Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-08-23

eating their supper, not taking any
, care to escape their notice.
cBy thunder!' says Carter, the
older one as he saw ME, "'V' yoa
been in there all the time we've
been talking? l say, Bill, here's
officer been hearing every
word we have said! He's been
in the cell between us all the
time!'
There was any amount of ours
ing, swearing at themselves and me-
and their luck. They'd been neat
ly sold, and had nobody to blame
but themselves. They needn't
have been fools enough to talk out
their secrets in such a place.
i Carter offered me five hundred
dollars to let them off, but l told
him [ couldn't do it; said | was
afraid he'd put off bad money on
me. told him I'd give him some.
thing for the "two-fnger sign;" but
says he:
"No! you've got enough!' y
Then he asked me if | was going
to meet the Orange county man.
i 'fOf course I am" says |.
"You'd be fool if you didn't"
says he; "and you'll pump the
bloke we'll, I'll be bound! Was
there erer such an unlucky, foolish
piece of business as this?"
They were to keep these two
precious rascals at the station till
I called for them; and 1 went away
and got ready to meet my country
customer.
Just as the City Hall clock
struck nine l walked into the Of
flee of the Tammany Hotel, took
off my hat and scratched my head,
carelessly looking round as if |
wanted to find some one. l was
charmed to see, right off, regular
country-greeny take out his big
red handkerchief; he blew his
nose so hard that l thought he
would blow it off, and l wanted to
laugh so to think how he was 60
ing to be "done," that l really had
to turn away to hide my face
This was the moment when | wan
ted the two-6nger dodger; but as
1 hadn't got it, 1 must get along
without it. walked along by the
place where country was sitting,
and as 1 Ipassed him by 1 stopped
down to pick up something, and
whispered:
"We're acatched? Follow me
out!"
The greeney got up and follow
ed, and | led him to a low drink
ing place, where l knew there was
private rooms, just out of Chat
ham street, and there we had a
talk. pretended to be very eau
tious, and asked him boldly if he
was prepared to give me the finger
sign. He showed it to me at once
this way: the little and the next
to it, on the left hand, stuck out
straight, and the other two held
down by the thumb.
Call right" says 1. "What
kind of horses do you want to buy
the light or the dark?'
"Well," says he, 81 think the
darks travel best, don't your
"They sell best, says /; 'but l
never d1fre myself"
"Why, Joe told me that you
were one of the best drivers that
he ever saw"
"Well, the fact of it is, the man
who was to meet you--and he IS a
good driver-has had to leave
town for few days, and he has
sent me to trade with you. Did
Joe give you his name? Carter,
wasn't it3"
eyes, 't,cas Carter. It's all the
same to me, as long as you trade
fair. If / can find good dark at
thirty, (that is thirty cents on the
dollar,) Pm your man"
"How do you like that" says |,
and handed him a first rate coun-
terfeit "V" on one Of the river
banks. I'd got it the day before
from a woman that trNd to push
it off in Canal street, at milliners.
He looked over it carefully.
"Thats the ticket" says he, 81
want pile of that"
"Well," says /, fcome round
with me to the old mans and / can
get you as much as you want
Ever been there?"