Manfred's Quest: Or, The Mystery of a Trunk — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

MANFRED'S QUEST. and when I find the rightful owner to all this treasure, I can restore it intact to a farthing; but hang me, it’s lucky I teok all the precaution Idid in securing the infernal thing!’’ The detective concluded to go down and see the bag- gage-master. He was anxious to hear what the man would have to say about the trunk. He reached the baggage- room at a time when the baggage-master was idle, and said: ** Hello!” ‘* Hello; let me see,’’ answered the baggageman, ‘* I’ve seen you before. ”’ The detective produced another excellent cigar. ‘* Oh, yes; I recollect younow. I was a selling you about that mysterious trunk?’’ 6¢ YT on-?* ** Well, the owner turned up.’’ “* She did, eh?” 6é Yes. 7? ‘* A beautiful young lady, of course?’’ ‘* All the romance was knocked out of that affair i in about four minutes. ’’ °° Is that so?” Ves P" °° Tell me about it. ”’ ** Well, yesterday a veiled lady appeared here, and, handing me a check, said: ‘ I want my trunk!’ I took the check, glanced at it, and my heart stood still; it was a de- mand for the mysterious trunk, and the lady was veiled, and I tell you I was excited; but, in about four minutes, as I tell you, the romance all dissolved. ”’ ‘* How so?”? ** The spell was broken.’’ “* Indeed ?”? ¢é Yes.’? “© How go???’ **'The claimant was a sharp-voiced, waxen-haired old maid, who had been taken with the rheumatism and had left the pesky old trunk here for convenience’ sake. ”’ ** Is that so?’’ = son; and I swung her out her old bag in a jiffy, I tell you.”’ ‘* And you had all your worry for nothing?’ : éé Yes. 323 “* You are sure, however, it was the proper owner?”’ ** Certainly; she had the right duplicate check, and it was her trunk, there is no doubt about that! and I’m glad it’s gone, [ am; and you'll never hear me worrying about an uncalled-for trunk again, you bet. ”’ The two men hada good laugh, and later on the detect- ive departed. Manfred, indeed, had an elephant on his hands; day and night the idea and responsibility of his possession haunted him. A day or two following his discovery, he went to C—— and spent several days doing fine detective work, and gath- ering facts connected with the life and death of the old man Silver. He remembered that the initials on the trunk were **M. M. S.,” and the S. was another link in the chain that connected the owner of the trunk with the old man who had committed suicide, or who had been mur- dered; and the question arose, who was the murderer, if the latter were the real fact? Could it be possible that the beautiful, mysterious female passenger was the assassin? The detective particularly inquired concerning the lady who had remained a few days with the strange old man. He found an old colored woman who had seen the lady | several times, and she described the old recluse’s visitor as young and beautiful. Manfred remained a week, and during the time picked up many strange and singular facts, and at length he de- termined to return to New York, and, if possible, get upon the trail of the lawyer who had figured in the ease. The detective took a night train to New York; and on the road fell into a most startling and thrilling adventure. CHAPTER VI. MANFRED possessed certain occult powers such as has been within the province of but few mortals, and among | his other accomplishments, as intimated in a preceding chapter, was a ventriloquial gift. His vocal feats were the most wonderful ever recorded, he having the power literally to throw his voice where he pleased; and he was also cap- able of the most astonishing vocal changes and inflections besides being a most remarkable imitator. The detective took a night train, and singularly enough occupied the same seat in the car he had occupied on the night when he met the lady with the blood-stains on her veil and clothing. The detective was tired, and settled down for a nap; and again it was a singular fact that when he entered the car there was but one seat vacant, and the latter was the chair adjoining his own. The train thundered along, and the detective was aroused when it came to a halt at the first station from where he had boarded it; and when he awoke, to his astonishment he beheld a veiled lady seated in the chair that had been vacant at the time he entered the car. For an instant the detective stared, as though confronted by an apparition. It was so strange, the seeming repeti- tion of the adventure of the two weeks previous. Manfred watched the veiled lady, and discovered that she was also exceedingly nervous and restless, as the former veiled lady had been. Not for a moment did it enter our hero’s mind that the two veiled ladies were identical, but it was certainly a singular and remarkable incident, and the similarity of the adventure was further carried out when, as we have stated, the detective discovered that the veiled lady number two was evidently agitated and excited. A few moments passed; the detective glanced around the car, and soon discovered that there was another passenger that was keenly watching the veiled lady; and later on the detective noticed that the veiled lady was aware that she was being watched; and it also became evident that the fact was the occasion of her nervousness and agitation. A study of the face of the man who was watching the lady revealed the fact that he was a sinister-looking rascal, a man capable of any wicked and desperate deed. “Well, here is an adventure,’’ thought Manfred, as he pretended to sleep, but in reality devoted himself to cov- ertly watching the two individuals that had attracted his attention. Several times he saw the lady turn round and glance. through her veil, and her movements indicated that she would like to speak to him. ** I wonder what it all means?’’ mentally queried the de- tective. A few moments passed, and he saw the veiled lady slyly take a card and write a few words upon it, and later on she managed to pass the card to our hero. Manfred was amazed, but he was equal to the occasion. Me saw that the lady did not wish it known that she had CO . _ -. ¢ | a wrt EAPO T Ie en