The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-07

reason for his tricking me, still. I told myself that nobody else could have done it, and decided to go back at once to the Care du Nord. There l might still be able to find some trace of the little man and of my two other fellow-travelers. If through a porter or cabman I could learn where they had gone. I might have a chance even now of getting back the stolen treaty. I had brought with me from London a loaded revolver, warned by the Foreign Secretary that to do so would be wise precaution; and l was ready to make use of 1t if necessary.
 was beginning to be very hungry. but that was a detail of no import ance, for I had no time to waste in eating. I went to the railway station and looked about until found a por- ter whose face had seen when I got out of the train. He had, in fact ap- peared under the window of my com partment. offering himself as a lug gage carrier and had been close behind me when my late travelling companion walked by my side. Questioned, he ap- peared not to remember; but his wits being sharpened by the gift of franc. he reflected and recalled not only my features but the features of tho lit- tie man. whom he described with suf- ficient accuracy. What had become of le petit Monsieur. he was not certain but >fancied he had driven away in a cab, accompanied by two other gentle men. He recollected this circumstance, because the face of the cabman was one that he knew; and 1t was now again in the station. for the voiture had returned. Would he point out the cocner te me? He would,and did. re- ceiving a second franc for his pains.
 The cab driver proved to be a dull and .surly fellow, like many another cocher of Paris, but the clink of sil yer and the sighs of it mellowed him. I began by saying that I was in search of three friends of mine whom I was to have met when the boat train came in, but whom I had unfortunately missed. asked him to describe the tion at that time. and though he did 1t clumsily. betraying an irritating lack of observation when 1t came to details, still such information as l could draw from him sounded eneour- aging He remembered perfectly we'll the place at which he had deposited his three passengers, and I dcided to take the risk of following them.
 When I say risk" I mean the risk that the man I was starting out to chase might turn out not to be the man wished to follow. Besides, as they had been driven to Neuilly, the dist ance was so great that, If l went there in a cab, and found at last that I had made 8 mistake. 1 should have wasted a great deal of valuable time on the wrong track. If the driver had remembered the name of the street, and the number of the house at which he had paused I would have hired a motor and flashed out to the place in a few minutes: but, despite a suggested bribe, he could say no more than that, when he had come to a ceFtain place, one of his passengers had called Turn down the next-street. to the left" He had done so and in front of a house, almost midway along that street, he had been bidden to stop. He had not bothered to look at the name of the street; but, though he was not very familiar with that neighborhood, va- rious landmarks would guide him to the right place. when he came to pass them again,
 Having heard all he had to say, I re- luctantly made up my mind that could do no better than take the man as my conductor; and accordingly, with a horse already tired, I drove to Neuiffy. There, the landmarks were not deceiv- ing, as I was half afraid they would be; and in a quiet street of the suburb
 
 house with lights in many windows. Evidently it was pension.
 Of the man-servant who answered my ring. I enquired if three English gentlemen had lately arrived. He re- | piled that they had, and were dining. Would Monsieur give himself the pain of waiting few minutes. until dinner should be over?
 My answer was to slip a five franc piece into the servants hand. and sug- gest that should be shownsat once in- | to the dining-room, without waiting. My idea was to catch my birds while | they fed, and take them by surprise, lest they fly away. If I bounced upon them in the midst of meal, at least they could not escape before being rec | oEnized by me; and as to what should | como after recognition, the moment or | meeting must decide.
 The five franc piece worked like charm. was promptly ushered into | the dining room, and standing just in- l side the door, I swept the long table
 with a quick, eager glance. About l eighteen or twenty people were dining but, though several were unmistakably
 English. I saw no one who resembled 1 my travelling companions.
 | Everyone turned and stared. There
 was no face of which had not good view. In low voice, I asked the ser want which were the new arrivals of whom he had spoken. He pointed them out, and added that, though they had come only that day from England, they were old patrons, well known in the house.
 AS I fingered deeply disappointed, the elderly proprietor of the pension, who superintended the comfort of his guests, trotted fusslly up to enquire the strangers business in his dining room. I explained that I had hoped to find friends, and was so polite that l contrived to get permission for my cabman to have a peep through the crack of the door. When he had iden- tIfied his three passengers, all hope was over. I had followed the wrong men.
 There was nothing to do but go back to the Care du Nord and question more porters and cabmen Nobody could give me any information worth having, It seemed; yet the little man must nave left the station in a vehicle of some sort. as he had a great deal-of small luggage. Since I could learn nothing of him or his movements, however. and dared not. because of Maxine and the British Foreign Secretary, apply to the police for help, determined to/lose no more time before consulting a private detectiye. a mar whose actions I could control, and to whom I need tell only as much of the truth as l chose. with. out fear of having the rest dragged out of me
 ICOntinued tOmOrrOwo