A Daughter of Delilah — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

24 IN THE ‘TUNNEL. the name of Isabel Russell would be sure to leak out! How could he avoid the swarm of reporters who would be certain to run him, and his miserable story, to earth? “My duty is clear,’’ he muttered. ‘‘I ought to hurry to the nearest police station, and be laughed at! The convict would be caught, for he has not had time to get far away, and——’’ He paused and gritted his teeth, adding: ‘‘No, it shall never be known to a living soul! Let the poor devil go!”’ He buttoned his coat tightly about him, and rolled up the trousers at the bottoms to a ridiculous height. Then, assured that little of his convict attire could be seen, he started at a quick pace toward the railway station, whose lights glimmered brightly not half a mile away. When within a stone’s throw of the station, he left the track, and hurried in the direction of a carriage stand, where his hatless head and general appearance of disorder enlisted the sympathies of a friendly policeman. ‘‘Lost your hat, sir?’’ the man queried. ‘Yes, it blew off,’’ Alston replied, readily. ‘‘I have walked from Bridgley. Was obliged to get back to Cin- cinnati to-night, and no confounded train. I shall complete my journey inacarriage. Order one, will you, please?’’ The policeman shouted to one of the hackmen, while Alston turned aside to take a douceur from his pocket- book with which to sop the officer’s curiosity. In two minutes he was seated in the carriage, having | peremptorily stopped the hackman’s argument concerning the lateness of the hour, and the length of a journey which would take him far out of his usual course, by thrusting a ten-dollar bill into his eager hands. | Gomicbooks (E(0) m