The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-10-21
CHAPTER VIII
10
A Lost Trail

10
A Lost Trail
"Some man-that!' said Lands
praisefully, after Starbuck had gone.
'"What do you think of the glimpse
he gave us of Canby's record?"
"What 1 think will be embodied in
wire tip to dad. Don't you want to
wire your folks-just to let them. know
you are still on earth?"
II will, now that we seem to have
landed somewhere"
After they had sent their respec-
tive messages, they set out on tour
of inquiry, hoping to get some trace
of the Fleetwing Eight and its pas
sengers, taking the entire afternoon
for it. 1t was an afternoon wasted.
The three men, seen last as they were
leaving Copah, had vanished as COM
pletely as if the earth had opened and
swallowed them. And not only the
men, but the car, as well.
In the round of inquiry only one
circumstance developed which might
have some bearing upon the mystery.
This was in the public garage where
Candy was keeping his Nordyke.
When they questioned the proprietor
about the Fleetwing, he said he had
put up only one car that had come from
the east that morning, namely, Can
bys limousine. Lands asked if he
could fix the time of the limousine's
arrival
''Why, yes" was the reply, sit was
just about five o'clock"
"More mystery" said Landis, as
they left the place. "You remember
what the hotel clerk said this morn
ing when we got in-which was a
little after five o'clock?"
"Don't know as 1 do. was pretty
tired and sleepy"
''YOu asked him If he had anybody
else from the east and he said, Yes
a party of three-came in a couple of
hours age Then he told us who the
three people were."
II see now what you are getting at.
That leaves two hours unaccounted
for between the time Candy reached
Brewster and the time he put his car
up in the garage. Question: can we
find out what he did in those two
hours?"
"That's it. If we can, have no.
ton that we shall find out what has
become of the Fleetwing bunch"
Returning to the hotel, they were
fully agreed that the only remaining
chance of tracing the missing three
was through Candy, since his connec-
ton with them had been conclusively
proved. Markham went up to shave,
while Landis went to the desk to have
his card sent up to the Lawsons.
'The professor and his daughter
checked out this forenoon" was the
Information given him. "They have
friends here-the Stillings-and Mr..
Stillings came after them"
"Did Mr.. Candy go with them?"
"Oh, no, he's still with u.s."
AS lands was turning away he
came face to face with Starbuck.
IT was hoping l might run across
one or both of you," said the mine
owner, Hospitality. whereabouts is
Walter?"
'He has gone up to shave; he said
he was too sleepy to do it when we
came in this morning. Shall we hunt
up couple Of chairs and wait for
him?"
When they found chairs, Starbuck
said, 1--WE just been reading In the
evening paper of another showdown
by the bandits-at the Cinnabar mine,
over ON the other side Of the range.
Maybe you heard of 1t as you came
along? Or did you come In by the
Led Horse Pass road?"
, mo; we came the other way-by
the mine. We got there pretty soon
after the fact"
"Did you see Broughton?"
eyes. We'd met him earlier. He
was down at the railroad station with
truck and an armed guard, waiting
!. for his payroll money, when we
stopped to ask our way"
"The paper says there's a mystery:
that there was gun fight in which
the two commissary guards were
killed, and that nobody in the camp