The daily gazette., 1876-08-19
The Story CT Three usty Nails.

Alta proper morning hour for re-
spectacle people to be seen abroad
a man about thirty summers old
was observed paving over n DIRT
heap near the Essex Market build
inc. The boys anxiously inquired
if he had lost the ring out of his
nose or the stone out OF his dia-
mond pin, and he gruffly replied:
"B'yes: l shall have to hurt
some of you if you don't go to
keeping away from me-"
They saw him pick ub lhree
cightpenny nails, bent and rusty,
and he slipped them into his vest
pocket and sauntered leisurely
along to the market. The moth
erly proprietor of an eating stand
had Just got her table spread with
all the luxuries Of the season, and
as soon as she saw the stranger
she heckoned him to come nearer.
breakfast. eh:" she queried.-
"Well, sit right down. You have
the best stand on this market
l assure yon that can give you
a better meal for the money than
any other lady in North America, +,
1t didn't take him long to sit
down. He dropped into a chair
as if he had on a jacket stuffed
| with bars of lead, and he fell to
eating just as naturally as if he
had enjoyed three square meals
| per day all his life. He didn't
have much to say, but sat there
| and ratified knife and fork against
his teeth and gulped do wn provis-
ions as if he had walked all the
way from the Big Horn co untry'
add now don't fail to try my
custard,' she observed, as she
handed over a pie. eff there is
any one special thing l brag on il
is my custard pies"
| While she was cutting more
coal under the coffee pot the stran
ger might have been seen feeling
in his vest pocket. Perhaps he
was after q toothpick-perhaps he
wanted to see if his SO bill was
safe.
eyes; looks like very healthy
pie" said he, as he poised his
knife and fork; ave had a great
fondness for custard pie ever since
IL was an innocent child. Thi
particular pie looks'-
He stopped there for some rea
son the knife would not go dowl
to the lower crust, and custard pit
ought to cut as slick as grease
bnt this one wouldn't. The mai
sawed away, rose up and ;sawe'
again, as the women wondered
what on earth was the matter, b
Idigged in hit fork and raised
rusty nail on line with her eyes
NV STAR" she gasped, as sh
took the nail in her tremblin
fingers. .
II should think so,' he griml
replied. diets investigate a littl
further.
A second nail came up on tn
tines of the fork, and the woma
whispered, "How on earth di'
: they get there!'
g eyes, Just So" he replied, goin
down for the third nail.
The three nails were laid in
row on the table between then
y and clearing his throat, the ma
re scowled tiercely at the imbarras'
to ed female and said:
"Woman, never was there
t. more dastarly attempt to take HI
man lifeP
o. dip she stammerd.
r. "Would. d.be-murdcress, keep 6
- lence," he interrupted. "Was
ne your fiendish plan to spike m
; breakfast to my lungs, or did yc
H. anticipate that would get one
rst them crossways In my thorax
May Heaven forgive me, b
CT such thing never happened
. FORE" she whispered.
I. "Do you know arch traitores'
- he continued, "that when a rus
nail comes in contact with a CT
tard pie the pie is at once ira
aD' formed from a healthy desert t.
virulent poison? Oh! of cou
=, you know it. The plot was
poison me and to get possessi
as, of my funds"
$50 help Inc Heaven. | ne,
dreamed of such thing!' she
!. piled. CHOW them nails got tn