Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-12-14
ny EflI. SlGti'g IMPRESS.
A Clever Detective Story by ''gnry ,coi
tNy.

A bitter December midnight, and the
up-exprcss painting through its ten min
,,rs' rest at Rugby. What with passen-
gers just arriving and passengers inst de-
pariing-What with the friends who came
to see the last of the departing passeu-
gers, or to meet the arriving ones--the
platform was full enough, [ can assure
YOU and had somo diillculty in max
ing my way from carriage to carriage,
even though [ generally find thai people
talmost unconscioualy, perhaps move
aside for the guard whtn they see him
walking ny or down close 10 the carriage
door.
This difficulty was increased, too, by
the mannuvres OF my companion, Lon
don detective, who had joined me to give
himself better opportunity OF oXamin-
ing The passengers. Kcenly he did it,
too, in that seemingly careless way OF
his, and while he appeared to be only
an idle, lounginS acquaintance OF my
own, knew that under his unauspccted
scrutiny it WAS next to impossible for the
thieves he WAS seeking to escupe-eveu
in hampers. didn't trouble myself to
help him, for [ knew il wasn't necessary
yet | WIS as anxious us hundreds Of others
were that those practised thieves, whom
the police had been hunting for the last
two days, should be caught. ms they de.
served.
Sometimes VIC came upon group
which my companion could not take in q,
glance, and then he always found him
self unusually cold, ard stopped to STAMP
little life into his pchihed feet. OF
course, for nc, this enforced standing
was the signal for an attack of that per.
s.stent questioning with which railway
guards are familiar and. i'll attending tr
polite questioners who deserved auswe !.
ing, and unpolite ones who insisted on it
l had rot much time for looking abou
me but presently did catch mysel
watching one girl who stood alone n
some 1istance-a girl very pretty ant
pleasant to look upon, ! thought though
her face, and her dress, and her attitul,
were all sad ; tall, slight eil, in dee,
mourning, with a quantity OF bright. fa-
hair plated high upon Ter head, as wei
as hanging loosely on her shoulders
and childishly innocent face, with pref
ty, bewildered eyes. She stood lust n
the door OF the booking Office. and
wished could have gone straight to he
and put her into oue-the most cam
fortable-of the line of carriaqes Mt whicl
she gazed 80 timidly.
Just rs l hesitated, Very rcmarkob,
figure elbowed its way to me-o stnnt
grandly-dresscd old LADY, panting balm
fully, and almost pierced me with n nni
of restless, half-opened eyes, that locke
out through the gold rimmed epectocle
perchcl on her sharp nose. Two nol
ters followed her, laden with bags cloai,
umbrellas, and flow ers-the only Aowc,
in the station, IeXpect on that wintf
highland one of the men wiukod nj m
over her head, while the other ruarip
her treasures with Il face Of Concentrate
anxiety, and thoughts engrossed by pos
sble fees pos
'This tie London train, is il onn'l
she asked, pcerin9 sharply into my fac
with her holf-closed eyes, as if she fou,
it difficult to distinguish me even thronp
her spectacles.
From her whole attitude l guessed h,
to be deaf, but ! never guessed no
deaf until, after yelling my answer
loud that the engine,driver must In,
heara II eighteen carriages off, she sti
remained stonily waiting for il.
'Deaf as dozen posts, remarked Il
detective, aloud, giving the old lady ,
expressive little nod in the direction
TIE train.
SLOW train = she asked in flat nloi
live tone which the deaf y,ry often r nso
mail r. | shouted, putting nv non
ms close to her check as l fanciel 81
would like. %
"Atc % she shriel.ed back at me II
spectacles shaking little on her th
nose. "Why should you went ale f
listening to civil questions that Won n
paid to answer? Ale, indeed ! Ibelie,
that lailway-men thing of nothing else
Then she shook her head angrily. Al
waddled off, looking as acid an old par
as one would ever care to see. Tn
every, door she T. cred through the clitte
ing glasses, the Two portors following he
until she made stop before an emn
second-class carriage near my van. an
with much labor and assistance, got he
self and her packages into it.
When L passed, few minutes afte
ward, she was standing in the door-wa
effectually barring the door to any oil,
passenger by her own unattractive n,
pearance there, and prolonging with 4
evident relish the anxiety of tho ohs
duious porters.. I fancy that thong
the purse she fumbled in was large, Il
coin she wanted was but small for
passed on and left her still seorohin,
and still asking questions Of the me,
nut nearing nothing either OF their y
Plies or OF the loud asides in which the
indulged to each other. had reaobe
the other end Of the train, and was iuI