Newspaper Page Text
308
THE SOUTHERN WORLD. JULY 1, 1884.
Written especially for the Southern World.]
THE STORY OF HOSE DARREL.
BY JOHN EBTBN COOKE.
[This atory began In No. 11 of Volume 8.
Back numbera can be had at 5 cents per copy.
All rights referred.J
XII.
MR. SMITH.
For the second time this evening Miss
Charlton started, and turned round
quickly.
“Come in I" she said from the force
of habit.
A man entered and bowed politely.
He was a portly person of middle age,
well dressed and carried a large carpet
bag. His bland and friendly smile was
calculated to make an agreeable impres
sion.
“I hope I don’t intrude, miss,” he
^“iJo^sir/’ said Miss Charlton en
deavoring to regain her calmness.
“I have just arrived on the train—as
there was a row of freight cars on the
siding you probably did not observe
me.”
Miss Charlton bowed.
“ I am in the cattle business and hear
a fine lot are to be found in this neigh
borhood.”
“I believe there area great many,”
the young lady said mechanically, won
dering when the visitor would go.
“ My name is Smith, at your service,
miss. May I ask if I can get accommo
dations at the station?”
“Mrs. Young, the wife of the section
master, entertains travelers I believe,
sir.”
“Will you kindly direct me to the
house?”
“ It is the small white house just over
the way.”
“Iam much obliged, miss. You have
a fine country here. I believe there is
aneighboring town called Scarborough ?”
“Yes, sir,” said Miss Charlton, wish
ing that the stranger would leave her to
shut up the office and retire.
“ I am from the West and am not ac
quainted in the neighborhood, but I
think I knew a gentleman from these
parts.” i |
“Ah?” Baid Miss Charlton absently.
« A Mr. James Wilson.’?
Miss Charlton lost her indifference
suddenly, and turning quickly fixed her
oyeB upon the stranger.
« Mr. James Wilson 1” she exclaimed
involuntarily. i
Mr. Smith, who had modestly seated
describe Mr. Wilson and in knowing my
relations with him.”
“ An object, miss?”
“ And your visit to this neighborhood
is not to purchase cattle.”
“ My object not to buy up cattle 1”
“ It is something very different I”
“ You surprise me, miss! What could
have given you the idea?—but Waterton
is calling you—I am intruding.”
It was a mere detail of business con
nected with the road, and Miss Charlton
hastily attended to it. She then turned
to Mr. Smith and said suddenly, with a
glow in her cheeks:
“You are an operator on the tele
graph 1”
“I?” said Mr. Smith blandly.
“ Yes, sir. You heard the call from
Waterton and you have heard more 1”
“ More, my dear young lady?”
“ You came in as I sent a dispatch to
Waterton ten minutes ago, and if you
heard now you heard then 1”
Mr. Smith greeted these words with
an expression of involuntary admiration.
“It is true—I have been an operator,
miss,” he said.
“ And you have changed your occupa
tion !”
“Very true—I am a cattle dealer.”
“ You are not a cattle dealer, sir, you
* *** v UVU1V/I J 0*1 f JuU I *'•****' *
are a detective,” said Miss Charlton, Miss Charlton,
looking steadily at him. “ Your object « Well, befoi
in coming here is to entrap me and ar
vaaf Tornna Wilann f ,f
the idea it may be of blinding the police,
and getting on at this station?”
* I do not know—I only know that
James Wilson is incapable of what you
charge him with.”
Do you know where the real person
—I mean your friend—is, miss, at the
present time?”
“No, sir.”
“ He went to the West?”
“ Yes, sir.”
“ His mother resides at Waterton?”
“ Yes, sir.”
“ Your name—pardon my intrusion,
miss—your name is Miss Josephine
Charlton?”
“ Yes, sir.”
Mr. Smith shook his head.
“ I fear your confidence in your friend
is misplaced.”
“ On, I know it is not, sir 1”
“ Will you allow me to question you a
little further?”
“ Certainly, sir. I will answer with
perfect frankness.”
“I really believe you will, miss. A
face like your’s never deceives, and I
will say that no one will rejoice more
than myself to find that your friend,
Mr. Wilson, is not the man I want.”
“I am as certain that there is a mis
take as that I am living,” exclaimed
“ A former acquaintance? May I
his name, miss, and who he is?” 8K
“ Certainly, sir—a Mr. Vass ”
“Mr. Vass?”
“He was once a resident of theneigh-
borhood, and has returned to visit*
friend.” 1 a
Ch“rilon milh l0 ° ked k ' enly “ Mi-
“ You say he arrived to-night, mi 88 ?»
I 68) sir.
“ You are acquainted with him?”
“Yes.” 1
“ He is a friend?”
Miss Charlton hesitated.
“ I knew him quite well.” she said
rest James Wilson I’
XIII.
A DETECTIVE.
When Miss Charlton informed Mr.
Smith that he was in reality a detective
and not a cattle dealer, that gentleman
looked at her with an expression of pro
founder admiration than before.
“ Allow me to say, miss,” he replied
after an interval of silence, “that I
highly respect a young lady of your dis
cernment. You would make an excel
lent agent yourself, and we are now em
ploying ladies. It is useless to try to
hide anything from you. I thought I
was rather a cautious man, but I made i —— — ...
that childish blunder of telling you that ugly- He went for the sweet seven-
Waterton was calling you, and I ought teeners like a gushing youth, and they
to have known that a young lady of thought him an angel. He was one of
your intelligence would jump to your the Mormon leaders, and cursed the
conclusion. From the moment when United States to the Salt Lake hoodlums
you knew that I overheard your dispatch to that extent that they were ready to
warningMrs. Wilson, you knew of course fight and choose him for their General,
that I had an object in asking so many Oh! I tell you he was one of ’em, miss I”
! questions about James Wilson.” Mr. Smith paused as though overcome
MisB Charlton sank back in her seat by admiration.
before I ask a few more ques
tions I will give you a little better idea
of the James Wilson who got off with
the express money. I should not call
him exactly a proper associate for young
ladies like yourself. Excuse me, miss,
if I fall into slang which a detective
finds it hard to avoid, but my James
Wilson is a downy cove—a Murder Gulch
of a fellow—and beats the James boys
out of sight. We have spotted him
everywhere but never caught him yet.
He first killed two men in Texas and
then escaped to Salt Lake City, where
he joined the Mormons. As these good
people don’t object to matrimony in large
quantities, and think the more wives a
man has the better, our friend Wilson
began with seven, and it is said not a
single one in the whole lot was old or
Miss Charlton evidently felt a repuv
nance to complying with this request—
the explanation of which was the sud
den recollection that Mr. Vass had
dark moustache and side whiskers,which
precisely accorded with the description
in the telegram sent to Waterton from
Kansas City.
‘ It is impossible,” murmured Miss
Charlton, but not so low that Mr. Smith
did not catch the words.
“ Is Mr. Vass young?” said Mr. Smith
with his piercing glance.
“I do not know his age,” said Miss
Charlton, “butthese questions are un
necessary. It is impossible that he is
the person you are seeking for.”
“ He has been absent from the neigh
borhood?” g
“ For several years.”
“ In the West?”
“ I should prefer not speaking of Mr.
Vass, who can be easily found, sir,”
said Miss Charlton formally. “I will
only repeat that I do not believe that he
could have committed that offense.”
Mr, Smith inclined his head.
“ I see Mr. Vass is one of your friends,
miss,” he said with his eternal smile.
“No, sir, merely an acquaintance.
But I would rather not answer any more
questions, and I am quite tired.”
Mr. Smith rose promptly.
“ I owe you an apology for detaining
you so long, miss. I had forgotten also
that I must look up my quarters for the
night.”
“ I will show you Mrs. Young’s—I live
there,” said Miss Charlton.
And Mr. Smith having resumed pos
session of his carpet-bag politely waited
while Miss Charlton called Jerry, after
which the office was closed, and she led
the way across to the section-master’s.
(to be continued.)
and exclaimed:
“What broke our friend up in Salt
“ He iB innocent 1 Some one has de- Lake was killing one of the saints.” he l THE DsSaussobks commen-ed in No 14. of
lived von.” I iifpC. _ t | Volume 2, and will run for several mouths yet.
Back numbers containing this thrilling anil
. , .— . . deeply interesting historical romance can be had
There is no deception as to one point, Wilson had to leave between sundown at flve cents P er c °py-l
loo H Ln aoiM nri+Vt Lta Vilnm/1 . I • tt _ a * 4 1
himself aiidwM mopping his baMfo^ j - jj b bland smile; land sunrise. He next "turned up as a I rprip T) p a ATT^STTRES
ll6ad t« observe {he voSady’s tone “ and ^ at 4 ^ , fiv ® thousand dollars stage robber, and on two or three--. I iJeSA UbbU ±UJj0 *
se ?iVfiR I ifnew Mr ^Wilson very well I reward is offered for the arrest of a per- Lions he and his gang shot passe
i\ e «fvn hoard him sav that lie was James Wilson who who resisted or would not give up
waB a big operator in the cattle business
Ten thousand beef cattle and hundreds
of cow boys. Were you acquainted
with him, miss?”
“ With Mr. Wilson?” murmured Miss
Charlton. “Yes, sir. I knew him very
well—he was one of my best friends.”
Her heart was beating so loudly that
Bhe was afraid the stranger would hear
passed through your office to-night from
I Jlad to meet . W e „d of U.
4 JZIritahiaini!!' there, and hearing that he had lived in
their
something ° v j er a^ iu .ndred thousand dol-1 ever, a little killing in the Rockies—it’s
the custom of the country, and some
people rather admire a plucky road
agent. But the thing is ehtirely differ
ent when it comes to going through the
express and getting off with a cool hun
dred thousand. Such a matter can’t
be overlooked, and Wilson was tracked
day and night. He was traced to Den
A Historical Romance.
lars, and got off with the dust, if you
will excuse my Western slang. He was I
recognized by the express agent and af
terward traced to Denver where he |
bought a ticket to Waterton, and I fol
lowed to arrest him. Two parties are I
working up the case—of course to secure
the reward—and a telegram I suppose
by b. f. sawyer.
CHAPTER XXVII.
The two ladies lately so belligerent, the
one with her imperious command incit
ing her strong negro man to lay violent
bands upon the other, and she with the
subduing power of her glance defying
miss—but perhaps it was another Mr,
Wilson. You might describe hi
ance and then I could tell you
it was the same person
For the first time Miss Charlton caught
an expression in the eyes of the stranger
which inspired her with a vague suspi
cion. It was a penetrating glance not at
all in unison with the general impression
produced by his face and figure. If she
had been asked to explain her feeling
she could not have done so; but she was
none the less conscious that the stran-
S r was not what he appeared to be, and
at under his friendly address lurked
an ulterior object^-perhaps a hidden
danger.
“Hisappearance?” she said, think
ing of the telegram to Waterton and as
sociating it with the person before her.
“ Was he a man of from twenty-eight
to thirty, with dark moustache and Eng
lish side whiskers?”
Miss Charlton looked straight into the
eyes of the bland Mr. Smith.
“I have not seen Mr. Wilson for a
number of years,” she said quietly.
ver where he bought a ticket to this h6r authorit y and fa
place, and that is the last that has been the negro now sat by the^cabinetm
heard of him. I have come, you see, to amiliar » not friendly contact ookmg
look for him—vou hav« di R ™vpr*,l that through the collection of souvenirs.
Miss Charlton had listened with sup
pressed agitation.
“There is some terrible mistake,” she
said. “Mr. Wilson was the soul of
honor and could never have committed
such a crime.”
Mr. Smith smiled with a rather cyni
cal air, which indicated anything but
confidence in his species.
“ My dear young lady,” he said, “ I
am sony to pain you, but the thing
called human nature is a very curious
thing indeed. If you had lived as long
as I have, and seen as much of the
look for him—you have discovered that
I am not a cattle dealer—and now, as
my James Wilson is not your’s, I have
the right, I think, to ask that you will
not embarrass me in my operations.”
“ I promise you I will not.”
through _ „ „
“And you say,” said Mrs. DeSaussure
still admiring the diamonds, “ that you
wore these in the presence of the queen
herself?”
Yes; you see my father’s position
4 * • v a 45 •_ aao/MHfi-
blUil »itu tuc V/UUIV) . fl
, was presented. The queen was gracious
enough to notice me, and even to express
' a fripndlv in me. She was *
'You will, I hope, tell nobody the I ^ ere fought him in personal a88 j*J‘j
business that brings me.” I turn with the Court, and of c , ^
“ I will not, sir.”
“I have your promise,Miss Charlton ?”
“ You have, sir.”
I rely
or three question
have no objection
; sksssl- i ^sssasss
world, you would never feel certain of I ^, S »nl«ri^ d to ,1 the e dSH^kin “ot ^5? a'pretfrfcM? 1 '
You I .1 aniM Wilnrm h»« I *»<>* a P^tty lace? I have the
with the assets in their charge, after
stealing for years.”
_ “ I do not believe that James Wilson
“He was' a very particular friend of I could become dishonest under any cir-
.1—- »>!»«’” 1 cumstancesl” said Miss Charlton firm-
yours perhaps, miss ?”
The piercing glance was more piercing
than ever.
“ He was a friend.”
“ Do you ever correspond?”
Miss Charlton fixed ner eyes upon the
inquisitive stranger and said:
“ What is the meaning of this conver
sation—of all these questions, sir, if I
may ask?”
“The meaning, miss?”
“ You have an object in asking me to
neighborhood,
“ I have heard of no such person. If
he came it was not by train—I should
have noticed him,” said Miss Charlton.
“He may have arrived in a private
| vehicle or walked from some neighbor
ing station. What puzzles me is that
..., but here
than all else-
This was given - me by the
Charlotte Augusta, of Schleswig***
stein; and here (you can trace the P®
ciling) is her autograph. She wri
with my pencil and gave it to
* Glue auf,’ Charlotte Augusta. ,
“ Did she write that? Yes, I can re 2
uig Biaiiuii. nuat puzzies me is inai " Did she write that f xe»,i , i
you have heard nothing in this quiet it distinctly—‘glue auf ’—what is that,
neighborhood of such a person. Have mea n what does it mean? ” . , fli ,
fLorn Loan nn rnoont <ai*ri%ra1a—T moan nf I r* J “
ly. “ I knew him well, and would not
believe it if a thousand persons were to
swear to its truth.”
“ Like one of your dear sex,” said Mr. T — — .. P
Smith with an admiring smife. “ I see ^ ere 1)6611 “° recent arrivals—I mean of “ it means good luck—quite simple #
you think your friend is not the man 11 Grangers whose names are unknown to it not—one would have suppose*
am after, and there is the chance that | you " I n«v« ansrcheu tn
| you are right.”
“ I know that he is innocent, sir!”
“ Why then did the man I am in pur-1
I suit of take a ticket to Waterton—with
princess would have searched
sics for a motto—good luckj-dem ^
None stall, sir,” said Miss Charlton.
“A former acquaintance came to-night I
in the train at ten, who has been absint forgetful of the late. antagonism.^
some years, but—” 1 lady talked on explain”** as she p -
| enough for a sans cuUotte " ^^ ^