The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-07-11
The OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
in by my side. and we were off.
The man. whose face / had no

In by my side. and we were off.
The man, whose face l had not seen.
turned toward me.
l could hardly repress an exclamation.
There was no installing that frank,
genial countenance, nor the lurking devil
in those eyes, whose softness was SO sin
lister.
lie had me, then, at last. Vixen had
broken his promise, and l was left to
travel that perilous journey alone, with
the man who had followed me SO skill
full y, another who might have been his
confederate, and an old gentleman who
after grumbling out his indignation
against railway servants and locomotive
travelling in general. was fast asleep in
the corner.
That the intentions of my billiard play
er were bad were manifest by the fact
OF his having assumed false mustache
and beard. They added to the beauty OF
his face, but left to his eyes, that sleepy,
cruel glitter that is characteristic of the
Asiatic.
He spoke to me, remarked the oddity
OF our being travelling companions, and
grew pleasantly familiar. l answered
him, not wishing to appea churlish or
afraid, knowing that could trust some
thing to my own strength, should the
worst come.
We had made the last stoppage, and
were rolling swiftly through the gloom,
when among other topics. our converse
ton touched on jewelry; he drew a snowy
ring from his finger, telling me it was
curious piece of workmanship, having a
secret spring, which he said | could not
discover.
took 1t searching IN vain Tor spring
then returning it to him. 1t dropped
and rolled under my feet.
stopped to pick it up, and so did he,
but in that moment, while nv head was
down, he had me tightly by the throat,
and ne threw me to the carriage floor
His confederate was upon me in an in
slant. l could scarcely breathe, and could
not struggle, for heavy knee was upon
my chest, and two strong, brutal hands
were crushing the life from my throat
Though the horror of the situation did
not last minute, it seemed an eternity to
me. l felt the ruffians hands searching
TOR the pocket book, and l strained des-
perately for chance of resistance.
There work was nearly done. Cramped
In thet small space, was powerless, and
the veins of my throat and head were
swelling like sinuous bars, when the old
gentlemen in the corner awoke and came
to my assistance.
l heard low whirr of some weapon in
its descent. and my first assailant reeled
from me stunned. Then the old gentle
man, with strength and rapidity of act
ion wonderful to see in a person of his
age, seized the scoundrel, lifted him
away, and dashed him down on a seat.
There was brief struggle, and then |
heard sharp click-scoundrel the sec
ond had pair of handouts on his wrists
They were more prompt than l had
expected" said the old gentleman, re-
moveng his wooden comforter, with
which he fastened my first assailant's
hands behind him, land railway car
riage does not afford much scope for a
struggle
The pocketbook was safe. The ruff
hans were securely bound, and the gen.
tleman who. with his spectacles and
mutfiing stood out, in bold and pleasant
relief as the detective, kept guard over
them.
At the station they were handed over
into the custody OF the police. | was
all right at that time. Vixen rode with
me rs far as the hotel nearest here. and
tomorrow he Will call to see if am any
the worse for my ride by express.
The contents of the pocketsook were
Mary's bridal dowry.
The detective speaks OF the senior
partner in the firm of Brand & Lake as
the most hospitabie ard generous man
he ever met in the course OF his protes-
sional career
Lake was quite cured of his love for
billiard playing. He had too narrow an
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