The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-10-21

| 10TH at WHICH, IuS mluooJ 1oAA
7 stopped yesterday. Perhaps she
would find the same staff Of officials
there to-day, and she would ask
every one of them to make sure.
Guard, did you happen to notice
if a tall gentleman, clearly shaVen'
with reddish hair, dressed in a light
tweed suit, came by the midday train
from Trewport yesterday"
Yesterday" the man answered
with scant courtesy. "Bless you, miss,
dozens of such gentlemen arrive
every day." Another guard came
up at the moment, and he appealed
to him. Here, Dawlish! you were
on duty here yesterday"
"No, 1 wasn't" the mai answered.
"I brought up the midday train from
Trewport."
"Oh, them" Gertrude exclaimed,
taking out her purse, you can sure
ly tell me if my husband was among
the passergers,". and she described
him.
The guard scratched his head.
would he be a bit queer??" he said.
81 don't know what you mean by
queer"
"No offense, ma'am. Only if he
talked loud and didn't seem to be
particular about where he was
going" .
"That might have been the case,'
she answered; "and what I want to
know is, where he went"
Several porters had Joined the
group by this time. II say, BILL
one Of them now interposed, wasn't
that gentleman you sent to st. Pan
cras yesterday, when he asked which
was the station for Southampton,
dressed in a light tweed suit?"
HE were," said Bill.
"And do you mean to say you sent
him to st. Pancras for Southamp-
ton, you blessed b~lockhead?" the
surly guard demanded.
"Ah did," was the calm reply,
"and ali saw him off in a hanson on
his way to st. Pancras, and ali hope
he got there safe" +,
There was a laugh at this sally.
did you happen to notice the
number of the hansom?" Gertrude
asked. ,
"Noa, but ah noticed the man as
druv it; and here he comes by the
same betoken," the porter concluded,
pointing to a hanson that was just
| returning to the stand.
Gertrude went to the driver and
repeated her inquiries. Yes, he
had taken the gentleman she de-
scribed, to St. Pancras yesterday
morning.
The gentleman got down anL asked
a porter what time the next fast
train left for Southampton. and the
porter sorter grinned at him, and
told him he was in the wrong box
for SOUTHAMPTON, and had better try
| Waterloo. The gentleman seemed
put out, but after standing on the
pavement, and cussing heaven n
earth for five minutes, he was able
to get into the hanson again and 60
to Waterloo.
He didn't get out there, however;
he only inquired about the trains,
and then he told the driver to take
him to the nearest hotel, and there
| the man left him. He had no lug
gage with him, unless it was a hand
BAG, but the driver wasn't sure OF
that even; he hadn't taken particu-
lar notice, and couldn't remember.
Gertrude got into the hanson and
told the man to take her to that no.
tel. The faithful Moon had brought
her so far. and was waiting for her,
but she had forgotten him.
He had assisted at these inqul-
ries, however, and, making allow
ance for the lady's preoccupation,
tumbled on to his box and followed
the hanson. rightly conjecturing
that she would think of him in time.
Gertrude's anxiety had given way
now to a state of excitement that
was almost pleasurable. She was on
the right track sure enough, and this
| detective business was easier, after
| all, than she could have believed
possible.
She could understand, too, that it
must be a very fascinating pursuit
when the object of it did not con-
Germ you personally. She thought, if
| she ever had to work for herself. she
would be a detective, it was quite in
teresting to talk to so many queer
characters.
But now the hanson stopped at
the door of a large hotel, and, alight-
ing quickly, she ran lightly up the
steps and into the great bare, COM
fortress hall.