Evening star., 1895-08-12

''But if the boy didn't come to you or to
your porter, may you not have missed him
and gone into the office. leaving him stand
ing on the PLATFORM"
ITS impossible, Mr.. Barnes" and the
old man shook his head decidedly.
Were you in attendance on the train
Yourself. l asked. Just tell me every
thing that passed"
We'll the porter and myself were both
at the train. There was a goodish bit of
luggage. 1t was in the cupboard of the
carriage In which they had travelled, near
the front of the train. and 1 helped the
porter to get it out. Sir Philip and his
lady and tie children stood watching us.
and then the porter put the luggage on the
four-wheeled truck, and took 1t across the
line to the down side. and out through the
gate to the carriage, which was waiting for
them, and the party came across at the
same time and got into the carriage"
Sir Philips own carriage, suppose?" 1
said. ,-.,-
Yes, sure. While the luggage was being
loaced the party were getting into the car
riage, but it was rather tight squeeze,
and one of the boys had to ride with the
coachiuan. 1 lifted him on the seat myself
and told the coachfnan there wasn't room
Tor him inside. and told Sir Philip what 1
had done, and he said, All right and then
they drove away"
and you are absolutely certain that only
the members of Sir Philips own family
alishted. and that there was no boy left
standing about?'
quite certain. Mr.. Barnes; yes, sure"
heNt questioned the porter, who cor
roborated the station masters story in
every particular He was quite certain
that the boy l was seeking had not alighted
at Mostyn.
An up passenger train for Chester was
now almost due, and decided to go as far
as might be necessary by it, and make in
qUiries on the way; did not expect, how
ever, to be able to obtain information bear
ing on the ease until / reached Connahs
Quay, as the train by which the boy trav-
eled had certainly not called anywhere be-
tween MoStyn and Connah's Quay The
guards journal which 1 had examined af-
forded absolute proof of that. OF course,
there was just the possibility that the boy
not consider that at all likely as he would
have had to tamper with the door and un-
fasten it on the outside before such a thing
could have happened and surely the other
passengers In the compartment would have
prevented him from doing anything Of the
kind; and even If such mishap had taken
place, the other passengers would have been
certain to have reported the occurrence at
Connah's Quay when the train arrived
there, which, clearly, from Mrs Fairhome's
statement, they had not DONE
l was not surprised therefore, to find on
inquiry that the station masters at Holy
WELL BaSillt and Flint had neither seen nor
heard anything of the boy. The station
master at Connah's Quay, in reply to my
hurried inquiries while the train stood at
the station, confirmed in substance all that
Mrs. Fairholme had told ME as to what
happened there on the arrival of the train.
The boy had certainly not alghted there,
neither had any of the three other passen-
gers who left Rhyl in the same compart-
ment. He was now strongly of opinion that
the boy was in the train while it stood at
his station, but that he was prevented from
aIighting by the other passengers in the
compartment.
1 went on by the same train, and on ar
rival at Queensferry found that the station