Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-02-06

 pose. Did you find her on the stern davits?"
 "Yes."
 That's it, then. You see, when I left"-- {
 Captain Parkinson's raised hand checked him. "If you will be so good, Mir. Shade, let us have 1t all at once, after mess."
 At table the young officers at sharp hint from pr. Trendon conversed on indifferent subjects until the journalist had partaken heartily of what the phy- sician allowed him. Slade ate with keen appreciation.
 "I tell you, that's good" he sighed, when he had finished. Real, live, after dinner coffee too. Why, gentle men, I haven't eaten civilized meal, with all the trimmings, for over two years. Doctor, do you think a little of the real stuff would hurt me? It's a pretty dry yarning."
 "One glass;" growled the surgeon. mo more."
 Scotch highball, then" voted Slade, 'the higher the better
 The steward braught tall glass with ice, in which the newcomer mixed his drink. Then for quite minute he sat silent, staring at the table, his fingers aimlessly rubbing into spots of wet ness the water beads as they gathered on the outside of his glass. Suddenly he looked up.
 q don't know how to begin," he con- fessed. Its too confounded improba- ble. I hardly believe it myself, now that I'm sitting here in human clothes, surrounded by human beings. Old Scrubbs and the nigger and Handy Solomon and the professor and the chest and the-well, they were real enough when I was caught in the mess. But warn you you are not go- ing to believe me, and hanged if l blame you bit"
 We've seen marvels ourselves in the last few days" encouraged Captain Parkinson.
 Fire ahead, man." advised Barnett impatiently. Just begin at the begin ming and let it go at that"
 Slade slipped at his glass refectively.
 "Well," said he at length, "the best way to begin is to show you how I happened to be mixed up in 1t at all."
 The officers unconsciously relaxed into attitudes of greater ease. Over head the lamps swayed gently to the swell. The dull throb of the screw pull sated. Stewards clad in white moved noiselessly, filling the glasses, defer entially striking lights for the smok- CTS, clearing away the last dishes of the repast.
 "I'm a reporter by choice and a de- tective by instinct" began Slade, with startling abruptness. "Furthermore, I'm pretty well of. I'm what they call a free lance, for I have no regular desk on any of the journals. I gener- ally turn my stuff in to the Star be cause they treat me we'll. In return 1t is pretty we'll understood between ms that I'm to use my judgment in regard to stories and that they'll staGd back of me for expenses. You see, I've been with them quite awhile"
 He looked around the circle as though in appeal to the comprehension of his audience. Some of the men nodded. Others slipped from theil glasses or drew at their cigars.
 "I loaf around here and there in the world, having good time travelling visiting, fooling around. Every once ir awhile something interests me The thing is sort of instinct. I run il down. If it's a good story, send il In. That's all there is to it." Ht laughed slightly. You see, I'm a sort of magazine writer in method, but my stuff is newspaper stuff; also the game suits me. That's why play it That's why I'm here. I have to tel you about myself this way so you vii understand how l came to be mixe' up in this Laughing Lass matter"
 q remember" commented Barnett 'that when you came aDoaru III North Dakota you had little troubl making Captain Arnold see it." Fl turned to the others with laugh. I'll had all kinds of papers of ancient date but nothing modern-letter from tn Star dated five years back. recommer dations to everybody on earth excer 2 Captain Arnold. certificate of braver B fin Apache campaign, bank identifici g tions and all the rest. Maybe your the Stars correspondent and mayb 2 you're not said the captain, T don | see anything here to prove it. Slad argued an hour. No go. Remembe \ how you caught him?" he inquired C z Shade.
 , ! Tho rano-fn~ s~-ioupd assent