lay thinking for a time after the
tinker spoke; then he began:
"Well, the time is 1885, the place
New England city on the sea. Chapter
IA young woman Is walking along a
street, with a child sleeping in her
arms. She is dark skinned-a Syrian.
1t is growing dusk. The street Is de-
serted save by her and two sailors.
who are approaching her. They, too,
are Syrians. One seems to strike her
1t is mere pretense, however-and she
falls. The other seizes the child, who,
having been drugged, is still asleep. A
wagon Is waiting near. They drive
away hurrledly their captive under
blanket. The kidnapers make for the
woods in New Hampshire. officers of
the law drive them far. They abandon
their horse, tramping westward over
trails in the wilderness, bearing the
boy In a sack Of sailcloth, open at the
top. They had guns and killed their
food as they Travelled. Snow came
deep. BY and by game was scarce
and they had grown weary of bearing
the boy on their backs. One waited In
the woods with the little lad while the
other went away to some town or city
for provisions. He came back, hauling
them in little sleigh. 1t was much
like those made for the delight of the
small boy in every land Of snow. II
had q box painted red and two hobs
and a little dashboard. They used IL
for the transportation of boy and i'm
pedimenta.
'In the deep wilderness beyond the
Adirondacks they found q cave in one
of the rock lodges. They were twenty
miles from any postoffice, but shortly
discovered one. Letters in cipher were
soon passing between them and their
confederates. They learned there was
no prospect Of getting the ransom. He
they had thought rich was not able to
raise the money they required or any
large sum. Two years went by, and
they abandoned hope. What should
they do with the boy? One advised
murder, but the other defended him. It
was unnecessary, he maintained, to
kill mere baby, who knew not q
word of English and would forget all
In a month. And murder would only
increase theirsperil. Now, eight miles
from their cave was the cabin Of a
settler. They passed within mile of
1t on their way out and in. They had
often met the dog of the settler rowing
after small game-a shepherd, trustful,
affectionate and ever ready to make
friends. One day they captured the
dog and took him to their cave. They
could not safely be seen with the boy,
so they planned to let the dog 20 home
with him In q little red sleigh. Now,
the settlers cabin was. like that of my
father, on the shore Of pond. It was
round, as a cups rim, and a mile or
SO In diameter. Opposite the cabin a
trail came to the waters edge, skirting
the pond, save In cold weather, when
|, It crossed the Ice. They waited for a
night when their tracks would soon
disappear. Then, having made a cover
of the sailcloth sack In which they had
brought the boy and stretched It on
withes and made 1t fast to the sleigh
box, they put the sleeping boy In the
sleigh, with hot stones wrapped In pa
per and a robe of fur to keep him
warm, hitched the dog to 1t and came
over hill and trail to the little pond
awhile after midnight Here they buc-
killed. q ring of bells on the dogs neck
and released him. He made for his
home on the clear Ice, the bells and his
bark sounding as he ran. They ut the
cabin heard him coming and opened
their door to dog and traveller. So came
my hero In a little red sleigh and was
adopted by the settler and his wife and
reared by them with generous affec-
tion. Well, he goes to school and learns
rapidly and comes to manhood. It's q
pretty story-that of his life in the big
woods. But now for the love tale.
He meets young lady-sweet. tender.
graceful, charming"
"a moment" said Darrell, raising his
hand. "Prithee, boy, ring down the
curtain for a brief parley. Thou say'st
they were Syrians-they that stole the
lad. Now, tell me. hast thou reason