Show THE GIFT arlo IFT W IFE 0 e 0 0 RUPERT HUGHES SERVICE by RUPERT CHAPTER I 1 through the clouds from their cl ars r mingled in the thickening air of esmo smoking king compartment the two might have been cast rays on desert islands in different cans for all tho the congress they id their moods seemed as unlike as clr persons the one smiled broad even on the hat flat landscape the only thing in germany that la Is it t fat at the other saw nothing but med leonly intent on an inner corama of remorse revenge un bulted hato hate or love or some such id A emotion p lis very behavior toward his cl that A musician would ve said that the plump fellow aked in luxurious legato the oth in a 0 staccato agi agitator tato ile ho puffed for a while yet a little er his hand must be seeking anker er match and trembling as he backed sacked his pockets ile ho scratched match with impatience and its ken illumination threw a little clum on a face of drawn anten i on such a gaunt and hunted in bilty that the fat man felt not enly ly easy of 0 his company in the aher en padded cell I 1 range how unlike americans at home and how liko like abroad se two differed in every detail feature costume and behavior the first glance either gave both that they were fellow men and their presence on Nord Express bound for ostend lied that their common destina dest lna was home hey ey seemed to be taking back er lences as different as their Is s and bodies he e was plump in the most genii s stretch of the epithet and coment with the pleasant thoughts I 1 traveler full of agreeable re brances yet glad to be return to 0 still more delightful memo the he other was slim to the e of lankness and some as ai apparently at ferment M n america at least in the less regions they would probably drifted into comment on ibe ier er or some such but being in europe where eral era suspicion is the most con is s of all habits of mind they d themselves up in themi ard and kept castle feudally with full a and nd portcullises portcullis es down do round rotund citizen who had been est st to establish himself in the ang g c compartment ompa of the corri r 0 observed b se c arvd the lattur comer while seeming his Is unfocused gaze follow his moke loke noting the taut tea fea and nd the eyebrows locked with beep ep bars he suspected the er r of contemplating some or r fleeing its consequence impulse he picked up again Y f of the Hambur gische toge tage e had been laboring over till grown tired his few works book german had tm im an adumbration of some ate te murder committed in schweig ile he had gleaned that ity ty wretch had escaped this be ie he went back over the column 3 scant vocabulary showed t whoever else the stranger be ae this man was not that for the fugitive was every at this man was not the tu fu vas as described among sev alls balls which were sanskrit to le rican as fat burly and i with a duel scar that had the lobe off a left ear and furrow across the check to ril a sigh almost of disappoint ie e oiled foiled hawkshaw put the side and resumed the study savis s a vis ile he took his invoice opportune clouds ot of smoke arst place his man had the 1 of intelligence ripened with jaw was neatly planed red 3 yet his chin was weak were re compressed till they md and pale and his mouth in which weaknesses and were vere at war as indeed e throughout the mans cat traits aits angers angera costume was nl al r in the matter 0 of in i thorough coni contat with ats s costume the tat fat man tily tinted ultra cut coati coat aggy yet sharply creased ing a glimpse of shome shame le B between trouser curis ow v shoe tops a white waistcoat alst aist coat of many colors d 1 like a union jack about ty f emphasized by a patt rt and a flaming silk scarf sted gold skewer in anit it nger iger was dressed as neg an almost finicky neat permit hat coat waistcoat stockings were black yet with no ile he had the took look person t striking the only really rait alt of the man was the bield eld or rather clutched i it was a notable hand a S hand of skill of cunning the hand of a craftsman perhaps too muscular for a painters it might bo be a sculptors sculptor 9 or a pianists ts yet the fingernails were trimmed to the quick not gnawed but carefully trimmed and so after much puffing much secret scrutiny and much unworthy curiosity the fat man had decided only that the lean man was an american of education and of middling and that was as tar far as he could go the train had gone much farther before a nervous shift of position disclosed on the waistcoat of 0 his subject a little gleaming jewel the next glance revealed it a fraternity pin was UP could it be it wasl was the stronger stranger wore the emblem of his own fraternity the alp the matter old boy dread brotherhood whose little stone meeting house at new haven was known as the catacombs Cata combs the fatter man made a long bat ue tie with hesitance the double hesi tance of infringing on the lean mans trouble and of incurring perhaps a heavy responsibility by confessing kinship with a casual stranger laboring under some excitement perhaps some scandal that might defile with pitch whosoever touched him but at last he yielded to the fraternal impulse when men greek meets greek then comes the tug of heart ile he cleared his throat with resolution leaned forward and said 1 I beg your pardon I 1 seo see that you are a catacomb ye es came the answer with a resentful tang for ot at yale it Is as crass an insult to mention a mans fraternity as to breathe upon the mirror of a womans comans reputation the fat man felt easier lie ile leaned forwarder and said reassuringly dont shoot so am 1 I 11 nol no I 1 ayes yes what year 1192 92 01 my year well ill be so will 1 I 11 1 I ought to know you then wahl dont tell met youre nol no I 1 besl yes I 1 you must be jebb Jeb debbold bold old dave jebb my name Is hold ont on give me a chance let me see jebb looked the plump one up and down also around stared it at the flamboyant and commodious costume A broad grin cheered his lonely face he chuckled those outlines them shy little wasp wap waist those modest waistcoat can belong only and always to big bill gaines goliath we used to can call you 1 right david and goliath here we are again well ill be oven even more so 4 me too well well this Is great got to have a drink on this no thanks with a curious desiccation ic of tone all ah come along dave got a flask of it in my suitcase none of your foreign smoke moke s chok e real old bourbon please dont there was an emphasis here that miffed gaines ile he sputtered like a glowing stove under a pill of cold water As I 1 remember you used to indulge a bit in the iho old days hit it up pretty lively live I 1 y now a and nd then the trouble dill bill not turned you gone and got re religion igon I 1 I 1 a and nd turned into a demosthenes or or whoever it was that used to drink water gaines voice was full of tears and pleading you done that have you dave nope not at all not a single damrau darn tall 01 better just taking a little jaunt on the water wagon eh strapped to the seat too bad its po powerful erful dry to meet up like this after lord how many years ago was it seems like 1482 1492 when I 1 entered college well soon be doing the old living alumnus stunt gaines was roly poly with good feeling again he pleaded you drop off the asprin sprin kler tor for just a little nip you can keep one foot on the step there was an sad ness in jebbs eyes and voice an unbelievable longing in his tone tone id me like to billy but if I 1 did god only knows what would happen I 1 you see im a aoh oh but im glad to meet you billy specially just at this moment im in trouble billy good and plenty 1 I thought you looked a little pale around the gills when you first blew in here I 1 sized you up for a murderer doing a getaway get away jebb smiled an smile ive never killed anybody ex capt legitimately in the line of my profession but im up against t it harder than hard gaines fat hand was instant to his fat wallet im on my way home dave after Eu roping about but heres what they left me save me enough to tip the stewards and go as tar far as yov you like its not money billy im full of it 41 he looked about cautiously and 0 bending close murmured ive got ten thou in my belt ten thou and worried lord it 11 I 1 ever saw that much at once I 1 caro care whether school kept or not what you afraid of bur clars pickpockets Pick pockets not a bit im afraid ot of roe me lit tle tie old david J me 01 afraid give it away or throw it at a cat im as likely to as not when im lord but im glad to see sea you billy for tho the sake of old sakes sake im going to put my little hand in yours and let you lead me home tho the matter old boy excuse me a minute tiu till I 1 go see if the child Is all right the child but he was gone lie ile returned in a moment along tho the corridor and began to talk as he hc took his place again you see its like this gaines broko broke in one minute dave did you say something about a chee chec ild yes I 1 left her for a moment to have a smoke ashes scraped acquaintance with another little girl in the same compartment and 2 1 left her in charge of the parents As I 1 started to say but the child youre married then your wife with you youa 1 I have no wife DO I 1 condole or congratulate are you sod or gra grass ss sod or grass what widower neither ive never married oh excuse mel and dont go to thin thinking chinhing hing that el ei ther the child mine at all im just taking her to america sort of wet nurse eha eh go on stranger your story interests me youve got a strange child end and a ransom of ten thou I 1 spotted you for a professional the minute I 1 saw you dave are you one of those lovely kidnapers no im a grave robber when im lucky lucky if close your trap rap ill tell you ill begin at the beginning when I 1 left yale I 1 took up surgery you always were a great cutup cu in due course I 1 took my diploma at the college of physicians and surgeons went to johns hopkins then to vienna university and came back to new york perspiring knowledge at every pore have much practice of course at fl first rit but got a lot to do in the hospitals and made quite a hit with some of my own TO BE CONTINUED |