Year: 1870

dresses. her admirers, and sundry little pc
culiar characteristics, he set himself to work
to solve the problem.


Both the detectives agreed at once on one
point although they carefully kept it to
themselves. As the officer in question re-
marked to the writer OF these lines-"W When
ever q girl suddenly runs away in this fash
ion, a man is at the bottom of it. Let us
only find the man, and the rest will be easy"
He thereupon cautiously questioned her
sisters, and even the domestics, as to whether
any one gentleman had appeared to be more
agreeable than any other. No; she had
never exhibited any decided preference.
Did any one see to whom the letter was di-
rected which she carried to the post on the
day of her leaving home? No: it was not
even certain that she had letter at all.
Could he see any of her handwriting? Yes,
plenty of it: and he thereupon secured q
specimen.


He then prepared a carefully y-writtcn de-
scription, and forwarded it, together with
her likeness, to various police stations in
this city and other large towns. He visited
every hole and corner of New York, watched
the railway depots, and interrogated clerks.
The hue -and-ery was raised everywhere, but
raised in vain


Now and then message would be sent to
him, saying that young lady answering the
description of the truant was 1t some distant
town, and thither at once would the detec-
tive repair, only to find he had his Journey
tor his pains, and that he was as much at
sea as ever. Once he fancied that he saw
Miss Archbold in carriage in Broadway,
and followed it for long time, only to ac-
knowledge himself again mistaken; but he
was convinced, nevertheless, that she had
loft tho ND bo Ion1,ta1
whether she had left the town.


Ne had carefully examined, OF caused to
be examined, all the books of the various
steamship companies, and interviewed"
their agents, to no purpose The girl had
melted into the air without leaving a trace
behind her, and the trail was about as diff
cult to follow up as that of a mosquito over q
rock.


An unusually liberal reward had been Of
fered by Mr.. Horton tor any information that
could lead to her recovery, and constant ap-
plications were made by individuals who pro-
tessed either to have seen her themselves or
to have heard from some friend who had seen
her, and many Il wild-goose chase was the
result, until at last the detective began to
fear that she had made away with herself,
and actually visited the Morgue more than
once when the body of dead woman was
advertised. Still he did not relinquish his
original idea, and when pressed by his com
panion to try some other tack, only repeat
ed what he had said before:


depend upon it, man is at the bottom
of it." One day Il new thought struck him.
and absurd az it appeared, even to himself
he determined on giving it u fair trial, and
startled his brother officer by remarking,
'Dave, L am going to watch old Horton" :"
The other laughed at him. but did not op-
pose his suggestions, as it gave at least a
promise of something to do. Mr.. Horton, in
common with many other gentlemen, was
extremely fond of driving, and an afternoon
rarely passed without his ordering his buggy.
He had, of late, been much worked at his Of


flee, and frequently slept at hotel when he
found it too late to enjoy an evening ut home.
There was nothing extraordinary in all this
--inore particularly rs at home was no long
er as cheerful as it used to be before the
death of the father and the loss of the daugl-
ter-and no one had paid any attention to his
conduct.


The detective commenced his espionage
Immediately, and Mr. Horton was carefully
followed wherever he went His drives were
usually in the direction of Harlem; and us he
was but little learned in horses, and would
have as soon thought Of driving 4 locomotive
as a fast trotter, the officer became curious
to see what it was that induced him so con-
stantly to patronize that road. He therefore
hired u vehicle, and having instructed the
coachman to follow Mr.. Horizons buggy,
waited patiently for the upshot, whatever it
might be.


| OF one thing he was soon convinced
Wherever Mr. Horton drove, it was not to
Harlem, for after pursuing that direction
for q short distance he turned his horses
head and drove back toward the city. Close
ly followed by the detective in the fly, he
drove to house in the immediate neighbor-
hood of the New York Hotel. Here he drew
up, and having rung the bell, entered with
the air of a man who was perfectly at home.
The detective, in the meantime, left his car
riage and took up a position where he could
command everything without being himself
visible. Nearly an hour elapsed, and Mr.
Horton did not appear. What on earth is he
up to f? thought the detective; there must be
some great attraction here; and he congrat-
ulated himself on the step he had taken.


Presently the front door opened and Mr..
Horton stepped into the street with lady on
his arm, whom he tenderly assisted into the
buggy. The lady's face was thickly veiled,
and the looker-on could not guess even at
her age, except that her movements seemed
those of young woman. Mr. Horton seat
ed himself by her side and drove off, and the
detective, his curiosity now excited to the
highest pitch, again started on his trail
This led him straight to the Jersey Ferry.
and in course of time he alighted, carriage
and all, in Jersey City. The chase set of
without delay towards Newark, in happy ig-
norance of the presence of a pursuer. When
Newark was reached, Mr.. Horton stepped at
an hotel, and, accompanied by the lady,
went in, after ordering his horse to be putup
for an hour or two. The detective soon
learned that he had ordered dinner, and, as
his own appetite was good, resolved to imi-
tate his example. While his meal was pre-
pairing, he loitered about the passage in hopo
of obtaining a peep at the fair unknown
Presently the opportunity came. One of the
walters left the door open, and through the
crack the lady was distinctly visible.


The detective fell back as if he had been
shot; plunged his hands into his pockets to
find the portrait of Miss Archbold presently
he pulled it out looked at it attentively, and
then took another peep through the crack in
the door, Apparently satisfied, he slowly
walked away, his countenance exhibiting u
mixture of the greatest surprise, indignation n
and self satisfaction At this moment a wait
er met him.


"Halo ~ said he, "Do that gentleman and
lady often come here ?'