Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-07-23

him. for his physician would come to.see
him nearly every day, and that his daugh-
ter had come to wait upon him. He gave
his name as Oscar Luton, and the bright
eyed girl he called CLARA. asa '2
II could not refuse him.. He offered
to pay me any price I might demand, and
as had rooms to spare, l determined to
take him. So had the apartment put
in order. and as soon as ali was ready,
We helped him up stairs. He wentto bed
at once. being faint and weary.
son the following morning aygentle>
man came who introduced himself as
DR.. John Adams. He was fine. intelli-
gent looking man. about fifty years Of
age. and possessed apeculiar faculty Of
gaining. confidence at ronce. learned
from him that he was stopping with sis
ter, only a few miles off. and should re-
main there while his patient. Luton, lived :.
While we were conversing. Clara came
in and informed the doctor that her
father wished to see him as soon as pos
sible. Y ~ ygt stsi
"In half an hour the doctor came down
shaking his head.
".Poor fellow !" he said. taking seat
by my side. .He can't live long. He is
very low and weak this morning."
IL didn't much like the idea of having
man die in my house thus, but twas
entirely too late to help it at this time.
"A week passed, and Mr.. Luton seem
ed to be failing every day. He had grown
so feeble that he could not set up at all,
and the physician came every morning.
and sometimes in the evening. Clara
was unceasing in her attentions, and 1
knew thatishe must have watched by her
fathers bedside all night. %
"One day received letter from law
yer in New York. who had stopped at my
house FIVE days before. with his wife and
daughter, in which he stated that his wife
had lost jcwelry to the amount of three
thousand dollars somewhere on her Jour-
ney. She was sure she had it when she
stopped at my house, and her only stop
ping place between there aud the city
was with ler own father. The lawyer
closed his letter by asking me to look
around carefully. and see if ! could gain
any clue to the property.
That very evening Clara Luton came
to me, and told me that her father wished
to see me. went up and found the in
valid raised to sitting position in the
bed, with pile of holsters and pillows
behind him. He looked far more like a
dead man than living one. He asked
me to sit down, aud then made some re-
marks upon the state of his health. He
said hethought he should get well-he
knew he was very weak-much weaker
than when he came-he could not even
stand alone now-but still he hoped to
recover. | saw Clara turn her head
away, and thought saw tears come in
her eyes. Poor child she knew well
enough that there was no recovery Tor
her father.
"'But,' said Luton, at the end of a
long pause, speaking in low, gurgling
whisper, and with an expression OF pain.
i have sent TO you on strange busi-
ness. Have you many boarders in your
house 90
Il told him the house was nearly full.
care any Of them strangers to you?'
nearly all of them returned
puzzled at The question.
"I do not wish to trouble you,' Luton
resumed, 'Gor you have been very kind
to me, and feel there is no fault with
you. But last night 1 lost between ten
and twelve hundred dollars. don't know
exactly how much there was, but it was
something over a thousand. l had it in
that liltle dressing case. (pointing to a
rosewood box upon the table.) About
midnight sent Clara to bed, and then,
under the influence of an opiate, fell
asleep myself. l sleptuntil daylight, as
did my child, and then found my mon>
ey gone. My door was not locked, and
some one must have come in during the
night and robbed me. But he added,
as began to express my alarm and sor-
row. don't let my loss trouble you, as
shall not miss it, nor will it in the least
affect my good opinion ol your house.
l only mention it that you may be on the
watch, for others, who cannot afford it,
may meet with similar losses, if the thief
is not detected.
GAS thu invalid seemed exhausted by
his efforts, thus far, asked no more ques.
tions. He said the money he lost was
mostly in gold, only about two hundred
dollars of it being in bank notes. He
described the notes as nearly as he could
and then took my leave.
Il was now in trouble, sure enough
That there was regular hotel thief in
the house was evident; but how was l to
catch him? had hundred and fifty
people stopping with me. and out of the
whole lot was not acquainted with more
than five and twenty of them. However
| did the best could. 1 put the clerk
and chambermaids on the watch, and re-
solved to keep an open eye myself.
Just before supper was ready, par
ty of boarders returned from a days
jaunt among the hills. They had taken
teams and left Immediately after break