The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-08-08

woman was playing him. She nodded
another goodby to him from the win
dow. and he turned just before they
lost sight of each other and threw her
kiss From the moment of his de-
parture her face took on troubled
look, but 1t was nothing compared with
the agonized expression that came over
it when her glance lighted on me- The
start she gave led the to believe that.
having seen me at the hotel and being
constantly hunted. she had at once as
sumed that | was after her. At any
rate | did not believe that she had
been warned against me. though as to
this was by no means certain.
/ was sorry to be the cause Of so
much dread In an attractive girl who.
for all surely knew to the contrary.
might be perfectly innocent of any
wrongdoing. But remembered how
deceptive criminals are, what nerve
they have, and was puzzled to under
stand why this one gave herself away
so plainly at the sight of detective.
Perhaps it was this that affected me.
Not that had much pity. The $4,000
was to receive for her capture coun-
teracted that But somehow every
once in awhile it came over me that
something was wrong in the case, and.
remembering that my chief had taken
it from private parties. doubts would
constantly be coming up as to whether
| was on a profitable hunt or whether
I would catch a tarter
However, / resolved to remain on
the train till and the woman reached
Philadelphia, and from Pittsburgh tele-
graphed the chief to have some one in
that city to shadow the lady to her
stopping place. for it was plain that it
would not do for me to follow her.
Meanwhile on the way, fearing she
would elude me by getting off the
train, never let her out of my sight
moment. In fact. l did not close my
eyes during the night of the journey.
The $4,000 I was to earn was quite
enough to keep them open.
Our train should have reached Phil
delay had thrown us three hours be-
hind time. Between two cities at the
eastern part of our journey the train
made no stop for more than an hour.
We were running very fast to make
up time. and. not being able to think
of any way Miss Vane could get off
the train. even if she wished to, and
l being very sleepy after my nights
vigil, permitted myself to drop into
doZe.
From a doZe l must have sunk to
sleep, for when l awoke forty min
utes had elapsed. Naturally | looked
to make sure my quarry was still
present.
She was not in the car.
| went at once to the saloon and
tried the door. 1t was unlocked. No
one was within. l went through the
corner. Miss Vane was not to be
found | asked the conductor If we
had made any stop during the period
| had been asleep. He replied in the
negative
shuddered. The woman. driven to
despair. must have jumped off the
train
That was the last l saw of Miss
Vane. at least for more than year.
watched the newspapers with a
view to finding information of a body
of a woman having been found on
the line of the railroad | had travelled
on but never saw any such mention
l did not stop at Philadelphia. going
right on to New York. where re-
ported the strange case to my chief
He was very cool to me. blaming me
for having gone to sleep and saying
that the train had doubtless slowed
up going through town and the wo-
man had jumped off.
Some fourteen months after this
mysterious disappearance | saw no.
tice in the society columns Of a news
paper that Henry Gregory of Chicago
would the next day marry Miss Edith
Vinton. a New York heiress. Curiosi
ty led me to the church where the
ceremony was performed. and who
should the bride be but my quarry
was not long in getting an explana-
ton The party who had given us the
case was an uncle of the lady. He
had succeeded in having her placed in
| a retreat as feeble minded in order to
retain possession of her fortune. be
being the administrator of her estate
She had escaped and in order to dodge
those he employed to catch her had
passed under various names. The chief
was deceived in the premises by the
administrator taking the case without
the proper infOrma ton
AS to the lady's disappearance from
the train. it was done in this wise:
Passing through town. our train
steamed at good rate Of speed be-
side another going the same way
Miss Vinton. confident that was after
her to return her to the retreat she
dreaded. went to the rear door Of the
car without being observed and passed
ont on t0 fho nIatforn Ar tho mn