The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-03-04

made II very genuine looking pa
per, and satisfied Mrs. Bixby of the
entire reliability of the Individual be-
fore her. She handed back the doe
ument, her confidence strengthened
by having utterly failed in reading
the first line, and invited the Detec-
tive in.
He was a fine looking, well dressed
man, but with a slightly melancholy
counteance and when Mrs. Bixby,
setting the table for supper, incident
ally remarked that this was a lonely
world, he replied that he had found 1t
50, and Furthermore remarked that it
was a cold, unfeeling world. All Mrs.
BiXby's sympathies were aroused
She inquired if he had lost his wife,
and he assented with sigh; but sig
nified that the subject was such pain
full one that 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 victuals' in the
house. The lost Bixby was fond of
cold victuals,' and his widow felt in
! tuitively that the Detective would be.
There were also warm biscuits for sup
! per-those, Mrs. Bixby told the De-
| tective, had little too much salera-
tus i'm 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 cake that Mrs. BiXby kept
down cellar in a tin pail and only
I brought forth to light and air when
she had company.
The Detective proved himself to be
| fond of the cold victuals;' and he
also ate a piece of huckleberry pie with
great apparent relish. He said he
never ate such such sweet-cake, when
Mrs. Bixby passed the stirred loaf, but
! he would take another piece of the
huckleberry pie, and after the second
piece of pie he took another biscuit.
"YOu have very nice butter, ma'am,
said he. "Did you make it ?'
Mrs. Bixby replied that she did, and
she told the sympathizing Detective
/ how she had been cheated in her COW,
swindled in her churn, and slandered
about her butter.
at is very nice butter, l am sure,
ma'am"-the Detective spread it over
on the side of his biscuit when he
said that-fI should like to buy few
pounds to send to my brother in Bos-
ton"
Mrs. Bixby said she could let him
have it.
"rd like to have you put it up to-
night, so that l can send it by the
morning express" said he, "and will
pay you before forget it,"
The Detective gave Mrs. Bixby a
| bill, fresh and crisp, and Mrs. BiXby
| l., l,al fn oh
The Detective betrayed a curiosity
then that might have been profess
siOnal. He leaned over the platter of
cold Victuals to point whence he
could look into into Mrs. Bixby's bed
room. He saw her take her bureau
| key from under the rOcking-chair
cushion, saw which drawer she OPEN
ed and from which corner she took
her purse. When Mrs. BiXby came
out lie was gazing still fOndly at the
remains of the huckleberry pie.
Among the change that Mrs. BiXby
brought him was a ten cent silver coin.
He held it in his fingers for few sec
onds, turned it over on his palm, and
then spun it around on the table cloth
"a freedom which made the widow
glad, he seemed so much at home.
ave don't see much silver nOw-a-
days." said he.
hNo,u replied Mrs. Bixby, "it'snoth-
ing but miserable, ragged paper mon
ey."
ga great many people laid by spec
| lie during the those uncertain war
times ?" said the Detective interroga-
| lively.
'Yes, we had considerable in the
house when Bixby died, and while his
estate was being settled laid up all l
could. Esquire Hunt advised me to
buy government bonds with it during
the war time, but L told him 1 didn't
want any bonds until knew whether
there was going to be any government
or not, and had better lose the inter
est on it than TO lose principal and i'll
terest BOTH"
f'Exactly so, ma'am," responded
the Detective emphatically. ''ThOse
were terrible uncertain times. Mon
ey affairs very unstable"
'I expected every day to hear that
the country had gone to smash" con-
tinued Mrs. Bixby, "and now the
world is full of sharpers, swindlers,
and sly thieves who would cheat a
Door woman out of all she has. think
my silver is safest where it is"
nYOu don't happen to have any of
the old Spanish dollars that you would
sell, L suppOse?" questioned the De-
tective indifferently.
az believe have, " "replied she hope
fully.
Mrs. Bixby went to her bedroom
again, and she this time partly closed
the door had she turned around when
she poured the silver out of BiXby's
best pair of stockings she would have
seen two sharp eyes watching her
! through the crack in the door.
When she came out the Detective
stood in the kitchen door which OPEN
ell into the garden, and his first re-
mark was compliment upon her cab
bages.
"Ahw said he, recollecting himself,
'iyou went after the silver"
Mrs. Bixby had u couple handfuls Of
dollars partially concealed in her
apron. She held up two or three.
"Only twO?' said he.
Mrs. Bixby showed him the others.
81 will pay you dollar and half a
piece for six. :"
Mrs. Bixby assented, and he paid
her in fresh, crisp bills again.
"Old dollars have often been made
up into spoons and pieces of table
ware. / have a silver teapot which
was my mothers last gift to me, and
is very precious relic", said the De-
tective with emotion.
He proceeded to describe his moth
er's silver teapot fiuently, and con-
cluded by saying that those who had
not sacred associations connectedwit
their silver ware knew little of Its
value.
Mrs. BiXby was pleased with that
sentiment. Stepping into her parlor,
she opened cupboard and brought
out for the Detectives inspection a
silver tankard which had descended
to her from her grandfather. She
gave the Detective its history, and he
appeared very much interested and
said reverentially that it must seem
priceless in her eyes. She brought
out pair of small silver candlesticks
which had also belonged to her ances-
| tor.
"YOu leave your silver rather too
much exposed, think" said the De
\ tective. 'IIn our profession we meet
with many ins sances of ineXcusable
carelessness in the security of sill
YER"
'I always lock that cupboard at
night or when am going out and put
the key in the clock. No one would
think of looking there for it,"
certainly not" said the Detec-
tive.
Mrs. Bixby cleared off her table,
washed the dishes and milked the
cow, while the Detective, swaying
back and forth TRANQUILITY in Mrs.
| RiXby's chintz-coYered rocking chair,
read the Waterman and Reflector.
When Mrs. BiXby came in from
milking, she found him in an attitude
of admiration before a remarkable
work of art that hung on the wall be-
tween the chamber and cellar door
This was picture frame made of
pine, hemlOck, balsam and larch
burrs, with a sprinkling of beechnuts
and acorns, glued on paste board. The
picture which itsurrOunded was entire
| ly subordinate in interest to the frame
and was simply intended to give Il
semblance of a purpose to the latter.
The Detective expressed his appre-
l nj 80 h.a, Il 4