The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-03-13

the college mems party
Locke, aided by Kinks friend Higgins,
who thinks 1t Joke. drugs Kirk and puts
him aboard a ship bound for Colon. Kirk
IL on the passenger liEt as Locke
Broke and without baggage. aboard
the ship Kirk makes the acquaintance OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Stephen Cortlandt
Cortlandt is in the American diplomatic
service and Is going to Panama on mis-
sion. In Colon Kirk, as the son OF big
railroad man. is taken up by Weeks.
American consul
Kinks father repudiates him. and Weeks
casts him out as an impostor. Kirk meets
Allan, Jamaican negro canal worker out
Of job The two are arrested by Colon
police for helping to put out fire
Kirk and Allan are treated brutally in
a Colon Jail by young Alfarez. command
ant Of police. Allan's release Is obtained
by the British consul, but Weeks refuses
to aid Kirk Mrs Cortlandt gets phone
call
Mrs. Cortlandt obtains Kinks release by
using influence with Colonel Jolson, head
OIL TIE CdIdl lilo wi lAoAuto O. - AAA
trigung to make Alfarez's father pres'-
dent Of Panama.
Kinks father casts him off finally. and
Mrs. Cortlandt obtains for him position
on the Panama railroad under Runnels.
master Of transportation
The Cortlandts and Kirk plan a picnic
on the island Of Taboga, near Panama.
Cortlandt Is detained and his wife and
Kirk are marooned on the island.
Kirk kisses Mrs Cortlandt and Is then
ashamed to think he has violated Cort-
landt's trust in him. Cortlandt alarmed
by his wife's absence. rescues her and
KIRK from the island In the country near
Panama Kirk meets a charming Spanish
,irl
That ticket is good only to Corozal,
the first station. You'll have to get
of there. But when COrozal had
been passed he found Allsn still COM
fortably ensconced in his seat.
Now. boss we shall have fine visits
today" the negro predicted warmly,
and Kirk did not have the heart to
eject him.
At the other end of the line Allan
repeated the process, and thereafter
worked diligently to amass sufficient
money to buy tickets from Panama to
Corozal and from Colon to Mount
Hope, relying with splendid faith upon
his friend to protect him once he pene-
trated past the lynx eyed gatenSn.
Runnels accepted Kinks explanation.
and so far exceeded his authority as to
make no objection. Allan, therefore,
managed to spend about half his time
in company with the object of his
alteration.
Although the master of tranSporta-
ton never referred to his conversation
with Kirk on the occasion Of their trip
through Culebra cut, he watched his
new subordinate carefully. and he felt
his instructive liking for him increase
1t gave Runnels pleasure to see how
he attended to his work once he had
settled down to it.
Accordingly, it afforded him an un,
| pleasant surprise when he received a
printed letter from st. Louis detec.
tive agency relative to one Frank Vel.
lar, alias jefferson Locke Qast seen in
New York city Nov. 25) and offering a
substantial reward for information
leading to his arrest The communica.
ton reached RunnelS through the usu-
al channel, copies having been distrib.
uted to the heads of various depart
mentS. 1t was the description that
caught his attention:
white; age, twenty eight years; oc.
cupation, clerk; eyes, blush gray; hair,
light, shading upon yellow; complex
ion, fair; height, six feet; weight. 100
pounds. No prominent scarS or marks.
so far as known, but very particular
as to personal appearance and consd-
cred good athlete. having been cap
tain Of U. of X. football team"
There was but one man in Runnels'
department whose appearance tailed
with all this. Nevertheless he held
the letter on his desk and did nothing
for a time except to question his new
collector upon the first occasion The
result was not at all reaSsuring. 4
few days later, CHANGING to encounter
John Weeks on his way across the
isthmus. he recalled Kinks mention OF
his first experience at Colon.
Anthony? oh. yes wheezed the
fat man. Il see you've got him at
work. There's something about him |
don't understand. Either he's on the
level or he's got the nerve of a bur.
glar"
How sou
well, | know he isn't what he
claims to be. | have proof. He's no
more Darwin X. Anthony's son than
Darwin X. Anthony exclaimed
the railroad man, in amazement. Ibid
he claim that