Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-10-25
CHAPTER I.-(continued.)


and boisterous than they had been,
and the moon was struggling family
through driving clouds. AS the man
hurried along, seeing the lights of the
station in the distance before him, a
figure suddenly broke through the low
hedge beside the road, scarcely more
than hundred yards in advance, and
ran on in front, in the same direction.
Philip Crowdy, hearing the warning
shriek Of The train, hurried on faster
than before.
At the very entrance to the station
yard was gas lamp, which served to
light feebly the dreary looking muddy
roads converging upon it. And, be-
meath this lamp, the figure which had
broken through the hedge, and ran on
before, had stopped, and was carefully
scraping and shaking some heavy wet
clay from It's boots. Catching a
glimpse Of the face Of the figure, as he
hurried past, Crowdy, with an ex-
clamation, drew his hat down over
his face, and pulled his coat collar
higher.
There was no time even to get a
ticket; Crowdy raced across the book
ing Office and reached the platform
just in time; wrenched open door,
looking out, saw porter pulling open
another door, while the man who had
been SO particular about his boots
sprang into. the train. Then the door
was slammed, and the train, already
in motion, steamed out of the stallion.
Philip CroWdy leant back in the
compartment in which he found him
self alone, and whistled softly "This
is new move" he muttered. Dandy
Chatter himself-and without the girl.
Well, most respectable Great Eastern
Railway company" he added. with a
laugh, apostrophizing the name of the
company staring at him from the wall
OF the carriage, 1t isn't often that
you carry, in one train, two Sill
queer people as you carry tonight
Then, becoming serious again, he
said, softly, But I'd like to know
what's become Of the girl"
When the train reached Liverpool
street Philip Crowdy remained in the
carriage as long as possible, in order
to avoid meeting the other man; and
on getting out, discovered to his an
noyance that the other man had van
ished--swallowed up in the restless
crowds. of people who were moving
about the platforms. However, having
one faint clue to guide him, he set off
for Woolwich.
The Three Watermen is little, old
fashioned, gloomy public house. stu
ated at the end of narrow street,
and on the very bank on the river it.
self. Indeed, it is half supported, on
the riverside. by huge baulks of tim
Der. round which the muddy water
creeps and washes; and 1t is the pre-
siding genius, as 1t were, over a num-
Der OF tumble-down sheds and OUT
houses, used for the storage Of river
lumber Of one sort or another, or, In
some cases, not used at all. And it Is
the resort Of various riverside men,
with occasionally some stranger, who
appears to belong to salter waters,
and to have lost his way there in get
ting to the sea.
Outside this place Philip Crowdy
waited for a long time. in the shadow
of doorway, debating within him
self what to dc. Being practically in
strange quarters he had had to in
quire every step OF the way, both as to
his journey by train to Woolwich, and
afterward, when he had reached the
place. In consequence, he had lost a
very considerable amount of time, and
was well aware that, if the man he
pursued had come to that place at all,
he had had all the advantage, from
the fact Of knowing the way clearly
and being able to make straight for.
his destination. Under these circum.
stances it was quite impossible for
Crowdy to know whether the man was
in the place, or, II SO, how long he
had been thersor even II he had
not already left the house.
~ Turning over all these points in his
mind, Crowdy wandered. nalf-aimless-
IL. down a little alley, which led be-
side the The Three Watermen toward
the river. He had just reached the
end Of 1t. aud was shivering little at
the melancholy prospect Of dark water
and darker mud before him, when a
man, rushing hurriedly from the di-
rection Of the water, almost carried
him on his legs, snapped out an oath
at him, and was gone up the alley and
into the street before Crowdy had re-
covered his breath.
People seem in a hurry about these,
paSs !. he murmured to himself.
Now, wonder what on earth that
fellow was running away from?s
! Impelled hall by curiosity and
half ~ the restlessness which pos
sessed him, he turned and walked
some little distance over q kind Of d.
lapidased wharf, IN the direction from
which the man had come. The place
was quite lonely and deserted and
only the skeleton-like frames OF some
old barges and other vessels which
soule one, at some remote period had