Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-25


after it.
Then the vague suspicious in his mind awoke into
activity For one thing, he had heard one of the
another the carried curious looking parcel,
case of elongated shape that suggested unusual
contents Some trick of memory came to his aid In
hotel at Lyons he had watched valet packing just such
object with the remainder of his employers luggage,
and told, inquiry, that it contained fos. But
why oils at four o'clock in the morning. in country
where might still requ1te an outrage by appeal to
the law of the jungle!
HASTILY drawing from his breast pocket the letter
lntrl1Sed to him, he examined the SuperSCrptOn.
It was addressed simply the Marquis of Scaand and
must surely be document of immense significance, or
the young Vscount would not have brought him all the
from London to act rather than lntruS
it to the post Each instant Dale ideas became clearer
each instant his heart throbbed with deeper anxiety
At last when the four wheeler disappeared from sight
round an angle of the rain soaked boulevard he yielded
to impulse and ran into the hotel. French people
early risers; but visitors to Calais that morning
astr at hour when most of the hotel staff were still
sound asleep. Mi ht porter, however, awaiting
him at the entrance, and Dale forthwith engaged in
valiant struggle with the French language in the effort
ascertain first, whether the possessed bicycle
and secondly whether he would lend it. The French
man. of course broke into vOluble statement out OF all
proportion to the demand; but the production of a
British sovereign seemed to interpret matters satisfac
tory, because bicycle was promptly produced from
shed in the of the building.
Dale handed the the sovereign jumped on the
machine, and rode off rapidly in the direction taken by
round which it had vanished but little farther on he
erred in thinking it had gone straight ahead, since
the driver had really turned to the right again order
to keep clear of the Notifications Dale Travelled at such
pace that the first long stretch of straight road opening
up before his eyes convinced him of his bnder when
cab was in sight. He raced back, dismounted at the
crossing examined the road for wheel marks, and soon
in the saddle again. He destined to be thus
bothered three times in ALL but, taught wisdom by his
initial mistake, he passed crossroad without
searching for the recent tracks of wheels.
The rain helped him wherever the roadway was mac
adamized; but the paved military roads with which
Calais abounds offered difficulties which caused many
minutes of delay At last he found himself in the open
country, scorchng along sandy road which raversed
the low dunes lying between the town of Calais and
Cap Griz Nez 1t easy to far ahead, owing
to the rain and mist, and he had covered mile
beyond the last of the scattered villas and cottages that
form the eastern suburb of the port when he the
elusive cab drawn up by the roadside The horse was
steamng as though it had been driven at great pace
and the driver stood near, smoking cigarette and pro-
tectng himself from the persistent downpour by an UNI
brella.
Dale soon reached the man. and said breathlessly in
his slow French, Where the gentlemen"
The cabman who had evidently been paid to hold his
tongue, merely shrugged.
Dale breathing hard laid heavy hand on his Shout
der, whereupon the other answered.
Il don't know.
This of course was le and the fact that it lie
alarmed Dale quite much any OF the sinister incl
dents that had already befalen. For thing there
each side of the road bleak sandhs; to the right
the sea, gray and lowering beneath leaden hued
sky that seemed to weep above dead earth. Here un
doubtedly the cab since
Dale could swear to both horse
and Where, then,