Transcriber's Note:
Apparent printer's errors have been retained, unless stated below.
Missing page numbers are attributed to blank or unnumbered pages in the original text.
Page numbers cited in illustration captions refer to their discussion in the text. Illustrations have been moved near their mention in the text.
Punctuation, capitalization, accents and formatting markup have been made consistent.
Page 13, "tress" changed to "trees". (Mamie Rutger, the only daughter of a prosperous German farmer; wild little Mamie, who rode the wickedest colts, climbed the tallest trees, sang loudest in the singing-school, and laughed oftenest at the merry-makings, also vanished.)
Page 32, "a a" changed to "a". (Instead of working swiftly on to a successful issue, this must be a case of waiting, of wit against wit, and I must report to my chief a balk in the very beginning.)
Page 65, "facts" changed to "facks" for consistency in dialect within the paragraph. (They're facks, as anybody can see.)