The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-08-15
THE FATAL
|[A|[U|[H BLY, /
BY CHARLES GARVlCE.
Copyright, 1909, by George II. Doran
Company.)
CHAPTER WI.
Enter Mister Smivvers.

Extremely uncOm1OrtdDle, DOJn Ill
mind and body. Ronald, after leaving
the mill, made his way across the
moor There is nothing so wettlnS
as mist, Scotch or English his
iignt oyercoat was not waterproof,
and he felt damp and chilly.
After walking for mile or two,
he struck upon the track again, and,
quickening his pace, left the moor,
! and entered the little town towar-s
which he had iouneyed by SO de-
,ious and eyentful way. The train
he had hoped to catch had gone an
hour ago but while he was stand.
ing oil the platform, wondering
whether he should look ouc for a
bed or continue his tramp, a goods
train came numbering into the sta
ton.
Where are you going" he asked
the guard, as the man stepped out
and stretched himself.
He replie1. London" and looked
somewhat surprised when Ronald, III
his free and easy way, proposed to
go with him. The guard hesitated
for moment or two; but most men
found it difficult to refuse Ronald
Desborough anything, and with an
''(lh II 81 bn hi.,
towards the van.
Ronald took the hint and got in
there were some empty sacks in
the corner, and he sank on to them,
and, after a short chat with the
guard, fell asleep He slept so
soundly that he was scarcely con
sclous of the various shuntings am
stoppings of the train but pres.
entity he was aware, in a dim fash.
ion, that there was another person
in the van beside himself and ,fc
guard; he did not open mis- eyes, Dut
with little shiver. for he was feel
ing cold, turned over, and fell more
soundy asleep. He was awakened
by the sunlight streaming through
the window full on his face. and,
sitting up, was that some one had
covered him with coat, he looked
round, and met the gaze of a man
who was seated with his back to
the side of the van.
He was a young man, with a
shrewd face and blue eyes, which
twinkled with a sense of humor ton.
ed by the intense gravity with which
he regarded Ronald. The man was
not dressed as laborer. he was eyi.
IDENTIFY not a NAVY on the line, and
there was something about his ap-
pearance which made ii difficult fof
Ronald to place him; he would have
looked like a clerk out of n berth
for he wore a dark lounge jacket
but, in place of collar, was a
dingy blue scarf with white spots
and no clerk, even in the last ex-
tremity, would be minus a collar of
some sort; both the coat and the
trousers We're old and frayed, and
the soles of his boots, presented un-
ashamedly to Ronald's Craze, were
in holes Ronald knew that the
seedy overcoat, which had slipped
from him when he rose belonged
to the man. who still continued to
regard him with uuizzing gravity.
and Ronald said:
This is your coat? It was aw-
fully kind of you TO put it over
me"
Don't mention it, sir" said the
man, with a strong Cockney accent,
and shifting his extremely short
clay cutty to the corner of his
mouth. You look cold, as the
man said when he put the oyster in
The oven; so | just chucked it over
you, sir"
Ronald threw him the coat, with
a repeated thanks, and, stretching
himself looked out of the window.
Are We near London, guard?" he
asked
Pretty night, sir replied the
guard; close on Nine Elms. shall
pull up on a siding there, and I'm
I T..;l -, - -. - -.