Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-10-24


ordinary cabman. liked the look of him.
Are you disengaged for a good long
while-perhaps four or five hoursy' asked.
Where do you want to go, missS"
Burlington street. You will have to
wait there for a gentleman, and he may
not come out of his club before o'clock"
'All right. miss. If it amt running along
all the time, don't mind how long I'm on,
in a manner of speaking"
IF You do what tell you, I'll pay you
just what you ask. Can you put out that
light inside?''
Certainly, miss"
He seemed to understand my position to
a nicely and asked which end OF Burling-
ton street he was to drive to.
The Pantheon club" said /. Draw up,
if you please, so that I can see any one who
comes out"
He carried out this instruction admira-
bly,, placing his cab where l commanded a
perfect view of the steps leading to the
club door and leaving just sufficient space
for other cabs that came and went to pull
up easily in front. \ good many visitors
went into the Pantheon. / saw them dis
tinctly rs they walked up the steps in the
light that came through the open door, but
n long time passed before distinguished
any face that was known to me. 1t must
have been after IL O'Clock when kavanagh's
brougham pulled up in front of us. No one
got out of it, but identified the driver at
once as the man whom l had seen waiting
outside Grandson chambers, and l fancied
as he slowly got down from the box that
he cast the same suspicious glance at the
hanson that he had cast at me that night.
The drifting rain had believed the win
dow in front of me, completely obscuring
the glass except at the extreme edge,
where projection of the cab sheltered il.
Through this narrow space l watched the
man with eager excitement. Stamping his
feet as if for warmth, he began to walk up
and down the pavement, and noticed that
every turn he came little nearer my han
som, casting his ferrety eyes at the Win
dow, as if to pierce the Obscurity. This ma
neuver did not escape the observation of
my smart driver.
How long are they going to keep us
here, mater" he asked when the man had
stamped almost within touch of the cab
i don't know. How long have you been
waiting here!"
As he spoke he approached so near that
thought it advisable to crouch down below
the level of the window.
oh long enough to wish hadn't got
the job. What's on!"
"A concert or something
Then we may make up our minds for
another hour or more of it. They don't
turn EN- out of these clubs before .. Gotta
Light
\ match was struck, and few more re-
marks were exchanged, and then, the
stamping OF feet fading away, l ventured to
raise my head just as I he man was stepping
up to his seat on the brougham. His curl
osity was satisfied.
The time dragged painfI.Iy as l waited
i'll feverish suspense for some fresh develop
ment Of the drama which felt was being
played close mt hand. Visitors came out in
=, l.,
must have been IL string of them behind us
the street was quite animated for a time;
then there was a strange pause, and the
next men who came out stood on the steps
looking in, if something unusual was
taking place there.
suddenly one ran down and opened the
brougham door. Fearful anticipations of
some impending calamity agitated me to
such j degree that every object danced and
quivered before my eyes. But l made out
a group of men slowly descending the steps,
as if they were supporting some great
weight, and distinguished among them
KavanaSh's light overcoat
What is it," l forced myself to call
through the tube.
Only a gentleman in liquor miss, re-
piled the cabman i'll n jocose tone.
Reckless of the consequences, pushed
open the window that l might see more
stepping into the brougham, and the next /
saw the helpless man lifted in after him.
The light fell upon his face as it drooped
backward. 1t was Taras!
Follow that carriage wherever il goes.
Keep close to it" cried, recovering my
senses under the same influence that had
paral yZed them.
Right you are, miss, replied my driver
gathering up his reins, and as the brougham
turned into Regent 81 f.al1 inf bo
string of vehicles close behind it.
What was to be done nowy l saw no
other course but to follow the brougham
to Lambeth and hold myself in readiness
to act with rigor and discretion in what
ever contingency arose. 1t was not until
we had gone considerable distance that /
began to doubt whether it was Kavanagh's
intention to 90 to Lambeth Fixing my
eyes on the brougham, l had taken no no
tice of the streets through which we passed.
When the length of time that had elapsed
since leaving Burlington street aroused a
suspicion in my mind, found that the
houses on either side of the way were quite
unfamiliar to me.
Where are WEI" asked through the
tube.
And when the man answered, Cannon
street, miss" was no wiser than before
But soon after this wa came into an open
space, where l recognized the dark outline
of the Tower Then knew where we were
and saw with horror that we were approach
ing the place where Taras before had fallen
into the hands of his enemy. If they got
him in the Mariners Joy again, how could
| save him:
had noticed, with growing anxiety. that
the brougham had greatly increased the
distance between US after leaving the more
crowded thorouGhfares, a fact that had at
tributed to the greater strength Of Eava-
naCh's horse and not 10 the particular art
fulness OF my driver, This loss OF ground
now added to my terror. In the labyrinth
of streets beyond the mint we might lose
sight of the brougham and never over
take it.
Can you go no faster''' called.
Faster? l should think so! thought
you just wanted to keep the parties in sight
without sorter lettin 'em tumble to it."
Mono! Go on quick-quick!"
4 flick of the whip doubled our pace.
The wheels were tired with rubber, but as
the CHATTER of hoofs grew more audible to
the driver of the brougham he turned and
looked back. We We're near enough then
for me to distinguish his hollow cheeks and
cavernous eyes and / think he must have
recognized me, for he used the whip freely
and increased his speed. Turning the angle
by St katherine's docks, 1 saw Kavanagh
thrust his head from the window and look
back. For time the race seemed equal,
but l observed that the brougham did not
gain on us, though the driver used the whip
far more freely than my man. But the ter
ror of Shadwell was still before me-
l called to the driver:
Gould you get in front of the carriage
and stop itt"
He said he would "have try at it, any
how" and with another cut of the whip he
shot on and ran wheel to wheel with the
brougham. l stood up, AMI craning out
caught sight of Kavanagh as we passed
the open window looking across the re-
Il