The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-09-25
They are footprints" decided Mr.. Harpe,


"They are footprints" decided Mr.. Harpe,
the marks, "and the foot prints of a
person dropping from height. Moth
ing else explains their depth or gen.
eral appearance"
Couldn't they be those Of a per.
son approaching the ell to converse
with some one above? ! see others
similar to these in the open place
over there beyond the kitchen door,"
1T is trail. Let us follow it. It
seems to lead anywhere but towards
the waterfall. This is an important
discovery Mr.. Ransom, and may lead
to conclusions such as we might not
otherwise have presumed to entertain,
especially II we come upon an impress
sion clear enough to point in which
direction 1t was going"
Here Is what you want" Ransom
assured him in low and curiously
smothered voice. He was evidently
greatly excited by this result of their
Inquiries, for all his apparent quiet
ans step, and that woman was going
from the ell when she left these tok.
ems OF her passage behind her. Co.
ing! and, as you say, not in the direc.
tion of the waterfall"
Hush! see someone at the kitch.
en- window. Let us move warily and
be sure not to confound these prints
with those of any other person. It
looks as If great many people had
passed here"
Yes, this is the way to the chicken.
coops and out-hOuses. But in the
ground beyond | think l see a single
line of steps again,-small steps like
these. Where can they be leading?
They are deep like those Of a person
running"
And struggling. like those Of per-
son running in the dark. See how
they waver from the direct line down
there. turn, and almost come up
against that wood.pile! Whose steps
are these? Whose, Mr.. Harper?
Quick! I must see where they 20.
Our time will not be lost. The key
to the labyrinth is in our hands,"
The lawyer was in the rear and the
eyes OF the other were fixed far ahead.
Eor this reason. perhaps, the former
allowed himself quiet shake of the
head. which might not have encour.
aged the other so very much, had he
caught sight of it. They were now
on the verge Of the garden, or what
would soon be garden II these rains
betokened spring. A path ran along
Its edge and In this path the footsteps
they were following lost themselves;
but they came upon them again among
the hillOcks OF some Oid potato-hills
beyond, and finally traced them quite
across the garden Waste to a fence,
along which they ran, laundering
from ploughed earth to spots Of
smoother ground, and SO back again
till they came upon AL oid turn-stile!
Passing through this, the two men
stopped and looked about tnem. They
were in road ridged with grass and
fianked by bushes. One end ran east
into wooden valley, Tie other de-
bouched on the highway lew feet to
the right Of the tavern.
"The lane!" exclaimed Mr.. Hunter.
The lead towards the waterfall was
feint. 1t was in this direction she
fed, and it is from this point that
search must be maue for her."
Ransom, greatly perturbed, for this
possibility OF secret digit opened Wis.
tas OF as much mystery, ii not of as
Much suffering, as her death in the
river, glanced at the soGden ground
under their feet, and thus along the
..,-.- % Yhc.4 1, lost itself from view
among the trees.
mo possible following of steps
here" he declared. "A hundred peo-
pie must have come this way since
early morning"
It's a short cut from the Ferry.
They told me last night that it les.
sened the distance by fully quarter
OF mile"
"The Ferry! Can she be there?
Or in the woods, or on her way to
some unknown place far out of our
reach? The thought is maddening,
Mr.. Harper, and feel as helpless as
q child under it. Shall we get detec-
tives from the county-seat, or start
| on the hunt ourselves? We might
hoor cDpot HING furtbor IN 70 boI a., >,