Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-01-09
Curiosity Aroused by Actions of
Foreign Gentleman on Aber.
deem Express.
DOES some SWIFT Thinking
Looking Stupid Is Her Speciality, and
When Officers Grab the Spy He
Looks at Old Lady
and Signs.

| long time comes from medical Off
Ger, one Of the big guns of his corps
and profession. 1t is all about the
Aberdeen Express, one Of the worlds
quickest lOng-distance runs. You leave
London after the theater, go to bed
in the train, have a cup of tea in bed
at Edinburgh and breakfast in Aber-
deem, 600 miles from town. North
ward from Edinburgh there are stops
a while on the Forth bridge, from
whence you look down onto the decks
Of first-class battleships, and at Dun
dee, and Montrose.
The old lady boarded the train at
Edinburgh and the porter showed her
into non-smoking compartment Of
the day coach. The other passenger
was foreign gentleman-of what ma
tionality it would be hard to say, but
foreign. AS to the lady, she seemed
| harmless old thing some f1fty-three
of the two was really a German spy,
and anyone's first suspicion would
point to the old lady. She owned up
frankly that she enjoyed a gossip, and
! found the foreign gentleman quite
! good fellow. AS to his nationality,
the accent gave no clue. She pumped
him perseveringly.
A few stops from Edinburgh the
train stopped on the Forth bridge.
| From the trains one looks down upon
a naval base of first-rate consequence.
A spy, making rapid summary of the
capital ships in full view, might pick
up important information.
The foreign gentleman stood up,
| filling the window, shutting out the
view, and annoyed the old lady, who
! also wanted to have q look. More
over, she saw him go through long
! fumbling procedure which puzzled her
extremely. What on earth was he up
to? The only thing she saw was the
last swift movement which emptied
the bulgy part Of his overcoat. And
she caught the glimpse of a wing. Now
the whole thing was clear; there must
have been message scrubbed rapidly,
folded and made fast and then sud-
den release Of a carrier pigeon.
The Old Ladys Speciality.
And then the foreigner flashed
round to see If the lady had noticed
anything. No, evidently not. She
looked vacant, nodding and half
asleep.
81 looked stupid" she said after
ward, ''but that's my speciality"
She must have done some very swift
thinking before he had time to turn
[ round. Her first impulse was to run
along the corridor and find the guard
or rouse the first soldier she saw. But
then the foreigner would see by her
first movement he was in danger, and
she did not want to be strangled,
thrown out Of the window, and
drowned In the Forth estuary. She be-
; came affable, wondering what had de-
| 1ayed the train so long. He expressed
noble sentiments concerning the allies
and contempt for Germany.
But as the train pulled into Dundee
| the old lady expressed her conviction
that the morning papers would be for
sale by this time at the bOOkstalls. She
felt that little run on the platform
would ease her limbs after the cramped
compartment. She would buy paper
for the foreign gentleman also.
Halfway to the bookstall she met
a porter. It would be natural to ask
him how tong the train stopped.
sDon't be seen speaking" she said,
as she passed the porter. 'There's a
spy in my carriage. Send the station
master to me at the bookstall."
When the station paster came be-
hind the lady spoke into an open news
| paper just as though she were reading
aloud. "Don't be seen speaking with
| me-" she said. '"There's spy in my
carriage. The train stops at Mont
rose next, eh? Well, wire Mont
rose !"
She paid for her bundle Of papers
| and walked back to the carriage.
The spy seemed unsuspicious, sit
ting where she had left him, much
| obliged for the newspaper. The
plucky old lady sat opposite to her
spy and entertained him until they
reached Montrose.
No Stranger.
Then came to their compartment
British officer with an armed guard
and q detective, who greeted the spy
at once like a long-lost brother.
| "Why," said he, "Ive been searching
| for you for months"
The spy looked out through the
window eastward and saw an armed
sentry waiting on the metals in case
he attempted escape. Then he looked
at the lady-the artful old lady-and
sighed.
Later the old lady received an Off
! cial communication of warm cOngratu-
lation on her patriotism, courage and
high intelligence, begging her to &C
cept the Enclosure, memento Of fine
| deed done for her country.