Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-06

From time to time the scarlet-faced
bartender would refill their glasses
with beer, but in all the full hour I
waited, the men who had been Stew
ems drinking companions scarcely
shifted their positions, nor did either
of them turn so that I could see his
face. They were men, l noticed, OF
much the same pattern; young men,
I thought, whose nondescript old
clothes covered bodies that drink had
not yet begun to weaken.
At the end of an hour got up in
disgust. l had had small hopes OF
learning anything really valuable, and
yet l was disappointed and vaguely
troubled; for not only had i learned
absolutely nothing, but there was a
very fair chance that l had been
watched, or at least recognized, and
that the people who had taken Nancy
away from me would know before
morning what methods was taking to
find her. paused at the door to give
one last glance about the grimy little
place. / had pushed back my chair
noisily, yet no one had taken the
trouble to watch my leave-taking. The
bartender was hopping spilled beer
with dirty rag. Some nondescript
was leaning against the bars farther
end; and the two men who had been
there since my coming still hunched
together like two dreary scarecrows.
Il left the door swing behind me, and
took long thankful breath of the
clean night air. Even Seventh avenue
seemed fresh and sweetly fragrant af-
ter the stale noisomeness that l had
left behind; so that I walked along
filling my lungs In grateful relief,
with the thankful anticipation of the
hot bath awaiting me.
What impulse it was that made me
turn around I can not say. We all
of us, I suppose, retain few primal
creature instincts. Man has been a
hunter for too few centuries to forget
the ages when he was hunted. AS I
turned, half the empty block. back I
saw two men swerve into the shadow
Of doorway At least it seemed to
me that my turning had so made them
swerve. And although I had got but
IA glimpse of them, and that a none
too well-lighted half block away, yet
thought recognized them as the COM
rades of the Reverend Mr.. Stevens.
If was being followed | determined
one. turned briskly at the first cor
ner in the direction of Sixth avenue,
and when had gone a little way,
stepped, myself into a convenient
shadow. AS I half expected, my two
men turned the corner after me, bud
evidently they were not to be fooled
into passing me- The street, as far as
they could see, was empty; but they
"a 10 W.
drunken companions saying an inter.
minable and garrulous good night. l
suppose that should have gone back
as the shadow shielded me, and then,
taking to my heels. ran at top speed
for Sixth avenue.
AS l turned into Sixth avenue l
heard the crescendo roar of the up
town elevated train behind me- It was
faint and still In the distance, but l
made the best Of my speed for the in
tervening block, and took the stairs
three at time. Even as bought my
ticket, the train hammered into the
station. 1t was the work of a second,
however, to drop the ticket in the box
and ensconce myself in the train. All
trains, find, are perverse; but ele-
waited trains are perversity personi.
fed If you approach them in a
leisurely manner, they slam their
gates in your face; If you are in a
hurry, they dawdle, gaping for tardy
arrival. AS soon as had taken my
seat, I peered out upon the platform.
1t seemed as If the train would never
start My two men came rushing up
the stairs and, think, omitted the
formality of either purchasing or de-
posting tickets. They rushed to the
gate of my car, but, suppose, must
have found it closed, for they turned
and | lost sight of them running to
the rear of the train Whether they
got on or not could not at the mo-
ment be sure. But was not to be
left long in doubt, for, as my train
skirted the park and drew into Fifty
ninth street, sodden face peered in
at the rear door of the car for a
moment, and wolfish eyes meeting
mine, was withdrawn as suddenly as
it came I had at first intended 60
ing far uptown and doubling back by
means of the subway; now, on a sud
den impulse, as the brakes went on
and we shuddered to standstill, l got
up quickly and made for the forward
door, squeezing through the partly
opened gate, half running, half falling,
down the long flight Of stairs.
What should have done, of course,
was to turn in at the first decently
lighted place came to. 1t was
through sheer stupidity that did not;
but it was not until the next day that
4 realized that already my address
was known, that my very keeping of
the rendezvous was an acknowledge
ment that l was "Mr. Tyler" of the
Hotel Gloria. Now, in the excitement
of flight and pursuit, foolishly over
looked this obvious conclusion.
was anxious not to be followed home,
and innocently supposed that l was
making this contest of speed and
wits; so, like silly hunted animal. I
ran east through tifty-ninth street,
lodging in and out of the groups of
belated negroes. who make this block
unpleasant at this hour, and cutting
across Columbus Circle, hesitated for
a moment at the subway entrance,
then plunged fatuously into Central
Tho ,,orI coomod IN mo OF fbo