Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-05-08

condition. NY draggled condition. should
say, for he improved every moment-his
eyes brighter. his ruddy face ruddier, his
collar newer and glosser. Sometime, when
it does not encircle the little mans neck,
1 shall test that collar with a match
was growing steadily more depressed:
! losthed my errand and its necessity.
had always held that a man who played
the spy on a woman was beneath con-
tempt Then, 1 admit l was afraid of what
l might learn. For a time, however this
promised 10 be a negligible quantity. The
streets Of the struggling little mountain
town had been clean-washed Of humanity
by the downpour. Windows and doors
were inhospitsbly shut. and from around
an occasional drawn shade came narrow
strips Of light that merely emphasized our
gloom. When Hotchkiss's umbrella turned
inside out, l stopped.
Il don't know where you are going"
I snsrled. and I don't care But I'm
going TO get under cover inside Of ten
seconds. I'm not amphibious."
l ducked into the next shelter. which
happened to be the yswning entrance 10 a
livery stable, and shook myself dog fash
ion. Hotchkiss wiped his collar with his
handkerchief 1t emerged cleaning and
Unvilted.
This will DO as well as any place" he
said, raising his voice above the rattle of
the rain. Got to make a beginning"
/ sat down on the usual chair without
& back. Just inside the door and stared
out at the dArkening street The whole
affair had an air Of unreality. Now that
l was there, 1 doubted the necessity, or the
value. Of the journey. ! vas wet and IN
comfortable Around me. with Cresson as
a center, stretched an irregular circumfer-
ence Of mountains with possibly q ten
mile radius, and I'm il l was 10 find a resi-
dence Of woman whose first name l did
not know, and q man who. 50 far. had
been a purely chimerical person.
Hotchkiss had penetrated the streaming
Interior OF the cave. and now his voice.
punctuated by the occasional thud of
horses hoofs. came tn me.
Something light will DO" he was say
ing. "A runabout perhaps" He came
forward rubbing his hands. followed by a
thin man in overalls Mr.. Peck says" ne
bcgsn-'this is Mr.. Peck Of Peck a Peck
says the place we are looking for is
about seven miles from the town. It's
clearing, isn't it2'
1T IS not" / returned ssvaEelv. And
we don't want a runabout Mr.. Pek.
W nat We require is a neTerneLCalIE sealed
diving suit I suppose there isn't ma
chine TO be had?' Mr. Peck gazed AT me
in silence: machine 10 him meant other
things than motors. Automobile" ] sup
plemented. His face cleared
None but private affairs. ! can give
you a good buggy with a rubber apron.
Mike, Is the doctors horse in?''
I am still uncertain as 10 whether the
raw-boned roam we took out that night
over the mountains was the doctors horse
or not If II was. the doctor may be a
about horse. And furthermore, hope
he didn't need the beast that misera BILE
evening.
While they harnesssd the horse. Hotch-
kiss told ne what he had learned.
six Curtises in the town and vicinity "
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 q brother
named sullivan Both supposed 20 have
been killed on the Flier"
Her brother I repeated stupidity
You see" Hotehkiss went on three
that night. Miss West Mrs. Curtis and
sullivan. The tWo women had the drawing
room. sullivan had lower seven What VIC
want 20 find OUT is just who those people
were. where they came from, II Bronson
knew them and how Miss West became
entsngiad with them. she may have mar
ried sullivan. for one thing"
] fell into gloom after that. The roam