San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-12-28


dear me, sir, but that's very sorlousI
Is there nothing that gives relief?--a
little sal volative. now? Does the lady
carry smelling salts? If not l could"
- And the chemist made an offer to
come from behind his counter to ex-
anime the strange patient.
"No," said Leander, hastily, adon't
you trouble-you leave her to me.
know how to manage her; when she's
rigid like this she can't bear to be taken
notice of.
He was wondering all the time, how
he was to get away with her, until the
chemist, who seemed at least as anxious
for her departure, suggested the answer:
al should imagine the poor lady would
be best at home. Shall / send out for a
cab?" he asked.
"Yes," said Leander, gratefully;
"bring a hansom; she'll come round bet
doubts whether the statue. could be
slowed inside four-wheeler.
an go myself" said the obliging
man; "my assistants out. Perhaps the
lady will sit down till the cab comes?"
Thanks, said Leander; "but when
she's like this, she's been recommended
to stand. p"
The chemist ran out bareheaded, to
return presently with the cab and
small train of interested observers; he
offered the statue his arm to the cab
door, an attention which was naturally
ignored.
ave shall have to carry her there
said Leander.
"Why, bless me, sir" said the chemist,
as he helped to lift her, "she-she's sur
prisipgly heavy!"
EYES," gasped Leander, over her I'M
conscious shoulder; "when she goes off
in one of these sleeps, she does sleep
very heavy" an explanation which, if
obscure, was accepted by the other as
part of the general strangeness of the
case.
On the threshold the chemist stopped
again. I'D almost forgotten the ring"
he said.
"I'll take that" said Leander.
Excuse me-" was the objection, "but
! was to give it back to the lady her.
self; had l not better put it on her
finger, don't you Think"
Are you a married MANI" asked
Leander, grimly.
"Yes," said the chemist.
"Then, if you'll take my advice, I
wouldn't if | was you-if you're at all
anxious to keep out of trouble. You'd
better give the ring to me, and / give
you my word of honor as a gentleman
that I'll give it back to her, as soon as
ever she's well enough to ask for it,"
The other adopted the advice, and,
amidst the sympathy of the bystanders,
they got the statue into the cab.
where to?" asked the man through
the trap.
"Charing Cross" said Leander, at
random; he thought the drive would
give him time for reflection.
"The 'orspital, eh?" said the cabman,
and drove off, leaving the mild chemist
to stare open-mouthed on the pavement
for a moment, and go back to his shop
with growing sense that he had had a
very unusual experience.
Now that Leander was alone in the
cab with the statue, whose attitude
required space and cramped him I'M
comfortably, he wondered more aud
more what he was to do with it. He
could not afford to drive about London
forever with her; he dared not take her
home, and he was afraid of being seen
with her!
All at once he seemed to see a way
out of his difficulty. His first step was
to do what he could in the constantly
varying light to reduce the statue to
it's normal state. He removed the curls
which had disfgured her classical
brow, and with his pocket handker-
chief rubbed most of the color from her
face. Then the cloak had only to be
torn off and all that could betray him
was gone.
Nearing Charing Cross, Leander told
the driver to take him down Parliament
street and stop at the entrance to Scot
land Yard. There the cahman, at Lean
der's request, descended and stared to
find him huddled up under the gleam-
ing pale arms of statue.
"Guv'nor," he remarked, Gthat warn't
the fare 1 took up, I'll take my dying
oath!"
ats all right, said Leander. "Now,
] tell you what / want You to do; go
straight in thropght the archway, find
policeman, and say there's gentleman
in your cab that's found a valuable
article that's been missing, and wants
assistance in bringing it in. I'll take
care of the cab, and here's double fare
for your troubled"
And with t,too," was the claimants
comment, as he departed on his mis-
sion. al thought it was the devil l was
a-drivin', we was that down on the OFF
side!n
1t was no part of Leander's pro-
gramme to wait for his return; he threw
the cloak over his arm, pocketed his
beard and slipped, out of the cab and
across to a spot whence he could watch
unseen. And when he had seen the cab
man come out with the two constables
he felt assuYd that his burden was in
safe hands at last, and returned to
Southampton Row as quiAlzly as the
next hanson he hailed could take him.
He entered his house by the back en-