The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-02-16

rsance for the istiletto was below the
heart, striking up! As Harrington
lay With his head toward the engine, a
person in the aisle must have used
the left hand" F
McKnight's eyes sought mine and
he winked ct me solemnly as I unos- |
tentatiously transferred the hat ! was
carrying to my right hand. Long |
training has largely counterbalanced
heredity in my case, but I still pitch |
| BALL. play tennis and carve with my
left hand. But Hotchkiss was too busy
with his theories to notice me.
We were only just in time for our
train back to Baltimore, but Nc
knight took advantage Of . seconds
delay to shake the station agent warm
ly BY the hand. Ak . a-l,
i II want to express my admiration
for you," he said beamingly. Ability
Of your order is thrown away here.
You should have been city police
man. my friend"
| The agent looked . trine uncertain.
4 "The young lady was the one who
J told m. to keep STILL" he said.
McKnigEt glanced at me, gave the
agents hand final shake, and
, climbed on board. But I knew per-
, fectly that he had guessed the reason
for my delay.
. He was very silent on the iay
. home. Hotchkiss, too. had little to
, say. He was reading over his notes
I intently, stopping now and then to
: make a penciled addition. Just be-
r fore we left the train Richey turned
to me. II suppose it was the key to
I" the door that she tied to the gate?"
1 Probably. did not ask her.
I Curious, her locking that fellow
/ in" he rejected.
"You may depend on it, there was a
q good reason for II all. And I wish
n you wouldn't be so suspicious of mo
tives, Rich," said warmly.
al "Only yesterday you were the sus
, picious one" he retorted, and We
4 lapsed into strained silence.
i It was late when we got to Wash
.. ington. One of Mrs. Klopton's small
70 tyrannies was exacting punctuality al
n meals, and, like several other things
,. II respected it. There are always
< some concessions that should be made
= in return for faithful service.
~ So. as my dinner hour of seven wal
long past, Mcknight and I went to
little restaurant downtown where the,
- have a very decent way of fixinl
y chicken a la King. Hotchkiss had dc
D. parted, economically bent, for SINAI
hotel where he lived on the America
y, plan.
III 81 want to think some things over,
w he said in response to my invitatio
to dinner, land, anyhow, there's n
,e use dining out when I pay the SAM
~ dinner or no dinner, where l am stol
~ ping"
jill The day had been hot, and the fir!
!. floor dining room was sultry in spit
Ii of the palms and fans which attempte
to simulate the verdure and breeze
~ of the country.
It was crowded, too, with typic
- summer night crowd, and, after s.
ting for a few minutes in swelte
ing corner, we got up and went to II
ao smaller dining room upstairs. Here
y. was not so warm, and we settled OF
~ selves comfortably by window.
W Over in a corner half dozen DO
'e' on their way back to school were ra
ging a perspiring waiter, procec
90 ing so exactly to Meningitis tas
~ that he insisted on going over to jo
~ them. But their table was full, Al
!" somehow that kind of fun had lost
point for me.
nv Not far from us a very stout, m
iel dle-aged man, apoplectic with
~ heat, was elephantinely jolly for t
70 benefit of a bored-looking girl aero
..n the table from him. and at the nc
Die table a newspaper woman ate aloI
~ the last edition propped against t
~ water bottle before her, her hat,
w GOODNESS, on the corner of the tab
eIS II. was a motley Bohemian crowd.
looked over tho room casual
N. while Mcknight ordered the me
Then my attention was attracted
lie the table next to ours. Two peo
,ost were sitting there, SO deep in cow
on sation that they did not notice
The woman's face was hidden uni
49,, her hat, as she traced the pattern
go the cloth mechanically with her 10
But the mans features stood out ca
in the light of the candles on
table 1t was Bronson!
He shows the strain, doesn't h
Mcknight said, holding up the W
,ere list as if he read from it. who's
10 woman?"
tbe Search me-" replied, in the sa
all way.
When the chicken came, l s
ing found myself gazing now and then
if the distracted couple near me. l
no IDENTIFY the subject Of conversation
ura unpleasant. ~-3ronson was eating
, he tie, the woman not at all. Finally
hen got up, pushed his chair back nois
~ thrust a bill at the waiter and stall
+ he out.
and The woman sat still for a nome
his then, with an apparent resolution