Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-03-27

eler went by rail to that point and the
rest Of the way by coach.
He stopped In the region where the
two men had disappeared long enough
to make inquiries; but, nearly two dec
ades having passed since the disap-
pearance, he did not get even as much
information as Jenkins had obtained.
he went on, hoping for better luck In
the matter of the mining property.
Should this prove to be worth some
thing he proposed to stop on his way
back and make q strenuous ehort to
learn the fate Of the father Of the girl
he loved.
|. On reaching San Francisco Fleet
wood learned where the property was
located and proceeded to its inspection
he found that 1t adjoined one Of the
most productive mines In California.
The vein this company worked led
into the Winston & Hunter property.
which made the prospective value OF
the latter very considerable. Fleet
wood called upon the president OF the
adjoining mine and learned that they
had been desirous for years to buy
the Winston and Hunter property, but
had not been able to find to whom 1t
belonged. He offered to take the own
ers Of the property into his company,
giving them q block Of stock In pay
ment, provided the heirs could convey
It, giving q clear title.
But It was evident that the heirs
could not give a clear title. Not only
had the deed disappeared with the
original owners, but 1t was not known
Il they were dead. II they lived they
and not their heirs were the persons
to convey the property.
Fleetwood was much chagrined to
see fortune in which the girl he loved
had sufficient interest to make her rich
kept from its rightful owners. BE
could do nothing but return home and
report what would be extremely tan
TALKING. Leaving California, he cross.
ed the mountains and proceeded over
the plains by coach 80 far as the rail.
road had been finished. There he
changed from coach to car.
While making the change he learn.
ed that the railroad under construction
had struck quicksand.
Now, a quicksand Is not q good foun-
dation for railroad. A gang Of men
was set to work to get the sand out
Of the way, that solid bottom might
be obtained. The space occupied by
the sand was quite deep. They had
gone down few feet when they came
to q mans hat. A little farther down
they took out a mans body. The next
thing they came to was wagon, and
before the wagon was a pair Of horses
harnessed to It. Beneath the horses
were another man and wagon and In
front Of the wagon another pair Of
horses.
Fleetwood at once accepted this as
the true solution Of the mystery. The
two men, with their outfit, had been
engulfed In the quicksand, and, since
the top Of a quicksand gives no more
clew than water as to what Is be-
meath, the discovery Of what had be-
come Of the men was impossible. Had
the location Of the railroad not been
straight across the burial place the
mystery would never have been solved.
Fleetwood at once learned where
that which had been exhumed had
been taken and on going there found
what had. so long been missing. In a
pocket Of the clothing on Winston was
found a leather wallet, In which were
papers identifying him, together with
a deed for the property he had been
going west to develop when engulfed.
On arriving at home Fleetwood called
together the Winston and Hunter fam.
lilies and made his report He was
empowered to return to California.
stop on the way to make proper dispo-
sition Of the exhumed property and
the bodies and on arriving at his desti.
nation accept the offer to add the prop.
erty to the adjoining mine. he re;
turned at once, completed both tasks
and brought home with him certificates
of stock that yielded an ample income
for all concerned. ,'
After the finding Of the lost wagons
how the loss had occurred was made
somewhat clearer. The wagons for
some unexplained reason had become
separated. Night had come ON when
the first wagon struck the quicksand,
and If the man driving 1t had time to
cry out the other, being some distance
behind, did not hear him. When the
hinder man came up, his partner being
engulfed. there was nothing to warn
him. - ''-' :. F. ~
Alice Winston's share Of the property
was larger than Fleetwood seniors
fortune. Consequently there was no
objection on the part Of the Fleetwood
family to a marriage between young
Fleetwood and Alice. 80
"a. N,,. an;no q, 0ohnal Raaapd