desk, busy with some mail.

A hall boy tapped at the door and announced that some one wished to see
Mr. Kimball.

"Come along, Ed," said Jack. "You represent us."

In the hotel office they met two detectives sent by Mr. Rand. They
explained that they would have to have a picture of Cora to use in the
press, for the purpose of getting help from the public by any possible
identification.

At first Jack objected, but Ed showed him that this move was necessary.
So it was, with other matters, very painful for the young man to
arrange with the strangers, where his sister's private life was
concerned. Jack soon disposed of his part of the interview. He
declared that Cora had no gentleman friends other than his own
companions; also that she had never had any romantic notions about the
stage or such sensational matters. In seeking all the information they
could possibly obtain, that might assist in getting at a clew, the
detectives, of course, were obliged to ask these and other questions.

"Has all the wood been searched?" asked Jack.

"Every part, even the caves," replied the detective. "We visited
several bands of gypsies, but could not hold them--they cleared
themselves."

"But the gypsies had threatened her," insisted Jack. "Could any have
left the country by way of Boston?"

"Impossible. We have had all New York and New England roads carefully
watched."

"And there are no old huts anywhere? It has always seemed to me that
these huts one finds in every woods might make safe hiding places for
criminals," said Jack.

"Well, we are still at it, and will report to you every day," said the
elder man. "We have put our best men on the case, and have the hearty
cooeperation of all the newspaper men. They know how to follow up
clews."

"Of course," agreed Jack. "There was nothing in the Chelton rumor. I
knew that was only a bit of sensationalism."

"There was something in it," contradicted the detective, "but the
trouble was we could not get further than the old gypsy woman's threat.
She had told your sister to beware of interfering with that jailed
fellow, Salvo. I believed there was some connection between her
disappearance and that case, but, after talking to every one who knew
anything about the gypsy band, we had to drop that clew for a time.
There are no more of the tribe anywhere in the county, as far as we can
learn."

"And they have not been around here since the day they moved away, when
w