Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1909-08-19

sips have acquired ground for
- many an uncharitable surmise.
Kirkwood. however, was so fortu-
nate as to gain the wicket before the
employee there awoke 10 the situation.
Otherwise, such is the temper of Brit
ish petty ofticialdom, he might have
detained the fugitive. AS it was,
Kirkwood surrendered his ticket and
ran out into the street With his luck
still q dominant factor in the race,
for, looking back. he saw that Mrs. Hal
lam had been held up at the gate, an
other victim of British red tape. Her
ticket read for Queensborough, she
was attempting to alight one station
farther dcwn the line. and, while I'M
doubtedly she was anxious to pay the
excess fare, heaven alone knew when
she would succeed in allaying the sus-
picions and resentment of the ticket
taker.
That's good for ten minutes start"
kirkWood croWed. And it never oc-
CURED to met"
Before the station he found two
hacks in waiting, with little to choose
between them. Neither was of Il type
that did not seem to advertise its pre-
Victorian fashioning, and to neither
was harneSsed an animal that deserved
anything but the epithet of screw.
KirkWood took the nearest for no 9TH
Ell reason than because it was the
nearest and All but startled the driver
off his box by Offering double fare for
Il brisk pace and Il simple service at
the end OF the ride. Succilctly he set
forth his wants, jumped into the anti
quated four wheeler and threw himself
down upon musty, dusty cushions to
hug himself oven the joke and bless
whatever English board of railway di-
tickets should be taken up at the end
instead of the outset of IL journey.
1t was promptly made manifest that
he had further cause for gratula-
ton. The cabby, recovering from his
amazement, was plying an indefatiga-
BILE whip and thereby eliciting Il degree
of speed from his superannuated nag
that his fare had by no means hoped
for, much less anticipated.
In a period of time surprisingly short
Kirkwood saw, from fleeing glimpses
of the scenery to be obtained through
the reeling windows, that they were
threading the outskirts Of the town.
Spontaneously, whether by design or
through actual inability to maintain it,
the speed was moderated, and in the
course of a few more minutes the cab
stopped definitely.
kirkwood clambered painfully out,
shook himself together and the bruises
out Of his bones and looked back.
Aside from a slowly settling cloud Of
dust, the road ran clear as far as he
could see-to the point, in fact, where
the town closed in about it.
He had won, at all events insomuch
as to win meant Guiding the persever-
ing Mrs. Hallam. But to what end?
Abstractedly he rendered his lonely
sovereign to the driver and without
even looking at it crammed the heavy
weight Of change into his pocket, an
oversight which not only won him the
aWestruck admiration of the cabby,
but entailed consequences Ct may be-
he little apprehended. 1t was with an
absentminded nod that he acquiesced
in the mans announcements that he
might arrange about the boat for him.
Accordingly the cabby disappeared,
and kirkwood continued to stare about
him eagerly. hopefully.
Ee stood on the brink of the Thames
estuary, there Il possible five miles
from shore to shore. From his feet
almost Il broad sIlimgle beach sloped
gently to the water.
On II hand Il diiapidated picket
fence inclosed the Gooryard of a fisher
mans cottage, OF. better, hovel-if it
need be accurately described-at the
door OF which the cabby was knocking.
Some little distance offshcre a fish
ing boat, cat rugged and not more than
twenty feet over all, swung bobbing
at her mooring. keen nose searching
into the wind, at sight of which Kirk
wood gave thanks, for his adventurous
guide had served him we'll, if that boat
were to be hired by any manner of
persuasion.
But it was to the farther reaches of
the estuary that he gave more prolong-
eel and most anxious heed, scanning
narrowly what shipping was there to
be seen. Far cut a liner was riding
the waves with serene contempt, MAX
ing for the rivers mouth and Tilbury
dock. But a single sailing vessel of
any notable tonnage was in sight, and
when he saw her Kirkwood's heart be-
came buoyant with hope, and he began
to tremble with nervous eagerness, for
he believed her to be the Alethea.
There's no m%istaking a ship brigan-
tine rugged for any other style of craft
that sails the seas.
Voices approaching brought him
back to shore. He turned, resuming
his mask of sanity, the better to con-
fer with the owner of the cottage and
boats, n heavy, keen eyed fellow, I'M
gracious and truculent of habit and
chary of his words, as he promptly
demonstrated.
"Ill hire your boat Kirkwood told