The Mena weekly star., 1909-04-08


 lace Jump out of his own car at Conn., cil Bluffs. He had simply stood on the platform, looking to right and left for moment; then he had swupg him. self back on the car. Haley had watched him walk down the aisle and enter the drawing-room. He did not come out; Haley had found out that the drawingroom belonged to Edwin s. Keatcham, "the big railroad man, sor."
 Tt doesn't seem likely that he would be an accomplice of a kidnaper. unused the colonel. "rhe man might have gone in there while he was out"
 Sure, he might, sor; twas mesilf thinking that same; and I wint be- yant to the observation car, and there the onld gintleman was smoking"
 And you stopped to tell yarns to that other gentleman instead of get ting back and following"
 No, sor, leg your pardon, sor; I was kaping me eyes open and on him i; for himsilf was in the observation car where you are now, sor, until we
 ome In, and thin he walked back, careless like, to his own car. Will I be afther following n. ?"
 Yes; don't lose him.
 They did not lose him; they both saw him enter the drawing room and almost immediately come out and sit down in one of the open sections.
 See if you can't find out from the conductor where he is going" the col onel proposed to Haley; and he frowned over his thoughts for bad quarter of an hour at the window The precipitate of all this mental fer ment was a determination to stick close to the boy, saying nothing. He hoped that when they stopped over night at Salt Lake City, according to Aunt Rebecca's plan, they might shake of the brothers" company. The day passed uneventfully. He played bridge with Mrs. Millicent and Miss Smith and Archie, while Aunt Rebecca kept up her French with one of BentzeE' s novels.
 Afterward she said grimly to him: 'I think you must have been convert ed out in the Philippines; you never so much as winced, that last hand i; no. you sat there smiling over your ruin as sweetly as If you enjoyed it.'
 The colonel smiled again. "Ah, but. you see, I did enjoy 1t; didn't you no tice the hand? No? Well, 1t was worth watching. It was the rubber game; they were 24 and we were 26. and we were on the seventh round ; Miss Smith had made it hearts. Shc sat on my left, dummy on my right, Millicent had the lead. She had four little spades, little club, the queen of hearts and a trey: dummy had the queen, the ten and the nine of spades it had the king of hearts and three clubs with the jack at the top. l had a lovely diamond suit which l hadn't had a chance to touch. top sequence, ace, king, queen; l had the jack of trumps and the jack of spades; and the queen and little club. l hadn't a lead, you understand; Millicent had taken five tricks and they had taken one; they needed six to win the game, we needed two; see? Well, Millicent hadn't any diamonds to lead me, and she didn't think to lead trumps through dummy which would have made world of difference. She led a club: dummy put on the jack. I knew Miss Smith had the ace and one low heart; no clubs, lot of low and she might or might not have a spade. I figured that she had the ace and little one; if she would trump in with the little one, as ninety nine out of a hundred women would have done, her ace and her partners king would fall together; or. at worst he would have to trump her diamond lead, after she had led out her king of spades, and lead spades, which l could trump and bring in all my dia' monds. Do you take in the situationY
 You mean that Janet had the king of spades alone. the ace and the little trump and four worthless diamonds? I see. It is a chance for the grand coup; I reckon she played it."
 "She did!" cried the colonel with unction. "She slapped that ace on the trick, she modestly led her king Of spades. gathered in my jack, then she stole my child away. my little jack of trumps; 1t fell on dnmmy's king, and dummy led out his spades and l had to see that whole diamond suit slaugh- tered They made their six tricks, the game and the rubber; and wanted to clap my hands over the neatness or it."
 "She is a good player" agreed Aunt Rebecca, "and a very pleasant person You remember the epitaph, don't you Bertie? She was so pleasant Yet Janet has had heap of trouble; but after all. happiness is not condition but temperament; suppose Jane has the temperament. She's gooc loser. too: and she never takes adyan. tage of the rules"
 "She certainly loves straight reflected the colonel. T con fess don't like the kind of woman that is always grabbing trick If some one plays out of the wrong hand"
 He said something of the kind to Millicent. obtaining but scant sympa- thy in that quarter. She's deep, Bertie; told you that was the only reply, but I'm watching. l have req son for my feeling"
 saAHn.hn r,nll have hepn miSinIormed,