Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-06

or two and stopped at a door, which was
| slightly ajar.
We are going into the presence of a
| lady" remarked the man. wait here I'M
| til l call YOU"
| Sweetwater waited. the many thoughts
| going through his mind not preventing him
| from observing all that passed.
| The man. who had left the door wide
| open, approached the lady who was await
ing him, and who was apparently the same
| one who had sent Sweetwater on his err
| rand. and entered into a low bat animated
| conversation. She he'd a telegram in her
| hand, which she showed him. and then after
| little earnest parley and a rumher of
| pleading looks from them both toward the
! waiting Sweetwater, she disappeared into
another room. from which she brought a
| parcel neatly done up, which she handed
| to the man with a strange gesture. An
other hurried exchange of words and a
| meaning look which did not escape the
| sharp eye of the watchful messenger, and
| the man turned and gave She parcel into
Sweetwater's hands
You are to carry this" said ne. ito the
| town hall. In the second room to the right
on entering you Will see d table Sufr"uRdei
by chairs which at this hour ought to be
| empty. At the head of the table you will
| find an armchair. on the table directly N
| front Of this you will lay this packet Mark
| you. directly before the chair and not too
| far from the edge of the table. Then you
are to come out. If you see any one say
you came to leave some papers for Mr..
and welcome.
Sweetwater hesitated There was some
thing in the errand or in the manner Of the
man or woman that he did not like.
Don't potter" spoke up the latter, with
an impatient look at her watch. M. Gift
ford will expect those papers,
Sweetwaters sensitive fingers closed on
the package he held. 1t did no. feel Ike
papers.
Are You going?" asked the man.
Sweetwater looked up with a smile
Large pay for slight a commission
he ventured, turning the packet over and
over in his haild.
But then you will execute it at once and
according to the Instructions l have given
you" retorted the man. 1t is your trust
worthiness | pay for. Now CO.
SWeetWater turned to go. After all II was
proba bly, ali right and 81 easily earned is
doubIy 50. As he reached the staircase he
stumbled. The shoes he wore did not III
him.
BE careful there,' shouted the woman,
in a shriIl, almost frightened. voice, while
the man stumbled back into the room in
haste which seemed wholly unCalled for.
IF you let the packet fall you will DO in.
jury to its contents. Go softly. man, softly
Yet they had said it held papers!
Troubled yet hardly knowing what his
duty was, SweetWater fastened down the
stairs and took his way up the street. The
town ball should be easy 10 find, indeed, ne
thought he saw it in the distance AS ne
went he asked himself two questions: Could
-
Instructions, and yet earn his money? And
was there any way of SO delivering it with
out risk to the recipient or der"ilctIon OF
duty to the man who had intrustcd 1t TO
him, and whose money he wished to earn /!
70 the first question his conscience ut once
answered 10: to the second the reply came
more slowly, ana before fixing his mind de
terminedly upon ii he asked himself why ne
felt this was no ordinary commission. rms
he could answer readily enough. First, the
pay was too large, arguing that either the
packet or the placing Of the packet IN Ger
tain position on Mr. Gifford's table was OF
uncommon Importance 10 this man or ms
woman; secondly, that the woman, though
plainly and inconspicuouSiy clad. had the
face of a more than ordinarily urScrupu-
louS adventures, while the man was one
of those saturnine-faCed ones we some
times meet, whose first look puts us on
our guard and whom. ii We hope nothing
from him, we instinctively shun. Third
they did not look like inhabitants Of the
house and rooms i'll which he found them
| In the few minutes he had stood in the
doorway he had noted other things besides
those we have named. He had seen that
nothing was TO he found there beyond the
usual objects Of furniture TO be seen in any
decent lodging house room. Not trunk.
not article Of clothing, nor any Of the
little things to be found where woman
expects to spend a day or even an hour.
They were trans;ents. consequently. and
perhaps already in the act of flight. Then
he was not sure, but he was almost sure
tnat he was beng followed by one or both
OF lien. re mad followed people himself,
ana SGtilejhihS IN mis- own sensations as
Sured nm mat his movements were under
surveillance 1t would therefore not do to
Sho" any consciousness Of this, and he
""iiI on directly and as straight to his
goal as his rather limited knowledge OF
me streets would allow. He was deter
mined 10 earn TINS money and to earn it
without disadvantage to any one. And he
ih"ueht ne saw ms way.
AT the entrance of the town hail he hest.
lated an instant. An officer was standing
IN the doorway. 1t would be easy to call
ms attention to the packet he held and ask
nm TO Keep ms eye on II. But this might
IIFoINe MN with the police, and this was
! something, as We know. which he was
more IMAM anxious to avoid. He reverted
10 ms flrSt idea.
MIXING with the crowd Just now hurrying
10 ana fro through the long corridors, he
reached the room designated. and found it.
as ne had beth warned n" should, empty.
Approaching the table. he laid down the
, ~ Us Stili t"Stii, ana teH caSuhS a
find any one watcbipa MN ~ 80 vs. ~
| ,,,i1 l,-i,,