Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1910-09-24
CHAPTER lV-Continued.

SOME one was on the floor at our
feet. face down, head peering under
the berth. Now he got up without
apology, revealing the man who had
summoned the conductor. He was
dusty, alert, cheerful, and he dragged
up with him the dead mans suitcase.
The sight OF it brought back to me at
once my own predicament.
Il don't know whether there's any
connection or not, conductor" said,
but am victim, too, in less degree;
I've been robbed of everything / pos
sesS. except red and yellow bath
roSA happened to be wearing the
bathrobe. which was probably the
reason the thief overlooked It."
There was a fresh murmur in the
crowd. Somebody laughed nervously.
The conductor was irritated.
Il can't bother with that now" he
snRr1ed. The railroad company is
Responsible for transportation, not for
clothes. jewelry and morals. If peo-
pie want to be stabbed and robbed in
the company's cars, it's their affair.
Why didn't you sleep in your clothes?
l do"
took an angry step forward Then
somebody touched my arm, and | I'M
olenched my fist. / could understand
the conductors position, and beside,
I'm the law. had been guilty myself
of contributory negligence.
I'm not trying to make you re-
sponsible." l protested. as amiably as
! could. "and believe the clothes the
thief left are as good as my own. They
are certainly newer. But my valise
contained valuable papers. and it is to
your interest as well as mine to find
the man who stole it,
WHY. of course" the doctor said
shreN3ly. "Find the man who skipped
out with this gentlemans clothes, and
you've probably got the murderer"
Il went to bed in lower nine" l
said. my mind full again of my lost
papers, "and / Weakened in number
seven. l was up in the night prowl-
ing around, as l was unable to sleep,
and I must have gone back to the
wrong berth. Anyhow, until the por-
ter wakened me this morning l knew
nothing of my mistake. In the inter
val the thief-murderer, too, perhaps
must have come back, discovered
my error, and taken advantage of it
to further his escape"
The inquisitive man looked at me
from between narrowed eyelids, fer
ret-like.
did anyone on the train suspect
you of having valuable papers?" he
inquired The crowd was listening in
tentIy.
mo one" l answered promptly and
positively
The doctor was investigating the
murdered mans effects. The pockets
of his trousers contained the usual
miscellany of keys and small change,
while lin his hip pocket was found
small pearlhandled revolver of the
type women usually keep around. A
gold watch with Masonic charm had
slid down between the mattress and
the window, while a snowy diamond
stud was still fastened in the bosom
Of his shirt. Taken as a whole, the
personal belongings were those of a
particular degree of breeding. The
docsfr heaped them together
either robbery was not the mo-
tive" he reflected, cor the thief over
looked these things in his hurry"
The latter hypothesis seemed the
more tenable, when, after a thorough
search, we found no pocketbook and
less than dollar in small change.
The suitcase gave no clew. 1t con-
tanned one empty leather-covered flask
and pint bottle, also empty, change
of linen and some collars with the
laundry mark, S. III. In the leather
tag on the handle was a card with the
name Simon Harrington, Pittsburg.
The conductor sat down on my un-
made berth, across, and made an en-,
try Of the name and address. Then,
on en- old envelope, he wrote a few
words and gave 1t to the porter, who
disappeared.
81 guess that's all can do" he
said. T've had enough trouble this
trip to last for year. They don't
need a conductor on these trains any
more; what they ought to have is a
sheriff and a posse"
The porter from the next car came
in and whispered to him. The con-
ductor rose unhappily.
Next cars caught the disease" he
grumbled. Doctor, a woman back
there has got humps or bubonic
plague, OF something. Will you come
back"