Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-01-02
Continued from last week

first came"
But what are we to dOT'
/ had no ready answer, yet the echo
of utter despair in her voice stirred
me to my own duty as swiftly as
though she had thrust knife into my
side Do? We must do something
We could not sit down idly there in
the swamp. And to decide what was
to be attempted was my part. If Kir-
by and whoever was with him had
stolen the missing boat, as undOubt-
eddy they had, they could have pos
sessed but one escape. They
were inspired to the act by a desire
to get away, to flee from the scene
of their crime. They must believe
that we were left helpless, unable to
pursue them or create alarm. Yet if
it was Kirby why had he fed so
swiftly, making no effort to take Rene
captive also? 1t was she he was seek
ing; for the purpose of gaining pos
session of her these murders had been
committed. Why then, should he run
away when he must have known the
girl was already in his grasp? The
same thought apparently occurred to
her.
"You-you believe that Kirby did
thisf'
what other conclusion is possible?
We know that he passed. us on the
steamer-Sam saw him plainly. It
was his man, Carver, whom we found
dead in the hut It could have been
no one else.''
"But," she questioned, unsatisfied,
''he would have only one reason for
being here-hunting me, his slave.
That was his one purpose, was it not?
Ii he saw US then he must have known
of my presence, that / was here with
you. Why should he make no attempt
to take me with him? Why should he
steal our boat and run away?"
zone theory is as good as another"
I said, "and mine so far have all been
wrong. What do you make Of it,
Sam?'
"Who, sab? Me, sah?"
Eyes, take a guess at this"
Pears like" he said, deliberately,
rubbing his ear with one hand, ''as
how it mOught have happened dis yere.
way, sab. All amt a-sayin' it WIS
il mOught be. Maybe Massa Kirby
nebber got no sight OBJ us tall, an
was afeerd fer ter stay. He just
knOwed a party Wus yere-likely
'nough sum Black Abolitionists, who'd
be huntin' him if he didn't cl'ar out.
just SO soon as dey foun' dat Amos
Shrunk WIS dead. Here Wusshis
chance, an he done took it,
He bent suddenly forward, his
glance at the edge of the log. "Dey
amt took but just de one boat, sab,
fer de odder am showed under dar
Out'r sight"
AS l stopped further over / saw that
this was true, the small rowboat, with
the oars undisturbed in it's bottom,
had been pressed, in beneath the ~een-,
caament of the log wharf, almost COM
pletely hidden from above, yet to all
appearances uninjured. The very fact
that it should have been thus left only
added to the mystery Of the affair. If
it had been Kirby's deliberate purpose
to leave us there stranded ashore
why had he failed TO crush in the
boats planking with q rock? Could
the leaving of the craft in fit condi-
ton for our use be part of some care
fully conceived plan; bait TO draw
US into some set trap? Or did it occur
merely as an incident of their hur-
ried flight? These were unansWerable
questions, yet the mere knowledge
that the boat was actually there and
opportunity to escape. While hope re-
mtined, however vague, it was not my
nature to despair. Whether accident
or design had been the cause made no
odds was willing to match my wits
against Kirby and endeavor to win
And I must deal with facts just az
they were.
sit is my guess" I said, chat their
only thought was to get away before
the crime was discovered. Rene,
would you be afraid to remain here
alone Cor little while?'
She glanced about into the gloom of
the surrounding woods, her hesitancy
answering me.
at is not a pleasant prospect / adj
nit, but there Is nc possible danger
Kirby has gone, beyond all question:
bat | wish TO leasn II | can the direc-
%ion he has talSel All this must have
happened only a short time ago-while
we were at the cabin. The keelboat
can scarcely be entirely out of sight
yet on either river if we could only
find place to offer us wide view.
"But could | not go with your
Hardly with me, for l intend to
swim the creek and stry to reach the
point at the mouth of the Illinois,
from where can see up and down the
Mississippi. / am going to send Sam
back through the woods there and
have him, climb that ridge. From the
top he ought to have a good view up
the valley of the Illinois. ] suppose
you might go with him."