The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-09-05

OF the BOW reward made him strain every
nerve.
| lie was almost giving IL up a last when
suddenly tiny scrap OF cardboard. fallen
| between the manteIpiece and the wall,
| camght his eye. He took his penknife
and began forcing. IL up. IL might be
nothing, OF course but he had turned over
| every scrap of paper and every book in
the room, and he would miss no chance.
me cardboard came up slowly II
was wedged In firmly between the mantle
piece and the wall, but he loosened ii
at last and held IL up TO the light.
when ne saw II he gave a little gesture
of disappointment. IL was the photo
graph of child. That IL belonged to
Emberson seemed the last thing likely
He called up the landlady and held IL
out TO her She shook her head over Il
She had never seen Il before. but Il must
have belonged 20 Mr. Emberson. she said
for her own daughter had occupied the
room before he had had IL, and the pho
tograph was Of no child they knew.
Marlow looked at IL again and made a
note of the photographers name, which
was printed on the back. 1t bore the
address of small town. and ne frowned
little as he looked at IT, What had
Fred Emberson, a thief, 20 do with
little child?
lie shut up HIS pocket-book with a
snap and gave a final look around
He was just turning away when his
man came back.from the station with the
informatio that Emberson had been seen
taking a ticket--not 10 London. as they
had expected, but to little place called
Staybridge, halfway down the line. IL
was trick. OF course He would go on
to Euston and pay excess fare. and be
lost al once in the London crowd
Stili NARROW sent his man TO telegraph
TO the station AT Staybridge. and waited.
sun impatently searching the room for
the reply.
IL came promptly, Only one person had
come by that train on the day before.
ana that was a mechanic i'm a working
suit apparently ofi the lookout for work.
Evidently it was not Emberson. and Mar
low decided that his only chance now was
TO go on TO Topping. where the photo
graph had been taken.
He started immediately. sending his
man on TO London 10 try and get some
information there and meaning 10 wait
Tor him at Topping. He got out at a
little, quiet country station. The, town
lay behind it--a sleepy market town fun
or sheep and cattle and farmers gigs.
and bright with the spring sunshine.
lie found the photographer easily
graph he had brought from Emberson'r
rooms 1t had been taken just about a
year ago. The photographers remembered |
u distinctly, because the woman who
brought the child broke down crying al |
the finish for no reason at all that he |
could make out
suppose YOU know nothing OF her. |
do your asked the detective. and the |
shook his head
NO, hut she came from a place not far |
rom here, he said: "at any rate 7 sent /
ihe proofs thereto place called Stay
bridge, about five miles away"
Detective MARROW started little STAY
oridael He was on the road at last
surely! staybridge was the place 10
which Fred Bmberson had booked-the
place at which the working man had eot
'ut! Detective Marlow's pulse o,iick-
med. and ten minutes later he was walk-
ng away from Topping toward the dis
ant village.
II was a hot walk that dav. The roads
we're dusty and he was tired when he
cached n ~ last
He made hin way slowly through the (
traggling houses and quiet shops toward
N Inn ltc would have TO stop of
curse. perhaps for some days. certainly
or one night
lie went in and had tea. ana then
~ out 90 look around He was ali i'm
ationce The thought OF the $500 stirred
I'm.
He was remembering with beatjrr
cart the girl he meant 10 marry-think- |
lg that II would not be long now-vhen |
bNh" lH 'he InHN Drought him suddenly |
non small cottage
" lay close 20 tho road. low wall hem
ing IN its little square patch OF garden
nd little wooden gate leading IN n
aged path. bordered with waIleowers
nd lupins and lavender
We looked up half oarclessly. wonder,ng
Emberson WAS living In q cottage Iits
'at-f he was IN Staybridge AZ all-when
le sight Of little child sitting on the
All brought him 90 a standstiu
something about her was familiar. A, :
-st hc could not tell what. and thor 1
: remembered the braid on her frook ana
e braid on the child IN the photogranb {
was the Same dress tho same cbild
ny now she was older-and prettier
nc stopped and went toward her she :
az such little thin child. and her face !,
ne pale and delicate I'm spite Of the conn \
y air she lookcd up az him win /
ight eyes and smiled. and son,ebow be (
" Oddly uncomfortable before her. Il
He hesitnted before he spoke. ana thar v
fther.'s hi-, ~ csts,rh r.i,, .rr,, =
. Agnew's Catarrhal Powder wifhon, | -
laf " VIII snve YOU suffering heai | a
NJ |