The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-06-08

as close to her cheek as | fancied she
would like
Gale" she shrieked back at me, the
spectacles shaking little on her thin
nose. "Why should you want ale for
listening to civil questions that you are
paid to answer9 Ale, indeed believe
railway men think of nothing else"
Then she shook her head angrily and
waddled off, looking as acid an old
party as ever tried to avoid. In at
every door she peered through her gilt
tering glasses, the two porters following
her until she made a stop before an
empty second class carriage near my
van, and with much labor and assist
ance got herself and packages intoit.
When passed a few minutes after
ward, she was standing in the doorway,
effectually barring the door to any other
passenger by her own unattractive ap-
pearance there, and prolonging with an
evident relish the anxiety of the obse-
quious porters. fancy that though the
purse she fumbled in was large, the coin
she hunted was but small, for L passed
on and left her still searching, and still
asking questions of the men, but hear
ing nothing either of their replies or the
loud asides in which they occasionally
INDUCED to each other. L had reached
the other end of the train, and was just
about making my way back to my own
van, when the young lady L had before
noticed went slowly in front of me
toward the empty first class compart-
ment near where stood.
"Am right for Euston ?" she asked
me, gently, as she hesitated at the
door.
"All right, miss,'' said, taking the
door from her, and standing while she
got in. "Any luggage ?" For from
that very moment took her in sort
of way into my charge, because she was
so thoroughly alone, you see, not hav-
ing any friends there even to see her
off.
" No luggage, thank you," she an
swered, putting her little leather satchel
down beside her on the seat, and settling
herself in the corner farthest from the
open door.
"Do we stop anywhere between this
and LondonY
" Don't stop again, miss, except for a
few minutes to take tickets" Then 1
looked at her as much as to say, "You
are all right, because I'm the guard"
and shut the door.
Isuppose that, without exactly being
aware of it, kept sort of watch over
this particular carriage, for / saw plainly
lazy young gentleman who persistent
ly kept lowering about it and looking
in. His inquisitive eyes had, of course,
caught sight of the pretty face in there
alone, and could see that he was MAX
ing up his mind to join her, but he
seemed doing it in a most careless and
languid manner. He was no gentle
man for that reason, 1 said to myself,
yet his dress was handsome, and the
hand that played with his long, dark
beard was small and fashionably gloved.
Glancing still into the far corner of that
one 6rst-class compartment, he fingered
until the last moment was come, then
quite leisurely he walked up to the door,
opened it, entered the carriage, and in
an instant the door was banged behind
him. Without the least hesitation L
went up to the window, and stood near
it while the lamp was fitted in the COM
partment. The gentleman was standing
up within, drawing on'a dark overcoat;
the young lady in the distant corner was
looking from the window as if even the
half darkness was better to look at than
this companion. Mortified good deal
at the failure of my scheme for her
comfort, 1 went on to my van, beside
which the detective waited for me.
"No go,'' you see, he muttered, cross
ly, land yet it tseemed to me so likely
that they'd take this train"
II don't see how it should seem like
Iy," answered, for hadn't gone with
him in the idea. at doesn't seem to
me very likely that three such skillful
thieves as you are lodging, who did
their work in the neighborhood so clev-
erly two nights ago, should leave the
station any night by the very train
which the police watch with double
suspicion"
doesn't itY" he echoed, with most
satirical knowlngness. Perhaps you
haven't yet got 1t clear in your mind