Middletown transcript., 1870-03-19

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called to see if you felt able and willing to
set up tonight along with John Fletcher S
little girl The child don't get any bet
ter, and Mrs. Fletcher, she's about sick
! abed herself with care and worry"
" You know am always ready to help
a neighbor in such trouble" said the lady,
graciously, with the prompt acquicscence
which people in the country give to such
calls. land now think of it. Mr. Blk
by, 1 have another call to make on your
street l think | will walk up with you,
and so get around to Fletoher's at nine o.
clock. My husband has several letters to
write, so he will not miss me"
Foster Houghton sat in a sort of maze.
while fate thus arranged affairs for him,
though they tended to consummation
which was far from welcome to his mind
His wife went out for smelling-sa her
spectacles, and her heavy shawl; and Blk
by snatched the brief opportunity.
81 have told you everything, Squire,
that you need to know. Keep your mind
easy and your head cool, and the whole
thing may be done as easy as turning your
hand over. Remember it is the only way
to save the bank, and catch the men that
may have robbed dozen banks. Do not
stir out of the house again this evening,
or you will excite suspicion and ruin the
game. Between twelve and two you may
expect your company; and rely upon me
in hiding close to the bank Mum is the
word" For Mrs. Houghton was descend
ing the stairs.
"Come in again when yon come back,
Bixby; cant you?" said the cashier,
still loathe to close so hasty and SO singu-
lar bargain.
% Not for the world" replied the con-
stable. :" 1t would expose our hand at
once, and spoil the trick, Now, Mrs.
Houghton, I'm proud to be beau to such
asprightly young belle"
And with a word of farewell, they were
off, and Foster Houghton sat alone in the
house with his secret.
He was not coward, but a man of
peace by temperament and training and
the enterprise in which he had been en-
listed was both foreign and distasteful to
him. How many incidents might occur,
not set down in Bixby's programme, to
make the nights work both dangerous and
disagreeable His verf loneliness made
the prospect seem dou4 y unpleasant. A
dozen times, as he sati.nusing over it, he
put forth his hand for his boots with in
tent to go out and Illustrate the robbery
in his own way, regardless of Bixby's
schemes of capture and glory As many
times he fell back in his easy-chair, think
ing now that he was bound in honor by
his tacit agreement with the constable,
and again that the whole story was moth
ing but the fruit of the officers fertile
Imagination, and that only the inventor
should make himself ridiculous by his
credulity. Now he wished his wife were
at home to make the waiting moments pass
more quickly; then that Harry were there
to give the aid of his daring ad the stimu-
lous of his boyish enthusiasm in the strange
emergency. And sometimes the old mans
thoughts wandered, in spite Of the excite
ment of the hour, to his boy, dancing away
the night at Tinborough. He recalled his
anxeties over his sons designations, his
associates, his growing recklessness of
manner, his extravagant tastes, the look
of hard defiance in his face but an hour or
two before His heart yearned over the
lad in spite of his wild ways, like David's
over Absalom, and he resolved to try the
mothers method and imagine excuses,
and replace harshness with indulgence,
hereafter. The village bell changed out
from the steeple close by, and Foster
Houghton dropped the thread of his reve-
rie with start, and went back to the rob-
berry again. Clearly he was getting too
nervous. He must do something to shake
it off
"Pll get Harry revolver" he thought,
with little purpose what he should do with
it; and he took the lamp and went up
stairs to the boys empty room. The
drawers were thrown open in confusion
which offended the cashiers neat prejudi-
ces acquired in the profession. He knew
where the pistol was kept, but its box was
empty; and he exclaimed under his
BREATH =
THAT is a boy all over. He goes to
Tinborough to dance and eat strawberries,
and carries pistol, loaded l dare say to
the muzzle 1t is ten to one he will shoot
himself or his sweetheart before the even
ing is over"
As Mr. Houghton fumbled over the bu-
reau his hand encountered a covered flask
| EVEN Ills uuuCCuslotuSo hooO was oDiO ~
recognize its contents as whiskey and
his regret at such discovery in his sons
room was lost in the joy with which he
hailed stimulant so greatly needed to put
his nerves in condition for the events to
come Perhaps he forgot how long it was
since he had called in such reinforce
ment; perhaps his hand shook; perhaps
he thought the occasion required a large
dose. He took a hearty one /; and when
he was down stairs again the difficulties in
the way of bagging the burglars vanished
from his mind. He was a young man
once more, and enthusiastically as Harry
would have done, he paced the room
with an elastic stride very different from
the nervous, wavering step with which he
had heard the news. Bixby and himself.
he thought, would be enough to overpower