Manfred's Quest: Or, The Mystery of a Trunk — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

on ee - _ MANFRED’S QUEST. ** Why should I tell you?’’ **Somehow I’ve conceived a strange interest in that trunk. ’’ ** ‘You have, eh?’’ e¢ Yes. 3? ** Well, who are you?’’ The stranger reached over and whispered: ** T’m a detective.”’ *° A regular?’’ €é Yes. I? ** Hang it, I’m glad of it! I’ve thought of speaking to a detective about that trunk. I tell you there is something very mysterious about it. ”’ ** You say you had a dream about the trunk?’’ °° Yes, I did.’’ ‘* Tell me your dream.’’ **T dreamed that one night I was just leaving the bag- gage-room when a lady, veiled, suddenly appeared and asked about that very trunk. I asked her if she had the checks, and she said: ‘ Never mind the checks; open it!’ and she disappeared, and I awoke to find I had been dreaming; but ever since there has seemed to come a voice to me, saying: ‘ Open me! open me.’ ” Manfred, the wonderful ventriloquist detective, had stepped close to the trunk, and had fixed in his mind the figures and general appearance of the check upon it. ** Have you ever made any inquiries about the trunk?” ‘* Yes; I wrote a letter to the baggage-master up at the station where it was shipped, but he has no recollection of it; all he knows is that the numbered duplicate checks are gone from his strap, but he don’t recollect anything about the trunk or the party who had it checked.”’ ** How long has the trunk been here?”’ ** About two weeks. ” ** Did it come in on a morning or/an evening train?”’ ** It came on a late train.’ ** You are sure of that?’’ ** Yes; I recollect when it came. ”’ ** Tt was the 10:20 train from C——??? ** Yes,” ejaculated the baggageman, as he fixed his eyes on the detective in a suspicious manner. ‘* It was a rainy night?’’ said the detective. ** A rainy night? you bet it was one of the worst nights I ever experienced, and that is how I remember it so well, the night the trunk arrived. But see here,,what are you getting at?’ ** How do you mean?” ** 'You’re placing the trunk; I reckon you know gome- thmg about it.” ** No, I do not; but I return your remark, and say you’ve a theory.” The baggageman looked around to see that he was not observed, and said: ** Between you and me, there is an idea running through my head. ’’ ** What is your idea?’’ ** The C—— mystery!’’’ ** The old man who committed suicide??? ** Well, yes; that was the verdict; but you know there are those who still persist in saying he did not commit sui- cide. ” °° T have heard such rumors.’ ** Yes, and I’ve heard it said there was a woman in the Case. 33 ** l’ve heard that too.” ** And it is said his will can not be found; and his ac- quaintances say, also his lawyer, that he made a will.’? © ** I’ve heard all that, but what has it got to do with the trunk?’’ ** Hang it! I might as well tell you.’’ “* Yes, tell me. ’’ 3 **T had another dream about that trunk.” ** What did you dream the second time?” ** I dreamed I opened it.”’ *¢ Well?’ ** And found the missing will. ”’ i CHAPTER IL. To our old-time readers Manfred the detective is a famil- lar personage, and to our new readers we will say that he was an individual possessed of weird and most wonderful powers. Among other accomplishments, he was the most remarkable ventriloquist that ever attempted vocal decep- tions. He had become a detective through a combination of circumstances of the most startling character; and hay- ing once adopted the profession, he had brought into play his great powers, and had utilized them in the most effect- ive manner. ‘T'wo weeks prior to the opening ef our narrative, the de- tective had encountered a strange adventure, and when he accidentally fell upon the trunk mystery he put certain little facts together, and spun out a theory that caused him to connect the two incidents. Manfred was on a train running from Albany to New York. He occupied a seat in a palace car, and had fallen asleep when the train camé toa halt at C——, a station little less than sixty miles from the city. The detective only half roused himself, and would have dropped off once more into a doze, but for a little incident which caused him to brighten up and become interested and observant. There was but one vacant seat in the palace car, and that seat was the one just ahead of the chair occupied by the detective, and it was the fact of an occupant taking posses- sion of it that aroused him. The incident was a very commonplace one, and to an ordinary person would not have attracted more than pass- ing attention; but the detective was not an ordinary per- son; he was accustomed to note and observe little indices that would have escaped the attention of one less observant. The occupant of the seat was a lady who was closely veiled, and as she was evidently traveling alone, the fact was not an unusual one; but our hero at a glance noted that the veiled female passenger was young, and laboring under great excitement. The evidences of her trepidation Soule only have been noted by a keen and practiced observer, and the latter the detective was, and at once he determined that there was something unusual in the appearance and manner of the stranger. He resolved, if possible, to see her face; indeed, he conceived it possible that he might make an excuse for addressing her, but it was some time before an opportunity offered. Manfred pretended to fall asleep, and while so pretend- ing saw that several times the veiled passenger half turned and glanced at him from under her veil, and she also at in- tervals glanced toward one and another of the dozing pas- sengers. The incident might have passed from his memory as soon as the train arrived at the depot, were it not for a certain s.ngular and startling discovery made by our hero. While pretending to be asleep, as stated, he was care- fully watching the veiled lady, and soon he made a discov: Entered according to Act of Congress, in the years 1886 and 1887, by GrerRGE MuNRO, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C. -% ee —————, Se — a