Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1889-09-19

Jocelyn peeping out into the night -
ought to communicate with ye both
at once, called out, throwing ~ Neal
OF excitement into my voice and mSnner.
Something very Important"
But won't it keep till daylight? It's
deucedly late, you know" replied Doc,
with pretended reluctance.
BY no means. have been assaulted
the tramp's turned up again, tool"
The deuce you sayy I'll be with Won al
once, cried Doc, and Jocelyn also stood
behind him in the hall when he opened the
door to let me in.
accompanied them to the library
There, with much assumed excitement. !
gave them graphic and rather highly col.
ored account of my adventure, except the
single feature of the bowie knife, with the
m'ssive attached to it. which l kept from
| Jocelyn for the time being.
| Doc was loud in the expression of his
| sympathy and interest, as though he had
Just heard my story for the first time. The
steward was graver and more hesitating,
but at the same time apparently earnest in
his comments.
| Have YOU any idea who it was that
knocked you DOWN." he asked
| How should have?" replied, evasive-
| ~. True, my coat sleeve seemed pinned
to the earth by something or other that flew
of and ratified as l wrenched it Free" I
added, picking up my overcoat, which
had thrown upon chair, and cycling it's
pierced sleeve as curiously as they; "but
what does that prove? There was nothing
put starlight to examine the ground by, you
| know"
Might it have been De Marchmont him.
self?" said Jocelyn, thoughtfully.
| Il have thought of that replied. But
is it likely that such fellow would have
spared my life when he once had me at
| his mercy?"
All, indeed he would most likely have
killed you"
Besides, put in Doc, IF the assailant
were really De Marchmont, what would be-
come of our pet theory-recently adopted
at your own suggestion, Mr.. Jocelyn-of
De Marchmont and the tramp being one
and the same persona"
Still it was but theory, and we may
have all been equally misled by it," said
| Jocelyn. gravely. But" turning to me,
you say you afterward searched the cave
or tunnel with torch.
Yes; and the presence of the rats alone
precluded the idea of any one having es
capped through its entire length before nv
entrance. They literally swarmed there.
The sulphur and fumes in the tunnel were
the most unaccountable thing about it.
Hold on! perhaps l can account for it, 4"
cried Doc. "Sulphur-acid, or almost any
sulphide, if scattered freely about, will
Danish rats for the time being most won
derfully. Perhaps some such substance
was used by the fugitive tramp to facilitate
his own escape through the tunnel while
you were lying senseless, Piercer. The
rats might have had time to recover from
the effects, you know, and congregate in
their haunts again."
Jocelyn did not show much favor to this
explanation, which 1 also thought to be
somewhat far-fetched. The probability
was not great of runaway tramp being |
provided with chemical compounds whose |
effects upon rats were so little understood, |
and was moreover, quite positive in nv |
own mind, from having compared the |
clock in The Spider with my previous OBJ. |
servations of time, that I could not have |
been insensible but very few minutes.
You say, Mr. Piercer, that you couldn't |
make out the features of the young woman
who was keeping the appointment with the
tramp?" said Jocelyn, at length
No; her face was wholly concealed from
me-"
And vet her height, figure, and bearing,
even her dress, were the same that YOU and |
Richard both recognized once before as
belonging to Miss Digby?"
The woman's appearance certainly bore
a strong resemblance to that of the young
lady,"
Young lady, indeed" repeated the
steward, with contamptuous emphasis. and
for the first time beginning to show signs
of spiteful feeling. Will she still con-
tlnue to deny the charges made against her,
wonder? OF course, there can now be
no doubt that the woman you saw was She
Of COURSE"
ToIcf til 10 II, .x~ko
rupted, with forced calmness, while Docs
fingers were working convulsively in his
lap, as IT longing to get at the stewards
throat. "The woman / saw with the tramp
could not by any possibility have been
Miss Digby.
why. what do you mean?" exclaimed
Jocelyn, looking suddenly up with a startled
air.
Simply that the voice of the woman ]
saw in the sunken lots-she shrieked as ]
darted forward = was not Miss Digby's
voice."
Whose, them"
How should know? 1t must have be.
longed, though, to some one who was vlely
interested in personating that worthy and
deeply wronged young lady for some evil
end?"
"This seems to me preposterous," said
Jocelyn, taking long breath. "But hope
it may be SO.
Let it rest for the present." said /,
drawing notebook out Of my pocket and
busting up to the easy chair behind the
writing table, which took the liberty OF
occupying, as though in a fit of abstraction,
Jooelyn having been seated with Doc and
me nearer the fire from the beginning Of
our interview. 81 have made lot of men,
oranda for future operations, which think |
you will both find OF much importance"
As | said this cleared the table of the |
few loose papers that Uttered it. placing |
them, together with most of the writing |
materials, upon the window-ledge, my OBJ
iect being to compel resort to personal
note books all around. This accomplished
without exciting Jocelyn's suspicion of my
ultimate intention, he as we'll as Doc re-
garding me with fixed attention. as though |
expecting revelations of much interest.
Out with your notebooks, now, and fol-
low closely what I am about to read, said
|. You will both want to jot down some
notes of this information
must have acted my part pretty we'll
for Doc was deceived quite as much as
Jocelyn by my absorbed and earnest man
ner.
They both produced note books, and