Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-06-08
DAILY STORY,
A MYSTERY SOLVED.
iOriginal !


Petrol RemSky, young Russian,
came to America to join his brother,
Dmitri. On reaching the little hamlet
in the far west. where he expected to
find his brother, Petrol learned that
he had disappeared under very sus-
picious circumstances.
Dmitri Remsky, who had come over
some years before, had sought work
with John Mason, who kept q store.
Dmitri had found 1t difficult to get on,
not knowing the language or the Gus
toms of the country. and when he APP
piled to Mason for employment was
literally starving. Mr.. Mason took pity
on him and fed and clothed him. Ma
son, seeing that he was intelligent. adj
vanced him gradually from a mere err
rand boy to clerk and at last gave him
charge of the store during his own alb
sence, which was quite often.
The youngster, who was now about
twenty, showed the most intense graft
tude for his treatment-indeed he con-
Sidered himself so we'll OF that he sent
his savings to Russia to bring his
brother over, knowing the dreadful
condition of the Russian peasant and
desiring TO give Petrol the same ad-
vanta ges as himself. Petrol was due
to arrive in Il week, when one evening
a blizzard such as is not unusual in
the west came up. During the night
Mason heard footsteps in the store be-
low his rooms, but as his clerk slept
there thought nothing about it, In the
morning Mason went to his cash draw
er and found the contentS-some $3.50
gone The clerk was nowhere TO be
found.
All that day the snow Swirled the
wind howled, while the thermometer
stood at 20 degrees below zero. 1t was
impossible 10 go in search of the fugi-
tive. Indeed it was not expected that
he could get very far away. though the
blizzard had not reached great severity
till near morning, and he might have
covered a good deal of ground during
the night. When 1t cleared the snow
was still too deep to warrant a search.
and it was not for some time longer
that it completely disappeared. Then
Mason went out by different avenues
looking for his money. but found no
trace OF it and gave it up for lost.
1t was about this time that Petroi |
repaid his benefactors by making off |
with their cash. The poor boy was |
crushed. He could not believe that his |
brother could be so base. The MaSons /
treated him kindly and. though they |
had been robbed by one brother, con-
scented to put the other in his place. |
But Petrol was too much absorbed il |
what had become of Dmitri to be of |
steady use. AS soon as he had earned |
little money he would sally forth to |
search for him. only returning when |
his money was gone. Mason humored |
him and permitted him to spend his |
time in this way without discharging |
him.
But week after week, month after |
month, passed away, and there was
no news of Dmitri. Mason believed
that he had made his way to another
region, though he did not see how he
could have done so in face of the biz
Zard, against which no human being
could have striven long But if he
had fallen surely his bones must be |
bleaching not far from the scene of his
robbery. Every foot of ground had
been searched and no trace had been
discovered.
Petrol alone refused to believe that |
his brother had taken the money.
Spring passed into summer and sum
mer into winter. but the young fellows
excursions instead of csasing grew
longer. Instead of hunting within Il
dozen miles of the village he extended
his tours over several principal routes
into other regions. He neither heard of
Dmitri or found his remains. The rob-
berry would have been forgotten had it
not been kept alive by the persevering
Petrol and his interest in saving his
brothers honor. AS 1t was, the affair
became more and more a mystery. For
miles around the people We're discuss
ing the possibility of Dmitri's getting
through the blizzard and if he had how
he had done ii.
Then Petrol one day set off. resolv
ing to follow course in which he
would be best shielded by an imaginary
tempest He first circled around
low HILL then struck out for a wood.
Emerging from this, he deliberated
how next to proceed. Finally he con- i