Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-12-03
PLANK paused and presently contin,

oh Tue 1dE slut LIE SpOL WHGI0 Lu0y udu
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 were
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 a necklace"
What value?''
Seven or eight hundred dollars
Huh" said November refiectively.
And what did you do after finding her
| hat?'
eve trailed the two villains until
they got on to some rocky ground. 1t
was too dark then to do more, so we
lay hands on Them" he said.
By the river the traces were 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. 81 apped 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 if they was toting some
| thing" said Joe. They must "a car
ried her. Stop! They set her down
here for a SPELL"
Another moment brought us over the
rise and in sight Of Mooseshank lake
| halted involuntarily. The place seem
ed created for the scene of a tragedy
November had pushed on to the spot
where footprints and other signs show
ed where the men had entered the ca
noe. The deep slide of a moccasined
foot in the mud seemed to tell of the
effort it required to get the girl en-
barked
They took her out on the lake and
murdered herr groaned PLANK. drag
ging? There's no use dragging, that
water goes plumb down to the root Of
the world"
After that we went around to the
other side of the lake and saw the
beached canoe The two sets of moe
casined tracks showed clearly on the
strip of mud by the water, but were
soon lost in the tumbled debris of a
twO-year-old stony landslip over which
trailing appeared quite impossible No
vember was busy about this landing
place for a longer time than | expect
right angles and disappeared from our
view Soon he came hurrying to-
ward us.
'She isn't dead"
"What?'
Anyways, she wasn't when she
passed here. l have proof here that
you will think mighty good He drew
out a little leather case I had given
him and extracted from it a long hair
of beautiful red gold color. "Look
at that I found it in the spruces
above there"
Plank took it gently in his great
fingers. He was visibly much moved.
For few seconds he held it without
speaking. then. ''That grew on Vir-
ginia's head, sure enough, Joe. Is it
possible my girl is alive?'
"She is, sure! Don't be afeared.
You'll soon have news of her. can
promise you that, Mr.. Plank This
wasn't no case of murder It's just
an abduction. They'd never be such
fools as to kill her. They're cutter
than that. Isn't she your daughter?
They'll hold her to big ransom. That's
their game
An ugly look came into Planx's eyes.
That's their game, is it? I'm not a
man that it is easy to milk dollars
FROM" said he.
By this time it was growing too
dark for Joe to work any longer We
crossed the lake with Plank, and that
night Joe and l camped near the end
of Mooseshank lake, where a stream
flowed from it.
At dawn, while we were having
breakfast, Joe stood up and stared
into the trees that grew thick behind
us. AS he called out / looked back
and saw the indistinct figure of a man
in their shadow watching us. He
beckoned, and we approached him. |
saw he was young, with a pale face
and rather shabby town made clothes.
Don't you remember Walter Cal
vey, November" he said, holding out
his hand II was with you and Mr.
Plank and-and-her last year in the
woods
Huh, yes, and what are you doing
here, Mr.. Calvey?" asked Joe, shaking
hands.
II heard about Virginia. How could
| keep away after that?" exclaimed
Oalvey.
you've no cause to fret yet" said
J0e