The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-04-01


I shall regard it as a friendly thing if
you saw nothing about il. -
The sergeant smiled, but kept his
own counsel /; and it may be hinted that
Base!ton was a very liberal fellow, al
though somewhat hasty. It turned out
that no pilfering had taken place that
night, nor did any occur for two or
three nights after, a fact which Mr..
Giisser attributed to the influence of
Mr.. Baselton's vigilance. He took great
interest in the exhibitors plans, and
paid him several compliments, which
the latter received with but Indifferent
grf ce, having reasons that the other
knew not of for thinking but modestly
of this same vigilance.
One morning, a little while after the
fruitless watch, Mr.. Baselton was IN a
very bad temper, for he had sustained
a fresh loss. He was leaning against 3
pillar, some short distance from his.
counter. thoughtfuliy biting the end of
his pencil-case, when man spoke to
him. He looked round at the sound,
and saw a police constable, whom he
very much disliEed for his apathy and
unbusiness-hke way, standing close by
him. He growled out some hardly civil
words, and turned from the man, but
bll6 A&bbCI WAS AOb " DC NduAEC4s
81 am afraid you have had loss,
sir" said the man, "a and hope it is not
very serious; but, at any rate, should
like word or two with you"
What for ?" retorted Baselton. "I
have lost a gold watch, and as I have
not breathed a syllable about it to a
soul, L don't see how you could know
anything of it, unless some of yOur
lively force have"
"You ara too severe. Mr.. Basel
ton, " said the other, finding he stopped;
you are, indeed, sir. Now, sir, I have
nay opinion about these robberies, and
I think l have found out the order the
thief works in, and can pretty well
guess in what quarter he will next try.
I believe can catch him"
You'll" exclaimed Baselton, with an
emphasis which was anything but COM
plimentary to the officer.
'' Yes, sir" replied the man, firmly !;
"I can. You have a good deal Of infu.
ence with the authorities, and, if you
will ask, I shall be taken off regular
duty and detailed for special service,
can then catch him."
Well, fell me your plans" said
Baselton "snd, in return, I will tell
you this you know there are ESQ Of
fered on the quiet for the apprehension
of the thief Find him, and I will
make it e100."
The constable smiled, and, lowering
his voice, spoke to the exhibitor in
whispers. When he had finished,
Baselton slapped his hand on the coun-
ter with a force that Jared every arti-
Gle around, and exclaimed: " You are
right. Are you on duty ?"
ba
''Then you shall be"
The application for the constable's
change of duty was doubtless made, for
he disappeared from his accustomed
patrol.
During the next day or two Baselton
became loquacious on the subject, and,
in conversation with Mr.. Glisser, who
took a very kindly interest in the mat
ter, owned that he had changed his
| opinion about the manner of the rob-
berries. He was convinced, he said,
| that, if the thief came by night, he
would have been caught long before,
| but that everybody was on the wrong
! scent, and that the thefts were really
committed in the hustle of closing for
| the evening, and then, not being found
out till the morning, it was naturally
supposed that the thief came in the
night. Mr.. Glisser was very much
struck by this view, which he COM
mended highly, and urged increased
vigilance about the time spoken of.
While this was going on there had
| been no fresh depredatiops from the
| counters, and Constable Lowcliffe had
been absent from duty, although no
one seemed to have noticed it. When
the visitors departed at the close OF
! the day, all the interior of the build
| ing became depressing enough as the
| light faded away, and there were no
! places more spectral In their aspect than
those where clustered most closely the
white statutes, which were plentifnlly
sprinkled about. Nymphs, Venuses
| Bacchusses, and Appollos, Grecian
! figures, all looked equally ghostly in
their dim white, when the twilight OF
night had fallen upon them. SO, in
the gray of the morning, all the stat
uary looked mystic aud unearthly
enough, as the stony figures looked
down from their pedestals but none
more sepuchral than did tall sheeted
| figure which occupied a pedestal
slightly screened-come from which
direction the visitors might-by two OF
three groups. This figure might have
been taken in the distance, and In the
dim light, for a Jewish priest, or 6
Druid, or anything of the kind but
had any one come near enough to in
spect, 1t would have been seen the Ions
robe was of linen, not stone, and tina
the face was less that of an ancien
hero than a modern one. And, wha
was rather strange, this particula
pedestal was empty all day, and onl
occupied at night.
Standing at this particular spot, an,
one could see in every direction for
considerable distance, and there wa
scarcely any hiding place near th
Drnid on his pedestal had no dout
reekoned on these facts having gres
/ weight with the marauder. Sewers
! nights had gone by, and no discover
made, yet Ned LOWcliffe crept silentl
, to his selected station, and, assumin
his disguise as the shrouded statu
{ patiently watched all through the darl
' ness so patiently that no one not ne;
E enough to touch him could have in
G. agined that he differed from the effigit
around.
4 It vas yet comparatively early in b
watch, on a certain night, and a your
: | moon Just threw sufficient light hel
] anu Eu6I6 10 udhO every tLAlLiB u4CL6 ul
I certain than usual, when Lowcliff,
t finding himself a little cramped fro
: standing so long in one position, pr
: pared to make one of the guarded shift
s he was forced to indulge in during I'll
4 evening but, just as he commence
e carefully to draw one leg behind th
j other, he stopped, rolled his eyes cage
t IL round, and then remained so motor
a less he scarcely breathed. With ste
= almost noiseless-but not quite so fC
{ such a listeners ears-a man glide
L around the angle of a counter close b,
s and, standing close by Lowcliff
o paused, stopped, looked along the hot
5 IN every direction, then sat upon an g,
? jacent pedestal, and, leaning again
/, the legs OF q Hercules, listened. If Il
L process of perspiration we're not Who'll
= a silent one, LoWclif would have bee
a betrayed, for the cold beads came upo
= his forhead, as he saw how near ne vi
to discovery. The man was sitting c
e the very next pedestal, a block whic
!. almost touched his own. There I
. ,-aska1 ,7,sak1ry for a 4rbile not val