The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-12-08

ginning to look upon myself quite in the
light OF an old acquaintance, when our
young lady got up to leave us. L was
sitting next the door as she alighted,
and could not help noticing how pale
she seemed all at once to have become.
Without needing the rain that still kept
falling, she began to feel for her purse
in trembling, nervous sort of way,
first in one of her pockets and then in
another.
az have either lost my purse, or else
my pocket has been picked" she said at
last, with sort OF gasp.
The conductor expressed no surprise,
but merely put fresh straw i'll his
mouth, and then asked US "gents" TO
move while he looked for the purse,
(which, if young ladies was bus con-
ductors," he murmured softly to himself,
"they would learn to take better care of
their money"
But the purse was not to be found
I" If it really amt anywhere about you,
miss" said the conductor, as he emerged
from among the straw, then your pock-
ct has been picked. How much was
there in it?"
HALF sovereign and five-and-six-
pence in silver" answered the young Ia
dy, with tears trembling on her ,yelids
But that was not all 1t also contained
q valuable diamond ring, the property
of the lady with whom am living, and
which was taking to jewelers., not
far from here, to be repaired"
The conductor turned an eve of COM
passion on her. "Well, I'm blowed !"
he muttered, "to think of anybody in
their senses being so green" Then,
turning quickly on the remaining in
sides he scanned us over one by one,
ending with solemn shake of the head.
"Can do nothing for you, miss. he said
"You had better go to the police and
give them a description of your proper
ty. l knows most of me morning pas
sengers for respectable city gents; but
there was one fishy-looking cove-him
as got in at Edgeware road, and sat
next to you, miss, all the way to Far
ringdon Street-what / didn't like the
looks of; and if your purse was taken
by anybody after you got in the bus, I'll
lay odds that was the cove as took it,
And the conductor winked at me por-
tentously, to signify that his last remark
was meant for sarkasum."
"But have not even money left to
pay my fare with" urged the young
lady.
Half-a-dozen purses were out at once,
such was the influence of beauty in dis
tress.
"Never mind the fare, miss answered
the conductor, afably, as he mounted to
l. "a 4,,, +I,,,.
break the company or make its fortune.
You go to the police,-that's what you
have got to 90. All right, joey; go
ahead"
The bus drove away, leaving the
young lady standing on the curb. She
put down her veil to hide her wet eyes,
and was turning sadly away, when oul
conductor leaped nimbly down, ran
back to her side, said Il few words, and
was back on his perch again in less than
two minutes
Thought it best to give the poor
young creetur my number" he remarked,
confidentially, to me, land the address
of our secretary, in case of anything
turning up. But that amt likely, you
know, sir. All it was that fishy-'ook-
ing cove, you may depend upon it."
1 was detained in the city till five
o'clock. At that hour l set off westward,
with the intention of walking home
Toe rain had ceased hours ago, and a
fresh, crisp breeze was now blowing
over the murly city roofs the moon was
rising in an unclouded sky, and all the
shops were ablaze with light. My rooms
were in a street leading out of Oxford
Street but as l had one or two calls to
make. l chose, this evening, to 60 round
by way of the Strand and Charing Cross.
My calls all made, 1 turned up st. Mar
tins Lane, as my nearest way home, and
was walking carelessly along that classic
when whom should l see
a little way in front of me, staring in
tently into the window of Il jewelers.
shop, but the fishy hy-looking cove" of
my friend the conductor. l recognized
him i'll Il moment, having taken partic-
ular notice of him while he was my fel-
in the morning. Not
that there was anything either in his
or manner that made me
suspicious of his honesty, but that he Of
tered such marked contrast to the re-
Spectable-looking city men who made
up the rest of the passengers. He was
u thin, frowsy, disreputable- looking
man, dressed in a suit of rusty black,
with hat and boots that had been care
fully doctored," and might still do
some fair-weather service, but which
Were i'll calculated to stand the brunt of
a rainy day. His mouth was that of an
habitual dram drinker. His eyes were
weak and watery, and his high -bridged,
aquiline nose had an inhamed look
about it suggestive of many a deep po,
tation. His chin had evidently not felt
a razor for several days; and the minute
fragments of straw and chaff which
clung to his dress, and were mixed up
with his unkempt hair, limited at the
style of accommodation to which he had
been reduced during the preceding
night. Yet, with all this, the fellow
carried a jaunty little cane, which he
swung TO and fro as though he had not
4 care in the world. And he had on a
pair OF dogskin gloves, that would have
ooked stylish if they had not been SO
very dirty.
But WAS it he who took the young Ia
ly's purse That was the question
md the oftener l looked at the man, the
more inclined felt to endorse the opin-
on of the bus conductor. A brown mo-
'occo purse, containing fifteen and six
pence in cash, and lady's diamong ring
)f the value of fifty guineas, was not a