The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-25
White Cat
Copyright. 1910. by Bohbs.
 Merrill Co.

a narrow road off the main street.
 'I waited an hour.'' he finished, ''be- fore she came. 1 dropped to sleep or would have gone without her. About half past 1 she came along, and gentleman with her. He put her in the cab, and I took her to the city. When I saw in the paper that lady had disappeared from Bellwood that night, I knew right off that it was my party"
 Would you know the man again?''
 'T would know his voice, I expect, sir. I could not see much. He wore slouch hat and had travelling bag of some kind.'
 What did he say to the woman?" I asked
 ''He didn't say much. Before he closed the door he said, You have put me in terrible position, or something like that From the travelling bag and all, 1 I thought perhaps it was an elope- ment, and the lady had decided to throw him down"
 Was it a young woman or an old | one," I asked again. This time the cabby's tone was assured. "Young." he asserted, "slim and , quick; dressed in black, with a black veil, Soft voice. She got out at Mar ket square. and I have an idea she took erosstown car there.'' ''I hardly think it was Miss Matt land" l said She was past sixty, and besides. I don't think she went that way Still, 1t is worth following up.2
 He fumbled in his pocket and after pocketbook and held it out to me. 1t was the small coin purse out of leather handbag.
 s.She dropped this in the cab, sir" he said. q took 1t home to the missus- not knowing what else to do with it. It contained only that bit of paper.'' opened the purse and took out small white card without engraving. On it was written in pencil the fig ares, "C 1122."
 When the cabman had gone I sat down and tried to think things out. Of the two stories the taxicab drivers was the more probable. as far as Miss Jane was concerned. Knowing her childlike nature. her tirnidity, her shrinking and shamefaeed fear of the dark, it was almost incredible that she would walk the three miles to Wynton voluntarily and from there lose herself in the city. Besides, such an explana- ton would not fit the blood stains or 1 the fact that she had gone, as far as we could find out, in her night clothes. Still, she had left the village that night, either by cab or on foot. If the 1 driver had been Correct in his time, however, the taxieab was almost elim- mated. He said the woman got into the cab at 1:30. It was between 80 and 1:45 when Margery heard the footsteps in the attic.
 think for. the first time it came to me, that day, that there was at least a possibility that Miss Jane had not been attacked, robbed and injured; that she had left home voluntarily, under stress of great excitement. But if she had, 1 why?
 was not proud of the part played. So far had blundered, 1t seemed to me. at every point where blunder was possible. [ had been a half hour too late to save Allan Fleming. I had 1 been up and awake, and Miss Jane had 1 got out of the house under my very nose Last and by no means least, I had waited thirty-f1ve years to find l the right woman, and when I found her some one else had won her. I was in the depths that day when Burton 1 came in.
 He walked into the office jauntily and put something on the desk in front
 sf me. It was a Russia leather bag.
 '"The leather bag!" he pointed proud ly. Tt was found in Boston
 It was not locked, and I got it open in a minute, As I had expected, it was empty.
 ''Then-perhaps Wardrop was telling the truth I exclaimed. By love. Burton, he was robbed by the woman in the cab, and he can't tell about her on account of Miss Fleming. She made haul, for certain" l I told him then of the two women who had left Bellwoed on the night of Miss JaneFs disappearance and showed him the purse and it's inelesure. The c puzzled him as it had me. Tt might be anything" he said as he gave it back, from book, chapter and verse In the Bible to prescription for rheu- rnatism at drug store. As to the lady in the cab, think perhaps you are right" he said. examining the interior
 of the bag, where Wardrop's name in
 Ink told it's story.
 How on earth did you get the bag?"
 asked.
 "It was a coincidence. There have
 been a shrewd lot of baggage thieves
 in two or three eastern cities lately, mostly Boston. The method, the po-
 lice say, was something like this-one I of them, the chief of the gang, would l get a wagon, dress like an express
 man, and go round the depots looking
 at baggage. He would make a mental
 note of the numbers, go away and
 forge check to match, and secure the
 pieces he had taken a fancy to. Then
 he merely drove around to headquar-
 ters, and the trunk was rifed. The
 police got on, raided the place and
 found, among others, our Russia leath- CT bag. It was shipped back, empty,