The Huttig news., 1910-07-02

necessity. 1 had always held that a man who played the spy on a woman was beneath contempt. Then. l admit l was afraid of what I right learn. For time, however, this praraised to be a negligible quantity Tie streets of the struggling little mountain ton had been clean washed of humanity ! by the downpour. Windows and doors were inhospitably shut and from around an occasional drawn shade came narrow strips of light that mere ly emphasized our gloom. When Hotch- kiss umbrella turned inside out, stopped.
 ''I don't know where you are going" :" l snarled. and I don't care. But I'm going to get under cover inside of ten seconds. I'm not amphibious
 I ducked into the next shelter which happened to be the yawning en- trance to livery stable. and shook myself, dog fashion. Hotchkiss wiped his collar with his handkerchief. It emerged gleaming and unwilted.
 'This will do as well as any place" he said, raising his voice above the rattle of the rain "Got to make a be- ginning"
 | I sat down on the usual chair with ont a back, just inside the door, and stared out at the darkening street The whole affair had an air of unreal ity Now that I was there I doubted the necessity or the value of the jour ney. I was wet and uncomfortable Around me. with Cresson as a center. stretched an irregular circumference of mountain, with possibly ten-mile radius, and in it I was to find the res- idence of a woman whose first name 1 did not know and a man who so far, had been purely ehimerical per son.
 Hotehkiss had penetrated the steam ing interior of the cave and now his voice. punctuated by the occasional thud of horses hoofs. came to me
 Something light will do,' he was saying. "A runabout. perhaps He came forward rubbing his hands, fol- lowed by thin man in overalls. "Mr. Peck says" he began@"this is Mr. Peck of Peck & Peck-says that the place we are looking for is about seven miles from the town. It's clear ing, isn't it?"
 It is not" l returned, savagely. And we don't want a runabont. MT Peck What We require Is an hermet- ically sealed diving suit I suppose there isn't a machine to be had ?" MT Peck gazed at me in silence: machine to him meant other things than mo tors. Automobile" I supplemented. l His face cleared.
 None but private affairs. I can give you a good buggy with rubber apron. Mike, is the doctors horse in?"
 I am still uncertain as to whether the rawboned roan we took out that night over the mountains was the doc tors horse or not If it was, the doc tor may be a good doctor, but he doesn't know anything about horse And furthermore. I hope he didn't need the beast that miserable evening
 While they harnessed the horse Hotchkiss told me what he had learned
 "Six Curtises in the town and vi- cinity." he said. Sort of family name around here. One of them is telegraph operator at the station. Person we are looking for is-was-a wealthy widow with a brother-named Sulli- van, Both supposed to have been killed on the Flier."
 Her brother" I repeated. stupidly
 "You sec" Hotchkiss went on. three people. in one party. took the train here that night, Miss West, Mrs Curtis and Sullivan. The two women had the drawing room. Sullivan had lower seven. What we want to find out is just who these people were, where they came from, if Bronson knew them, and how Miss West be- came entangled with them. She may have married Sullivan, for one thing"
 fell into gloom after that. The roan was led unwillingly into the weather. Hotchkiss and l eclipsed be- hind the blanket. The liveryman stood in the doorway and called directions to us. You can't miss it. he finished. Got the name over the gate anyhow, The Iaurels.' The servants are still 1 there: leastways, we didn't bring them down. He even took a step into the rain as Hotchkiss picked up the lines If you're going to settle the estate he bawled, don't forget us, Peck & Peck A half-bushel of name and a bushel of service"
 Hotehkiss could not drive. Born a clerk, he guided the roan much as he would drive bad pen. And the roan spattered through puddles and splashed ink-mud. that is-until was in frenzy of irritation.
 What are we going to say when we get there?" I asked after I had finally taken the reins in my one useful band Get out there at midnight and tell the servants we have come to ask few questions about the family? It's an idiotic trip anyhow; I wish I had staved at home"
 The roan fell just then and we had to crawl out and help him up, By the time we had partly unharnessed him our matches were gone and the small [ h;ovcfa la11n nm tho hugpv wor tra