The Washington herald., 1913-12-21

while MIR. Tung was tearing open the
envelope and taking out the sheet of
paper, / had some distinctly uncom-
| Portable moments. Suppose l had
wronged him-what was / to do? Own
up, make a clean breast of tor run
away?
/ had not yet found an answer when
became perfectly certain that none
was required. My chance shot had
struck him like a bombshell The
change which took place in his coun-
tenance when he began to read what
was written on that piece Of paper was
really curious. / should have said he
had a visage over whose muscles he
exercised great control-Mongols have
as a rule. But those words of mine
were so wholly unexpected that when
he first saw them his expression was,
on the instant, one of stunned amaze
ment. He glanced at the opening
words, then, dropping his hands to his
sides, gazed round the room, as If he
were wondering if there were any one
there who could have written them.
Then he raised the sheet of paper
again and read farther. He presented
a unique picture of the surprise which
is born of terror.
His companions, looking at him,
were affected as he was, without
knowing why. The big, burly man
leaned toward him; saw him mutter:
you look as If you'd had a stroke.
What's the matter? What's that
you've got there? Don't look like that.
Every one is staring AT you What's
up?" j..
Mr.. Tung did not reply; he looked
at the speaker, then at the sheet OF
paper-that time ! am sure he did not
see what was on IT, Then he crumpled
the sheet of paper up in his hand, and
without a word strobe across the
lounge into the hall beyond. His two
companions looked after him IN be-
wildered amazement; then they went
also, not quite so fast as he had done,
but fast enough. And all the people IN
the lounge looked at each other. The
manner of the exit of these three gen.
tlemen had created a small sensation
Nv little experiment had succeeded
altogether beyond my anticipation. 1t
was plain that l had not misJudged
this gentleman.
After what seemed TO me to be a
sufficient interval l left my tea and
went after them into the hall. was
lust in time. The three men were in
the act of leaving the hotel. AS they
were moving toward the door page
came up, an official envelope IN his
hand.
"Mr. John Tung? A telegram for
you. sir
Mr.. Tung took it as if it were some
dangerous thing, hesitated, glanced at
the men beside him, tore it open, read
what was on the flimsy sheet of pink
paper, and walked so quickly out OF
the building that his gait almost ap-
preached a run. His companions went
after him as If they were giving
chase. My wire had finished what
those few plain words on the sheet
Of paper had begun.
l was lingering in the hall, rather at
loss as to what was the next step
that / had better take, when the wom-
an in the gray dress came out OF the
lift, which had just descended A cab
was at the door, on which was lug
gage. Although she must have seen
me very clearly, she did not recognize
, my presence, but passed straight out
to the cab. She was going up to Lon
i don by the fve-fve train.
I no longer hesitated what TO do. l,
too, quilted the hotel and got into a
cab. 1t still wanted ten minutes to
FIVE when / reached the station. The
train was standing by the platform !;
the gray-frocked lady was superintend-
ing the labelling of her luggage-ap-
parently she had no maid. She was
escorted BY a porter, who had her lug
Il, hFSf-rllSS
rage. On the top of her luggage was
the tell-tale thing which has probably
done more harm than good-tne dress
ing bag which is so dear to the hearts
of many women, which ostentatlously
proclaims the fact that 1t contains
their jewels, probably their money, all
that they are travelling with which
| they value most.
At the open door of the -compart-
ment next to the one to which the por-
ter ushered her, the big. burly man
was standing-rather to my surprise.
l thought l had startled him more
than that. Presently who should come
strolling up but his more slightly built
acquaintance. Apparently he did not
know him now; he passed into the
compartment at whose door he was
standing, without a nod or sign OF
greeting. My glance travelling down
the platform, l saw that standing out
side a compartment only a few doors
off was Mr.. John Tung.
This did not suit me at all l did
not propose that those three gentle
men should travel with the gray
frocked lady by the fve-hve train to
town. Rather than that / would have
called in the aid of the police, though
it would have been very queer tale
that 1 should have had to tell them.
Perhaps, fortunately, / hit upon what
the old-time cookery books used to
call another way" / had done so
well with one unexpected message that
/ thought / would try another. There
were ten minutes before the train
started-still time.
rushed to the ladies' waiting room.
begged a sheet of paper and an en-
velope from the attendant in charge.
1t was sheet of paper which she gave
me-and on it l scribbled:
"You are watched. Your intentions
are known.
THE police are travelling by the
five-hve train to London in attendance
on the lady in the gray dress. If they
do not take you on the road they will
arrest you when YOU reach town.
Then heigh-ho for the gallowsP
l was in doubt whether or not to
add that last line. l daresay If ! had