Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-01-15

4 The possibility IL tnat no Was us
snised. To my eye it seems nnreason-
able that he should have removed his
disguise while engaged in the very act
of robbing you. Anyhow, you give me
his description, and shouldn't De sur
prlsed If was able to lay my finger on
him on the spot"
1 described him-the well-knit young
man, with his merry eyes, his slight
moustache, his graceful manners.
If he was q thief, then 1 am no
/ Judge OF character. There was some
thing about him which, to my eyes,
marked him as emphatically gentle
man"
The detective only smiled.
''The first thing shall have to DO
will be 70 telegraph all over the coun-
try a list Of the stolen property. Ihen
l may possibly treat myself to little
private think. Your story is rather a
| curious one, Mr.. Fountain; and then
later in the dag I want to say a word or
! two to you agaia-I shall find you here?
l said that be would. When he had
gone I sat down and wrote letter.
! When l had finished the letter | went
along the corridor toward the front
door OF the hotel. AS was going
saw In front Of me figure-the figure
OF a man. lie was standing SILL, and
his back was turned my way. But
something about him struck me with
such a sudden force Of recognition that,
stopping short, / stared. l suppose L
must, unconsciOusly, have uttered some
sort OF exclamation, because the In
slant stopped short, with quick
movement he wheeled right round. We
faced each other.
Your l exclaimed.
hurried forward with cry OF rec
IGNITION. He advanced, as l thought,
TO greet me. But be had only taken a
step or two In my direction when he
turned into a room upon his right, and,
shutting the door behind him, disap-
peared.
The man In the tralnI' told my
self.
IfIhad had any doubt upon the sub
iect his sudden disappearance would
have cleared my doubt away. II he
was anxious to avoid a meeting with me
all the more reason why I should seek
An interview with him. l went to the
door Of the room which he had entered
and, without the slightest hesitation, l
turned the handle. The room was
empty-there could be no doubt OF that.
Il was an ordinary hotel sitting-room,
own brother to the one which l occupied
I myself, and, as l saw al a glance, con-
| tslped no article OF furniture behind
which a person could be concealed.
But at the other side Of the room was
| another door.
sMy gentleman" said, "has gone
through that"
Crossing the room, again turned the
| handle. This time without result-the
soor was locked. raped against the
panels. Instantly some one addressed
me from within.
"WhO's that?"
The voice, 10 my surprise, and also
somewhat to my discontinue, was q
woman's.
"Excuse me, but might say one
word 10 the gentleman who has just en-
tered the rOOm?"
whats that? Who are you?"
"Tm the gentleman who came down
with him in the train"
"What?"
The. door opened. A woman appear
ed-the lady whom the waiter had said
he believed was Mrs. JaYnes, and
who had advanced that curious theory
about a mask being made TO initiate the
human face. She had dressing jacket
on, and her glorious hair was hoWing
loose over her shoulders. l was so sur
prised TO see her that for moment l
was tongue-tled. The surprise seemed
To be mutual, for, with pretty air OF
bewilderment, stepping back into the
room she partially closed the door.
II thought IL was the walter. May l
ask, sir, what it is you want?"
81 beg ten thousand pardons; but
might Just have one word with yonr
/ husband?"
with whom, sirP"
"YOur husband"
my huSband?"
"AEaln throwing the door wide open,
she stood and stared AZ me.
~ refer, madam, to the gentleman
whom | Just saw enter the ROOM"
II don't know il you intend an I'm
| pertinence, sir, or merely Jest"
Her LID curled, her eyes Aashed-it
was plain she was offended.
Il inst saw, madam, in the corridor,
a gentleman with whom / travelled yes
terday from London. l advanced To
meet him. AS did so he turned into
your sitting-roon. When 1 followed
him found it empty, so took it for
granted he had come in here"
"You are mistaken, sir. know no
gentleman In the hotel. As for my
husband, my husband has been dead
three years"
1 could not contradict her, yet it was
certain l hac seen the stranger turn
into the outer room. l told her so.
"If any man entered my sitting-IOom
which was an unwarrantaole liberty
To take-he must DO in it now. Except
Yourself no one has come near my bed
room. Ihave had the door locked, and,
"a YOU see, have bsen dressing. Are
you sure you have not been dresming?'
II l had been dreaming l had been
dreaming with my eyes open; and yet,
il had seen the man enter the room
and if l could have sworn had-where
was he now? She offered, with scath-
ing irony, 70 let me examine her own
apartment. Indeed, she opened the
door so wide that could see all over il
from where l stood. 1t was plain
enough that, with the exception of her
self, 1t had no occupant
Aud yet, 1 asked myself, as I re-
treated with my tail a little between
nv legs, how could I have been mis-
taken? The only hypothesis l could
hit upon was that my thoughts had
been so deeply engaged upon the mat
ter that they had made me the victim
Of hallucinatlon. Perhaps my nervous
system had temporarily been diSorgan-
lied by my misadventures Of the day