The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-04-28

person removing the putty from around a
pane of glass in her parlor window. Miss
Fish, being a woman of great spirit, put her
head out of the chamber window and inquir-
ed who was there. No one answered, and
Miss Fish, being woman OF great presence
of mind as WE'LL sas spirit seized the water
pitcher and emptied it into the yard just as
the improper person ran around the street
corner!
Soon after, Potter & Brothers and Miss
Fish We're called to share their homes with
various people who had heard persons come
up their front walk and 60 away again, with
various dogs who are supposed to have bark
ed at the supposed burglars, and with num-
erous small boys who had glimpses of
''strange men" about town.
Mrs Bixby, being lone woman with her
natural male protector lying under the
daisies, took the alarm from these nocturnal
demonstrations to such degree that she had
very little pleasure in them as judgments
She locked mp her purse in the northwest
corner of her upper bureau drawer and the
key under the rocking chair cushion, double
locked her doors and fastened her windows 2;
yet went to bed with weight of uncertain
ties on her troubled bosom. She hired big
dog, bargaining to give the dogs board and
ten cents day for his protection. The dog
took Mrs. BiXby and all her neighbors for
burglars, and attacked them with such vigor
that Mrs. Bixby gave a man fifty cents to
cabin her protector in the barn, and then
hired the dogs owner to take 1t away.
After that, Mrs. Bixby declared, dolorous-
ly. that she expected to be robbed. Now, l
tell you contidentially, that she no more eX-
pected it than you Or | expect the troubles
which we sometimes say are sure to come up
on us, but which we should be very much
surprised,-yery much surprised indeed-to
see walk in and take a seat in our house fami-
liarly. Yet Mrs. Bixby said she expected it,
and she probably did look for it in a general
kind of way, as she did for all manner and
circumstances OF trials.
twas soon after Mrs. Bixby announced her
expectations that the Detective arrived She
found him on the back door steps when she
came home from the society" She was
suspicious, at first, that he was an insurance
company man or a tax collector, and told him
he might sit down on the steps and she would
bring him piece of bread and butter.
81 beg pardon, said he, politely, this is
'.Bixby," said the widow, grimly.
''Yes, Mrs. Bixby" blandly; Il called,
Mrs. Bixby, to see if l could get a board at
this quiet little place for few days"
The gentleman's appearance certainly was
prepossessing, but that was no presumption
in favor of honesty, with Mrs. Bixby, for vii
lainy hypocritically concealed under smooth
words and smile was what she especially
prided herself on discerning.
Il don't know any think about yc," said
she, sententiously.
81 understand, ma'am,' politely; Il shall
be very happy to explain. We hear at the
office Of the chiet of police, in, that you
have been annoyed by burglars in this vicinity
We believe them to belong to gang who in
fest our city, and l am detailed from our
corps of detectives to work up the case here
Mrs. Bixby was mollitied but not conyinc-
ed. The Detective showed her a pin with a
singular device, which he wore on the inside
of his blue broad cloth coat and which he
explained to be the badge of the detective
corps to which hn belonged. He also drew
from his pocket very blue, otficial-looking
document which he defercntially handed her
for inspection 1t was written in blind char
acters, and had large sprawing signature
against big seal at the bottom, which made
it yery' genuine looking paper, and salts
fed Mrs. Bixby of the entire reliability of the
individual before her. She handed back the
document, her confidence strengthened by
having utterly failed in reading the first line,
dIltl 1ilNlltu luc DtIcCllNc III.
He was a fine-looking, well-dressed man,
but with a slightly melancholy countenancc
and when Mrs. Bixby, setting the table for
supper, incidentally remarked that this was q
lonely world, he replied that he had found it
so, and furthermore remarked that was a
cold unfeeling world. All Mrs. Bixby's SYM
pathies were aroused. She inquired il he
had lost his wife, and he assented with sigh
but signitied that the bject was such pain
full one he avoided saying much about it.
Mrs. Bixby's opinion was formed in regard
to him, and she was glad that she had some
''cold yictuals' in the house. The lost Bixby
was fond of ''cold victuals," and his widow
felt ntuitively that the Detective would be.
There was also warm biscuits for supper
those, Mrs. Bixby told the Detective, had a
little too much saleratus in them. There
were pickles, the vinegar hadn't quite struck
through those, Mrs. Bixby said There was
huckleberry pie and there were four slices OF
a stirred cake that Mrs. Bixby kept down
cellar in a tin pail and only brought forth to
light and air when she had company.
The Detective proved himself to be fond OF
the cold yictuals; and he also ate a piece OF
huckleberry pie with great apparent relish
He said he never ate much sweet-cake. wher
Mrs. Bixby passed the stirred loaf, but he
would take another piece Of the huckeberry
pie, and after the second piece of pie he took
another biscuit.
"You have very nice butter, ma am" sai(
he. ado you make it ?''
Mrs. Bixby replied that she did, and she
told the sympathizing Detective how she ha(
been cheated in her COW, swindled in hel
churn, and slandered about her butter.
sit is very nice butter, am sure, ma'am,
the Detective spread it over on the side OF
his biscuit when he said that-'I should like
to buy few pounds to send to my brother il
Boston,"
Mrs Bixby said she could let him have it
cpd like to have you put it up tonight, SC
that l can send it by the morning express,
said he, "and l will pay you before l forge
it,"
The Detective gave Mrs Bixby a bill, fresl
and crisp. and Mrs Bixby went into her bed
room to change it.
The Detective betrayed a curiosity ther
that might have been professional. He lean
ed over the platter of cold victuals to point
whence he could look into Mrs Bixby's bed
room. lie saw her take her bureau key from
under her rocking chair cushion, saw whicl
Ndrawer she opened and from which corne
she took her purse. When Mrs. Bixby came
out he was gazing still fondly at the remains
of the huckleberry pie.
: Among the change that Mrs. Bixb,
brought him was a ten cent silver coin. HI