Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-10-28

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"Do you think it quite impossi-
BILE that we have seen the real, liv-
ing Charlie West"
"Good Heavens what could
bring Charlie West here, supposing
him alive9 tell you, my dear sir,
the thing is absurd, impossible !"
do not believe in impossibilities,
unless where the bare statement of
the case involves irreconcilable con-
tradiction. Tell me Charlie West
is dead and yet living on the earth,
and 1 say that you have told me an
impossibility. But assert that Char
lie West, whom we all supposed to
be dead in California or Mexico, is
now alive in Switzerland, and l
may disbelieve, l may doubt, I may
require proof; but l certainly will
not say the thing is impossible. So
I told Mr.. Kendall. He did not
wish to adopt my views of the pos
sibilities.
"Mr. Kendall" I said at last, "my
earnest advice to you is this: Re-
ceive Mr.. Patton tomorrow, and tell
him frankly what has happened
Tell him, if you like, what you
think of the matter; but do tell
him what has happened. Mean
while l will endeavor to get to the
heart of all this. Proceed you up
on the assumption that Charlie
West is dead. 1 will now go and
seek for my old friend on the as
sumption that he is alive. He may
be now in this very hotel"
"Shall assist you in the search 2
"Thanks-no. / think l shall dc
: better alone. You are, in any case
, staying here some days. Switzer-
land is a small place-at least il
!, seems very small to man who has
, come from China-and if Charles
West is alive and in this country
and is not purposely hiding from
, me, / shall find him or trace him in
forty-eight hours. Goodnight
Of course the first thing to Dc
c was simply to inquire at the burea,
Y of the Beau-Rivage. No Charlie
West was REGISTERED there. TIL
: officials assured me that l had seer
f at the table d'hote nearly all the
/ resident guests. But there was Q
t Spanish gentleman who had a pri
: vate dinner party that day, an(
5 there might have been an English
: man among the guests. The Span
ish gentleman was not in the house
now. His guests came, the clerk
thought, from the Hotel Gibbon
Lausanne.
/ went to the Hotel Bibbon
straightway. No Charles West
there. But / found two Spanish
names and that of an Englishman
or American (Mr. Leslie Roberts)
registered as one of the party
Moreover, found that they had not
dined in the house that evening,
and that they had just left by the
last train for Geneva.
ordered post horses and went
to Geneva. 1t was busy morning
when got there, and 1 went round
to all the hotels without finding any
of the party whom had pursued
thus far on so vague and wild con-
lecture. All | could learn was at
the Hotel des Bergues three gentle
men had arrived the night before,
slept there, and started early in the
morning for Chamounix. No names
were given; and the only clue l
had to the identity of the party
was that there were three, that one
of the three spoke for the whole,
and that he spoke French with a
foreign accent. Just think of my
wild-goose chase! l was hunting
after party of whom / knew moth
ing whatever, except that two were
Spaniards, and one was an English
man who gave his name as Leslie
Roberts, and l was hunting them
on the wild speculation that Leslia
Roberts might turn out to be Char
lie West.
"I'm born idiot |" I said to my
self. And saying it, / ordered a
carriage and started for Chamounix.
l slept nearly all the way. Scene
ry which for the latter half of the
journey has hardly a rival in the
world, passed this time unheeded
under my stupcfled eyes. When ]
woke it was quite dark, and it was
two in the morning before 1 got in
to Chamounix. was only too glad
to get into the first hotel which
would open for me. 1t was hope