Year: 1878

| with me, L have SOH1eChmg TO say


He shook hands in the most naturs
way possible. l took his arm, and tall
ed of the journey had to perform b
rail. ',-'a


saw that, watching through tn
glass of the door, he was taking a mer
tai photograph of the two men.


"'rhey mean business said Vixe
quietly, "but shall be with YOU. w
must part at the door, or they will Sc
that we have scented the game"


"And yOu," L said, chow will yo
act?'


'T shall travel to Liverpool by tn
night express"


He left me. 1 had no fear now
knowing him to be a clever and de
termined fellow.


Taking a casual glance across tn
road, | saw my man with his cOmpan
ion. 1t was quite evident that the,
were tracking me, though l lost sigh
of them before reaching st. PauPs.


1 strolled along the churchyard
wandering nearly to Islington, theI
went through the city again befOr,
l made for the station; my acquaint
ance of the billiard room did not con,
in sight, though 1 kept well on the
| alert.


1 took my ticket, lingering almost
| to the moment of starting before l en-
| tered the carriage, but my man die
not appear. Two men were in the
compartment with me. l could not
see the face of one, and the other was
| a stranger.


The bell rang. The guard had just
time to put bewildered old gentle
man in by my side, and we were off.


The man whose face l had not seen
turned toward me.


could hardly .epress an eXclama-
ton. There was no mistaking that
frank, genial cOuntenance, nor the
lurking devil in those eyes, whose
softness was so sinister.


He had me then at last. Vixen had
broken his promise, and was left to
travel that perilous journey alone,
with the man who had followed me
so Oskillfully-another who might be
his confederate. and an old gentleman
who, after grumbling out his indigIIa-
ton against all railway servants and
locomotive travelling in general was
fast asleep in the corner.


That the intentions of my billiard
player were bad were manifest by the
fact of his having assumed a false
moustache and beard. They added
to the beauty of his face but left to his
eyes that sleepy, cruel glitter that is
characteristic of the Asiatic.


He spoke to me, remarked the Oddi-
ty of our being travelling companions,
and grew pleasantly familiar. | an
swered him, not wishing to appear
churlish or afraid, knowing that /
could trust something to my own
strength should the worst come.


We had made the last stoppage, and
were rolling swiftly through the
gloom, when, among other topics,
our conversation touched on jewelry;
drew snowy ring from his finger,
telling me it was a curious piece of
workmanship, having a secret spring,
which he said ] could not discover.


I took it, searching in vain for a
spring, then returning it to him. 1t
dropped and rolled under my feet.


| stopped to pick it up. and so didhe,
but in that moment, while my head
was down, he had me tightly by the
throat and threw me to the carriage
floor.


His confederate was upon me In an
instant. ] could scarcely breathe and
could not struggle, for a heavy knee
was upon my chest, and two strong
brutal hands were crushing the life
from my throat.


Though the horror of the situation
did not last a minute, it seemed an
eternity to me. l felt the ruf1ians'
hands searching for the pocket-bOek,
and l strained desperately for chance
of resistance.


Their work was nearly done.
Cramped in that small space, ! was
pOWeFless, and the veins i'm my throat
and head were swelling like sinews,
when the old gentleman in the corner
awoke and came to my assistance.


| heard low whirr of some weapon
in its descent, and my first assailant
reeled from me stunned. Then the
old gentleman with a strength and
rapidity of action wonderful to see in
person of his age, seized the scoun-
drel, lifted him away, and dashed him
down on a seat.


There was q brief struggle, aRd then
l heard sharp click-scoundrel the
second had pair of handouts on his
wrists.


"They were more prompt than 1
had expected, f" said the old gentleman,
removing his WOODEN comforter, with
which he fastened my first aSsailant's
hands behind him, Hand railway
cdTTldSe uOeS uOJ dltOTu IuuCn SCOpe
for a struggle"


The pOcket-book was safe. The
ruffians were securely bound, and the
old gentleman who, without his spec
tacles and muf1ling, stood out in bold
and pleasant relief as the deteetiVe,
kept guard over them.


At the station they were handed
over into the custody of the police. !
UaS all ripht nv that time Vixen
rode ~da wi With time me as far t ss the hotel near
est here, and to-mlrFoW ne will call to
see if l am any worse for my ride by
express.


The contents of the Fpocket-book
were Mary's bridal dowry.


The detective speaks of the senior
partner of the firm of Brand & Lake
as the most bOspitable and generous
man he ever met in the course of his
professional career.


Lake was quite cured of his love for
billiard playing. He had too narrow
an escape, and he did not forget the
lpGSnn