The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1912-04-05
ON THE BOSTON
EXPRESS
An Assignment That Pro-
duced Unexpected Results.
BY EDITH J. HUBERT.

Wentworth paused In the doorway
and glanced careiessly over the car.
Then he turned to the porter with an
involuntarily sigh Of relief.
EITHER Of these two vacant seats
will do" he said
The porter consulted his book.
mo. II is engaged, sab but you can
have H."
"All right" said Wentworth. taking
possession.
After his belongings had been I'm
gered for the conventional length OF
time and the dusky official had re-
treated Wentworth looked at his
watch.
Five minutes to starting time" he
| murmured. and no sign of her yet, for
which fact the lady has my heartfelt
gratitude.
my, won't Collins be in deuce
Of funk. thought He seems to be I'M
commonly keen over the affair. I'll
see what he says again" And, fun
bling In his pocket, he produced crum-
pied slip Of paper.
Smoothing 1t out. he read half audi
bly,: Look out for Annette Blatn on
Boston express. She has wind of the
/ states intention to call her as wit
ness In the Brent murder trial and Is
going to cross the border. Is about
! twenty-five and slender, with brown
hair and gray or blue eyes, timid man.
all Arr& r.la fr,1v or n
| interview with her and find out all she
knows about the case. Don't let this
slip. Should be beat Other papers
| not on"
Nice thing to foist on man Just
! starting on a vacation" grumbled
Wentworth. Anyway I've been
through all the cars-they're all jam
med-and there's no such person In
sight. That lets me out and-Jove!'
The porter had come back, followed
| by a heavily yelled young woman in a
long dark blue travelling coat AS she
sank YEARLY into the seat opposite No
10 a warning shrek came from the
great engine, and the train pulled slow
ly out OF the station
Wentworth eyed her furtively, while
the porter punctiliously arranged her
luggage In the rack.
MY victim undoubtedly" he solilo-
quized Poor child! | wonder II she
thinks that covering her face with a
thick veil when the thermometer is SO
is a good way to escape notice How
had best open up the attack? Moral
certainty all's very well, but I'm afraid
mine would become shaky If she should
deny her identity. There's something
about the poise OF her head that indi-
Gates she'd have the nerve to do 1t, too.
and I've really nothing to go by. Con
found that veilr'
At this point a small leather hand
bag obligingly slid off the newcomers
lap, and Wentworth promptly present
ed it TO her with his best bow.
THANK you." she murmured politely.
but in a tone that distinctly discourag-
ed any attempt at conversation on his
part. He felt instinctively that 1t
would not be advisable even to make
any suggestions concerning the win
dow or the chair. He resumed his seat
and sulkily regarded the flying land
scape for several minutes.
When he turned again, his vis-a-vis
had thrown back her veil. As he look
ed at her Wentworth found 1t difficult
to suppress an exclamation of amaze
ment. She was so Ike and yet so I'M
ike Collins terse description Of the
fugitive witness. Slender she certain
ly was, twenty-five she might be, al
though sixteen would seem nearer the
truth. and her manner was undoubted-
ly timid But surely the phrase brown
hair" conveyed no adequate conception
Of those ripping, gold hecked chestnut
waves that swept away from her
broad white brow and were gathered
In a loose coil at the nape Of her neck
Surely the man who had told Collins