The Springfield herald., 1912-08-09

had befallen her. Robert Maitland
had promised to inaugurate thor
ough and extensive search to solve the
mystery of her death. which he felt
was certain in the spring, when the
weather permitted humanity to have
free course through the mountains.
Mr.. Stephen Maitland found a GER
tain melancholy satisfaction in being
at least near the place where neither
he nor any one had any doubt his
daughters remains lay hid beneath
the snow or Ice on the mountains In
the freezing cold Robert Maitland
had no other idea than that Ends
body was in the lake. He intended to
drain tan engineering task of no
great difficulty-and yet he intended.
also, to search the hills for miles on
either side of the main stream down
which she had gone. for she might
possibly have strayed away and died
of starvation and exposure, rather
than drowning. AT any rate. he
would leave nothing undone to discov-
er her.
He had strenuously opposed Arm
strorg's recklessly expressed inten-
tion of going into the mountains i'm
mediately to search for her Arm
strong was not easily moved from any
purpose he entertained, or lightly to
be hindered from attempting any en-
terprise that he projected. but by the
time the party reached Denver the
winter had set in. and even he real
lied the futility of any immediate
search for dead body lost in the
mountains. Admitting that Enid was
dead. the conclusions were sound. of
course.
The others pointed out to Armstrong
that if the woman they all loved had
by any fortunate chance escaped the
cloudburst, she must inevitably have
perished from cold, starvation and ex-
posure in the mountain long since.
There was scarcely a possibility that
she could have escaped the flood. but
If she had it would only to be de-
voted to death little later. II she
was not in the lake, what remained Of
her would be in some lateral canon.
1t would be impossible to discover
her body in the deep SHOWS until the
spring and the warm weather came.
When the SHOWS melted what was con-
cealed would be revealed. Alone, she
could do nothing. And admitting again
that Enid was alone. this conclusion
was as sound as the other.
Now no one had the faintest hope
that Enid Maitland was yet alive, ex-
cept. perhaps. her father. Mr.. Stephen
Maitland. They could not convince
him. he was so old and set in his opin-
ions and SO utterly unfamiliar with the
conditions that they tried to describe
to him. that he clung to his belief in
spite of all. and finally they let him
take such comfort as he could from
his vain hope without any further at
tempt at contradiction.
In spite of all the arguments, how
ever, Mr.. James Armstrong was not
satisfied. He was as hopeless as the
rest. but his temperament would not
permit him to accept the inevitable
calmly. 1t was barely possible that
she might not be dead, and that she
might not be alone. There was scarce
up enough possibility of this to justify
a suspicion. but that is not saying
there was none at all
Day after day he had sat In his Of
flee denying himself to everyone and
refusing to consider anything, brood
ing over the situation He loved Enid
Maitland. he loved her before, and now
that he had lost her. he loved her still
more.
(TO BE CONTINUED)