Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-01-17

back here"
II See. I replied. sBut rs vsrv,
late to fetch Q baby" 4
sIt's awfully iate." shs said. n
ought 10 have got there at sishs /
O'Clock. Only was prevented. 1
must get the baby. You zee. ny
sisters 20 m ;
-Hut what does she want Ia
baby fort" I asked. puzzled.
~She's In hospital. Shes going ID
be operated on tomorrow. ana n
she wants the baby out Of the way.
She didn't know she was going ID
have an operation. But someone's
got to take the baby while she's IN
hospital Don't you seer
II
THE taxi had By this TINA
reached Victoria and turned
southeast into Q network Of
little black streets. It stopped
suddenly at Q corner. and Rhods
leaped out, telling me to wait a
moment. craned out OF the win.
dow to see where she went She
almost disappeared into the DARK.
ness, but ! had an impression that
as she stopped at . doorway abe
met another person. But my
strained eyes at once lost sight o.
that other shape. / felt that I must
have made q mistake. for. BY that
time, Rhoda had disappeared, either
into the darkness Of q porch. or
down some steps into Q basement.
I was not exactly enjoying my
situation: though ] sat In q taxi. &
was In the middle Of some particu.
lariy unpleasant Sums. No doubt
the girl thought that. BY stopping
the cab some distance from her des.
tinat,ou. ! should fail to trace her
upon her strange mission. But she
could not realize my profound
knowledge Of London; I was In
Guelf Street. In q reputedly criminal
cart OF Pimlico. II was quite pos.
sibie for a gang Of roughs to hold
up the cab. But II this was trap.
I should have been asked into the
house: besides. adventuresses DO not
lock for their prey in the neishbor.
hood of the Chippenham, the poorer
part of Kilburn. So watched. and
after a quarter Of an bosr. from the
doorway came Rhoda, slightly stag.
cering under q white burden. She
was breathing hard az she arrived.
and feverishly Jumped into the taxi.
ct say" I remarked. "where DO
you want to go tori
"Dack." she said. with q gasp
Pack! Quick! Backr'
-You mean to the Chippenham1'
Eyes. No. no. not that. Tel him
to go to III tell him Here.
hold It. ."
Stupcfied. I held the baby. which
seemed to be asleep, while she told
the cabfnan something hurried and
then rejoined me.
As soon as the door closed she
snatched the baby back from me:
turning her shoulder away. she held
the bunile against her. making little
soothing noises that were quite I'm.
necessary since the child was asleep.
tried to talk to her. hut for some
unknown reason she hardly
answered me. She was In q state
of febrile excitement. At last. when
I asked her what WAS the matter.
why she was in such state. she
,nuttered something about the wo.
man having been so rude and try.
ing to overcharge her.
was rather annoyed. The ad-
venture was absurd. To spend over
an hour. on such u night. carrying
a girl and baby to and fro In Lon
don was most unsatisfactory. 80 I
l. sulked. In complete silence No
arrived at a point In ElGin Avenue
where the cab stopped. This IL
where I get on" said Rhoda. She
was pulling herself together little
row. Thank you very much" A
hot little hand grasped mine for q
moment. Carefully she got out !
did rot follow her. for l was para.
lyzed with Arrangement: on q corner
Of the baby's coat 1 had seen an
deliberately worked coat of arms and
cororet.
1t must have been the heat. for !
delayed a moment In following her
Then the cabrlan scalled me back
feroc!ously. since had not paid
him. There was some confusion
for the man WAS rude When al
last followed her. had lost q
minute. ] ran down a little street
bordered With front gardens. II Wal
very dark. however. so ] stepped
wildly in the middle Of the roadway
tContipued 10 Our Next lssue)