, and regarding it intently for a moment, he said:

"Why, yes--that's Duncan from Des Moines. I know him very well. He has
been here often."

"Well, has he been here within two weeks?"

"Yes, he was here about two weeks ago on a spree, and he bought a ticket
for St. Paul."

"Are you quite sure about that?"

"Perfectly sure," answered the ticket agent. "I remember it distinctly,
and what impressed it the more forcibly upon my mind is the fact that he
wanted to know if I could give him a ticket on the Northern Pacific road
from here, and I told him he would have to go to St. Paul for that."

"Did he mention any particular point on the railroad that he wanted a
ticket for?" asked Manning.

"No, I think not. He simply said he was making for Dakota."

Ascertaining that a train would leave for St. Paul in an hour, the
detective purchased a ticket for that city, and thanking the agent for
his information, he returned to the hotel to make arrangements for
continuing his journey. Before leaving, however, he telegraphed me his
destination, and what he had been able to learn.

From this information it was evident that Duncan was endeavoring to
reach the far west, and there seek a refuge among some of the numerous
mining camps which abound in that section of the country, hoping by that
means to successfully elude pursuit, should any be made for him. It was
plainly evident to me that he was entirely unaware of being followed,
and, in fact, of anything that had taken place since the robbery, and
that he was simply following his own blind inclinations to hide himself
as effectually as he could.

The first task performed by Manning after reaching St. Paul, was to
examine all the hotel registers, in the hope of discovering some traces
of an entry resembling the peculiar handwriting of Duncan. He also took
the precaution to quietly display the photograph of the young man to all
the clerks of the various hostelries, trusting that some one would
recognize him as one who had been their guest on some previous occasion.
In this, too, he was disappointed. Among the many to whom he displayed
Duncan's picture, not one of them had any recollection of such an
individual.

Feeling somewhat disheartened at this non-success, Manning next sought
the chief of police, and enlisted his services in our behalf. That
evening, in company with an officer, he made a tour among the houses of
ill repute, and here, too, disappointment awaited him. No