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

"Oh, yes. he am here yesterday,
| that gentleman did. I noticed him
particular, because there's so few
| gents comes as is clean-shaved now
| adays, only priests. Reddish hair,
didn't you say, ma'am? and a rowdy,
rollicking, free-and-easy sort o hap
| py-go-lucky manner? Drank BRAN
dies-and-sodas all the time, and was
| sweet on the BARNARD"
Poor Gertrude's heart sunk lower.
| Was it possible even for disease to
change any one so perfectly refined
as Leslie, and so generally respected
wherever he went by high and low,
into a creature such as this, with
manners and tastes which lowered
him to the level of the commonest
people?
1t seemed impossible, and yet from
the time he appeared at the station
at Trewport, every account she heard
of his conduct agreed in this re-
spect. 1t must be true.
eff that was the gentleman" the
unctuous person said, "he did come
here about this time yesterday, but
Somers wasn't the name he gave"
Can you tell me what name he
gave?" Gertrude asked.
The man hesitated. Well, mad
am" he answered, 1--WE do not gen.
orally give the names of people who
stay here to unknown parties. You
see, we don't know what use they
might make of them"
"Oh," exclaimed poor Gertrude.
this is wasting precious time. Can
you not see, sir. that I am a lady?
My husband is not right in his mind.
He has escaped from his friends,
and it is of the utmost consequence
that l should find him before he does
any mischief to himself or Others"
Then turning to the hall porter: II
think you noticed how queer his
manner was?"
IT did," the man answered; "but
I thought he was the worse for
liquor"
The manager, or whoever he was,
now lowered his tone. "Of course,
madam" he said, Gin a case Of this
kind we shall consider it our duty to
give you every help in our power. I
will go and make further inquiries
about the gentleman"
When he was out of hearing Ger
trude addressed herself to the hall
porter, speaking rapidly: II will give
you a sovereign" she said, "for
every separate piece of information
you can give me about that gentle
man. What did he call himself?"
It don't know, ma'am. but he had
a bag with L. S. on it,"
His own initials" She put a
sovereign in the mans hand. go
on" she said. did he say where
he was going?"
HE said he was going out as first
consul to San Francisco, and meant
to see all he could Of h world on
the way, as he wasn't due there for
three months"
She gave him another sovereign.
"He left here" the man continued,
about ten minutes before you came.
He said his luggage was lat South
ampton, and he meant to go out by
the P. & o. I put his bag into a han
som myself, and told the driver to
20 to Waterloo. It's not half an hour
since" the man concluded, glancing
at the clock.
Good h~eavens!" Gertrude ex-
claimed, putting two more sover-
eigns into his hand, II may have
missed him"
THE manager 10Y came back.
"Mr. Lawrence Soames-" he be-
gan.
She caught the name, but had
jumped into the hanson, and was on
her way back to Waterloo before
he could add another word.
Arrived there, she threw half a
sovereign at the driver and rushed
onto the platform. 1t was crowded
with passengers. porters and lug
gage, a confused mass of things ami
mate and inanimate, all alike strug-
Cling or being moved in every direc-
tion-a human hash-with shouts
and laughter; here a merry family
party off for change Of air; there a
young couple, with maid-servant and
mar-servant in attendance, evidently
somebodies, but treated with little
ceremony by five rorping school
girls who rushed by, separating them
and the whole multitude to boot,
on their way to a second-class a r
risge, at the windows of which they
stood, eating buns and enjoying the
noise and hustle.
is this the Southampton train?
Is this the Southampton train?" Ger
trude asked every one, but could get
no answer at first.
To be Continued.