The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-11-22
SOMEBODY'S BAc.
CONCLUDED.

"Your manifest duty, sir, was to
inform the cab.man that the property
in question-yery likely documents
of priceless worth"
mo" Interrupted I, hastily
air-brushes." The next moment,
by the expression of the face, I felt
that I had made great mistake.
"Hair- -brushesl" said he, slowly,
suiting the action to the word by
slowly stroking one of his mutton
chop whiskers; ''then you've opened
it, have you?" 80
,r,"No, no." said I, imploringly-
''none of our keys would fit the
lock-" Here I saw that I had made
another most unfortunate mistake.
30, indeed" )" was all the inspector
said, but he looked volumes-the
whole four volumes of the Newgate
Calendar. n
"Your obvious duty, in the first
instance" returned he, with mean
ing, was to have given up the pro-
perty to the cab-man, in order that
it might have been at once conveyed
to the Lost Parcels Office"
''Dear me-" cried I, with sudden
vehemence, $50 ought, of course !
quite forgot about the Lost Parcels
Office"
"Ah, you knew of it, then, but you
forgot it, 5" returned, the inspector, in
tone of sarcasm that I have heard
my brother-in-law, who is q country
magistrate, use to poachers found
with partridge nets in their acciden-
tai possession. ''You will be good
enough to favor me with your ad-
dress"
gave it him, of oourse. I would
have made him present of the lease
of my house, if it would have moIli-
fed him at that moment.
"More than twenty-four hours will
have elapsed before this carpet bag
can be sent to its proper destination,
pursued he; therefore, the owner
will probably have called at the Lost
Parcels Office, and not finding it
there, will conclude-and, indeed.
the authorities will tell him so-that
all further search is in vain. Cab
men are bound to return articles so
discovered within twelve hours: and
II they do not 30, it is because thew
are thieves
"Exactly so" urged I despairing-
ly; "that is why L deemed it safer to
take this home with me; L thought
the cab-man might not be trust
worthy"
"You could have taken his number,
L suppose" remarked the inspector
cynically. cit is too late to forward
the article to Scotland Yard tonight:
you had better bring it hither your
sell, on Monday. Good morning."
He did not say "good morning" I"
like q parting salutation at all. It
seemed to express: "You may go
now, but on your personal recogniz-
ance to re-appear here within eight
and forty hours. have not done
with you, nor anything like it. I
nave got my eye upon you; my
myrmidons shall have their orders.
A man that can see hair brushes
through the leather of carpet bag,
and yet forgets the existence of O
Lost Parcels Office, is not likely to
come to good; l shall see you again.
Good morning"
The intermediate Sabbath was by
no means day of rest to me. Black
Care, that sits behind the horseman,
seemed always to be sitting in front
OF me, in the form of q leather carpet
bag. If an incubus ever took that
form, l pity those of my ancestresses
who were witches. My wife, to whom
I communicated my apprehenaions
pictured her beloved husband with g
mask on, las beheld in "never toe
late to mend" at the Princess thea
tire, shorn of his name, and answer
ing to number with four figures ir
it. We were about to retire to res
upon that Sunday night at ten-thirty
as usual, when the parlor- maid came
up to the drawing-room with very
pale face, to say that there were {
couple Of policemen in the hall, who
wanted to speak with me.
"They shall never part usp' ex
claimed my wife, with q shrek O
agony. 80 Walter, Walter, why die
you laugh at those poor people at the