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OLD BROADBRIM WEEKLY. g
“The young one’s was black | leather’ and the tall one’s was He was convinced that Laura’s companion. was 1 Kynett in
made of brown alligator leather.” : : disguise. :
* “Drive mé to the hotel at which you left them.” As soon as he was ‘ensconced in a seat in the smoking ¢ car and
Broadbrim got into the cab and was driven to the hotel. the train for Albahy had’ started, he commenced a line of reason-
. > ing in. regard to the mystery.
_ CHAPTER V. . If it were true, he argued, that Laura: and Alfred had left
: Syracuse Sunday morning, then it would not have been possible
: THE TELLTALE TICKETS. : for them to have reached Boston until many hours after the tele-
The detective entered the office of: the hotel and ‘made a critical gram which Mr.. Hill received had been sent.
examination of the register. - This+would prove conclusively that Laura had not sent the tele- ;
He did not find the name of Laura Hill upon any of the pages, gram to her father. os
or any fictitious name which she might have written, and the If she did not send it, who did? . fo
writing of which resembled hers. : Here was another mystery.
“Were you on duty Sunday morning?” Broadbrim asked the Every move the detective made it seemed ‘as if something B
clerk after he finished looking over the pages of the register. would turn up to enshroud the case in deeper mystery.
—“T was,” the clerk answered. : oo Broadbrim was groping in the dark.
“Did two women arrive here in a cab?” Numerous theories swere suggested to his mind, but he dis-
“Was one tall and dressed in mourning and the other young ana carded all of them.
quite pretty?” / / _ At. the depot in Albany Broadbrim made inquiries about the
“Yes,” : : . pair.
_ “They arrived here.” : : . He could not find a person who had seen them.
“Didn’t they register?” He visited the hotels and examined the registers.
_ “No.” a . At all of the hotels the clerks stated that no guests had ar-
“Why didn’t they ” . rived Sunday evening.
“The young one, who did all the talking, said that they only The Quaker was baffled.
wanted the use of a.room for an hour.” ~ coal ’ Was the trail lost?
“And you let them have a room?” . Broadbrim returned to the depot.
“Certainly. ‘They paid full price. for it.. They were served: His mind was greatly disturbed.
with breakfast in the room.” . . He examined the time-tables and discovered that the only train’
_ “How long did they remain?” which left Albany Sunday evening was the train upon which
_“Not over an hour.” | , “ ; Laura and her companion had started from Syracuse.
“Did they leave the hotel in a cab?” oo As soon as he ascertained this an idea flashed across his mind.
“No.” > “Perhaps they did’ not leave the train,” he.thought. “They
“Did you see them go out?” weet may have continued on it to New York. Both of them had re-
“I did.” . : turn tickets from Niagara Falls. But. why.didn’t they use them
“Did you have any conversation with the young woman ?” from Syracuse? Why did Laura buy tickets at Syracuse for
“She asked mé about the. time the trains left here for Albany Albany? Now let me think; the man who disappeared from the
and I told her.” “ sleeping car Auburn, and whom I believe was Kynett, had a
“Did: she say that she and “her companion were going to Niagara Falls excursion ticket numbered o40. Laura’s ticket was
Albany?” . numbered *g81. Now if Laura and her companion continued on ,
“She did not say £0, but I inferred from -what questions she board the train—and if her companion was Kynett in disguise—
asked that they were.” : and they used the return excursion tickets, then the numbers of
“Did you.see the face of the young woman's companion?” . those tickets will be found in the report of the conductor who had
“No. She had a heavy veil drawn down over it.” charge of the train. I. must find that conductor. .Is he is New
“Will you call the waiter who attended them?” * York? T’ll’soon find out.” ; /
“Their breakfast was taken up to the room by a bellboy. He . Old Broadbrim entered the dispatcher’s office.
did not enter the room. The young woman took the tray’ cut To secure the information he desired it was necessary for him
of his hands and would not let him come in. She said her com- to make known his‘identity to the dispatcher.
panion was dressing.” ue “Who had charge of train No. 27 Sunday. night ?”> Broadbrim
“Ts this all the information you can give me about the wqmen?” asked as soon as he told the dispatcher who he was. :
“Tt is” oe a / “Phil Winton,” the man replied. “He was just in here a minute |
Old Broadbrim returned to the depot. : ago.” He gces out on No. 46, which leaves here in half an hour. ‘
There he made inquiries of the ticket agent, who informed:*him He’ll be back here in five minutes to get his orders. Ah! here he
that a young woman answering Laura’s description had purchased is now. I say, Winton, come over here.”
two tickets from him for Albany on Sunday morning. : The conductor approached.
“Did you see her board the train?” the detective. inquired... _ The dispatcher introduced him to the detective, who said:
“T did,” the agent replied. | — “I understand that you had charge\ of train No, 27 Sunday
“Was she alone?” . night ?” . .
: “No, a tall woman dressed in black was with her.” oO “I did,’ Winton replied. . , ~ -
“When does the next train leave for Albany?” ‘ oe “I’d liké to see a copy of your report.” :
“A train leaves in ten minutes.”-— ~- . . “I have a duplicate of it in my box. If you’ll wait a second
Old Broadbrim purchased a ticket for the capital, * YH go and get it.”
He believed now that he had struck the trail of Alfred Kynett The conductor went into the next room and soon, returned with:
and Laura Hill. . a slip of paper in his hand.