The weekly true Democrat., 1909-09-17
CHAPTER KIN.

y IRkWoOD wasted little time.
He had not much 20 waste
were De 70 do that upou whose
n - doing be had set bls heart II
irked him sore 70 have to lose the In
valuable moments demanded BY GER
tain Imperative arrangements. but bis
haste was such that all was consum-
mated within an hour
Within the period Of a single hour.
then, he had ransomed hls luggage az
81 Pancras. caused Il 20 be loaded
upon a four wheeler aud transferred
70 a neighboring hotel Of evil iavOr
but moderate tarif. where he engaged
room for q week, ordered an imme-
date breakfast and retired with his
belongings to his room He had shaw.
ed and changed bis clothes. selecting
seryiceable suit of heavy tweeds, stout
shoes, a fore and AFT cap and negli-
gee shirt OF deep shade, calculated az
least 70 seem clean for a long time
Finally he had devoured his bacon and
eggs, gulped down his coffee and burn
ed his mouth and. armed with q stout
stick. set OF hotfoOt in the still dim
glimmering Of early day.
BY this time his cash capital had
dwindled to the sum Of q los. Sd
and would have been much less had
be paid for hls lodging IN advance.
Al Kings Cross station on the un-
derground an acute disappointment
awaited him. There likewise he
learned something about London. A
sympathetic bobby Informed him that
no trains would be running until after
$50 and that. furthermore. no buses
would begin to ply until half after 7.
"It's tramp Il or cab It, then" unused
the young man mOurnfuily. his long
ing gaze seeking a nearby cab rank,
Just then occupied by a solitary ham
som. driver somnolent on the box.
"Odlcer'-he again addressed the po-
llceman. mindful Of the English ak
iom, when IN doubt ask a bobby
"ofIicer. when's high tide this morn
lngY"
The bobby produced well worn
pocket almanac. moistened massive
thumb and Fipplcd the pnges.
London bridge. 'lEh ride twenty
minutes arfier g sir." be announced.
VITA q glow of satisfactiln wholly
p1rtonable IN one who combines che
functions Of peHmbulaHlg almanac,
guldebook. encyclopedia AID conspFv.
er OF the peace.
Klrkwcrd sa!d something bpneath
bis brpnIh. word in gsplf d com
foTtatlp mouthful and wholesome and
emphatic lie glanced again at the
cnb ard prnaned. % LQrd. Just das
seutr with which. thauklug the bu-
reuu of Information. be set OF rnpld
~ down Grpy's Inn rOad 10 hml the
Alethea before she sailed. Proceeding
upon the working hypothesis that Mrs
Hallam was q polished liar ID most
respects. but had told the truth 90 far
as concerned her statement % the ef.
feet that the gladstone Tag contained
valuable property, whose ownership
remained a moot question. though
KlrkWood was definitely committed 10
the belief that it was none OF Mrs.
HalIam's or ber sous. be reasoned
that the two Adventures. with D0rO.
thy and their booty, would attempt TO
leave London by a water route ln the
ship Alethea. whose name had fallen
from their lips at Bermondsey OLD
Stairs
KlrkwoOd's initial task. thea. would
be 90 nnd the needle Ia the haystack
The metaphor Il poor-more properly.
TO sort out from the hundreds Of res.
sells of ali descriptions at anchor IN
midstream. moOred to the wharfs OF
Iongshore warehouses Or 10 the gigan.
&c docks that line the Thames. that
one called Alethea. of which be was
30 deeply mired IN Ignorance that be
could not say whether she were tramp
steamer, coastwlne passenger boat
one of the liners that ply between I'll.
bury and AZ the world. channel ferry
boat private yacht lsteam o. saHl.
schooner. four master. square rlggef.
bayk Or brignufina
London had turned over once o.
twte and was pulllns ne bedclotbes
oseF iis bead and Rrumbllug aboai eet-
ins an bhf tbp ciU Nbs otill soun9
nsieep Wllrn ~ length ~ nauscf for 3
nIn1tse rlli D. lFonl of lne llenzIon
House aud rpaiired VIM = saua ~