Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-05-25

| ~ N'NtJ "ooi SuS peeIeu through the
| glittering glasses, the two porters fol-
| lowing her, until she made a stop be-
| lore an empty second-claSs carriage
near my van, and with much labor and
assistance, got herself and her pack
ages into it.
When | passed, a few minutes aft
erward, she was standing in the door
way, effeetually barring the door to
any other passenger by her own unat-
tractlve appearance there, and pro-
longing with an evident relish the
anxiety Of the obsequious porters. |
fancy that though the purse she FUN
bled in was large the coin she wanted
was but small, for passed on and left
| her still searching, and still asking
| questions OF the men, but hearing
I nothing either of theft replies or or enc
loud asides in which they INDUCED to
each other l had just reached the
! other end of the train, and was just
about making my way back to my
own van, when the young lady | had
before noticed went slowly in front of
me toward the empty first-class com
partment near which / stood.
Am | right for Euston?" she asked
me gently as she hesitated at the door.
All right, miss" | said, taking the
door from her and standing while she
got in. Amy luggage?" SNor from
that very moment | took her in a sort
of way into my charge, because she
was so thoroughly alone, you see, not
having any friends there even to see
! her off.
mo luggage, thank you,'' she an
swered, putting her little leather
satchel down beside her on the seat
and settling herself into the corner
farthest from the open door do we
stop anywhere between here and Lon
! DOM"
Don't stop again, miss, except for
few minutes to take tickets" Then
| looked at her as much as to say,
You'll be all right because l am the
guard" and shut the door.
suppose that without exactly being
| aware Of it | kept a sort of a watch
over the carriage for | was perfectly
aware of the lazy young gentleman
who persistently kept lowering about
| and looking in. His inquisitiye eyes
| had, Of course, caught sight Of the
| pretty face in there alone, and | could
! see that he was making up his mind
! to join her, but he seemed doing it in
a most careless and languid manner
/ He was no gentleman for that reason,
! | said 10 myself, yet his dress was
! handsome and the hand that played
with his long dark beard was small
and fashionably gloyed,
CHANGING still into the far corner of
that one frst-class compartment, he
fingered until the last moment was
come; then, quite leisurely, he walked
/ up to the door, opened it, entered the
compartment, and in an instant the
door was slammed after him. With
| out the least hesitation ] went up to
the window and stood near it while the
lamp was fitted in the compartment.
/ The gentleman was standing up with
! in, drawing Off dark overcoat; the
/ young lady in the distant corner was
! looking from the window, as if the
/ half darkness even was better to look
! at than this companion Mortified a
/ GOOD deal at the failure of my scheme
/ for her comfort, ] went on to my van,
! beside which the detective waited for
me.
mo go you see" he muttered "and
yet it seemed to me likely that they'd
take this train"
/ u don't see why it should seem like
/ ly," l answered, for hadn't gone with
/ him in the idea. 1T doesn't seem to
me very likely that three such sHllful
thieves as you are logging, who did
their work in this neighborhood so
/ eIeyerly two nights ago, should leave
/ the station any night, by the very train
\ which the police watched with double
suspicion"
Doesn't it?" he echoe6. with most
satirical knowingness. Perhaps you
may have got It quite clear in your
mind how they will leave the town, for
/ it's sure enough that they haven't left
+ it up to now That they'll be in
/ hurry TO leave 10 is sure enough too,
i for this isn't the sort Of place they'll
care to hide in longer than necessary.
/ Well, what's the hardest place for us
I to track them in? London. And
/ what's the easiest place for them TO get
to sea from! London. Then, natur-
ally enough. to London they'll want
1 to go. Isn't this fast train? and
shouldn't you choose a fast train If you
were running away from the police?'
I didn't tell him what sort Of a train
I / should choose, because hadn't
/ quite male up my mind; and he was
/ looking cross enough for anything, in
+ that last glimpse / caught Of him.
I Having nothing better to do, won
/ dered a good zeal how these thieves
/ could arrange their getting away,
while the walls we're covered with the
i description OF them. and every official
I on the line was UP in it, There was