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Page 75
"Where is she? Where is she?" cried the man, and Tom Ostrello
recognized Raymond Case.
"Hullo! What's up?" queried the commercial traveler.
"Margaret! She is gone!" cried Raymond. He ran back of the house. "I
can't see anything of her!" he added with a groan.
"Margaret gone? I thought she was sick."
"So she is. She was out of her mind and slipped out of her room while
the nurse went downstairs for some broth. I was in the parlor writing
a letter."
"And I was on guard in the hallway," put in the policeman. "She didn't
pass me, that I'll swear to."
"I was only gone a few minutes," said the nurse. "And I am sure she
did not go through the kitchen."
"How long ago was this?" asked Tom Ostrello.
"Only a few minutes ago. Oh, we must find her," answered Raymond. "If
she wanders off in her present state of mind there is no telling what
will happen to her."
The four scattered, and a vigorous search was instituted for the
missing girl. Soon the news spread and the chief of police came
hurrying to the scene.
"Collins, you are responsible for this escape," said he sternly to the
policeman.
"I did the best I could, sir," was the nervous answer. "She was that
sick, sir, I didn't think she could get out of bed, much less walk off."
"Perhaps she is hiding in the house."
The building was searched from cellar to garret, and so were several
other buildings in that vicinity, but without avail. Then the
gathering crowd scattered through the woods and along the river.
"I don't believe she was as sick as they pretended," said one of the
number. "This is only a bluff to let her get away. I said all along
she was a sly one."
"Perhaps she pulled the wool over the doctor's eyes," came from
another. "And over the eyes of that young fellow who's in love with
her, too."
Raymond heard some of these remarks and they made his face burn. He
longed to knock some of the speakers down, but held his temper in check
as best he could. He realized that no argument he might advance would
make an impression where opinions were so set.
Tom Ostrello joined in the search as diligently as the rest, and he and
Raymond ran through the woods from end to end several times. Then they
procured a boat and rowed up and down the river, and crossed over to
the other side.
"She could not have gone far," said Raymond. "Her strength was not
equal to it."
It was dark by the time they came back to the river, to cross to the
town side. As they rowed along, slowly and silently, Tom Ostrello
noticed something floating on the water. He steered toward the object
and picked it up. It was a girl's summer hat.
"Margaret's hat!" cried Raymond. He dropped his oar and his face
turned as white as death. "I know the truth now! She has drowned
herself in the river!"
CHAPTER XXIV
ONE AGAINST MANY
Surrounded by his enemies, Adam Adams stood in the center of the stone
room under the old mill, speculating upon what was to happen next. He
saw that the men were thoroughly aroused and ready for any crime.
Although all were masked by the hoods over their heads, each showed his
rage and temper by his movements and his tone of voice.
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