Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-13
The Daily Story
A DIPLONdATIVE EPISoDE-BY HUDSON E. EASTON
Copyrighted. by ed Literary

compartment who seemed TO be i'll.
leaning her head back on the cushion
and closing her eyes. At the first stop.
after her entrance she said, evidently
with effort. to Coleman:
Would monsieur be so good as TO
so into the station and bring me a
glass OF water? am suffering with a
burning thirst"
Certainly" replied Coleman. and he
went for the water. When he returned
the sick lady and his suit case were
both gone. Those In the coach told
him that the lady. fearing he would be
left and parted from his baggage, had
got out. taking the portmEnteau with
her. He did not think II worth while
to look for her. So handing the glass Of
water TO a waiter he had brought with
him from the station. not forgetting
tip. he entered the coach. and the train
sped on. He regretted the loss of his
clothes, but once more he had foiled
his enemies and at the same time had Z
learned their tactics.
Unfortunately this gave him a pres
ent false security. A passenger, taking
out a cigarette case, asked the only
two other passengers besides Coleman
for permission to smoke. 1t was grant
ed, and Coleman also asSented. All
were becoming drowsy when they were
startled by crash of window pane.
Coleman, having suddenly become sus-
picious that the fumes Of the cigarette
the man was smoking was drugged,
feeling himself coming under It's infu-
ence, had swung his hand bag against
the glass. A current of air Mt once re-
stored those affected, but no one SEEM
ed to understand why Coleman was in
such hurry for air as to smash a win
dow. A few minutes later the train
stopped at a station, and the smoker
! got out
On approaching Rotterdam Coleman
nerved himself for the browning attack
! of his journey. Undoubtedly some one
] person had planted these traps in his
way and had been informed of their
| failure. He would therefore instruct
his hirelings to prevent at all hazards
the passage of the traveller across the
channel. The main danger would be
In going from the railway station to
the boat. On alighting at the former
Z OSiClhoLs Null SlhS LIS buS III OAiS huhN
and cane he had brought from st.
Petersburg in the other, entered the
street 1t was growing dark. and he
fancied he might skulk through some
of the narrow streets without being oh
served.
He was passing through one OF the
narrowest dimmeSt streets of Rotter-
dam when he saw n man ahead OF
him emerge from passageway and
look about him. Realizing that he
would probably be taken in front and
rear at the same time Coleman glanc-
ed back and saw another man coming
toward him. Hurrying forward, when
he reached the man in front the fellow
stood directly in his way and asked
him in French the time. Coleman held
his bag and his cane in his left hand.
Selling the handle Of his cane with
his right, he pulled 1t from the other
part. revealing blade nearly two feet
long and held 1t point down over the
head of the man who blocked his way.
The fellow ducked and ran like a deer
behind him. Coleman took advantage
of his absence to dodge into the pas
sageway from which his adversary had
emerged and ran for an open street.
Seeing an empty cab standing by the
curb, he stepped in. told the coachman
to drive him TO the boat and was
rolled away.
He was now near the water and had
only to pass from land to sea When
he alighted from the cab he saw
man standing with n paper in his hand
u. Il.
shore end of the gangway the man
stepped in his way and began to read
something to him. Coleman, under
standing this to be n process OF law
to delay him and noticing that the
man was standing very near the edge
of the dock, pretending to believe he
was in danger OF being left, rushed to-
ward the ganGway and over IT. knock
ing the process server into the water.
| A policeman stood ready to follow the
! reading with an arrest, but the atten-
ton Of every one was diverted to the
man sputtering in the water. Cole
man. taking advantage Of the digres-
sion ran aboard the boat and. going
down into the hold ins:cnd OF up into
the cabin. found a convenient Granny
in which to hide.
The boat did not leave for two hours,
hut either the hunters for the message
bearer gave up the chnsc or could not
find their man. As soon rs the boat
had left the dock Coleman went into
n statero0m. locked the door and
throwing himself on a berth. went to
sleep.
He did not awaken till the boat
touched the English coast. Then. rous-
ing himself. he went ashore. took a
train and in a few hours was in Lon
don
Here the narrative which was writ
ten by Coleman to his wife in 1865
and from which this story has been
taken ends. There Is no mention of
the presentation Of the Information he
bore to the English government, but
the fact remains that Napoleon III.
failed siCnallY TO induce England TO
intervene ia American affairs
March Is in american