Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-08-02
5FAYEHTEVILLB TENNESSEE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 1866.

then on the other side Of the way
looking across with his bright eye
straight at the hams, he did NO
come in or speak to me upon tn
subject. And SO l made up M,
mind that he would send for it il
the morning, and somehow mad
sure of it that whenever | saw
decent locking woman go by witt
a basket on Eer arm, | said, THAT
the policemap's wife coming afte
the ham, was mistaken, how
ever; and after the street lamp
were lighted that night | began t.
see the man pacing up and down
up and down, up and down, witt
his eyes still fixed as they hat
been the night previous upon ths
hams. Once he caught me peep
ing at him, and then he turned Sc
red, and looked at me with such
wolfsh glitter in his eyes, that
grew angry and said to myself
Its well that keeping unsaieable
articles isn't a crime in this coun
try, for if it was | should expect tt
be arrested So | gave him back
his look, turned on my heel, and
walked back into the shop. | did
not see him again that night; but
long after everything had been ta-
ken in and locked, up, and | was
snug in bed, I heard tramp.
tramp, tramp upon the pavement.
and knew it was the new police
man, and that he was looking al
the hooks where the hams hung,
as well as though / had seen him.
"On the third evening he was
there again; that, you may say,
was no wonder, for it was his duty
to be upon that beat and no other
but it was curious that he should
keep on staring at those hams with
those bright wolfsh eyes of his.
1 didn't like it, though | could not
have said why. A vessel had been
wrecked at sea about that time,
and an extra, with the latest news
of the disaster, came out that eve
ming. | bought paper, and sat
down behind the counter to read
it. 1t was a stormy night, and
but few customers came in, and
those were easily served, and some
how between reading and thinking,
time passed on until the clock
struck eleven, and I had not yet
taken in my goods or put up my
shutters.
"Just as I was about to do so
Gin fact l had already put my hand
upon the first piece of shutter)
my door opened, and an old woman
came in. She was a scottish, mis-
erable creature, known about the
place as Irish Kate, ard, with her
red nose and blearing eyes and
bloated limbs, was as ugly figure
as any one ever cast eyes on. AN
other dram, / SUPPOSE | said to
myself, going behind the bar at
once, for | wanted to get rid of her
as soon as possible. But she, to
my surprise, came close up to me,
and put her great paw upon my
arm" S +
GIVE made a diskivery, mister"
said she. "You'ye not been keep
ingas brighta lookout as ye should;
there's been a thafe at work wild
out this blessed night"
"What theft" I asked.
sMore than l can tell ye," she
answered. "But ! think it's a
policeman, no less, the blackguard.
"a policeman p I cried, and my
thoughts flew at once to the man
! had seen staring at my hams.
''It's too dark to see his face"
said she; "but | caught the shine
of a star on the. coat he has on,
whoiver it was took ham from
your pegs and hid it in the ashbox
beyant at the corner. Yell find
it there, if ye look /; and now yell
not refuse an old woman sup o
whisky for the information?"
: 81 gave the old creature what
she wanted, hurried her out of the
shop, and put up the shutters,
growing angrier every moment"
"1fitis the policeman I'll make
him pay dearly for it, thought I,
as I skunk along the sidewalkto the
corner, keeping in the shadow all
the way; and when / stood beside
the box and saw by the light of
+bo 1aYy,r, closn hv that the ham