The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1914-12-31

me only
Miss virginny.' cried Joe. You
can't mean that Nobody would be
brute enough to kill Miss Virginny!"
As we walked Plank gave us the 70,
lowing facts: 1t appeared that he had
been spending the last two weeks in
Il log hut which had been lent him by
friend. Mr.. Wiltshire. His household
consisted of one servant--his dangh-
ters nurse. 4 middle aged woman whom
they had brought with them from New
YorlS-two guides and a man cook. On
the previous day Miss Virginia had
taken her rod after lunch. as she had
often done before. and gone off to the
river to fish
AT 5 went to join her She was
NOT there. Her rod lay broken. and
there We're signs of a struggle and the
tracks OF two men. shouted for Ed
the old guide, EIe came running down.
and we took up the trail. 1t led us
straight over to Mooseshank lake The
rutfians had put her in our own canoe
and gone out on the lake
luLA tduStIu anu ~ 1SCIitly AollIlli
ued:
I'VE went round the lake and found
on the far side the spot where they had
| beached the canoe. Leading up into
/ the woods from that point, we again
struck the trail of the two men, but
my daughter was no longer with them
When they left the canoe they We're
going light. They must have drowned
her in the lake. It's clear enough
Presently | saw something floating on
the water. 1t was her hat
Had Miss Virginny any jewelry on
her?" asked Joe.
"A watch and necklace"
what yalue?"
"Seven or eight hundred dollars"
"Huh,' said November rehectively
"And what did you do after finding her
hat?"
I'VE trailed the two villains until
| they got on to some rocky ground. 1T
was too dark then to do more, so we
returned Five thousand dollars it You
lay hands on Them" be said.
BY the river the traces We're so plain
that any one could read them-the
slender feet of the victim and the
larger footprints of the two men. The
fishing rod. snapped off toward the top
Of the middle joint. had been left
where it had fallen 1t seemed as if
the girl had tried to defend herself
with it, Next we went to the lake.
November literally nosed his way
along. The moccasined tracks of the
two men showed family here and there
on the softer parts of the ground.
Looks as it they was toting some,
thing" said Joe. "They must "a car
ried her. Stop! They set her down
here for spell"
Another moment brought us over the
rise and in sight of Mooseshank lake.
| halted inyoluntarily. The place seem
ell created for the scene of tragedy.
November had pushed on to the spo:
where footprints and other signs show
noe. The deep slide of moccasineC
foot in the mud seemed to tell of the
effort it required to get the girl EN-
balked.
'"They took her out on the lake anG
murdered her. groaned Plank. Drag
sing? There's no use dragging, thai
water goes plumb down to the root OF
the world"
After that we went around to thu
other side OF the lake and saw thu
beached canoe. The two sets Of moe
casined tracks showed clearly on thu
strip of mud by the water. but wer'
soon lost in the tumblel debris of
two-year-old stony landslip over which
trailing appeared quite impossible. No
vember was busy about this landin,
place for longer time than expect
ed, then he crossed the landslide a
right angles and disappeared from on
view. Soon he came hurrying to
! ward us.
, "She isn't dead"
+ "WhatY'
Anyways, she wasn't when sh
passed here. | have a proof here tn;
you will think mighty good" He dre'
out little leather case | had give
t him and extracted from it n long ha
of a beautiful red gold color. Loo
| Mt that! | found it in the spruce
above there"
PLANK took it gently in his gres
Y fingers. He was visibly much move'
l For a few seconds he held it Wtho,
/ speaking. then. THAT grew on vi
ginia's head, sure enough, Joe. Is
t possible my girl is alive?"
'She is, sure! Don't be afeare
= Youth soon have news of her, | ca
promise you that, Mr.. Plank. Th
wasn't no case of murder It's jul
on abduction. They'd never be SUE
fools as to kill her. They're cut
than that Isn't she your daughte
They'll hold her to big ransom. That
- their game"
i An ugly look came into Planx's eye