Ruby's Reward — page 358: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Now we must go back a little to the previous atter- noon, when Mr, Ruggles and Anuie Partridge learn- ed the secret of Ruby’s disappearance. Mr. Ruggles proceeded directly to Mr. Conant’s office, where he was fortunate enough to find that gentleman, he having been obliged to returm there on a matter of business before starting out upon his own search for the missing girl. With great excitement, Mr. Ruggles related to him his discovery, and then together they hunted up Wal- ter, who nearly lost his self-command upon learn- ing that his darling was found. All three gentlemen at once started forth, secured the services of two trusty ofticers and a couple. of carriages, and immediately repaired to the house of Edmund Carpenter’s “particular friend” the phy- sician. All this transpired in less than two hours after Ruby had thrown the messave to her friend Annie, When the carriage stopped batobe the door, @ man was seen standing at one of thelower windows; but upon one of the officers alighting from the first ve- hicle, he suddenly disappeared, and the policeman's riug. was answered by a meek-looking servant girl. The man entered the moment the door was opened, and, producing a search-warrant, commanded the girl to tell him if Miss Ruby Gordon was forcibly de- tained in the house. To his surprise, she at once answered in the affirm- ative. But she explained it afterward by confessing that her master had told her, but a minute before, as he fled from the house by a back way, ‘to make no re- sistance, the gaine was up, and the girl must be re- leased,” s He could not be found afterward; his family re- mained there, living very quietly for a little while, then they too suddenly disappeared, Walter and Mr, Ruggles followed the officer into the house, and the girl conducted all three directly up stairs, to the room occupied by Ruby, and there an found her lying upon a sofa in a halt« QUSHLOUS