The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1909-03-26

can nature to perceive wide-open ear
and not put something worth hearing
into it, Besides, his sharp ears had
brought him key to the discourse, a
sorrowful remark of the sergeant's as
he entered: Eyes, sor, thin wather
torchures is terrible!"
He glanced suspiciously from one of
Haley's audience to the other. The
newspaper cartoonist had pictured on
all kinds of bodies of preying crea-
lures, whether of the earth or air, the
high brows, the round head, the deli
cate features, the thin cheeks, the
straight line of the mouth, and the
mild, inexpensive eyes Of the man be-
fore him. He had been extolled as a
far-sighted benefactor of the world,
and execrated picturesquely as the
king of pirates who would scuttle the
business of his country without a
qualm.
Winter, amid his own questionings
and problems, could not help a
scrutiny of a man whose power was
greater than that of medieval kings.
He sat consuming cigarette, more
between his fingers than his lips; and
glancing under dropping eyelids from
questioner to narrator. At the colonePs
entrance he looked up, as did Haley,
who rose to his feet with an uncon-
scious salute. I'D be glad to spake
wild youse a minnit, if / might, gen.
eral," said Haley, about where put
your dress-shute case, sor.'
The colonel, Of course, did not ex-
pect any remarks about suitcase
when he got Haley by himself at the
observation end of the car; but what
he did get was of sufficient import to
drive out of his mind curt lecture
about blackening the reputation of the
army with lies about the Philippines.
Haley had told him that he had seen
the man with the two moles on his
face jump out of his own car at Coun-
Gil Bluffs. He had simply stood on the
platform, looking to right and left for
a moment; then he had swung 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 drawing-room belonged to Edwin
s.. Keatcham, 'the big railroad man,
sor."
st doesn't seem likely that he would
be an accomplice of kidnaper,
unused the colonel 1.-THE man might
have gone in there while he was out. :
"Sure, he might, sor; twas mesilf
| thinking that same; and / whit be-
| yant to the observation car, and there
the ould gintleman was smoking"
| "And you stopped to tell yarns to
that other gentleman instead of get.
| ting back and following
mo. sor, beg your pardon, sor;
was kaping me eyes open and on him;
| for himsilf was in the observation car
where you are now, sor, until we
come in, and thin he walked back
careless like, to his own car. Will
| be afther following him?
"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 ind 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 "brother's'' company. The day
passed uneventfully. He played bridge
with Mrs Millicent and Miss Smith
and Archie. while Aunt Rebecca kept