The Vestibule Limited Mystery — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

THE VESTIBULE LIMITED MYSTERY. 159 is no one near to hear what you may say. Speak out and tell me what it is you propose to shh asee silent. about.” “Colonel Andrews, your liberty is as dear to you. as to most men, I suppose.” “Well?” “You would look with horror upon a sentence of ten years at Joliet at hard labor.” He shudders and glances at his white hands, that have evidently never known the soil of honest: labor. I can well understand the horror such a: man feels toward work. “Yes, I would sooner die than stand such a sentence, and you know it,” he mutters. “T could easily guess it, anyhow. Now, my dear man, you stand ‘a good chance of having such a sentence passed upon you and within a limited space of time.” “EKxplain—on what charge.” “This mystery of the Limited express.” “The Robert Hammond affair?” | “Yes.” | “Ah! but my dear sir, where is your guarantee— of what avail does it become unless it shields me from the consequences of that—accident?” _ « Andrews, can you repeat my words?” “Spoken “Ne you were here before?” “Yes.” “T think so. Let me see. Once you said ‘you - may be sure there will be no trouble come to you on ‘account of Robert Hammond’s suicide.’ ” “Word for word.” } “Again you declared, ‘I give you my solemn word of honor that if you doas I say, you will not be molested on account of Robert’s death.’ ” cS ~comicboo