Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-02-09
CHAPTER I.
.HE boy sat up and rubbed his

G sore and little chilly. There
was no man. servant arrang-
ing his bath and clothes no pleasant
smell of coffee-none of the small lux
uries to which he was accustomed. On
the contrary, he had slept all night
upon u bed LOT brackcu with no other
covering than the stiff pine needles
from the tall black trees, whose
strange. rustling music had lulled him
to sleep.
He sat up and remembered sudden
ly where he was and how he had come
there. He yawned and was on the
point of struggling to his feet when
he became aware Of certain changed
conditions in his surroundings. Some
instinct of simple curiosity perhaps,
but of far reaching effect. led him to
crawl back into his hiding place and
watch.
Last night two things alone, after
many hours of painful walking. had
impressed themselves upon his con-
sciousness-the dark. illimitabie forest
and the double line of rails which With
the absolute straightness of exact sci
ence had stretched behind and in front
till the treetOps in the far distance had
seemed to touch and the rails them
selves to vanish into the black heart of
the close growing pines. For miles he
had limped along the painfully rough
track without seeing the slightest sign
of any break In the woods or any hui
man being. At last the desire for
sleep had overtaken him. He was a
hardy young Englishman, and a night
out of doors in the middle of June
under these odorous pines presented it
self merely as not disagreeab'e adj
venture. Five minutes after the iGea
had occurred to him he was asleep.
And now in the gray morning he
looked out upon a different scene.
Scarcely dozen yards from him stood
a single travelling coacn of dark green,
drawn by heavy engine. At inter
walls Of scarcely twenty PAGES UP and
down the line as far as he could see
soldiers were stationed like scntries.
They were looking sharply about in all
directions, and he could even hea" the
footsteps of others crashing through
the wood. From the train three or
four men in long cloaks had already
descended. They were standing in the
track talking together.
The young man behind the bracken
felt himself in somewhat of a diem
ma. There was a delightful smell of
fresh coffee from the waiting coach,
and there seemed to be not the slight
est reason why lie should not emerge
from his hiding place and claim the
%t,< II
quite harmless person, with proper ere
dentials and an adequate explanation
of his presence there. On the other
hand, the spirit of adventure natural
to his years strongly prompted him to
remain where he was and watch. He
felt certain that something was going
to happen. Besides, those soldiers had
exactly the air Of looking for some
body to shoot.
While he was hesitating something
did happen. There was q shrill wh;s-
tie. a puff of white smoke in the dis
lance, and another train approached
from the opposite direction.
1t drew up within n few feet of the
one which was already waiting. Al
most Immediately half a dozen men.
who were already standing upon tie
platform of the car, descended. One
OF these approached rapidly and salut-
ed the central figure of those who had
been talking together in the track
After a few moments conversation
these two, followed by one other man
only who was carrying a writing port
folio, assembled the platform of the
train which had arrived first and dis
appeared inside.
The young man who was watching
these proceedings yawned.
mo duel. them" he muttered to him.
self. 1--WE half a mind to go out"
Then he caught sight of particularly
fierce looking soldier with his finger
already upon the trigger of his gun,
and he decided to remain where he
was.
In about half an hour the two men
reappeared on the platform of the car.
Spontaneously the window of the car
Rage in which they had been sitting
was opened. and the third man was
visible. standing before small table
and arranging some papers. Suddenly
he was called from outside. He thrust
his hat upon the papers and hastened
to obey the summons.
A little gust Of breeze from the open
ing and closing of the door detached
one of the sheets of paper from the re-
straining weight of the hat. 1t flut-
tered out of the window and lay for q