Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-02-07

Blanche'S unusual cOHuuCl, DuJ ne was
no nearer to understanding it when his
train arrived at the New York station
than when he had left Lyndhurst.
From good position, hidden by
truck loaded with luggage, he saw
Blanche alight from he train and sig
nal to hanson. Then. while her back
was turned towards him. he called an
other. and after he had taken his seat
he pointed to Blanche's hanson which
was turning into the street.
81 want to keep that lady in sight"
he told the cabman; "do you under
stand?"
Perfectly, SIR" with broad. pleased
grin. Detective, sire"
"No; do as tell you"
GAN right. sir; pardon, sir"
The two cabs preserved a mean dis
lance of half block between each
other. 1T was a cloudy day, as warm
as spring. The asphalt pavements
were wet and slick ana the horses
often slipped to the ground. Blanche's
hanson turned into Fourth avenue
and headed down town. Below Coop
er Union it ran into the Bowery. And
along this thoroughfare, with the
double tracks of the elevated railway
overhead, the two vehicles forged
ahead as rapidly as the perpetual
stream of cars, wagons and cabs
would permit. They passed the City
Hall park and then ran INTO Beekman
street. Goddard sew Blanche's cab
man scanning the doors in search of
a number, and knew she was near her
destination.
The major raped on the top of the
cab, and the driver looked in at him
through the hole in the roof.
well, sir?" he said.
eff the lady should get out keep
your eye on the house and put me
down near there" ordered the major.
Fright you are. sir
In the most disreputable part of
the lower end of Beekman street the
foremost hanson came to halt be-
fore red brick fiye-story building.
the major saw the face of his ward
for single moment as she stood on
the ground and held up her fare to
the eabman, his own driver having
reined in behind wagon loaded with
bales of hay.
Goddard felt like spy, but he told
himself he had the right to follow her,
fearing that she was being led into
danger.
81 shall get down here he said, hur-
riedly, when Blanche had gone into
the house. The cabman took his
double fee reluctantly. &
Had l better wait about here, sir?"
he asked, evidently the prey of Curl
osity. -
no, I shall not need YOU" and the
major was off. When he reached the
building Blanche had entered he saw
nothing of her. The entrance was
very unclean. A barrel of rags stood
at the foot of the stairway and three
tattered boys were tossing pennies in
the doorway.
"a lady came in here just now" he
said to the first smutty yisage that
turned towards him.
event upstairs said the owner of
the face
DO you know which floor?" asked
Goddard.
The boy did not, and shook his head.
''She asked for the Simpsons" said
another urchin. "They are top floor
back"
"Who are the Simpsons?" asked the
major.
Il don't know. sir" said the first
boy who had spoken. "You can't
miss it; it's as high as you can CO.
1t then occurred to Goddard that he
was unarmed, and as he did not doubt
that Blanche had been beguiled into
some sort of trap he felt his inability
to defend her in an emergency, and
yet he almost ran up the five flights
of narrow, unswept stairs. Reaching
the top, and seeing a door at the side
of which stood bedstead which had
been taken apart and a mattress and
| ragged bed coverings, he bent his ear
| to listen. For a moment he heard
nothing, and then suddenly from the
| room came the sound of weeping ano
| tiiC W diiiliS VI q hCildh NclSS. his
startled him, and he tried the door
| latch. 1t turned. Inc door opened
into a cherries room. Around the
walls sat dozen old men and womer
as still and silent as Quakers at 6
meeting. A door in this room opened
into another chamber, and there he
saw a throng of women and children
and thence issued the sounds of sob:
and cries of grief. Bewildered, hi
went to the door and looked fol
Blanche. His eyes fell on the corpse
of woman covered to her wrinklec
| face with white sheet. Looking ovel
the heads of this group Goddard saw
Blanche seated on low couch be
tween two sobbing young girls. She
had an arm round the waist Of each
and the major heard her trembling
voice try to speak words OF consola
| ton.
ooh, Mrs. Goddard" the elder CIR
said, 81 cannot bear i'll simply can
not give her up. She was all we hat
/ -aIl-all!"