St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-01-10

anu sill NOldlllt, wis lltIt ever SUCH i'll
untOward affair,
um-tid-itmity -tum-d ede! The mu
| sic struck up for the dances us | hop
, ped back into my room. | hid my hca,
, amongst the holsters and mutfs. and al
most cried; for I'm such ii delicate
minded man. Yes. it hurt me Il good dea
more than it did Mrs. Mark by, for
would YOU believe it she told tn,
story down below to the whole compa.
ny. with pantomimic action, and when
showed myself at the door of the
drawing room, ! was received with
shouts of ineXtinguishcd laughter,
think | called the York shire peopl,
dense just now. didn't |? Well. III
add another epithct, coarse, dense and
coarse. told 'em 50: but they only
laughed the more.
The guests were gone. the lights were
ont, Slumber had Just visited my eyes.
when right into my brain, starting me
up up as if I'd been shot. came noise.
Il sort of dull bursting noise. wasn't
really certain at first whether | had
heard IL noise or only dreamed of it.
sat up i'll bed and listened intently.
Was it only my pulse humping in my
ears. or We're those regular beats the
tramp of somebody 5 mufiicd feet , Then
/ | heard an unmiStakable sound -creak.
crcak, crcak Il door being opened
slowly and cautiously. All in il mo-
mcnt the idea flashed into my head
| 7Tcnty-tro HouSand Pounds. You see
all this dancing and iunkcting, and
laughing and chatting. had completely
driven ont of my mind all thought of
| the large sum had in my possession.
| had left it in my greatcoat pocket,
which was hanging up in the hall,
down stairs.
| Puff, gust of wind came through
the house. rafting the doors and win
dnwS: and then | heard il door slam.
and II foot>tcp outside of some one steal
ing cautiouSly away.
Away Downstairs | went like Il mad
man. my one Thought to put my hand
on that greatcoat. 1t was Il brown
grcatcoat with long tails, and two
pockets behind. and little cash-pocket
on the left hand side in front, and this
breast pocket in which | had put the
bag of money. This pocket wasn't. as
is usual. on the lctthand side. but on
the right. There was no other coat
hanging on those rails. only my witc'S
Waterproof. What wh"op made to
get hold of that coat. Great heavens!
ii was gone,
had carefully barred and chained
the front door before went to bed
now it WAS umfaStcmrd ran ont into
the street. and looked up and down.
hopeless and bcwiIdcrrd. 1t wis Il
dark. damp night the lamp at the cor
ncr threw Il long >ickly ray down the
soul to he seen. Everything was still.
and cold and dark.
The money wa> clean gone yes. il
WAS gone. | repeated these words me
chemically to myself, as crawlcd up
stairs. All the results of this loss pie
turcd themselves clearly before me
dismissal from the bank. ruin of all my
prospects. utter ruin, in fact What F.
could do to what turn ! The blow
that had fallen upon me was 50 heavy I.
that it had hcmumcd my faculties
Then the thought came to me :
should 90 to bed and say uot!hng at
all about it No one. knew of my hay !
ing received that money, not Il soul but .
Black. the man who had Deposited it,
! had given no receipt for it. no ac-
acknowledgements. Black had gone to
America Il hundred things might hap .
pen he might never return at all .
events. here WAS respite. immediate re-
lief. | could go to the bank next morn
ing. hang up my hat as usual. every
thing would go on us before. If Black
returned. my word WAS as good as his.
The notes and cheques could never lie
traced home. But don't think | re
tanned this thought long. Do You ever
how much resolution and force
of will it takes to initiate Il course of
crime and deception? I'd neither the
one nor the other: | should have brok- /
en- down ut once. couldn't have met
thai fellows eye and told him | had
never had his money.
| woke my wife she'd slept through
all the trouble. "Maly.' said. "wc'cr
ruined there's been Il robbery"
~ rohhcry.' cried she. cla>ping her
hands: land are the men gone p
YES" | said
"Oh. thank Heaven" she said. '.them
we're safe! Never mind the rest. Jack.
lS long as our lives are safe. But
there's my waterproof, Jack oh. do
run and see if they've taken that"
Then told her the story of the TWEEN
iy-two thousand pounds. She wouldn't
believe me AT first; but when she heard
the whole story She WAS frightened
Yet she had wits about her
more than had.
You must run off to the town-hall.
Jack, she said. land set the police to
work. They must telegraph to all the
to London. and everywhere,
III. do 90 ut once. Jack. this very mo-
mont s..,.,,,,,l l.. ] ,
% us.
Away went To the town-hall. This
Vas Il big. classic place. with an i'm
nrnSe portico and Il huge flight of '
steps; but you didn't go into the porti- ,
% to get t" the police office. but to the i
'Ide. which wasn't classical ut all but of l
he rIdlmentary style of architecture. I
md You went along Il number of echo
ne stone passages before You reached i
he >upcrintendent'S office. 1
When I'd told the superintendent the ,
story -"Ah.' he said. Il think know i
who did that job" ,
"Oh '. said |. chow thankful | am.
hen Nou can put Your hands upon him :
mt get back the money. | want the \
money back, Mr.. Superintendent ncv- t
II mind him. wouldn't mind, indeed. t
cwarding him for his trouble. if could |
'nlN get the money back" 4
SIT said the superintendent Sc 5
'erclN, 1.-THE police amt sent into the !
world t" get peoples money back
nothing of the sort. We aren't going to
Encourage composition of felony: and t
Is for putting our hands on FlaShy Joe |
for h" did the job. mark you.veU @
What do you think the liberty of the &
nhIect Is for? Where's your evidence ," i
was obliged to confess hadn't any: d