The Argosy, March 1907 — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

754 THE ARGOSY. that Manning had beaten his adversary so thoroughly that Fuller had crawled away to some friend’s or relative’s in the farming district to recuperate before showing himself in the village, but the only actual upshot of the discussion was a heightened prejudice against Manning, whose general good nature was forgotten in memory of his recent supercilious- ness. Next morning, however, when. Fuller failed to report himself in person or by letter, there was a feeling of real alarm in the village. The early callers at the post-office and the store were seriously of opinion that something ought to be done. ‘They were quite right. Constable Hawkins, being of the same mind, hitched up his sorrel nag and drove, first to Fielding’s farm, where he’ had a talk with Isabel, and then to every one of the half-dozen friends or relatives of Fuller’s who had farms within five miles of Cranville. Nobody had seen or heard anything of the missing man. The constable re- turned in the middle of the afternoon, and as inquiry at the factory showed that Fuller was still missing, he drove on to the Manning residence. Francis Manning was at home, and was amazed, apparently, when.he heard of Fuller’s disappearance. ‘““T haven’t seen him since our scrap in front of the post-office,” he said. That was by mo means the whole of the conversation, for Hawkins was persistent in asking the same question in a dozen different ways, but it was all the constable got in the way of information. He did get one other thing—a sugges- tion. Offended and irritated by the inquisi- tion, Manning at length exclaimed: “TE you're so cock-sure I know what’s become of him, why don’t you arrest me and have done with it?” “Wal,” retorted Hawkins emphatical- ly, “ we'll see about that.” Then he drove back to the village and invited his neighbors to join him in a search for the missing factory-hand. Many a man went without his supper that evening for the sake of being in the searching party, which started early, in order to cover as much ground as ete sible before dark. ‘trampled down, searchers were sure they detected further * Wlacksmith : They began properly at the kitchen =: door of Fielding’s farmhouse, where Isabel had parted from her headstrong suitor, and whence now she watched the searchers start over the rough land along the ill-defined but well-known path that led to the seashore and Manning’s home. There were tears just behind her eyes, and apprehension at-her heart. At length she put on her hat and hastened after the party, overtaking it at -a point about midway in Fuller’s con- templated journey. A halt had been made there because the searchers had come upon what they. took to be a clue. It was at the sum- mit of a knoll, where the path passed for a little distance beside a forest. At the very summit a tree stood out from the woods some twenty or thirty feet, and between it and the forest there was a rather thick growth of under- brush. } In this space were signs a plenty ‘that something unusual had occurred. Twigs had been wrenched from the slender un- dergrowth, some bushes were wholly and the _ keenest-eyed evidence of a struggle in indentations of the turf, made, presumably, by the feet of men engaged in desperate combat. That was all. Detectives, probably, would have found more, but these were unimaginative, untrained countrymen, gifted with hard common sense, and quite capable of deducing a plain con- clusion from such spread before their eyes. They were stating their conclusfons to one another when Isabel arrived. “It’s just this way,” said Bemis, the ‘this hil! is on. the way from Fielding’s to Manning’s, and it’s also on the way from Manning’s to Fielding’s. Wal, Fuller didn’t know his way no better chan ‘'rank Manning does, ‘cause he’s usec it often enough—ain’t he, Belle?” ; This question, addressed to the pant- ‘ing girl just as she arrived, brought a deeper color to her cheeks, but she made no verbal answer. “Doesn’t Frank Manning come to see you pretty often?’ Bemis demanded. ‘“He’s called now and then,” she ad- mitted unwillingly. : § Gomichooks.co evidence as was | m