Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1909-07-22

w~hereupon the latter, Sinking in I'M
abashed triumph, spat on the pave
ment at Kirkwood's feet, gathered I'D
the reins and wheeled out.
Restoring . shillings and a few
rat copper pennies to his pocket, he
entered the vast and echoing train
shed. In the act his attention was
attracted and Immediately rtveted by
the spectacle of a burly luggage navy
IN Il blue jumper in the act Of making
on with a large folding %signboard. of
which the surface was lettered ex-
pansively With the advice, in red
against a white background. "Boat
Train Leaves on Track g."
Excitedly Kirkwood touched the
mans arm with a OBTAINING hand.
Boat train" he gasped, pointing at
The board.
Left ten minutes ago, thank you,
sir"
well, but Of course l can get
another train at Tilbury?'
For Yer boat? No, sir. thank YOU,
sir. Won't be another tryne till morn
in, sir"
"Oh-h!"
-Aimlessly Kirkwood drifted away
his mind a blank.
Some time later he found himself on
the steps outside the station, trying to
stare out of co%untenance a glaring
electric mineral water advertisement
on the farther side Of the Euston road.
tie was stranded.
Distracted, he searched pocket after
pocket, locating his watch, cigar case
md cigarette case, matchbox, pen-
knife, all the minutiae of pocket hard
ware affected by civilized man, with
old letters, a cardcase, Il square en-
velope containing his steamer ticket,
but no sovereign purse. His small
change pocket held less than 3
shillings-two and eight, to be exact
and il brass key, which he failed to
recognize as one of his belongings.
And that was all. At some time dur
ing the night he had lost COR been cum
ningly bereft OFF, that little purse of
chamois skin containing the three gold
en- sovcreigns which he had beer hus-
banding to pay his steamer expenses
and which. if only he had them now,
would stand between him and starva-
ton and IL night in the streets. If
Brentwick We're only in town. But he
wasn't and wouldn't be within the
week.
NO good waiting here" he conclud-
cd. Composing his face, he re-entered
the station. There were his trunks. of
course. He couldn't leave them stand
ing on the station platform forever.
He found the luggage room and in
terNiewed Il mechanically courteous at
tendant. who. as the result of profound
de%liberation, advised him to try his
luck at the lost luggage room across
the station. He accepted the advice,
1t was Il %foregone conclusion that his
effects had not been conveyed to the
Tilbury dock. They could not have
been loaded into the luggage van With
out his personal supervision. Still. any
thing was liable to happen when his
unlucky star was in the ascendant.
He found them in the lost luggage
room.
A clerk helped him identify the arti-
cles and ultimately clucked with a per
functory note, "SiXpence each, please
.I-ah-pardon""
"SiXpence each, the fixed charge, sir.
For every tw%enty-four hours or frac-
ton thereof, siXpence per parcel"
"Oh, thank you so much" said Kirk.
wood sweetly. Il will call tomorrow
.yTnrv rnnI civ. ho,1- civ. ~
give times sixpence is two and Six
Kirkwood computed, making his way
hastily out of the station lest a worse
thing befall him. NO, bless your
heart-not while two and eight repre-
sents the sun total of my fortune"
He wandered out into the night. HI
could not linger round the station til
dawn, and what profit to him if he
did? Even We're he to ransom hh
trunks Il can scarcely change one':
clothing i'll a public waiting room.
Somewhere in the distance u grea
clock chimed a single stroke freightee
sore with melancholy. 1t knelled tl,
passing of the half hour after mid
night, a witching hour when ever;
pub!4t SIGtS up ltSuL anu SoIllelltt
i'll top hats and evening dress are
doomed to pace the pave till day
Daring they have homes or visibl,
means Of supporD-till day, wheI
paWnshops open II such personal Ell
fects as watches and hammered silye,
cigar cases may be hypothecated. VIVA
was he to do? An hour passed
Through this long hour Kirkwoo(
walked without a pause.
Another clock somewhere Changed
resonantly twice. The world was yer,
Still. And so, wandering foot loose ii
a wilderness of ways, turning aimless
ly, now right, now left, he found him
self in Frognall street.
kirkwood identined it with i star
and a guilty tremor. He stopped stool
still in an un%reaSoning state of semi
panic, arrested by a silly impulse tt
turn and fly. IS if the bobby whom h
deserted approaching him with meas
ured stride, pausing now and again t.
try a door or flash his bullseye dow
an area, were to be expected to iden
tjfv rho man rocpnncih1o for tho