Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-06-18
The Argus Daily Short Story
A Mystery-By B. Crittendon Lyle.
Copyrighted. 1870 by Associated Literary PresA

that had been u solitude. Henry. OBJ
tanning a good horse, set out to go
over the pass where the train had
been lost. The mystery was so well
known that he had no difficulty in 10
eating the position where it had been
last seen. One of the equipments he
possessed for his quest was a taste for
geology. AS he rode along he noted
the character of the rocks, the flow Of
the streams. the confguration of the
soil. AS he passed through canyon
in which ran mountain stream he
came to a point where the ground
formed a dam. making a small lake
1t seemed TO him that this could noe
have long been so. The trees growing
on the dam were all very young. He
wondered if it had not been thrown
across the stream by some shaking of
the earth He looked up and saw that
the soil on which be stood formed a
direct incline for several thousand
feet 10 spot where a side Of a noun
tain seemed to have been scooped out
1t occurred to him that a large mass
of earth far above had slid down and
formed the dam on which he stood.
Might not the lost wagon train have
been buried under this landslide?
The more he studied the configura-
tious about him the more be was con-
WINGED that some cause, either a clap
OF thunder. snowsIide or an earth
quake. had looseued the mountain side
and thrown it down and across the
road. Then by riding back and forth
he traced the old road. noting its juno
ton with later one both above and
below the dam While he was salts
fed that this avalanche of earth might
have buried the lost train. be had no
hope that be would be able to find any
vestige of man, beast or wagon with
out employing a host of men to re-
move the earth from the old road. a
part of which was now covered with
water. But be could tell Elizabeth Of
his find and assure her of his belief
that the wagon train had been buried
under &he landslide.
He argued that if those connected
with the train had seen the mountain
side coming they would run to get out
of it's way. If they were nearer the
upper side of it they would run for
ward: if nearer the lower side they
would run backward. The upper side
now being a lake. it could not be ex
amined. Merryweather rode down to
where the old road. striking the dam,
was DETECTED. to climb it by a gradual
incline. Dismounting, he tied his
horse to a sapling and began to look
about him.
He searched q good while, bending
down close to the earth that he might
the better see anything unusual His
search was fruitless. Mounting, be
rode to the nearest house to remain
all night and in the morning bring
to dig with. That night it
rained and the next day and the next
till it seemed that an ocean was being
Then it cleared. and |
Merryweather. taking a pick and a
shovel. went back 10 continue his hunt. |
. He found that the rain had washed |
away portions of the dam. and its side |
was covered with little gullies. some Of
them quite deep. He examined num- |
Der of these gullies. but found nothing. !
At the point where the road made the |
turn to ascend the dam he put in his |
pick Presently it's point struck some
thing that gave out the ring of metal. !
Inserting the pick again. he threw out |
a horseshoe.
Though elated with his find. he did |
not consider II by any means impor- |
tant. but it stimulated him to dig on.
4 root or something harder than the
earth under where the horseshoe had |
been found next attracted his atten-
ton. He dug around it and exposed a
horses hoof and in a few more strokes
the bones of a leg to which the hoof |
Eureka" be exclaimed "The mys
terry of the lost wagon train is solved
He worked all day unearthing the
metal parts of harness. gun barrels,
bones of human beings and horses. At
last be struck the wheel of wagon.
Then he went away 20 announce his
find
The news that the lost wagon train
had been found spread. Merry weather
hired half dozen men to excavate.
but so great was the interest among |
the people that many of them dug
Do their own account. some doubtless
hoping TO fiDd articles of value. 1t
was apparent that the train had been !