The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1898-12-30

Of occasion; and on that particular day
Of the dlnner-party he had been more
than unusually cantarkerous. That and
my old habits made me take to the
liquor again. l felt annoyed and put
out, and was 'nipping' pretty freely
throughout the day. After the dinner
was over, took bottle of sherry from
the cellaret, and drank 1t up in my
ROOM"
YES" said Mr.. Hall; "and you were
not quite sober in the morning."
II was three-parts drunk when I
awoke, and could not clearly bring to
mind anything which had occurred on
the previous night"
Gust sol"
We'll, you know the rest. I was
convicted, condemned, and ultimately
pardoned Edward Bartlett, the foot
man, swore in his evidence against me
at the trial that had been often talk
ing Of how should like to raise money
enough to take me out to Australia"
"And had you done so?"
Believe me, sir, as there's a Heaven
above and as ] sit here, it was he who
was always speaking of coming out
here. Such notion never entered my
head"
well, but how does this bear upon
the question:
Il will tell you, sir. My brother
Robert was in court when l was tried.
He had been for some years in the
Metropolitan Police, and, unlike me,
was steady in his habits Bob always
had his head screwed on right; and,
putting two and two together, he made
up his mind that the missing man and
woman had somehow or other made
their way out here!"
eyes, yes-I understand" said Mr..
Hall.
"His letter explains the rest" con-
tinued Luke. 81 came out here as
quickly as l could-not only in the
hopes Of tracing them and bringing
them to justice, but, must confess, of
sharing the thousand pounds reward"
"Exactly-very natural!"
"On the way out, on board ship, I
was drinking pretty freely; but it was
not until my journey up by the coach
that it began to tell upon me. When
l got to Sullivan's, I felt in an unnat-
urally excited state-sort of Wild
cannot tell you how"
81 hope never to know from person.
al experience" said Mr.. Hall, smiling;
"but I can easily imagine. You felt
what the men up here call jumpy'?"
Just so, sir. 1 felt it coming on;
and, when 1 heard of my brothers dis
appearance, was taken"
well, we won't talk about that
know all the rest"
THANK you, sir" said Luke, wiping
the perspiration from his forehead al
the bare recollection of the agonies he
had endured. Zone thing / most par.
ticularly wish to ask you, SIR" he con.
tinued, after a pause-"is 1t true that
Baynes received letter from Sydney
that night by the mail, telling him his
sister was dying?"
Poor Baynes! Well, Luke, you GER
tainly have it firmly implanted in your
mind tha5sFtissss1 harmless youth was
mixed up in some way or other in your
tragedy. To answer your question,
to the best of my belief Baynes did get
a letter to that effect"
ITO the best of your belief"
Eyes; for l did not see it."
"But you-have locked ail-bag?"-
Eyes"
And you saw the letters taken out?"
eyes. took them out myself; but |
his letter was not amongst them. He
told me the driver of the coach Sam |
Jones, brought it up for him by hand"
"The driver brought it up?" repeated
Luke.
eyes, the driver-so he told me-
THAT is strange. l never heard of
that before. The mail comes in to-
night. will go down to Sullivan's,
and ask the driver"
Poor fellow" thought Mr.. Hall. af-
ter his departure. 81 should not won
der if this business drove him mad.
He seems to have the Baynes on the
brainw
Ito be Continued.)