Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-02-26
ON THE BOSTON
EXPRESS
An Assignment That Pro.
duced Unexpected Results.
BY EDITH J. HUBERT.

Wentworth paused in the doorway
and glanced carelessly 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 49,
"All right" said Wentworth, taking
possession.
After his belongings had been fin
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 land no sign of her yet, for
which fact the lady has my heartfelt
gratitude.
MY, won't Collins be in a deuce
Of funk. though! He seems TO be un
commonly keen over the affair. III
see what he says again And, FUN
bling in his pocket, lie produced crum
Piled slip of paper.
Smoothing it out. he read half audi
| bly,: "Look out for Annette Rlain 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
ner, dresses well, but plainly Get an
interview with her and find out all she
knows about the case. Don't let this
slip. Should be a beat Other papers
not on
'Nice thing to foist on man just
| starting on vacation grumDled
Wentworth. Anyway I've been
med-and there's no such person in
sight. That lets me out. and-Jove"
The porter had come back, followed
by heavily yelled young woman in a
long dark blue travelling coat. AS she
sank YEARLY into the seat opposite No
l3 warning shrek came from the
great engine, and the train puffed slow
~ out OF the StatlOH.
Wentworth eyed her furtively. while
the porter punctiliously arranged her
luggage in the rack.
my victim undoubtedly" he solilo-
quized. "Poor child! l wonder II she
thinks that covering her face with Il
Is good way to escape notice. How
had l 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 it, too.
and I've really nothing to 80 by. Con
found that veil!'
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-
part. He felt instinctively that it
would not be advisable even to make
any suggestions concerning the win
| dow or the chair. He resumed his scat
| 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 it difficult
to suppress IN exclamation of amaze
nent she WAS SO like and yet SO I'M
| ike Collins terse description of the
| fugitive witness. Slender she certain
| ~ was. trvcnty-two she might be, al
| though sixteen would seem nearer the
| truth. and her manner WIS undoubtCd
| " timitl but surely the phrase brown
| hair" conveyed no adequate conception
of those ripr!ing, god tleck@d chestnut
waves that swept away from her
broad white brow ana were gathered
in loose coil at the nHpe Of her neck
Surely the man who had told Collins
about her gray or blue eyes" never
had picked violetS diamondcd with the
dew of an early May morning. surely
no one but Il brute could endure the
thought of the delicate pink of those
softly rounded cheeks deepening to
scarlet and those eXquisitely curved
lips quivering under the pitiless fire Of
cross questioning from half dozen
lawyers regarding the hideous details
Of the Brent murder case
Her testimony was not essential.
The case of the state was sufficiently
strong without it. Justice would lose
nothing by her absence. Her fight
was not only entirely honorable-it
was a sacred duty she owed herself
and her family.
Fortunately she was safe enough
now. Soon after passing the next sta
ton they would cross the line into Con-
necticut, and there would be no ques-
ton Of further pursuit. If only she
were shade more approachable he
was sure he could give her some valu-
able advice in the matter.
At this point in his reflections the
train came to full stop. "Why. we're
there already" he muttered, glancing
out Of the window, and then inv5lun-
tarily he smiled alphabetically at the
girl.
She, however, did not seem to be at
all in q mood to receive congratula.
lions. She was very pale, her lips were