The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1910-11-09
r ROBERTS RNEFfART

said. Il thought you were going home
to go to bed"
so / was. SO I was" He dropped
into a chair beside my reading lamp
and mopped his face And here II IS
almost midnight and I'm wider awake
than ever I've seen Sullivan, Mr.
Blakeley."
You have"
Il have" he said. impressively.
you were following Bronson at
eight o'clock. Was that when II hap
pened?"
Something Of the sort. When left
you at the door of the restaurant l
turned and almost ran into a plain
clothes man from the central Office.
I know him pretty we'll: once or twice
he has taken me with him on interest
ing bits of work. He knows my hobby.
You know him. too. probably. 1t
was the man Arnold. the detective
whom the states attorney has had
watching Bronson"
johnson being otherwise occupied,
I had asked for Arnold myself
nodded.
We'll. he stopped me at once: said
he'd been on the fellows tracks since
early morning and had had no time
for luncheon. Bronson. It seems. isn't
eating much these days. I at once
jotted down the fact. because it ar
gued that he was being bothered by
tho MON with tho pofoc
1t might point to other things" l
suggested. indigestion. you know"
Hotchkiss ignored me. well. Ar.
mold had some reason for thinking
that Bronson would try to give him
the slip that night. sO'he asked me to
stay around the private entrance there
while he ran across the street and
get something to eat. 1t seemed a fair
presumption that. as he had gone
there with lady they would dine lei
surely and Arnold would have plenty
of time to get back"
What about your own dinner?" I
asked. curiously.
Sir" lie said. pompously. Il have
given you a wrong estimate of Wilson
Budd Hotchkiss if you think that a
question OF dinner would even obtrude
itself on his mind at such a time as
this"
He was a frail little man and to-
night he looked pale with heat and
over-exertion.
Did you have any luncheon" I
asked.
He was somewhat embarrassed at
that
'I-really. Mr.. Blakeley. the events
of the day were SO engrossing-"
Well" / said. I'm not going to see
you drop on the floor from exhaus-
ton. Just wait a minute"
went back to the pantry. only to
be confronted with rows of locked
doors ard empty dishes. Downstairs.
in the basement kitchen. however. I
found two unattractive looking cold
chops. some dry bread and a piece of
cake. wrapped in a napkin. and from
its surreptitious and generally hang
dog appearance destined for the coach
man in the stable at the rear. Trays
there were Eone-everything but the
chairs and tables seemed under lock
and key and there was neither napkin.
knife nor fork to be found.
The luncheon was not attractive in
appearance. but Hotchkiss ate his cold
chops and gnawed at his crusts as
though he had been famished. while
he told his story
Il had been there only a few min
uteS." he said, with a chop in one
hand and the cake in the other, when
Bronson rushed out and cut across the
street. He's tall man. Mr.. Blake
ley, and l had hard work keeping
close. 1t was relief when he jumped
on passing car, although being we'll
behind. it was hard run for me to
catch him. He had left the lady.
Once on the car. We simply rode
from one end of the line to the other
and back again. ! suppose he was
passing the time. for he looked at
his watch row and then and when l
did once get look at his face il made
me-er-uncomforta He could
have crushed me like a fly. sir
l had brought Mr.. Hotchkiss a glass
of wine and ne was looking better
He stopped to finish it. declining with
a wave of his hand to have it refilled.
and continued:
About nine o'clock or a little later
he got Off somewhere near Washing