Canyon City news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1903-1908, 1904-07-01

Of such regular habits and his routine
was so well known to Kent that the
reporter would have been willing to
say with Confidence not only where
| Bond had been mt any particular hour
| OF that day. but also where he would
be during the remainder of It, He
would finish his dinner at 80 precise
ly; he would smoke n short cigar Of
certain brand while standing before
the door of certain cigar store (or
just within If it should rain, and then
he would go to thcater and occupy
seat on the center aisle in the last
row Of the orchestra.
Kent was strongly tempted to sit
down at the table with the detective.
although he knew that this would be a
breach of strict professional etiquette.
He sat down in corner and ordered
some dinner. The waitress who served
him was n nice girl. but very loqua-
cious, so much so that Kent felt
obliged to warn her in whisper not
to say anything that should reveal the
nature of his occupation.
II guess there must be something
doing this evening"" said the girl.
glancing at the stranger out of the cor
ner of her eye. Mr. Bond gave me the
same advice"
Presently the passenger from New
York called n messenger boy and sent
him out upon an errand. He seemed to
be giving somewhat elaborate instruc-
tions 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
ater to buy Il ticket" she whispered.
"He said that he wanted it in the last
row of the orchestra"
"The last row in the orchestral" re-
peated Kent, glancing at Bond.
1t was in the nature of n 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.
Can this be fly cop from New
York; Kent asked himself. "IIave 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 100, 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 a big story was no
longer in doubt
1t was ten minutes before s when
Bond left the room, and he went no
farther than the restaurant below,
where he leaned against the cigar stand
and convcrsed 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.
There was II considerable crowd about
the entrance of the theater and, in
deed it was not easy to get in, for 1t
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 peo-
pie, for it was certain that he stood
small chance of recognition in so close
an assembly. Indeed, the reporter had
great fear for a minute or two that he
had been thrown off the trail that the
buying of the ticket had been n mere
ruse, and that the man of mystery had
mingled with the crowd merely for the
purpose of working his way secretly
out again and leaving the theater.
But when Kent had secured an ad-
mission tickct-no seats then remain
ing--and had made his way inside he
perceived the unknown seated in the
last row of the orchestra, still clad In
the raincoat and with the collar turned
up around his neck. In the aisle seat
OF That same Inc ol chairs SAL be-
tective Bond, and 1t flashed across
Kent's mind that If the two men had
desired to exchange Il few words in
such a manner as to attract no atten-
tion they would have had an excellent
opportunity when the stranger passed
Bond OH the way to his seat.
Was it possible that they had ar
ranged this matter by secret signals In
the restaurant? And, If so, what was
the game? Were they so placed In the
theater that some person or persons
whom they desired to entrap would be
seated between them? The stranger
was in chair Y 13. the sixth seat from
Bonds, which was y |. or the five
seats intervening Nos. 3, 8 and werc
occupied by people who We're known
to Kent. people of very harmless
sort who could have no share in this
mystery Nos. 0 and II were vacant,
and, though Kent knew that the tick
cts must have been sold. he beheld the
places still empty when the house was
darkened and the curtain rose. Almost
t,.,,,,od;otol, no if thoy had hppn wait