Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-02-16

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poor girl, the prospect before the low
ers was not encouraging
Horace Fleetwood knew the story OF
Alces fathers disappearance and
learned that certain property supposed
TO contain gold had been Inherited by
the Winston and Hunter families
Alice still chung to the theory that the
father might return some day to the
child he had never seen, ana II trou-
bed her Horace, In order TO settle her
suspense, conceived the idea of going
TO California TO XIII two birds with one
stone. He would look up the mining
property Of Winston 4 Hunter aud on
the way would try TO find out some
thing about their disappearance,
Naturally the heirs of the partners
favored the idea, Fleetwood, without
informing his father Of his real object,
gained his consent to the trip ana was
furnished with means for his expenses,
Taking papers giving the location OF
the property he was to investigate, he
set out over the same route the part
ners had taken some seventeen or
eighteen years before, But by this
time the Union Pacific railroad was UNI
der construction ana had been complet-
cd as far west rs Laramie, The tray
elcr 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
AIDES having passed since the dlsap'
pearance, he did not get even as much
information as jenkins had obtained
lie 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 strenuous effort 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 It's Inspection
He found that it adioincd one of the
most productive mines i'm California.
The vein this company worked leu
into the Winston q 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 DESTROYS for years to buy
the Winston and Hunter property but
had not been able to find to whom IL
belonged He offered TO take the own
ers of the property into his company,
giving them II block Of stock In pay
ment, provided the heirs could convey
II, giving a clear title.
But it was evident that the heirs
could not give clear title. Not only
had the deed disappeared with the
original owners, but it was not known
if they were dead. If they lived they
and not their heirs were the persons
to convey the property,
Fleetwood was much chagrined to
see a fortune in which the girl he loved
had sufficient interest to make her rich
kept from its rightful owners lie
could do nothing but return home ana
report what would he extremely tan
talizing. Leaving California, he cross
ed the mountains and proceeded over
the plains by coach so 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 a quicksand.
Now, Il QuickSand is not good foun
dation for railroad a gang Of mer
was set to work to get the sand out
of the way, that n solid bottom might
be obtained The space occupied by
the sand was quite deep They hat
gone down II few feet when they came
to a mans hat. 4 little farther dOwr
they took out mans body. The mex
thing they came to was n wagon, an(
before the wagon was pair Of horses
harneSsed to it, Beneath the horses
were another man ana n wagon and IL
front of the wagon another pair o
horses.
Fleetwood at once accepted this a
the true solution Of the mystery. TIT
two men, with their outfit, had beer
engulfed in the quicksand, and, sine
the top of quiCksand gives no NOR
| clew than water as to what is he
; meath, the discovery of what had be
q come of the men was impossible. Ha,
= the location of the railroad not beel
: straight across the burial place tn
r mystery would never have been solved
Fleetwood at once learned wher
e that which had been eXhumed ha
e been taken and on going there foun
e what had so long been missing In
r pocket of the clothing on Winston wa
:, found leather wallet in which wer
! papers identifying him, together wit
deed for the property he had bee
t going west to develop when engulfed.
Y On arriving at home Fleetwood Gale
d together the Winston and Hunter fan
d lilies and made his report He wa
|, empowered to return to California
: stop on the way to make proper diSpC
d sition of the eXhumed property an
n IoJ;o, md o,, n bio Ioct