Aunt Jane's Nieces on the Ranch

the car and illuminating every object on either side of the way. The road seemed deserted and it was fully twenty minutes

his ring. She carried an oil lamp in her

aby pass this way to-day-this a

ply; "she stopped

heart gave

gone on?" h

an hou

way,

rick hastily turned away. Then, pausing

baby-quite

e gruff answer and

as he hurried back to the car. "I forgot to th

demanded

ey stopped here for supper and went on an hou

asked the other, a

n with the ba

ch w

It doesn't matter, does it, whether it's

e on a whil

ane accurately?" he asked,

ed by such insistence. "There isn't likely to be more tha

ently they caught sight of a small white house half hidden by a grove of tall eucalyptus. There was no driveway,

re better th

d Mr. Merrick, sternly. "Don't you th

returned Runyon frankly. "I'm no

declared Uncle

who seemed to have retired for the night, although it was sti

she inquired in

with a baby pass by h

N

roubled you," said the little man,

closing the window. "They told us at the last house

hey di

s direction; so we though

in the glass," she said with

cle John, feeling bewi

f your yellin'

t's-you

that. What do y

for a lost baby

walked all the way to town, an' back to-day, a

r and started it upon the quest. Five minutes passed; ten;

as handy as a self-start

p!" growled

scovering the missing baby on this route. When they reached Tungar's Ranch they crossed over to a less freq

any of the ranch houses had seen or heard anything of a stray baby. As they turned into Arthur's driveway they

It was scarcely conceivable that anyone who had stolen baby Jane would carry her farther into the unsettled

at she would likely do. Inez would try to reach some Mexican settlement where she had friends,

steal little Jane," declared the major

ss," returned Arthur; "we can't get aroun

hy

rses disappeare

onspiracy, and both are equally guilty

revent any conspiracy between them. Only

e's the ot

the imagination. By and by Major Doyle made an attempt to answer his question himself, uncons

nd them, two deductions are open to us. One girl may have made away with the other, in a fit of unreasoning rage, and then taken baby and run away to escape the consequences of her crime. If that conclusion is true, Inez is the more likely to be the criminal and it is Mildred's dead body we shall find in

little Mexican nurse because she had been so fond of Toodlums. "They never meet your gaze frank

insisted the major. "She has a calmer, more deliberate nature. She wou

her hypothesis

r desire to circumvent Inez, rushes away in full chase, forgetting to leave any word. Perhaps she thought she would be able to return with baby before we arrived back from town; but Inez has led her a merry chase, which Mildred stubbornly refuses to abandon. I

fully, "we may find Mildred an

will be comforted. On the other hand, if they don't return, it must be our business to find them. I can imagine M

ure Arthur stopped at every house to make inquiries and the road was inspected carefully. When they reached town they first visited the local police station and then the telephone office. Here

ighboring towns, giving descriptions of the missing baby and the nur

d the major closely scanned every member of the group gathered at the station. Weldon even managed to have the train held, on

baby safe at home on their arrival. However, that no chance might be neglected, they took another route, as originally arranged, and patiently continued their v

d in and was

ied eagerly; and then th

ise?" falte

into your little car and drove home, where she telephoned for the doctor. He happened to be at the Wilson place, so she caugh

mount the stairs

ys back yet

he grounds, helping the Mex

g man sh

d the major merely gave his daughter a sol

liantly that all near-by objects were easily distinguished. Arthur and the major joined the men and for two hours lon

ph said: "Let's go in and rest a bit, and have a smoke. I'm about fagged out and,

e house, where Patsy, Beth and Helen Hahn, all

?" aske

eplied Beth. "Marcia

r. Kno

lalia is getting him something to eat

Runyon, in his clearest ten

't be fit to continue the search. Go to the library-all of