CHAPTER XV.

IN HIDING IN A STRANGE CITY-SEATTLE THE BEAUTIFUL.

Mr. Gleason was out of town, but the Revenue Officer was not. He came out and got us lodgings with a very respectable woman on a business street near the little lake. Boyd went with the driver to the liverystable and stopped in a store and bought himself some books and toys as we had not been able to bring anything with us. Then the driver hurried back to Granite Falls with the horses and to take "Buck" back to his native heath at Lake Stevens. My child and I were left alone in the large city.

We had relatives and friends there, but we did not dare go near them or call upon them. "Discretion is the better part of valor." It was a most peculiar situation and you may be assured I was quite a bit harassed and worried. The woman we were with had the same surname as my Grandfather Fitch's mother. She only let out rooms and did not serve meals. We slipped over to a restaurant and got something to eat in the middle of the afternoon and bought provisions to lunch on in our room. My boy had his lessons and then while I read to him some sketches from early American History

he played on the floor with some toys. I was sitting in front of the window and every little while I would glance up and look out.

The street-car station was right across the street from us. Suddenly I saw Seattle's chief of police and a well-known dark-haired city sleuth get off a car. It did not need the wide band on the blue pantaloons and the official hat to tell me who it was, for I took Seattle's daily paper. I kept on reading. They walked up the street. I withdrew from the window a little, but kept on reading. They entered the drug store from which I had telephoned. Still I kept on reading, but dared not glance at my beloved child. Scared-I never was more scared in my life. I thought my hour had come, but still I kept on reading. After some minutes which seemed like hours I saw the chief alone board a downtown car. I glanced up at the corner above the building where we were and saw the dark sleuth on guard. I was not very comfortable, but still I kept on reading.

We ate our supper in our room and in the evening the kind lady of the house invited us into her rooms to spend the evening. We slept that night pretty well, for I had had no rest the night before and in spite of circumstances tired nature will sometimes assert herself don't you know. Very, very early the next morning I looked out and the street was deserted, so we slipped across and got our breakfast. Just as we came out of the restaurant door I saw the back of the aforesaid dark sleuth going up the street.

I was terribly frightened and decided not to go back to our room. I turned an abrupt corner quickly and got a horse and buggy at a convenient livery. Then we drove all the morning and saw quite a bit of the wonderful city. We enjoyed crossing over the long bridge over Lake Union, another of Seattle's famous lakes. Every little while I would go into a drug store and telephone and see if I could get Charley Gleason. Finally about noon I got him and I told him we would wait for him with the horse and buggy at a certain corner. My! how glad I was when I saw him coming up the street! He stopped in front of us and smiled that peculiar, quizzical smile of his while I explained the situation to him. Naturally he was as nonplussed as the rest of us and at a loss to know what was best to do. I thought it would not hurt us anyway to stay a few days and see if anything happened, but I wished to change my boarding place.

There is a splendid University in Seattle, with most magnificent grounds. I knew nice people always lived in the vicinity of such a school and let out rooms, or took as boarders, the students and their friends. I suggested that we go over there. You see there was another thing that worried me. I was not very well

gowned. I looked a heap sight better than most of the

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ranch women" I saw driving into town, for they had mud on their clothes and looked unkempt while I never allowed myself to look that way although many told me it would help me as a disguise. My clothes were

of the vintage of 1905, the style of sleeves and the cut of the skirt slightly outre, and would attract attention in a city. Seattle ladies are very well dressed and very stylish and they have such fresh bright color. So we drove towards the University. Mr. Gleason let us out at a friendly corner drug store and while he was taking the horse back to the livery-stable and getting our luggage and paying Mrs. Hinckley I was looking up desirable places in the vicinity where we could board. It was a splendid part of the city quite far out, so it seemed almost like the country. You know it is always desirable to be under the wing of a fine school. To see the interesting students go by was entertainment in itself and their lively interest in everything made one wake up and be enthusiastic.

We found an ideal place to board. Just a quiet home with a fine mother and only a few boarders. Splendid meals. The lady kept no maid and so I helped her with the work as I always helped every woman I stayed with who had no maid. More women in the West go without hired help than they do in the East for good help is difficult to find. Nearly every man and woman out there is independent. The Japanese make excellent servants, but there was so much talk at his time of a war on the Coast between Japan and the United States that many were afraid to have a Japanese around. It was a real home we were in and we did enjoy it so much. After hearing my little boy's lessons we would slip out and take walks.