Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-02-02


down the Kensington road, losing my
distance, Of course. very fast. BY the
time / reached High street / had lost
he cal!
But a man at an early coffee stall
had seen II pass, holding straight on
the main road toward Holland House.
| heard of 1t again at st. Mary Abbott's
terrace, and was told that Ii had turned
up Addison road. ] traced 1T by Hol-
and road to Shepherds Bush Green.
and there a herring was drawn across
the scent.
/ was on the track now Of two cabs,
one going by the Shepherds Bush or
Uxbridge road, the other by the Starch
Green road. / followed the first. and
drew blank. II was a nighthawk work
ing home to his stables, n where. by
and by, / caught the chap settling into
his crib. He swore he hadn't had a
fare for the last two hours, and 1
could see he was speaking truth, for
his horse had not turned a hair.
/ then went back to the Starch
Green road, asking all and several for
my %galloping hanson cab. There were
very few people about at this early
hour, only the policemen, and they
looked very shy at my tramp's clothes.
giving no answer. At last a couple or
decent farm folk. bringing in milk, old
me they had passed a hanson with a
worn horse on the far side Of Ham
mersmith bridge, In the district OF
Barnes.
BY the time ! reached the Strathallan
road 1t was broad daylight. / found
a long road Of detached villa houses,
each In It's w garden, many with
stables adjoining. i figured IT out, as
| walked up and down this road twice,
tina one Of these cottages was just
suited for the purpose or sequestrating
Captain Wood, II he could be got to IT.
He could be driven straight into the
stable yard; the cab would no more be
seen when the coach house door closed
behind him, and no. one, neither the
neighbors nor the police, would be a bit
the wiser as to what mischief was be-
ing worked inside.
1t took me just two hours to examine
the entrance gates Of every villa house
with stables in that road. In three or
them were the new tracks OF wheels
marked plainly In the thick lying sum
mer dust. | could not discover which
were the most recent, but ! carefully
noted the numbers of these houses,
meaning to put a watch upon them all.
l called up the boy Joseph Walls, a
very smart young squire, too, from the
office in Norfolk street, as soon as l
could get a telegram through. BY the
time he arrived i had narrowed my In
vestigations to a single point for fur
Their observation.
The day had so far advanced hat
the business Of life was well begun. 1
saw the blinds drawn up in two Of the
houses, the front doors opened, the
women help busy shaking the mats
and washing down the = ops. Pres
emily some OF the young lyl,.s ran out
into the gardens, and / could see the
family gatherings round the breakfast
tables, from which on the early morn
ing air came the smell OF hot coffee and
English breakfast bacon, with the
temptation Of Tantalus for a starving
man who had been out all night. All
this while the third house remained
closed, Theoretically sealed. 1t vas
closed up, tight shattered, not n sign
of life In IL. When / reached my lodg-
ings In Norfolk street / was pretty well
washed out. But / turned In for an
hour, and at 10 a. m. woke much re-
freshed. AS l dressed with care / pom
dered deeply over this business and the
course that / hould aicpt. My first
and most urgent duty vas to secur the
release Of Mr.. Wood, always supposing
that my gentleman was the person &C.
tually carried off In the cab. Al pres
ent l had no certainty Of this, only a bit
more than strong suspicion. Yet II /
could ascertain that he had not re-
turned home / should be justified In
taking surmise for fact.
First | went to Charges street. The
man there remembered me, but looked
strangely when / inquired for Captain
Wood.
You have not heard the news, them"
he said.
What in thunder is there to hear
more than I have to tell your" I asked,
nettled at thinking some one was be-
fore me.
why, that the captain has met with
an accident. He slipped up somehow
last night OIL early this morning and
hurt himself badly"
"who told you hat story? Do you
believe it?"
Il believe the captains W hand
writing"
What did he say exactly?" l was
quite taken aback, as you may suppose,
but did not wan to show 1t too much.
Here. read 1t for yourself. It's not
all his own. of course and you will
derstand why. But that's his name at
the bottom there sure enough"
1t was written on good gray note pa
per, in a fair running hand, and 1t
said:
"Savory, I've come to grief driving
home. Horse slipped upon the curb,
II | was thrown out Of the cab. Some
kind people picked me up and are TAX
ing good care OF me. But l shan't be
able to move hand or foot for some
days. Send me by bearer portmanteau
of things-shirts, dressing gown, dit
toes, checkbook. letters, papers and the
rest. Yours, w. A. Wood.
liza Laburnum street, Harrow road"
And you sent them? How?"
by the cab that brought the letter"
why didn't you go with them your
self"
Il thought of 1t certainly, and l wish
l had"
You may we'll wish that. And now,
If you will be guided by me, youll go
and find out ia Laburnum street right
away, If there's any such place at ALL"
"Oh, but there Is. It's in the direc-
tory"
rs that so? Well, If you come across
Mr.. Wood there I'll run you for next
president Of the United States. You've
got just the face for a postage stamp"
What in the name of conscience
dye mean? What's 'appened to him,
them"
IT'S my opinion that Captain Wood
has fallen among thieves. brigands,
worse-rufians. who'll hold him to ran
som for blackmail, rob, murder him,
God knows what, unless some of US can
circumvent their biackguard maneu-
vers. And / am going to try. l don't
believe IL cab accidents inc Laburnum
streets. You may; so you'd better go
and judge for yourself"
But he was not going to find him In
Laburnum street. / was pretty sure of
that, but 1t was right to look there on
the off chance that this story was true.
For myself / VAS more than ever per-
5uaded Of foul play, and / considered 1
a bound to lay the whole matter be-
'ore the London police.
was not very well received at Scot
and Yard. They told me to get proper
~1redentials. a certificate from the