Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1921-02-09
The Abduction
By MURIEL BLAIR
&c. 1921. Western Newspaper Union

and your Wifes friend. And the
friend of poor little lost Eddie, Let
me show you, out of gratitude for the
start you gave me in life years ago,
what real, genuine friendship is
There was nothing heroic in the
speech. There was no false note Of
bombast Archibald Thornton, sick,
disheartened, all at sea, had come up
against the dead blank wall of mo
clew" in the case where mystery and
misery were pretty well comminged,
and no visible thoroughfare back to
happiness and peace.
Thornton had befriended Smith fif-
teen years previous, and the loyal tel
low had never forgotten it.. Thornton
had married Winifred Walter. A child
was born to Them and when Eddie was
five years of age, a baseless disagree
ment had come about. They had sep
arated, Thornton taking the child in
his keeping. The abyss br0adened.
They did not meet again.
Thornton went West with Eddie
and acquired a small fortune in Idaho
| lands. His wife he seldom heard
| from. She was heiresS to Il large es-
| tate he learned. Too proud to meet
her half way in reconciliation, she
seemed to have completely shut him
and the child out of her memory. She
; LED a hard lonely life at the secluded
country home Of stepbrother. All
| that kept Thornton in touch with his
Old life were occasional letters from
| the loyal Smith. The latter knew that
the estranged wife was sore subject
| to his friend, and rarely alluded to
her AT length, however, letter came
that brought Thornton East post-haste
with his son.
81 have learned" Smith wrote, that
you have misjudged your wife, just as
! she has misjudged you. She pines for
you and the child. l find, too that
Herbert, her stepbrother spread all
the lies that separated you. He will
do all he can to keep you apart, for
by doing so he hopes finally to con-
troll the estate to which she is heir
ess."
Thornton had come to Edgeville at
once.
Eddie slept in the room adjoining
that of his father at the hotel. In
the morning he was missing.
| II am going to find your boy for
you," declared Smith.
! II can never go to Winifred unless
he Is with me-" said Thornton.
Four hours later Smith was resting
under a tree near the beach Of IT.
tie lake about ten miles from Edge
vile.
"Only one thing I am certain Of"
he told himself Herbert is behind this
kidnapping"
] The speaker just then noticed lit
tie red toy balloon sailing out over
the lake. A second followed, q third,
and then as many more in success
sion.
"Shoot-shoot !" he heard boyish
voice call just then, and came upon
noisy group of lads chasing anoth-
! er Of the toy balloons.
One of the boys had a bow and ar
row. He aimed aloft. The shaft sped
from the bow, pierced the balloon, and
the debated globe came to the ground.
There was scramble over it.
Here, I'll pay you for that" he
| said, extending coin to the boy who
had rescued the object. Then eagerly
he inspected the card. 1t was one of
his own. 1t had, however. got tram
pied in the mud. He made out these
words: I'm lions cage-send word
n-hotel-Edgeville."
He remembered that he had given
Eddie some of the cards to draw on.
The words lions cage" in connection
with the spangles found in the room
at the hotel suggested-a circus!
"And say!" calculated the second
rate man, II recall now that Herbert
owns half interest in travelling
show. Why, find circus, and find
| Eddie!"
Four hours later Smith stood by the
side of one of dozen tents at the out
skirts of county seat town.
Smith had just heard a circus ped
dler complain of losing his balloons.
| He also learned that there was a cage
wagon inside the tent.
Fifteen minutes after that Smith
was leading from the place the recov-
cred boy He had found him locked
in the cage wagon and had opened
way to freedom
Eddie told of two men kidnapping
him. He had overheard them say that
man named Dunbar had ordered
them to lose him in some distant part
of the country.
A circus peddler had tied his string
of toy balloons to the wagon. A bright
idea came to Eddie. He reached out,
drew the balloons towards the bars,
attached what cards he had to them.
and let them go up. There was an
opening at the top of the tent, and
they sailed away.
1t was after restoring Eddie to his
father and hiring man to guard