The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-11-30
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 Joe laughed. ..An the same, he's ne chap who done It. said he. 'sI expect he's got her up at his cabin on Otter brook, af
 Look here, November 7 said. "You tell me Hank Harper is In the kidnap- ing business and I believe you, be- cause I've never known you speak without solid facts behind you. But think you owe me the whole yarn .''
 Joe pulled out his pipe. 'An right, Mr. ouaritch- TO begin at the begin ming. There are two of them. one,s this man Harper I don't know who the other is. andSit don't much matter. If we find Harper we find his partner. We'll. Miss Virginny was fishing when they stole down upon her and carried her off. I've already told you what happened until they took to the canoe. They padded across the lake and the Two men got out, leaving Miss Virgin ny in the canoe to paddle herself round and land elsewhere.1
 But surely she could have escapedT' cried
 ] ssghe was under tIleir rifles and had to do exactly what she was ordered. l found where she'd landed and follow
 
 stream, and it was there I found the golden hair. So far. you see, every thing fitted in together as good as the jaws of trap, and the message on the bit Of paper about ransom carried 1t further on. So did the talk we had with Harper-It must have been him did the speakingat Black lake. When I knocked up PIanx's re- voiYer was wonderful sorry to have to do it, but promise is promise, and he'd passed his word for safe conduct. After, when my eyes fell upon the trail. left by Harper's part ner. knew [ never done better act in my life. 1t give me 8 start, can tell you, MT. Quariteh! You see, all the weight was in the middle of the moccasfon. The heels and toes were hardly marked at all.''
 November looked at me as if expect ing me to see the meaning of this peculiarity, but shook my head.
 -It meant that the foot inside the moceasion was a very little one, a good bit shortef than the moccasin.'
 t'You can't mean began.
 .sYes," said Joe sFhe second per son at Black lake wasn't man at all, but just Miss Yirginny herself
 Well, if that was so, why, she had the game in her hands then. She had only to appeal to us-to speak
 Joe interrupted me. Hers was an other sort of game You see, I'm pret- ty sure that Miss yirginny has kid naped herself, or, at any rate, consent ed to be Kidnapped She had just pad died round and joined the two men later. and then when I come to think
  raise the name of the man that was helping her. I lit out for WiIshere's camp and asked the woman if there was anything of Miss virginny's miss. ing from her room. She said there wasn't Then saw my way a bit. was in the woods with Miss Vfr- ginny last year, and know she's mighty particular about personal things. I don't believe she could live a day without a. sponge and a comb and, most of all. without a tooth brush. None of them high toned gals can. Isn't that so?,'
 'tYes, that is so. but''-
 4sWen, went on November, Eff she went of her own free will, as | was thinking she did-or else why did she come to Black 1ake?-if, as say, was right in my notion and she'd mad out the plans and Kidnapped herself, tn man who was with her would be onl. just her servant, in g manner of speak ing. And Was certain that one of th first things she'd do would be to send him to some store to buy the thing she wanted most. She couldn't get her own from Planx's camp without giy ing herself away, so she was bound to send Hank to hike out new ones from sonewhere.''
 stWhat happened then ?'
 @I started in on the stores round about this country, and with luck I stepped into the big store at Lavette and asked if any one had been buying truck of that kind. They told me Hank Harper. asked just what. They said hairbrush, comb, couple of tooth brushes and some other gear. That was enough for me. They weren't for Mrs. Hank, who's a halfbreed woman and don't always, remember to clean herself O Saturdays.''
 tsI see,'' said I.
 'eThe things were bought yesterday, so it all fits in, and there's no more left to find out but why Miss Virginny act ed the way she has, and that we'll know before tomorrow