Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-05-13

RttstNos
conversation. "But l remember the
man who objected so to the fusee," he
went ON, with a smile. "He did get ex-
cited over it, didn't he?'
said that he certainly had done SO
and asked, with apparent unconcern,
whether the man in question was a
friend.
"No, I can't say that he's friend, ("
was the answer, "but I've travelled
down with him several times and al
ways found him very pleasant COM
pany."
Twas glad to hear this, for it satisfied
mo that the fact of my having seen
Mullen in the Southend train was not
due to chance visit which might never
have been repeated. Had it been so the
difficulty Of my undertaking would
have been enormously increased, for
should then have held a clew only to
his identity, whereas had now q clew
to his whereabouts as we'll.
"But, now you mention it" (Which,
as had nothing TO mention, was not
the case), my companion went on
"now that you mention it--though it
had never struck me before-it is rather
strange that though I've seen our friend
several times in tie train l have never
once seen him anywhere in Southend.
In place like that you are bound to see
any one staying there, and, in fact, I've
often knocked up against the same peo-
pie half dozen times in an evening,
first Oh the cliffs, then ON the pier, and
after that in the town. But can't re-
call ever once seeing our fusee friend
anywhere. It seems as if when he got
to Southend he vanished into space.
looked closely at my companion,
lest the remark had been made with in
territorial significance, and indicated
that he himself entertained suspicious
of Mullen's object in visiting Southend.
Such was apparently not the case, how
ever, for after two or three irrelevant
observations he got upon the subject of
politics and continued to bore me with
his own very positive ideas upon the
matter for the rest Of the journey.
If Mullen were hiding in the neigh
borhood Of Southend, the chances were
that he was somewhere OH board q boat.
To take house of any sort would ne
cessitate the giving of references and
might lead to inquiries, and, on the
other hand, the keepers of hotels and
lodging houses are often inconveniently
ana their servants are apt
to gossip and pry. If Mullen had
small yacht lying off the town, and
lived on board, as men with the yacht
ing craze sometimes do, the only per-
son who need know anything about his
would be the paid hand, or
skipper, and it would be comparatively
easy to find suitable man who was not
given to gossip and to engage him un-
der some explanation which would ef-
fectually prevent his entertaining any
suspicion as to his employers identity.
Before commencing my search for
Mullen I thought it advisable to look
up an old friend of mine, Hardy Muir,
a painter, who lives mile or two out
Of Southend.
I was sure he would join heart and
soul in an enterprise which had for its
object the hunting down of such an en-
emy of the race as Captain Shannon,
but to have taken him into my conf
dence would have been i'll advised, for
had we succeeded in laying hands upon
that archconspirator no one could have
prevented Muir from then and there
pounding the monster into pulp. Per-
sonally had no objection to such pro-
ceeding, but as I considered that the
ends of justice would be better served
BY the handing over to the authorities
Df Captain Shannon's person in the
whole, rather than i'll pieces, decided
TO withhold from my impetuous friend
the exact reason for my being in South
end.
AS matter of fact, it was not his as
sistance that I needed, but that of a
very quiet tongued, shrewd and reliable
man named Quickly, who was employed
BY Muir as skipper of his yacht. 1t oc-
,urred to me that Quickly would be the
very person to find out what I wanted
TO know about the boats, concerning
which was unable to satisfy myself.
Men of his class gossip among them
selves very freely, and inquiries made
BY him would seem as natural as the
of the servants' hall about the
affairs of masters and mistresses, where
as the same inquiries made by me, a
stranger, would be certain to arouse
suspicion and might even reach the ears
Of Mules himself were he in the neigh
borhocd.
"All serene, my boy" said Muir
when told him that / wanted Quickly's
help for a few days on a matter about
which ! was not at liberty to speak for
the present. "You're just in time.
Quickly was going out with me in the
boat, but TN call him in.
"Quickly," he said when the skipper
presented himself, "this is my friend
Mr.. Max Rissler, whom you know.
Well, Mr.. Rissler's very particular
friend Of mine, and by obliging him
you II be obliging me- He's to be your
master for tho next day or two, and I
want you to do just as he tells you and
to keep your mouth shut about it. Now
Mr.. Rissler's going to have some lunch
with me. In the meantime you 60 into
the kitchen and play Rule Britannia
Oh the cold beef and beer and be ready
to go into Southend with him by the
next train, as he's in hurry and wants
to set to work this afternoon.
And set to work we did that very aft
ernoon, the plan pursued being to make
out list Of all the vessels lying off the
and to ascertain the own
ers and whether there was any one else
On board. The task was not difficult, as
Quickly seemed to know the name and
history Of almost every craft afloat, but
4, o.. - Ill