The Coolidge examiner., 1932-02-26
CHAPTER x
Roberts Bolts for Safety.

w HEN Stanton awoke the fol
w lowing morning there was no
sound from Roberts in the upper
berth. The train was an hour and
half's run from the La Sale Street
station, and the lieutenant did not
disturb his roommate but quietly
set about dressing and shaving.
Then he considered whether to have
his breakfast without awaking and
speaking to Roberts or to arouse
him. He thought 1t best to arouse
him.
Roberts," he called. "are you
awake? Want to get upY'
There was no answer.
"Say, Roberts," he called again,
"Pm going to breakfast"
There was no sound from the up
per berth, and Stanton reached in
10 shake the sleeper. He could feel
nothing but the bedclothes. That
astonished him, and he stood up on
the couch to look in the berth. Rob
eTIS was not tnere.
This was so completely beyond
Stanton's understanding that he
looked in the washroom on impulse,
although hehimself had just stepped
out of it. Then he looked for Rob
erts' bag. 1t also was gone, and
the case was clearer.
Stanton rang for the porter and
opened the door. The porter was at
work on a nearby section.
THAT was my ring" said the lieu
tenant. He did not say George.
"The man who was travelling with
me isn't in his berth. / thought he
was asleep. His bag isn't in the
room. Do you know anything about
him?"
HE got off at Elkhart," said the
porter. Didn't you know that?"
The porter had no plantation
idiom which would require an at
tempt at phonetics in type. He did
not say Captain" or Boss"
mo, l didn't know it," said the
lieutenant.
Nothing wrong, is there" the
porter asked.
Nothing at all. If he wanted
to get off it was his business. If
he didn't want to tell me that also
was his affair. He probably made
a sudden decision and didn't want
to disturb me-"
Have you" the porter checked
himself.
'Have | what?"
What started to say might not
sound so good" said the porter,
smiling. $50 I'll not say it.
was thinking that your friend might
have left a message with me for you
and since he didn't"
I'D better see whether | have all
my belongings? That's all right. l
didn't have enough to worry about,
and l guess he wouldn't want any
of them. I'll go to breakfast"
"Yes. SIR" said the porter.
By the time Stanton was seated
in the dining car the whole episode
had become amusing. His own part
in it as much as any other. His ward
had absconded. He was returning
home with some fantastic stories
and nothing else. He knew one of
the murderers and had talked to
him, but was not able to lay a finger
on him. He could not bring him
home, and it was a Wisconsin case
even if anything ever could be made
of it. He had been returning with
possible victim who had run away
from him.
He thought he knew why Rob-
erts had bOlted. The man was con-
vinced Blair and Ashley were on the
train. He also was persuaded that
they thought he didn't know it. They
would expect him to get off at the
La Lalle Street station without any
suspicion that they were back of
him. Therefore it would be easy
to deceive them, get off and make
a dash by any route he wanted for
the Pacific coast and his dive into
the obscurities of the Far East.
After breakfast Stanton sat in
his room reconciling himself with
amusement to his predicament. l
never said l was a detective, he
thought to himself as an answer to
the whole thing.
sTG EM CONTINUED