Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-03-04

Il agony Nof curiosity and suspicion We
worked ourselves to such pitch, that had
Baxter but given Us the word, we would
have denounced Browler 10 the police
and had him In tho rPtatipn house in
Itweuty minutes; but Baxter advised us,
In awhisper, to let the plot ripen, and then
crush IT at, one fell swoop; to which we
slowly assented, grasping hands over our
lunch-baskets to demonstrate our unity.
4, On going glooniily and sternly back to
\ my policy-book, l found bit of paper be-
tween the leaves addressed to tAe{ md
marked confidential" which ran thus .
IT. Dear SmytheAwould you do me the
i great kindness to call on me at No 100
ICookloft street, AT eight this evening,
Yours, in trouble, David Browler."-
Il / looked over at him and he was
lfwatching me anxiously over his pen
rack. Twas indignant that nc should
TRY to drag me into his rascality, and
4 nothing btitia boy and SOL tore the bit
f'of paper to flinders, and flung them on the
floor with as much contempt as, 4 eorid
| get into my motions His lin trembled
/ just like a crying b1by's; and his eye
tdrooped under mine, and he went to work
lAgain x . ~ il-- CD - aEf f-s.--st14. 7
Il Ten minutes after, was conscious of
being cruel brute. People are always
livery civil and kind to man who is to be
hung, and why should not l try to be
| obiiging to a man who certainly deserved,
it7 l determined to accommodate Brow.
Rer. To get him to understand this, l was
t4obliged to wait until the other fellows had
gone, and l then slipped around and yhis-
pered over the top of his desk as if Baxter
was only yard oh-anj it surprised me
to see how very kind could speak to the
hoary old villain after all.
"Pll come, Browler," said /.
He lifted his head up quickly, and APP
peared very much pleased. Fnp1
You'll do me great kindness, il you
will, Smythe."
Shall fetch any thingw z''fi..
mo, thank you-eight, sharp"
With that | went away. Although j
knew Baxter and the others would be
awfully enraged if they got an inkling of
what was about, and although l was
| positive that old Browler was endeaVoring
to get me into some hangman's scrape, yet
when found out that could do a great
favor for himI thought of the many holi-
days and advance salaries had whecdled
him out of Besides that, he was not so
much'sly and deceitfui in getting me to
visit him as he was begging and asking,
and began rather to fancy the idea of
little diplomacy; especially as l should
Although had never been there before,
| had but little trouble in finding Cockloft
street. 1t might have been quiet sunny
place in the daytime, at any rate it was
sober and dark enough in the night. The
| houses were like mems, stocks, eminently
old-fashioned and highly respectable. L
also found Browler easily, and he
shook my hand cordially and drag.
ged me into his sitting-room, with a
| joviality that l never supposed he
was capable of 1t looked very strange to
me to see his glasses and bald head any
where but in the Office, and that coupled
with wondering how man could be so
pleasant and atfable and a deeply-dyed
| villain at the same time,, made me feel
| little i'll at case. Nor was this at all ban
ished by the solemn entrance in, single
file of Browler' three thin spectacled rela-
tives.
"Mr. Smythe," said Browler, bowling,
"allow me to introduce my sisters, Miss
Amabel, Miss Belinda, and Miss Cora.
Alphabetical order, you observe, A. B. c.,
while close up with 'D-David pretty
idea of my honored father, who set out
to finish the alphabet, but my mother in
terferred by dying andmy father quenehed
all hope by following suit two months
| AFTER" bowed three times successive
| ly, and the three thin sisters smiled re-
proyingly at Browler, who set chairs for
us.
After some trifiing interruptions, in
cluding dish of pippins, Jug of cider,
and general oyerhauling of the common
enemy, an open-fire, Browlcr proceeded
to business, placing himself in front of the
semi,circle we formed, with his ten
fingers spread out in fan like and ex-
| planatory manner. The three sisters
turned their close attention to their
brothers boots, and prepared to listen
"Mr. Smythe, = said Bro Sler, dcliber.
ately, "what / say shall be very concise
| and is in, a measure an autobiography"
He paused an instant, and pressed his lips
together. | simply bowed, while the
three sisters gave an adjusting rustic of
| their skirts. 4es .s,es rs ~,
Some years ago, in the far South,
there was an exceedingly wealthy firm
doing business in cotton and rice, BY the
name of 0'Neil & Co., the head of the
firm being the parent of the young
man who entered our place to-day.
Our head Office was not very large one,
and was the only ok.keeper. l had
been brought up in their employ, and
one of the results of my twenty years.
steady labor was deep attachment for
the principal, Mr.. O'Neil. In spite of
this, and my ordinary sense of honor and
duty, became what people called an ,lln-
mitigated scoundrel." Here another rustic
occurred, and to my disgust, an undoubted
smile gathered upon the lips OF the Me
phistophiles-B -Browler. "This wickedness
extended through period of several
years, and was known to two persons,
though they were not in collusion. Busi.
ness was carried on, on an unsound basis
but without contraction, until the 10th of
December nine years ago. On that day,
finding concealment no longer possible, I
drew a forged check for twelve hundred
dollars and fed North"
"Wo instigated the last act, mean the
I forgery, said Miss Amabel to me.
Your you three gi-- ladies ~ said L
" confess that theydid,p said Browler,
quietly, as II he were mentioning their
subscription to Q race-oup. asA =
stared rather blankly at the four pairs
of spectacles which were trained on my
devoted face, and at the four hardened
Visages, which were as calm as If the only
crime they knew of was an excessive ami
ability. "The hue and cry after me WAS
something frightful," continued Browler,
but II was unsuccessful came to this
city, obtained my present situation, and
under the name 81. Browler have been a
happy man, but. still a robber--an un-
doubted and confessed robber. y 9"
The three ladies were still as quiet and
| demure as possible, while BroWler sfaaII, 4
the last reiteration with an elasticity thai
nearly approached tone of triumph.
| THE papers credited me with a tIefal-
cation amounting to quarter of a
million, though it was really not SO large.
The misappropriation was effected by sur
reptitious advances Obtained on products
under storage, aud the replacement by
| forged notes Of checks intended for the
liquidation of claims. An was slIillfnlly
and neatly done, and the. springing Of the
trap found me in possession of sufficient
funds for my expenses, hey, girlsg',s. Il
Quite a plenty" said Miss AmabeI
I Yes indeed, quite enoughs rejoihed
Miss Belinda
Certainly added Miss Cora, q .llY
| What sort of people L had fallen