The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-07-01
A Mystery
! The Wagon Train That Was
:, Lost In the Mountains
By 8. cRIrTHNDHN LYT1R
By 8. cR,rTrNDRN LyTle

BY B. CRITTENDEN LY11E !
= Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
Years ago, when there were no rail-
roads between the Atlantic and Pa
cific oceans. a wagon train was lost in
the Sierra Nevada mountains. 1t was
last seen by some Indian hunters.
Searching parties went out to find it
without success. At last It was given
up and forgotten.
The leader Of the party was Edward
Earle. He was a widower with a little
Elizabeth. whom he had left
in the east in care Of his sister. Eliza
beth was 6ve years old when her ia
Their was last heard from. but she TOOK
q deep interest in the story Of his dis
appearance. What to older people was
a mystery was to her q child's story
similar to those she read In her fairy
books. 1t did not occur to. her that
thereswas anything moreswonderful in
the disappearance Of ay4wagon. train
consisting of half a dozen teams and
ten or twelve people than in changing
q man into a frog. In other words.
she did not realize that the M really
happened and the other was impossi-
BILE.
But as Elizabeth grew beyond the
age to be impressed by the imagination
this story Of the lost wagon train be-
gan to grow upon her. Had it not been
given to her by those in whom she had
confidence she would not have believ-
ed it. A man might disappear to re-
turn many years after with an expla-
nation. But how could wagons, horses
and men all go out like a candle:
Elizabeth was the only person who
faneied that her father would some
day come back. Her elders did not op-
pose her in this, though they did not
pretend to agree with her. But as time
wore on she realized that the case Of
the wagon train her father conducted
was like that CT a ship going down un-
der some marine catastrophe, carrying
with it every living person. There
came a hope that her father had left
some message for her which she would
some day receive. She was told that
he had had some property, but he
alone knew where it was located. No
will had ever been found nor any
other papers to throw light upon his
affairs. But this was not strange since
he had all his effects with him.
BY the time Elizabeth had become
eighteen this question of her fathers
disappearance had grown upon her to
such an extent that 1t became a sort Of
monomania. Possibly this resulted
from trying to solve an insoluble ques-
ton. She was continually asking her
self how such a thing could happen.
One Of her suppositions was that the
train had been carried away by q
cloudburst. Another was that it had
been buried under an avalanche. But
in the case Of the cloudburst the re-
mains Of men. horses and wagons
would be carried down where they
would be seen. and in the a of the
avalanche they would appear as soon
as the snow melted. It was brooding
on these problems that at last threat
ened to affect Elizabeth's mind.
When Henry Merryweather began to
court Elizabeth her aunt hoped that a
living interest would relieve her from
the burden of a dead one. Henry was
a fine fellow and grew more and more
wrapped in the serious girl. made so
by a mystery. By delicate attentions
he endeavored to withdraw her mind
from the topic upon which it was abb
normally fastened. But his efforts
were a failure. Despite all he could do
he ELECTED only an occasional smile. a
temporary interest.
The time had come when Elizabeth
felt that she must relieve her aunt of
her support. and she accepted a posi-
ton as teacher in a school. Occupa-
tion helped her In the matter that was
troubling her. but did not cure her.
Often in the midst Of her duties she
would find herself endeavoring to solve
the problem Of the lost wagon train.
AS a last resort Henry Merryweather
resolved to so out to the region where
the train was last seen with a view to
solving the mystery. He hoped that If
he could bring back any plausible solu-
ton Elizabeth would accept It and she
would regain her normal status. With
out saying anything to her In reference
to his intention he set out for the
Sierra Nevadas and the region where
the train had been last seen.
Fifteen years had passed since the
tragedy or whatever It was occurred.
and settlers had come into the region
that had been a solitude. Henry. OBJ
tanning q good horse. set ont to 60.
over the pass where the train had
been lost. The mystery was so well
known that he had no difficulty in To-
eating the position where Il had been
last seen. One Of the equipments he
possessed for his quest was a taste for!
geology. AS he rode along he noted.
80 ENraa 3A E-EAL - 49,. aNLE 49,