Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1913-12-18
CHAPTER VII.
Rain.

ksSNNXSCQR 1SdIuGu IudL IL Was q SudIl
go manufacturing town some
ten miles from the direct route Of
travel, to which it was only connected
by a stage-coach running once day,
late in the afternoon.
What a spot for a meeting Of this
kind! Why chosen by her? Why
submitted to by this busy New York
lawyer? Was this another mystery;
or had he misinterpreted Mr.. Harper's
purpose in passing over to him the
address of this small town? He pre-
ferred to think the former. He could
hardly contemplate now the prospect
of failing to see her again which must
follow any mistake as to this being
the place agreed upon for the signing
Of her will.
Meanwhile he had said nothing to
Gerridge. This was hope too per
sonaI to confide in man of his posi-
ton. He would go to Sitford and
endeavOr to catch a glimpse of his
wife there. If successful, the whole
temper Of his mind might change to-
wards the situation, if not toward her.
He would at least have the satisfac-
ton Of seeing her. The detective had
enough to do in New York.
April the fifteenth fell on Tuesday.
He was not minded to wait so long but
took the boat on Monday afternoon.
This landed him some time before
daylight at the time-WOrn village from
which the coach ran to SitfOrd. A
railway connected this village with
New York, necessitating NO worse in
convience than crossing the river on
a squat, Old-fashioned ferry boat; but
he calculated that both the lawyer
and Mrs. Ransom would make use of
this, and felt the risk would be less
for him if he chose the slower and
less convenient route.
He had given his name on the boat
as Roger Johnston, which was true so
far as it went, and he signed this
same name at the hotel where he put
up till morning. The place was an
entirely unknown one to him and he
was unknown to it.
The coach ran late in the afternoon.
This was to accommodate the pas
sengers who came by rail. But Mr..
Ransom had not planned to go by
coach. That would be to risk pre-
mature encounter with his wife, or
at least with the lawyer. He pre-
ferred to hire a team, and be driven
there by some Indifferent livery-stable
man. Neither prospect was pleasing.
1t had been raining all night, and babe
fair to rain all day. And the road
he had never seen such q road, all
little pools and mud. And there were
to be ten miles of this. Naturally he
turned to his thoughts and they were
all of her. One question in his mind
was answered through his reflections.
This spot was not an unknown one to
her. 1t was connected with her child
hood days. There was reason back
of her choice of it as a place Of meet
ing between her and her lawyer, or II
not reason, association, and that of
the tendarest kind. They finally
splashed into Sitford and stopped be-
fore the tavern. The house, dripping
though it was from every cave, had
such romantic air that he thought
he could venture to cite other reasons
for his stay there than the prosaic
one Of business.
When the landlady showed herself
he at once gave her credit for being
all he could wish in the way of credul-
ity and good-nature, and, meeting her
with the smile which had done good
execution in it's day, he asked if she
had a room for writer who was fin