The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-03-17

Z
: and sometimes wished had never jOine,
in the business: but the half-sovereign
came in pretty often for doing nothing
and so | got over my dislike.
Zone day, while things were in thi
state, | saw a haltstalved but genteel
looking sort OF party standing on tn
wharf, watching lis load, at the Londol
/ end, of course, | mean,-and he kept OF
staring so long, that at last said, You'll
know me again, hope, old 'un.' We'll
he says, with smile, / know you now
when 1 come to hear you speak. Yol
are Bob Purrell, whose father was my
fathers game keeper Lori you NIGH
have knocked me down with q feather
Of course he was. WHY, the seedy look
Arrowley, whose friends had been almost
the top people where | came from. So,
of course, | touched my cap, and asked
him how he was getting on and he says,
I'm afraid, Purrcll, nobody that sees me
wants to be .old how I'm getting on any
how, he says, | want you to do me a
favor Well, to cut it short, this is what be
wanted. He had some friends. not so very
much better off than himself, it seemed,
down at Long Haysllp; still, as they were
better off than himself, he could always
get bed and supper, which, he said, with
another mi.erable sort of smile, was more
than he could reckon on with certainty,
now, and he wanted me to give him a ride
down sometimes. Of course | agreed,
and many is the ride l have given him,
accordingly, and such 4 cheerful, good
tempered fellow | never saw. He seemed
so uncommon clever, too, and such a
scholar, that never could make out why
he didn't get on, and make his fortune:
but, somehow, I've noticed, gentlemen,
that it isn't altogether them that is the
cieverest, to my fancy, as makes their
fortunes
"Well, as | was saying, he was so good
tempered and CHEEKY. Why, many and
many's the time, as the cold autumn
nights came on, that he has crawled up
hardly able to walk, SO weak for want of
food, and he would say, Halo. Bob, is
the yacht ready to sail? | hope the skip
per has got some 'bacca' Well, I'd give
him a BIZ Of 'bacca, and then. perhaps he
would tell me he had had nothing to eat
all day, and he would look that bad. that
if ne had died there and then | shouldn't
have wondered but for all this, he was
full of his jokes, as if he hain't a care in
the world. Gradually, he came, naturally
enough, to know a little about the body
snatchers, though I'm not quite sure that
he knew exactly what they were up TO-.
He was always loking and civil to them,
as was his way, but he didn't like them.
Bob, he used to say, your friends are
about the ugliest customers | ever came
a-nigh, and when | have a yacht of my
own, shall certainly not invite them as
passengers
"Well, gents, time went on, and the
winter came, and poor Mr. Arrowley got
weaker and weaker. He had no regular
work-didn't know how to do anything
useful, he said but he used TO copy
writings, believe, somewhere, now and
then. Well, gents, writing is fine thing,
| know but | really don't see that 1t
does anybody much good. | have known
more poor people that could write than
what couldn't. However, as was saying,
the autumn came, and the winter and a
previously cold and wet winter it was
The gang had always talked of the stroke
of business they meant to do in the dark
nights, when there was nobody about;
but, somehow or another, things seemed
to 90 wrong with them. The neighbOrs
suspected something was in the wind, and
a watch was often set.
"Of course, if they hadn't had the SEX
ton to help them, all would have been
found out before. But in every ground
in each of the-fDur churchyards down my
way, at any rate-they had the sexton in
pay and he used to give them informa-
ton. Three times running did they go
down for nothing; and the way they
went on about it was awful. Unluckily,
Mr.. Arrowley came across them in their
last excursion; and something they said
let the secret out. He only laughed; but
how he did rally them, to be sure He
drove them almost Wild and if | hadn t
interferred, | think they would have
pitched him into the canal then and there.
When they had gore, L begged him to
mind what he was about with such des-
perate set of rOughs. that was no compa-
ny for the like of him, but he only laughed
at me, and made up his mind to rally them
the more.
at was a week after Christmas, and as
miserable day as ever | saw-it was half
rain, and half-snow that was falling and
the barge was so slippery you could
hardly stand on it while, as for the man
on the bank, and the horse, they were
neither exactly drowned nor exactly froZe,
but some of each. spied Simmons on
the wharf, and he came up and whispered,
and said, There's real job on to night,
Bob; Pm a-going down in your boat. /
want to get down early because we're
a-going a good way across country; and
| am to get cart from safe party All
right says Get into the cabin cut OF
this wet So he got in, and we was Just
off, when who should | see, tearing
along, but Mr.. Arrowley; and, in his
usual quick way, he jumps aboard. 'Off
with you" he said; and off we went was
commonly glad to see him, because he
was 80 cheerful but, to-day, somehow,
felt that should have been glad if he had
been anywhere else. So Simmons thought,
and he was the best OF the lot; for he
whispered to me, when / went into the
cabin for my waterprOof-it was raining
and showing worse than ever-'What
does that fool of a fellow want here ?
Send him off, | told him / couldn't; so
says Simmons, Then give him hint to
hold his tongue when our fellows come on
boar !, or else he will be chucked over.
like blind puppy / did not like to
hear this, but hardly knew what to do :
and presently the three others scrambled
on board, all wet through, and all half
drunk. Poor Arrowley had been drink
ing too; and when he saw them instead
of keeping quiet, he sat up laughing and
chafing them as before. Two or three times
there would have been a regular scrimmape
If hadn't interfered; AMI as it was, Nor
rak and him did have round on the bank
And though that poor young fellow was q
keleton almost, he could fight, and no
mistake; and he knocked Steve as clean
off his legs az anything ever saw. This
seemed to sober Morrak, who, as told
you, seldom got SO much the worse fol-
drink as the rest, or at any rate, didn't show
it; so instead of having another round, he
merely picked himselfup and got on board
the boat.
"They got worse as regards drink, fol
they had some at each public house on the
way, and Simmons says To me, You have
an eye on your swell friend he says
Steve doesn't shut up like that for moth
ing So took his advice as well as |
could, and was very glad when we got to
the end Of our Journey. They all went tC