National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-01-19

now; having had good bit to do will
him about this Warwickshite robbery
at is NJ usc,n ] said, before we started
" the tram was searched, u you may say
at Rugby. Every passenger has under
cone a close scrutiny, can tell you. What
causes such scientific preparation for u'
here ~
" A telegraph received ten minutes ago, ,
he ar swcred "lt seems that two of the
thieves we arc dodging are in this tlair
in clever disguises. We have had pretty
iull particulars, though the discovery
wasn't made until after you lot the juno
ion Have You noticed he dropped hl,
voice Il little hcrc--"a yOsng lady and gen
tleman together in either carriage -
felt bit of an odd catching IN my
breath as he spoke. "No,n said quite III
a hurry. "No young lady and gentleman
belonging together; but there may be
plenty in the train. What if there are,
though There was no young lady or
gentleman among the robbers !"
"Among the robbers" reloined Davis.
with suppressed enjoyment, "was a wo-
man who'd make herself into ANYTHING
and YOU must own that gentleman with
a dark, lorg beard isn't bad for lady
known to US pretty well 10y her thick red
hair and cut on her upper lip"
But the young lady ?" asked, cogita
ting this.
"Ah. the young lady. Tue enoughi
well, what should YOU say, now. il | told
you she grew ont Of that boy with the
clo>cly-cut dark hair that we are after -
! dld come along, le, ny very stupdlv
glad that there was all the tram to search
before we could reach that carriage at the
other end where sat the girl whom | had.
in way, taken under my protection
When are we to be allowed to leave
this train pray Call me a cab" cried
the deaf old lady, plaintIvey, as we
reached her carriage, and found her gazing
out IN most evident and utter ignorance of
all that was going on around her am
locked in, ga'ad. DO you hear -
hear, aye, sharp enough. | only wished
she could hear me as readily. Davis stood
aside watching while | unlocked her door
and helped her down. Then, seeing her
helplossne>>, and her countless packages.
he beckoned porter to her, wnking ex-
presslycly 10 call his attention to II prob
able shilling
Carrage after carnage we examined.
and though Davis detected no thief. he
turned away only more and more hope
fully from each. lie was so sure they
were th re, and that escape wa, impos-
Slhle. We reachedothc last carriage in the
line, and now my heart beat in the oldest
manner possible.
Is TINS compartment empty, then ~
asked Davis, while my fingers were act |
ually shaking as put my key in the door
OF the centre'one Empty aud dark y
Even 1t 1t bad been empty it wouldn't
have been left dark" | muttered, looking
in. " Halo whats came to the lamp ?"
might well ask what was come to the
lamp, for the compartment was as dark as
II II had never been lighted: vet had not
myself stood and watched the lighted
lamp put in at Rugby? And-the ear
rage was empty too
Why was this asked the detective
turning sharply upon me. Why was not
the lamp lighted ?"
But the lamp Was lighted, and burning
now as sonsibly as the others-if we coulo
but have seen il. As we soon discovered.
The glass was covered bv kind of tar
oWln, intensely black and strongly ad
)eSlYe, and the carriage was so completely
t'rk aS if no lamp had been there at all
| he pe"plcXity in Davis face was as great {
Is my own, wher | told him who had '
raveled here "They couldn't have left '
he train here, At any rate" he said and S
,new that As well as he did, c
But YOU have guessed the end During :
hose few minutes that we stopped on the c
inc, the two thieves -darkening the lamp T.
ven after had lett them. and using their O
wn key-had lett the carriage under {
over OF the darkness managing their n
Scapc in their black dresses out INTO the n
acknesS OF the night as cleverly a, they Ia
ad managed their theft and subsequent T
But how could they have u
epended on this unusual dclay-thS eX- W
ui>ite opportunity given them in the Al
tter darkness, close to the city, yet at no al
.atlon W hen | officially made made my k
eposition, and explained the cause OF our
-oppage, something of the truth seemed rt
, break upon Us all; but it wasn't for a |
ood while that it settled into a certainty.
hen it get clear t. everybody that the o.
der scoundrel had duped us more in
amousIy than the Younger ones. As the "
lcapable old lady dcaj as stone, and SO hi
Iind that she had to peer through her to
ttcring glasses, with eyes always half
oSed' aud so hungry that she had to stop liz
ne tram for a luncheon basket lac lad to
aycd upon us the neatest trick of all $,
' here on earth were the thick iron-gray Sc
ali and whi>kcrs by which we were to
ave identified him But by the time
le police saw the whole thing clearly il
as too late to follow up any clue to him :.
The cab which had taken the eccentric "a
d lady and her parcels and fl ,wers from y
uston was lost in the city and could not ~ ~
= tracked. \ high reward was offered VI
r information, but no one ever won it. "a
y firm belief is that 1t was no legiti- "a "a
ately licensed cab at all, but one belong W,
9 to the gang. and part of the finished :!
aud. | verify believe, too, that some =. =.
here now--though perhaps on the other a; a;
lie OF the channel-those three practiced II II
raves enjoy a hearty laugh over that w ",
ncember journey by night express. g. g.
DAVIS still assures me, with the most ~ ~
eerlul confidence, that he shall yet have !"
e pleasure some day of trapping three ~ ~
the most expert and skilful thieves in ~ y:
'tain. ] wish felt as sure OF it.-THe I,' p'
'gosy :.
TpyaS nopar Savc. W. 1ova loo,, =