The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1904-02-25

row of the orchestra.
Kent was strongly tempted to sit |
down at the table with the detective, |
although he knew that this would be 4
breach of strict professional etiquette. !
lie sat down in a corner and ordered /,
some dinner. The waitress who served |
him was u nice girl, but very loqun- |
cous, so much so that Kent felt |
obliged TO warn her in n whisper not !
to say anything that should reveal the
/ nature of his occupation.
81 guess there must be something
doing this evening" said the girl
/ CHANGING at the stranger out of the cor.
ner of her eye. mir. Bond gave me the
same advice"
Presently the passenger from New
York called u messenger boy and sent
him out upon an errand. He seemed to
be giving somewhat elaborate instruC-
tons to the boy, and Kent felt obliged
TO get some hint of their nature. In
this matter the waitress proved to be
an adequate source of information.
"He sent the boy up to the Park the.
alter to buy n ticket" she whispered.
"ue said that he wanted 1t in the last
row of the orchestra"
"The last row in the orchestral re
peated Kent, CHANGING at Bond.
1t was in the nature of Il coincidence,
for If the boy should do his errand
well the mysterious stranger and De
tective Bond were certain to spend the
evening very close together.
AI,t Ix.. gH,y nA,Nf
York 2" Kent asked himself. "Have he
and Bond got something up? Do they
expect to nab somebody In the the
ater?"
1t was n question impossible to an
swer without more data. But at any
rate the case was worth watching The
messenger boy returned with the tick
ct after considerable delay, during
which the stranger seemed to be some
what nervous. 1t was then 1928, and
, by all the laws Of nature Cyrus Field
Bond should leave the restaurant In
exactly one minute. He did not do So
and the matter of big story was no
longer In doubt.
1t was ten minutes before 8 when
Bond left the room, and he went no
. farther than the restaurant below,
. where he leaned against the cigar stand
and conversed with the man behind it.
He had not been there long when the
mysterious stranger paid his check and
departed from the depot, quietly at.
tended by Kent, who walked upon the
!. other side of the street.
y There was considerable crowd about
the entrance of the theater, and, in
=. deed, it was not easy to get in, for II
was the night of first production
;, upon any stage" and both the play and
= the company had been well advertised
in advance. SO far as Kent could
judge, the stranger was relieved in
mind by the sight of the throng of PEG
pie, for II was certain that he stood
. small chance OF recognition in so close
= an assembly. Indeed, the reporter haC
great fear for minute or two that ht
:, had been thrown off the trail; that the
:. buying of the ticket had been a mere
- ruse, and that the man of mystery haC
;. mingled with the crowd merely for the
purpose OF working his way secretly
out again and leaving the theater.
y But when Kent had secured an ad
=, mission ticket-no seats then remain
- ing-and had made his way inside III
:, perceived the unknown seated in thu
y. last row Of the orchestra, still clad II
the raincoat and with the collar turned
j.. I'D around his neck. In the aisle sea
of that same line Of chairs sat De
=, tective Bond, and 1t flashed acros
Kent's mind that If the two men hat
:, desired to exchange a few words II
. such a manner as to attract no atten
ton they would have had an eXcellen
y, opportunity when the stranger passe'
)" Bond ON the way to his seat.
. Was It possible that they had ar
ranged this matter by secret signals II
\ the restaurant? And, If so, what wa
the game? Were they so placed in tn
theater that some person or person
4 whom they desired to entrap would b
n seated between them? The strange
"A was in chair X 13, the sixth seat fror
III Bonds, which was X /. OF the tiy
"A seats intervening Nos. 3, . and wer
III occupied by people who were know
n to Kent, people of a very Harmless
III sort who could have no share In thi
Ill | mystery. NOS, ~ anu IL "NiS ''N''
NJ and, though Kent knew that the tlcl
N cts must have been sold, he beheld tn
N places still empty when the house wa
M darkened and the curtain rose Almo'
Hi Immediately, as If they had been wal
Nj ing for signal, two persons appeared
NJ an elderly man and a young and yer
Y pretty woman, both strangers
Bridgeport to the best Of Kent's know
edge and belief. They were ushere
into the waiting chairs. AS they pas
ed Bond the reporter saw no sign
recognition, but the stranger betraye
himself Beyond doubt he kne
these people and was extremely d
sirous to avoid attracting their esp
cai attention. He pulled up his COLI
- little farther on the side towai
them and turned his head so that I
clear view Of his face could be ha
dy Later he managed to assume a n
~ notably unnatural position, with b
ar right elbow on the arm Of his cha