The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-06-27

them he made inquiries. That re-
suited in nothing, but he promised
i that i'm the course of the days shoot
Ing he and his party would keep their
eyes and ears open rs they Went about
| the aloors.
Sheiia and presently went away in
| the direction of Marrasdale tower We
| had walked some little distance i'm
silence when she suddenly turned on
| she felt instinctively certain that |,
| out of sheer youthful sympathy. would
understand what she was going to say.
IF mans known by the company
he keeps she said, almost bitterly,
"what about my cousin Werner? Did
you ever see two more utterly detest-
| able men than Armintrade and Eccle-
| sharel l loathe the sight of them
| And-and yet my mother wants me to
marry Werner Courthope; insists on
| it WE'LL just won't-won'tl !"
| was so much taken aback by this
| sudden outburst of intimate confidence
| that | lost my tongue, and could only
stand looking at my companion. She
Redeemed little under my gaze, but
her attitude became sill more conf
Dental and appealing.
81 daresay you think I'm an awful
ass for saying things like that's" she
| said hurriedly. "But-you're young.
and there's nobody about here who
is. You wouldn't like to be forced
into doing what you don't want to do,
would you?"
"From what I've seen of you,"
said, 81 should say that nobody could
make you do what you don't want to
| do"
81 wish my own mother would see
that" she responded quickly. "She's
been trying to force Werner COurthOpe
on me for the last twelve months !!
And-I won't!"
"Why is Mrs. Elphinstone so keen
about it," | inquired.
"Oh, l don't know!" she said, half
impatiently. "She and his mother
my aunt, you knOw-sOrt of settled it
between them. Werner. now that his
fathers dead, is nominal head of the
bank, and he's piles of money. And
I'm afraid my mother is fond of any
body and anything that's mixed up
with money"
"And Mr.. Elphinstone?" suggested
"Mr Elphinstone is about as useful
to appeal to as one of the foliOs in
| his library" she answered.
"What are you going to do, then?"
| asked.
| She gave me an arch gance-ani,
for the first time, though | had locke l
at her closely enough before, l saw
| something that gave me start. There
was the slightest, the very slightest
| suspicion of a cast in her left eye,
| just as there was-but more defined
| and noticeable-in MazarOff's.
"Do?" she sad. "What. TO check
mate my mother and Werner? Why
] I'll marry somebody else!"
We exchanged very candid glances
at that.
Isis there anybody else?" l asked.
She looked at me from Under her
eyelashes.
"NoW she answered.
don't know what / was going to
say then. ! have a vague notion that
| | was very near blunt declaration
that l had fallen in love with her at
| first sight. But at that moment we
turned the corner OF a plantation,
and came across Mr.. ElphinstOne, who
was incoming along with sort of
alpenstock in his hand, and obviously
lost in the clouds or mists of his own
reflections. He came to earth with a
start on seeing us.
"Oh, ah, to be sure!" he exclaimed
81 believe / was coming to meet you.
Holt-you must come and lunch with
u.s."
| interrupted him, peremptoriy: 1t
was the only thing to do.
ITS awfully kind of you, sir"
said, "but l can't do anything until
| I've found or heard of Mr. MaZaroff."
"What'n you do, now?" inquired
Sheila.
"Get hold Of the police and have a
thorough search of the district made"
l answered. "And there's no time to
be lost, so you'll excuse me II hurry
away"
| went off without more ado-I
knew very well that I should see her
again before the day was out and in
other days to come.
l went on across the moor to the
Woodcock. Webster was standing on
the road before the open door.
Heard anything?" demanded as
got near him.
"Not word, sir" he replied. "Noth-
ing! There's two men waiting for
you inside. Mr.. Holt-want some in
formation. Ones a police sergeant !;
the others a newspaper reporter"
"Then it's got out, Webster" / said
"That makes it all the stranger"
"Oh, it's all round the district by
now, Mr.. Holt" he answered. Every
body knows he's missing. But I've
neither seen nor heard anybody who
saw him last night-it would seem
as if he clean disappeared when he
walked out of that door,"
There's no doubt of that, Webster"
said. Truth to tell, | was already
wondering if MaZarOff had made a
clean disappearance on purpose. BY
| this time he might be in London,
vanished for the second time in his
| life, and for practically the same
| cause. But that was all surmise:
| turned TO the inn.
| "Well," l said, "cOme in, Webster,
and let's hear what these fellows
want"
| The policeman introduced himself as
| Sergeant Manners of the county con.