The Cecil Whig., 1878-03-09


something in it TO be remembered.
"Any news?" said he after minute
: silence, turned half way round in his seat
and glancing at the paper l held in m
haud.''
, Il haven't had much chance to ascertain
!, yet, | replied; :" have only had time t
read an account of "a daring robbery whic
took place yesterday"
Was it i'll this section of the country .
he asked.
Yes, in this city. Would you like tt
read the account?" And | handed hin
the paper.
THANK you," said he, with smile.
But il was Lot genuine smile, and a
he commenced reading the account, it CAV,
place to look of i'll concealed anxiety
This passed away by the time he go
through.
"They ale cunning rogues, some Of thes'
thieves and plckpockets, SAID he. He
undoubtedly thought that a plain dress ant
sanctimonious air would put the youngstel
off his guard"
"Should this species of cunning" sale
|. "b become pretty generally d fused among
the light fingered gentry, it may becom,
necessary to sport diamond rings and golc
cha ins, as badges of honesty
"Or, III default of these, little bogu.
Jewelry,' he replied, laughing.
In the meantime most of the seats haG
been taken up. Not person had entered
| am certain, who had escaped the vigilance
of my colloqust. He had returned the
newspaper to me, after which, being prob
ably, as thought, one of the class VIII,
are Ill at ease unless they have something
To employ their fingers about, he busted
himself with tearing into small bits sheet
of note paper, on which were written few
lines.
By the time the sheet of paper was re-
duced to fragments more or less small, few
of which could have measured more than
an inch. in any direction, and were, as
observed, carefully retained i'll his left hand,
| it lacked only about two minutes of time
the train was to start.
He had now began to tidget, moving
backward and forward on his seat uneasily
aud watched with Increased eagerress every
one who entered the car \ few seconds
| more, and the train would be off. He now
| leaned back in a manner which seemed to
say as plainly as words could have said:
THE person | have been expecting won't
come. 1t is Of no use to look any longer
| The last moment had arrived, when the
door of the Car was once more thrown open
| to give entrance to a woman. The liStles S
attitude into which he had suffered hmse If
| to sink was Instantly abandoned, while rhe
| eyes of her who had last entered. after
| quickly scanning the tier of seats at her
| right, rested on the man who was sitting
III front OF me. At the same moment she
raised her hand and pressed her oIefinge1
| to her lips. l was aware that the telegraph
! sign was answered by my neighbor, though
my attention being drawn toward her,
could not tell the exact manner.
She took the first vacant seat that pre-
scented itself, which was near the front part
| of the car, and without appearing to do SO.
| watched her pretty closely. never saw
her look round, or betray in any manner
| whatever that he was not an utter stranger
| to her, between whom and herself the little
| pantomime had passed at the time of her
| entrance.
Previous to seating herself had noticed
that she was tall, and that her figure was
good. | now saw that she wore gra,
travelling DRESS and. without pretending to
oe much of a Judge in such matters. it ap-
peared to me that apparel throughout, not
| forgetting the more minute details was in
good taste. But the view | had obtained If
her face impressed me less favorably. -
| Without a single ill shaped feature, as a
| whole, it struck me peculiarly disagree
| able; and except that there was a quick
! sparkle of her eyes at the moment she
pressed her finger to her lips, it was utterly
| lmpassive.
About a mile from the station whence W.
started, the RAILROAD crossed sheet OF
water, and when we had arrived about mid
way, the man in front of me put his hand
out of the window, and threw away tbs
| nits of paper he had so carefully held,
which, with the exception of two pieces, W ere
scattered to the wind. These, without his
being sensible of it, were waited back into
the car and fell on the unoccupied seat by
his side. They were barrow in some places
not more than half an inch wide, and what
was a little singular, an end of each match
ed the other, that when placed together
! they made a strip which, as could tell by
outer edges, reached across the sheet of
paper from which they had been torn.
One whole line of the writing was easily
enough deciphered though the upper edge
of the paper was SO deeply notched thai
there was not a single word from which
| one or more of the letters were not missing
Two or three of the closing words of the
preceding sentence were at the beginning
of the line of which nothing could be made
What came next was better. 1" Do not, -
it said, "fall to be at - station by the
which was very imperfect. Those of the
words which remained so nearly entire as
to be guessed at, were as follows, dash
| filling the place of such as were torn off:
"If all right - roll brown paper red
| twine."
My curiosity was more excited than ever,
since the telegraphc signs had passed be
tween my neghbor and the woman whose
appearance he had looked for with such
i'll concealed anxiety. At the same time.
the opinion | had entertained that he
might belong to the detective police had
| undergone change, and l found myself
forming corjectures as to whether he was
not in some way connected with the grave
looking pei sonage who had committed the
robbery. | therefore slipped the scraps of
paper into my waistcoat pocket, lest by a
sudden turn of his head he might catch
sight of them.
then busted myself with thinking the