Halsey's Disappearance

"He might have been thrown under the train by the force of the shock,"
I said tremulously.

Gertrude shuddered.

"We examined every inch of track. There was--no sign."

"But surely--he can't be--gone!" I cried. "Aren't there traces in the
mud--anything?"

"There is no mud--only dust. There has been no rain. And the footpath
there is of cinders. Miss Innes, I am inclined to think that he has
met with bad treatment, in the light of what has gone before. I do not
think he has been murdered." I shrank from the word. "Burns is back
in the country, on a clue we got from the night clerk at the
drug-store. There will be two more men here by noon, and the city
office is on the lookout."

"The creek?" Gertrude asked.

"The creek is shallow now. If it were swollen with rain, it would be
different. There is hardly any water in it. Now, Miss Innes," he
said, turning to me, "I must ask you some questions. Had Mr. Halsey any
possible reason for going away like this, without warning?"

"None whatever."

"He went away once before," he persisted. "And you were as sure then."

"He did not leave the Dragon Fly jammed into the side of a freight car
before."

"No, but he left it for repairs in a blacksmith shop, a long distance
from here. Do you know if he had any enemies? Any one who might wish
him out of the way?"

"Not that I know of, unless--no, I can not think of any."