PAOLINA. OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10169, 20 February 1911, Page 2

PAOLINA. OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

By MARIPOSA WEIR. Author of "Evadyue's Temptation," "A Chase Round the World," etc

OUR SERIAL.

CHAPTER XXXII

the most active and expert climbers. "There must be a gate somewhere," said Hector, "and the wagon will probablly enter at it. It passed along this way, I think." "I guess,"' said Zip, "that the fence only goes round the main'building and leaves out the men's quarters, which are in the rear. That's where tho waggon's gone, probably. It's been to Senora for supplies for the place, most likely." A few yards farther on they came to a strong "gate with a padlock on tho inside. Tho gate was of the same height as the fence, but the two crosspieces of thick plank which held together the posts of which it was composed afforded facilities for climbing it. Walking on more rapidly they soon saw the waggon a little way in advance. Following on at such a. distance as to keep it in view, they presently saw that Zip had been right in his surmise as to its destination. At a distance of a qu'arter of a mile beyond the dwelling house and the enclosure which surrounded it, the vehicle pulled xip under a group of live oaks near old, one story frame "building. As the driver sprang to the ground and began to fasten his horse, Zip uttered an exclamation of surprise.

A MOONLIGHT RIDE

"Then," said Hector, "he cannot leave town before to-morrow afternoon, and can't get here at the earliest before Thursday night, at about this time." "And as I've remarked before," said Zip, "until ho comes the lady's in no serious danger." "But there'll be no harm in taking a look at the place. The moon will be up in half-an-hour. Let us ride out in the direction in which you think it is, and see if you can find it. It's a fine night for a gallop." "That's my hand," replied Zip, with alacrity. "I've come over to propose a scoutin' expedition, and I've engaged a couple of mustangs at the livery stable. They'll be round in a minute."

"Where's Hagburn?" asked Hector. "I left him at the hotel to keep an eye on the movements of Lawyer Tripp and the Italian," answered Zip. "I can't make out what they are up to, but it's something connected with this;ga me, or Im' mfuycmfwy mfwy this game, or I'm out in my figgerin' a good deal."

Fifteen minutes later Hectoi 4 and Mr Barne were mounted and cantering out of the town. Sonora is located in a gulch hemmed in by high hills. The road led through a wild, picturesque country*, and by the time they had gone two miles every trace of human habitation had disappeared. Soon afterwards the,moon .came up over a sharp ridge bristling with s pines, and they pursued their journey by her friendly. lighJiV ~:•:'. They had travelled some six or seven miles, .'.wbeiuMr, Barne called his companion's attention to a dark spot on the road before them. Slackening their pace, they advanced cautiously until they saw that it was but a waggon containing but one man, who was driving at a walk. "We can't be far from Grandin's place, I should think," said Zip. "It's the only place anywhere near here, according to my information. Perhaps this waggon is going there." They followed the waggon at a safe distance for half a mile further, when it turned to the left and disappeared. On arriving at the spot where they had lost sight of it, they found a nar-. row trail at right angles with the road on the left. ' '

"Stay where you are a minnit," lie said to Hector, and then advanced swiftly, but cautiously towards the spot where the waggon stood, taking advantage of the shelter of the trees and bushes to screen himself from observation. Before Hector had recovered from the surprise of this sudden movement, the Chickadee was again by his side.

"There's no mistake about this being the place," he said. "That man yonder is Mark Punderson."

I .'What"! "said .Hector, "the villain whom you heard declare the plot, on the night when you came so near being burned to death?" "It's him, sure enough," answered Zip. "It ain't likely I'd forget him. This must be where the hands about the place live." "If this is really Grandin's place," said Hector, as they turned towards the house, which seemed to be the principal building, "Paolina may be under yon roof to-night." "I think not," returned the Chickadee. "Mr North, lam going to tell you something. You remember last night when we were on the upper deck indulging in a cigar jest before turning in, you thought you heard a scream out of the tules?"

This they followed, and at last reached a dark forest of live oaks and som-l bre evergreens growing so thickly that j the trail turned frequently to the right , or left to find a passage through them. Here and there among j the trees were scattered great bould-' ers or detached masses of rock, some' of them as large as an ordinary hoxise and nearly as regular in shape. I "I seem to know this place," said i Mr Barne, "almost as well as if I had been hero. It's all according to the description of my confidential young friend as used to sweep out Grandin's office. In particular I recollect him mentioning these curious big white rocks that look like so many ghosts among the trees. The house is close about here somewheres. I think we had better get off here and hitch our horses, and follow the waggon on foot. It's goin' to the house and nowheres else, that I'm certain of." Hector made nonobjection to this, they dismounted, and leading their horses into the wood a few roods from the trail, made them fast to a bow of an.oak behind one of the huge stones which constituted so singular a feature off the locality. This done they returned with all speed to the path, and after following it not more than an eighth of a mile further,' came in sight of a large frame building situated on a little bench of land slightly elevated above that which immediately surrounded it'.

'"Which you said was tho cry of a long-legged marsh bird." "But'it was a scream for all that," answered Zip, "and it came from a boat that was hid in the tules. I seen her mast over the tops of 'em." "Why did you try to deceive me, then?" demanded Hector rather stem-

"I thought it likely that you might try to stop the boat, which wouldn't halve been of any use. You see, sir, a steamboat captain aboard his own boat feels as big as the King of France. I know we couldn't have got him to stop long enough to overhauled that boat in the tules, and that we'd only make ourselves ridiculous by trying." "What do you suppose the boat to have been?" asked Hector.

"It's my idea it was Miles Grandin's yacht, and that tlie lady was aboard of her. It's my idea that, she heard the steamboat passing, and maybe seen her, and called out for help. The people on the boat had heard us coming and pulled into the tules until we got by." "We must have been "thirty miles below Stockton at the time," Hector said. "I reckon it was more than that;" replied Zip, "and I calk'late they couldn't have got to Stockton before this morning. But I think it's likely they stopped at some point short of Stockton" and took a private conveyance for this place. They may get here to-night, and they mightn't get" here till some time to-morrow. But whenever they come they will have to pass through Sortora." (To Be, Continued.)

"That's it/' said Zip, in an excited whisper; - "I'd pick it out among ton thousand. There's the same, two big pine trees as there is in the uicture one each side of-the door, and the gnarly old oak at the right-hand corner looks as nat'ral as a portrait." A little further on their advance towards the house was impeded by a strong fence, more like a stockade designed for the protection of a fortress than an ordinary inclosure of private grounds. It consisted of a palisade of undressed timber full eight feet in j height, and so constructed as to offer ] an insurmountable obstacle to all but