The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1890-02-27

/ set 10 work 10 make myself com
Portable. The yalise with the gold
took from the netting opposite ane
/ placed beside me ou the seat Then
rvadjusted my rug over my knees
and. IN doing 81. partly coyeresi TIA.
/ bag. Then / osteutiiiouSly. and per
ha,s foolrsi,ly. took the revolver from
the pocket VI my greet coat. ana
! placed II also beside nle. but outside tlis
/ rug.
Halo! you've got barker
49,, said Buckland, who was watch
ing me And lac grinned
/ Finally, took out pair OF stnoil ~
/ sl,ectacles, with which ] always pro
/ tect my eyes when make a long Jour
! ncy, put them on, aud then searched
( for my cigar case IN order Ia smoke
/ could not find il, and yet | could
have sworn that dropped il into the
/ right hand pocket OF my great coat be
fore | left the city.
Want a weedr" said Buckland
| Herr; help yourself. And he
handed me case. I'll answer for il
that you never smoked Il finer in your
| life.
tried the cigar, and after a puff or
two acknowledged that il was first
rate
auckland lighted one also and We
| smoked in silence while the train flew
OH through the darkness.
Suddenly | gave a great start. 4
nod forward woke me up, and reused
myself, feeling rather queer.
'.IIallo!" | said. THAT will never
do. | was just Off.
| opened the window and flung
away the end Of the cigar The fresh
cold air that rushed i'm refreshed me,
| and | took up one OF the papers / was
provided with and prepared TO read.
But very soon felt that was going
off again, and, after few frantic eff
forts, | must have succumbed, for at
that point my memory Is a blank.
What woke Inc thoroughly at last
have not the faintest idea; but
seemed TO come suddenly 70 myself.
And what the instinct was that i'm
PEELED me TO keep perfectly quiet. as If
were still asleep. | do not know to this
day All know is had most vivid
impression that something was wrong,
aud that my life depended upon silence
and quietude. Through my smoked
glasses, which were, luckily, still upon
my eyes, | could venture TO look at my
companion; and very cautiously did
SO. He was now seated in the other
corner Of the same side of the carriage,
and before him, on the opposite seat,
was my revolver, By a Slight pres
sure OF my arm against my side
I
my inside pocket. Beside the stolen
weapon were number of bags exactly
the same as those had in my valise
filled with the gold, and | at once
jumped ID the conclusion that these
bags were duplicates belonging to the
sham detective. Also, that they were
filled with some heavy substance
lead. probably-in erder that, when
they were placed in my valise,
should not miss the weight. The
money that was to tide the Liverpool
house over the fatal morrow the per
senator of Buckland had transferred
to his own pocket This is, he had Sc
cured the gold. The notes were still
safe on my person; but how long
would they remain so-that was the
question:?
When quickly and quietly the thief
had finished his task, he rose and ap-
preached my corner, valise in hand.
| closed my eyes and began to breathe
heavily as if asleep; but, in spite of
my pretended calm, a tremor passed
over me. Suppose the villain were to
make all secure by quietly shooting
me as lay there at his mercyl But
murder as well as plumber had not APP
parently, up to that moment at least,
entered his head. He leaned over me,
| suppose, to ascertain if | We're really
asleep; then he replaced the valise un-
der the rug, went back to his corner,
and, closing his eyes, feigned sleep.
say "feigned, for am sure sleep was
far away from him at that moment
Suddenly an expedient occurred to
me, and hailed it as positive inspira-
ton. If l could but get my hand on
his throat | was younger then, and
stronger, you understand, and more
athletic, SO there were several chances
i'll my favor. But to get him into po-
sltion for attack | must employ ruse.
The first act in my little drama was to
wake up from my long nap artistical
ly; SO, calling all my histrionic pow.
ers to my aid, I made sort of half
strangled sound between sigh and a
yawn-tlrned half over, righted my
self; threw up my arms with a vigor-
Gus stretch, sat up broad awake, and
took off my glasses.
The noise made woke up my enc
my in the corner; or rather started
him in private theatricals on his own
account, for, of course, he had not
slept a wink.
''Huflo!" he said, lazily rubbing his
eyes. Been aSleep2 Well, rather
think l must have dozed myself. l
wonder how the time goes?"
DO you often sleep at your postr /
asked.
Lord bless you, we often nod at
Scotland Yard-the whole lot of u.s.
he answered with a covert sneer.
A few more rem arl<s passed bet ween
US; then, with Il shrek from the en-
CINE, we plunged into a tunnel, and
knew the moment had come. # | did
hot act, perhaps he would.
L gave sudden groan-thrust my
hand under my legs which stuck out
straight before me, and called out to
my companion that l had got the
.,ramp so badly ] could not move.
;.tch my foot and bend it up, like q
good fellow?' l said 1.-The pain is aw-
fulr'
He fastened to my aid at once, and
AS he stopped / seHed him by the
throat, thrust my fingers into his neck
clotn, and pressed him down with
both my knees against the door. Then
the blood burst from his nose, and he
struggled madly to throw me off.
In the tussle our positions shifted
somewhat; and, with frantic effort
he threw out one arm, seized my little
revolver. and fired wildly. The bull
let wounded my shoulder, and when
l felt the sharp sting of the shot /
pressed my fingers more fiereely than
before upon his windpipe, and pushed
him once more down against the door.
could not ATTEMPT to disarm him.