The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-01-23
CHAPTER XIII.
The Dead Body.

The Dead Body.
That both Mcdonald and his daugh-
ter were involved in this strange puz-
zle was already clear. The disappear
ance of the one was as mysterious as
that of the other. Whether the orig
inal conspiracy had centered about the
Major, and Miss Molly had merely
been drawn into the net through acct
dent, or whether both were destined
as victims from the first, could not be
determined by theory. Indeed the
Sergeant could evolve no theory, could
discover no purpose in the outrage.
Convinced that Dupont and his wife
were the moving spirits, he yet pos
sessed no satisfactory reason for
charging them with the crime, for
which there was no apparent object.
Nothing remained to be done but
search the town, blind search in the
hope of uncoveriIg some trail. That
crime had been COMMUNICATIONS
murder or ahduction-was evident;
the two had not dropped thus sudden
ly out of sight without cause. Nor did
it seem possible they could have been
whisked away without leaving some
trace behind. The town was accus-
toned to murder and sudden death;
the echo of revolver shots would create
no panic, awaken no alarm, and Yet
the place was small, and there was
little likelihood that any deed Of vio-
lence would pass long unnoticed. With
a few words Of instruction. and hasty
descriptions of both Dupont and Con-
nors, Hamlin sent his men down the
struggling street TO drag out the &C.
cupants of shack and tent, riding him
self to the blazing front of the Poodle
Dog"
Late as the hour was, the saloon
and the gambling rooms above were
all crowded. Hamlin plunged into the
mass of men, pressing passage back
and forth. his eyes searching the faces,
Will he eagerly questioned those with
whom he had any acquaintance. Few
among these could recall to mind
either "Reb" or his boon companion,
and even those who did retained no
recollection of having seen the two
lately. The bartenders asserted that
neither man had been there that night,
and the dealers above were equally
positive. The city marshal, encoun-
tered outside, remembered Dupont,
and had seen him at the hotel three
hours before. but was positive the fell
low had not been on the streets since.
Connors he did not know, but if the
man was Major McDonald's driver,
then he was missing all right, for Cap
tain Barrett hsd to employ a livery
man to drive Mrs. Dupont back to the
fort. No, there was no lady with her;
he was sure, for he had watched them
get into the carriage.
The troopers were no more fOrtu-
nate in their results, but had succeed
ed in stirring up greater excitement
during their exploration, several irate
individuals, roughly aroused from
sleep, exhibiting fighting propensities,
which had cost one a blackened eye,
and the other the loss of a tooth. Both,
however, had enjoyed the occasion,
and appeared anxious for more. Hav-
ing exhausted the possibilities of the
town, the soldiers procured lanterns,
and, leaving the horses behind, began
exploring the prairie. In this labor
they were assisted by the marshal,
and few aroused citizens hastily i'm
pressed into posse. The search was
a thorough one, but the ground near
by was SO cut up by hoofs and wheels
as to yield no definite results. Hamlin,
obsessed with the belief that whatever
had occurred had been engineered by
Dupont, and recalling the fact that the
man was once a ranchman somewhere
to the southwark, jumped to the con-
c1usion that the fellow would natural.
ly head in that direction, seeking ia
miliar country in which to hiLe. With
the two troopers he pushed on toward
the river, choosing the upper ford as
being the most likely choice of the
fugitives. The trampled mud of the
north bank exhibited fresh tracks, but
none he could positively identity
However, a party on horseback had
crossed within few hours, and, with
out hesits tor, he waded out into the
stream.
The gray of dawn was in the sky as
the three troopers, soaked to the waist,
crept up the south bank and studied