Evening journal., 1899-01-03
TRAPPED.

1.-TWO hund-, ! pounds reward Now,
here's your chance, Jimmy" raped
out ry chief one morning. Camden
Town-your own neighborhood. The
police up there are making a confound-
ed mystery of it. 1t ought to be simple
as olockwork. Ha, ha ! Twenty bales of
rare silk, worth thousands, consigned
all the way from Lyons to Jowetts, the
big west end drapers. Jowetts' agent
rushes off to the station to meet it and
finds that some rogues have got there
one hour before him, presented forged
credentials and driven off with the
stuff in a van in broad twilight. Now !
Soon after midnight constable noted
Just such a van as described suspicious
" rounding the corner of Windygate
street, Camden Town, and at that very
minute, mark you, some one ran up and
led him off with a bogus tale Of muir
der going on at the other end Of his
beat. When he got back, van gone and
all beautifully quiet.
"Here are two days gone and no de-
velopments. Jowetts, half mad because
! the kind of silk spoils in no time unless
kept very dry, have been here and
! offered e200 for immediate recovery.
There you arel Windygate street is a
cul de sac, with about 90 or 60 houses
in it. The silk may be slowed in any
one Of them, and all the local police
have done is to put an extra man on
watch at the open end on the chance
that there will be an attempt to remove
the bales. Of you gol give you "a
hours"
hurried ont with a confident smile
In less than an hour had got TO Windy
gate street-a quiet double row o.
| houses Of a featureless three story type
and was in time to see the Especial
man exchanging ohaff with a servant
girl at the opposite corner. He sale
something, and she tripped off. Anoth
er stare and then he passed me with
confidential whisper.
. Thought 1 knew you, Mr.. Girdle
stone. It's all right-a bit Of business
That's the girl at a house half wa,
down. Knows nearly every one IN tn
street and ready to talk all day. Oh
I'm careful, sir We don't want 'em t
! take fright and destroy the silk. No, no
2 a ghost of a clew so far, sir, except tn
Z van business. There's the rut by th
{ curb where it turned, and then a mucl
. lighter one where it was turned back
unloaded no doubt. There's been no rail-
since. Saucyl But, bless you, sir,
might be done every night. There's nc
: a soul stirring here after l..
"Humphl Shift your point doze
( yards higher up, out Of sight, and le
; me know anything that happens
E There'll be a rag and bottle man alon
S here presently, you understand. "
: hurried home. 1t was barely te
r minutes walk. Half an hour later
!. was leaving again by the back entrance
!, so dirty and disreputable that my ow
d wife had given start. To hire barro'
and stack some rubbish on il was sin
2 plicity itself. Within the hour wf
q wheeling it into Windygate stree
!, shouting hoarsely record price for rat
- and old bottles. At every area door
had the impudence TO knock and reite
n ate the statement, and at one likel
e looking house even oontrived to tri
over the step. bring down some gla
with an unnerving crash and sham
giddiness. No use. 1t merely provoke
r the remark "Serve him rightW At Il
end Of my arduous round l was only Il
ri richer by a barrow load of unconsider'
trifes Until nearly dusk hung abo'
Ia the place, and then, with few whi
le pered instructions to the constable
watch, trudged back home to think o.
Ia more definite plan Of action.
It must have been about s o'clo
m when as sat studying the Camden Tow
s. Directory the most curious. undream
of coincidence occurred. Tho bell raj
hesitatingly, pause, and then my wi
tapped to say that young person a
OF parently in trouble, wished to see
ca upon private business. Next moment
~ young lady in widows weeds had fio'
~ ed impressively into the room and W
: raising her veil from white, worri
n face.
M "Mr. Girdlestone-thep police inspe
or?' she queried quickly in voice
singularly sweet as her expression, a
I bowed. Her description was ne
he enough for the nonce. "Then, he
IN you won't think me silly, but reall,
!ed felt as if could put up with il no long
M. Oh, if my dear husband were OF
on "a, herop' A touching pause, broken
10 10 half a sob, then: "My name is Warm
/ live at Windygate street-if y
. know it, sir l. may sound strange,
NJ 90 in fear of something happening
w most in fear of my life You kno