Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-04-28

move II, further Identification being
needless. Who could they be2 And
when, IL at all would they make
themselves knowp. TO mey
For tho answer TO this question ]
had to wait, and you can imagine
how miserable the waiting must have
been-for whole week. And then
there came only half a revelation. j
was leaning over the rail OF the sa-
loon deck, forward, gazing down up
on the thickly-crowded and confin.
ing space OF the deck below, which
was appropriated to the steerage
passengers. Suddenly / heard low
Hist" beneath me, and a scrap OF
paper, rolled into a ball, fell at my
feet: Picking IL up and opening II, /
read:
Not down here. He must be in
the cabin. Keep your eyes OPEN"
And In the lower left-hand corner
OF the paper i saw, pricked out with
pin. the form OF a Maltese cross,
the pin. holes corresponding in num-
Der with tho stones and corals In my
mysterious scarf pin.
or course 1t was hopeless TO think
or looking for the sender OF this
strange missive, nor did / make any
attempt to do so. / felt, however,
that should receive more OF these
communications, and, as you will see,
was right.
The saloon-d deck OF the Circassienne
was separated from the "intermedi-
ate" deck only by a rope stretched
across, and while the intermediate
passengers were careful, as rule,
not to trespass beyond this barrier,
we OF the saloon often walked and
talked with them on their side Of the
rope, where the deck, being almost
clear OF membranes, really made q
finer promenade than our own.
Sauntering up and down on this part
OF the deck one evening about 10
o'clock, / was accosted by q man
whom I had observed with some Gu
riosity more than once. He was
dressed as a clergyman Of the Church
Of England, and was tall and slight,
with a thin, ascetic face; but there
was certain sharp fox-like look
about his eyes that produced in me
an instant aversion to bin. This
man now came up to me, and bend
ing down, said, In sharp whisper:
He's not travelling intermediate /;
look out for him among your lot"
And then, half drawing off one OF
his gloves, he pointed to his hand, on
which 1 could see, by the light from
the smoke-room door standing open
behind us, diamond ring-lts stones
set in the form OF diminutive Nal
tese cross.
Before I could answer he was
gone.
An examination OF the way-bill,
which / made Immediately after this
interview, did not help me much.
The Rev. Erastus Leigh, bound from
Sydney to Cheltenham, via Marseilles
and London, might be anybody.
And the mystery was as far from So
luton as ever.
The rest OF the voyage was I'M
eventful: IL, indeed, any period OF
time could be called uneventful
which was passed in continual sus-
pense, in waiting for some impending
event, which seemed TO hang like
Damocles' sword above my head,
and still delaying its fall.
We were but one day out from
Marseilles, and all had gone we'll so
far, when, in dressing for dinner, 1
happened to notice that the diamond
scarf-pin was missing from my bag.
lat once rang for Gustav, and asked
him whether he knew anything of it.
To my surprise he looked carefully
up and down the passage, without
speaking, then entered my cabin,
and shut and bolted the door.
Listen" he said and there was
an insolent familiarity in his voice.
"You don't want that pin no longer
and you might make mischief IL you
had it. When I've done this days
work, you'll find the pin; anyways,
you shall have it back before you
leave the ship. +"
but why not now ?" 1 asked,
mystified beyond measure, beginning
to be little frightened.
"'Cos you might show with it
again, as you did that first morning.
P'raps he might see it. Why, you
ain safe to trust with u business of
this kind. Who gave you your
mark? Gorkoff ?"
My mark %
Eyes; your badge-your pin. Who
admitted you ?"
Good gracious, mani" I cried in
amazement. "What on earth do you
mean? No one admitted me, as
you call it. No one gave me that pin
/ bought il myself In shop"
Whe-e-wi" He gave vent to a
long, low whistle of surprise. "Then
you haven't-It-it must be his -
And with one bound he was out Of
m cabin, and flying down the pas
sage.
Well, this beat all that had gone
before! / was more mystified than
ever: but, through all my whirling
thoughts, one fact began to make it
self clear to me. 1 must do some
thing, and at once 1 had waited too
long, far too long, already. Gustav's
illusions TO admission" to "badg-
es, his mention of "this days work"
and q business OF, this kind'-they
could but point to some conspiracy,
perhaps some crime. Yes, the very
instant dinner was over, l would 60
and lay the whole business before
the captain.
When 1 got to the saloon, noticed
that strange steward stood behind
my chair. also that Mrs. Charters
was at table, but not her husband.
Afer dinner had gone on for few
minutes:
"Mr. Stone" she said, would it
trouble you to go TO our cabin and
tell my husband that we have begun
dinner {? can't think why he hasn't
come in. know he heard the bell,
because L was with him when it
rang"
The small state-cabin which the
Charterises occupied was at the ex-
IRENE end OF a long passage, on the
starboard side OF the ship, while mine
was on the port side. Hence it took
me a minute or two to find the right
cabin-No. AZ. Then I knocked.
% Dinnar,s waiting Chnrteris and