Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-09-05

Nay, SalO buCLeruelQ, QOuOC
you'll not see them there"
"Not at your house?" cried Tom.
at isn't mine," confessed the other.
Its my wife's brothers. he drives a
hackney coach, and l use his stable
every other morning. Me an my mis-
sus live out at Hendon, and I come in
three nights a week"
But you mustn't saddle these peo-
pie with me. Let me get down at
Once."
Mustn't 1T chuckled the wagner.
"Ill take the blame, then. We're very
near there, and dashed If that isn't
Jim on his way home to breakfast.
Jim! JIM"
And a hackney coach, crawling lei
surely along in front, was pulled up
as the coachman turned round and rec
ognized Butterfeld.
"Well, Jonathan, how are you"
"How's yourself, Jim? Early and
late, as usual, eh? This is q young
gent who has ridden in with me. He's
waiting till t. offices open, and I
thought you'd give us both d bit of
breakfast"
always glad to oblige q gentleman"
said the coachman, looking hard, but
nodding genially at Tom. Nor would
he either listen to a single protest or
apology from the youth, who found
himself at breakfast scarce ten min
utes later in a coy kitchen close to
Blackfriars bridge.
The hackney coachman was a burly
old soldier, a jolly %rufian, with a good
brown eye. His wife was small and
spruce, watchful and quiet, and per-
haps Tom liked her less. She was kind
enough, however; indeed, the sympa-
thetic interest shown by all in an I'M
known vagabond was a circumstance
that touched Tom deeply, though of a
piece with all his most recent eXpe-
riences and but another proof of the
worlds kindness.
The old soldier had served in India
himself. He was full of practical adj
vice for Tom, who listened gratefully,
but yawned twice, when it came out
he had not slept for some thirty hours.
Instantly the household was on its
feet. 1t appeared that Jonathan But
terrified had a snooze there each morn
ing after his night journey with the
vegetables, and Tom must and should
lie down beside him.
Tom concentration an hour-and fell
asleep wondering where he had seen
the good Jim before. When he awoke,
the wagner was gone and the light
different. He went downstairs in his
socks and asked Jim's wife the time.
'Time?" said she. "Haven't you a
watch"
mot l."
Jonathan told me you'd a gold re-
peater."
Tom remembered the repeater for
woman was looking at him queerly,
and he had no intention of entering
into explanations with her, so he sim
ply asked whether Jonathan had gone.
"Many an hour ago.. It's 5 O'clock"
"Five!'
"And after"
Tom burst into apologies, in the
midst of which the woman put on a
shawl and went out. He was still
standing i%rresolute in his socks, dazed
by his long sleep, when there came a
rattle of wheels outside, and in rushed
Jim with his whip and IN evening
newspaper.
"Glad to find you still here, sir!!'
cried he. 81 want somebody as can
read to read me a slice out of this ERE
Globe. It's awful, sir-awful! The
very gentleman 1 drove last night!
I've come straight from Scotland
Yard!'
Tom suddenly remembered when and
where he had seen the other before. 1t
was overnight on the box Of Blaydes'
hackney coach.
"Who is the ~gentleman?
"Blaydes, it seems, his name is, or,
rather, was"
"Was?"
"He's dead"
"Dead!'
"Stone dead-murdered-by a man 1
saw as close as l see you now, but
never looked twice at! It's all in the
Globe, they tell me. Read it out, sir;
read it out"
{To BE Continued