Detective Bob Bridger — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. Bb “The lawyer, however, led her away to procure a war- rant for my arrest for breach of promise, as I afterward learned, and instructed her to make oath that she believed it was my intention to leave the State, and place the injury done her beyond repair. ‘‘Hastening to the depot we found a special train wait- ing to bear the crowd of circus-goers eastward in advance of the regular express. ‘‘Annette still trembled in fear of her angry teacher as I assisted her on board, nor did she breathe freely until we rolled away toward Garson.” ‘Poor child!” growled the doctor. ‘‘Affianced to a man from Scotland Yard, and this mes an inmate of a New York den of thieves.” ‘‘Have patience, doctor; I am coming to that,” said the Scotch detective. CHAPTER XIV. THE PIANO-TUNER AT WORK. ‘‘As the train rolled on,” continued the Scotch detective, ‘‘T explained my plan of procedure to Annette, and began to prepare for the business ahead of me. “The brakemen were lighting their lights, when, retir- ing to a corner of the car, I adjusted my gold-rimmed spec- tacles, and donned my gray wig, which, by the way, Bobe, cost me one thousand francs in Paris. ‘‘Returning through the car, I overheard several jokes cracked by young men in the ears of their girls about the parson having been to see the elephant, and Annette was much surprised at my altered appearance. ‘‘ Although experience has taught me that even the finest make-ups are flimsy ‘give-aways’ in the eyes of practical thieves, I thought | was safe from recognition by ‘Silly’ Billy, who I alone feared. ‘If, however, I was recognized as the man from Scot- land Yard, I was prepared for the worst. ‘‘In my coat-pocket were three pairs of handcuffs, while, easy of reach, in my pistol-pockets, were two excellent re- volvers ready for work. “It was quite dark when we stepped from the train at Garson station. “The village consisted of a score or more of houses, and the station was but a platform. comicboo cS €oO