parting, gentlemen, and I for one
would rather not inquire what."

"But the girl--the man--didn't you see them again before you left?"
asked an eager voice from the group.

"The young lady," remarked the other, "was on the train that brought me
here. The gentleman went the other way."

"Oh!" "Ah!" and "Where did she get off?" rose in a somewhat deafening
clamor around him.

"I did not observe. She seemed greatly distressed, if not thoroughly
overcome, and observing her pull down her veil, I thought she did not
relish my inquiring looks, and as I could not sit within view of her and
not watch her, I discreetly betook myself into the smoking-car, where I
stayed till we arrived at this place."

"Hum!" "Ha!" "Curious!" rose in chorus once more, and then, the general
sympathies of the crowd being exhausted, two or three or more of the
group sauntered up to the bar, and the rest sidled restlessly out of the
room, leaving the enthusiastic speaker alone with Mr. Byrd.

"A strange scene!" exclaimed the latter, infusing just enough of seeming
interest into his usually nonchalant tone to excite the vanity of the
person he addressed, and make him more than ever ready to talk. "I wish
I had been in your place," continued Mr. Byrd, almost enthusiastically.
"I am sure I could have made a picture of that scene that would have
been very telling in the gazette I draw for."

"Do you make pictures for papers?" the young fellow inquired, his
respect visibly rising.

"Sometimes," the imperturbable detective replied, and in so doing told
no more than the truth. He had a rare talent for off-hand sketching, and
not infrequently made use of it to increase the funds of the family.

"Well, that is something I would like to do," acknowledged the youth,
surveying the other over with curious eyes. "But I hav'n't a cent's
worth of talent for it. I can see a scene in my mind now--this one for
instance--just as plain as I can see you; all the details of it, you
know, the way they stood, the clothes they wore, the looks on their
faces, and all that, but when I try to put it on paper, why, I just
can't, that's all."

"Your forte lies another way," remarked Mr. Byrd. "You can present a
scene so vividly that a person who had not seen it for himself, might
easily put it on paper just from your description. See now!" And he
caught up a sheet of paper from the desk and carried it to a side table.
"Just tell me what depot this was in."

The young