Evening star., 1921-04-15
Continued from Yesterdays Starr
CHAPTER v
IN WHICH THERE is TROUBLE AT
GORING.

Did you have good night, Null
lings?" remarked Hugh as he got into
his car.
The man grinned sheepinshly.
II dunno what the game was. sir,
but I amt for many more of them.
They're about the ugliest crowd of
blackguards in that there 'ouse that
1 ever wants to see again"
How many did you see altogeth-
err" asked Drummond..
II saw six actual like. sir; but
card others talking"
The car slowed up before the post
office and Hugh got out. There were
one or two things he proposed to do
in London before going to Goring.
and it struck him that wire to Peter
Darrell might allay that gentleman's
uneasiness if he was late in getting
down. So new was he to the tortuous
ways of crime. that the foolishness
of the proceeding never entered his
head; up to date in his life. IL he had
wished to send a wire he had sent
Isone And so it may be deemed sheer
fluke on his part, that a man dawdfing
by the counter aroused his suspicious.
He was a perfectly ordinary man.
chatting casually with the girl on the
other side; but CHANGED that. just as
Hugh was holding the post office
pencil up, and gazing at it's so-called
point with an air Of resigned anguish
the perfectly ordinary man ceased
chatting and looked at him. Hugh
caught his eye for fieeting second
then the conversation, continued. And
as he turned to pull out the pad OF
forms, it struck him that the man
| had looked away just a tride toe
A grin spread slowly over his face
and after moments hesitation ne
proceeded to compose a short wire
He wrote it in black letters for addi'
| tional clearness: he also pressed his
| hardest as befitted blunt pencil
Then with the form in his hand he
| advanced to the counter. :
! How long will it take to deliye1
| in London?" he asked the girl.
The girl was not helpful. 1t de
pended, he gathered. on a variety o
circumstances. Of which not the leas
was the perfectly ordinary man wht
talked so charmingly. She did no
say so. in so many words, but Hugf
| respected her none the. less for hel
maidenly reticence. r. =
| II don't think I'll bother then" h
said, thrusting the wire into his poek
ct Good morning.
tafterward his car rolled down tn
| street He would have liked tore
main and see the finish of his littl,
Jest, but. as is so often the case.7 Inn
! agination is better than reality. Ger
| tain it Is that he. 'cf1uckled consun
| edly the whole way up to London
whereas the actual finish was tame:
1 with what the girl considered pc
!, culiar abruptness, the perfectly ordi
L nary man concluded his conversatio,
with her. and decided that he to-
would send wire. And then. afte
q long and thoughtful pause at tn
writing bench she distinctly heard un
| mistakable, Damn" Then he walk
ed out, and she saw him no more.
Moreover. it is to be regretted tha
the perfectly ordinary man told Ii
a little later in the day. when givinl
his report to some one whose necl
apparently inconvenienced him great
". But then a lie is frequently NOR
tactful than the truth. and to hav
announced that the sole result Of hi
mornings labors had been to decfphe
4 a wire addressed to the Elms. ;whfcl
| contained the cryptic remark. "Stunl
| again, stiff neck. stung again." Woul'
not have been tactful. So he lied. a.
has been stated. thereby showing hi
IS But though Drummond. chuckled t.