Evidently they had not thought of this fact in connection with the disappearance of the two girls, or the fact that Mamie was expelled from the school may have kept Farmer Rutger silent.
I closed my note-book and asked:
"Did any other young people from Groveland attend the Amora school? Try and be accurate, Mrs. Ballou."
"Not last Winter," she replied; "at least, no other girls. Johnny La Porte was there."
"Who is Johnny La Porte?"
"His father is one of our wealthiest farmers. Johnny is an only son. He is a good-looking boy, and a great favorite among the young people."
"Do you know his age?"
"Not precisely; he is not more than twenty or twenty-one."
"Where is Johnny La Porte at present?"
"At home, on his father's farm."