Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-08-02
An Old Offender.

Air Line Company, led Court
ney Tenney to the altar, he
shaved his face until no hirsute
appendage, shave a fine blonde
mustache, remained thereon.
The whim prevented his recog-
nitien by several acquaintances
on the day Of his wedding, and
he and his bride enjoyed more
than one outburst of merriment
at their expense. "
The wedding tour planned by
"Bink," as the employees and
officers of the road familiarity
called him, promised toh prove
quite extensive, and the 0dirct-
tors placed a palace car at his
disposal. >
But he preferred, and SO did
his bride, to travel like the rest
of the people, and on the after
noon of the wedding day, they
stepped on board the wedding
train amid the good-bys of a
host Of friends. They expec-
ted to reach their destinatiohJat
| o'clock on the following morl-
ing, and for the sake Of Court
ney, who had a horror Of sleep
ing coaches, the bridegroom re-
fused an offered favor from.
Scott, the conductor.
As the train rolled westward,
the sun sank to rest, and the
night stars peeped oUt again into
the sky. 1t was a beautiful mid
autumn night, and the 1cool
breeze ever and anon blew the
yellow leaves against the VIM
dows Of the coaches.
"Carl, what if an old offender
should board the train-I mean
a man for whom you. have been
looking?"
The detective look down in
to the smiling face of his newly
made wife and smiled himself.
"WelI, l don't know what |
would do, Courtney" he an
swered; "but | suppose | would
arrest him, take him to prison,
and let you finish our wedding
tour alone"
GLOW jolly that would be"
Courtney laughed. 81 really
wish such an event would oc-
cur. / should be rid of you, at
least for a time, and I'd have
the jolliest wedding tour ever
written of"
"You'd like touring it alone.
with your three trunks and
groomless!" replied Carl, as the
brakeman opened the door and
shouted Bloomfield" at the.
top Of his lungs.
At the almost deserted sta
ton Of the inland town the
train stopped long enough to
permit two men to board
it, and seat themselves in the
car that bore the newly welded.
The new passengers were, tol-Y
erably well dressed, andspass-i
ingly good looking. They oc-
cupied one seat a short distance
behind the detective, and al
most directly beneath the lamp
that afforded most miserable
light.
A detective is constantly
watching human faces, and af-.
ter a while he reads them as he.
would read ali open book Thus.
it was with Carl Binkley. To 7
When the two men entered
the car his eyes were uponthem,
and followed them to their seat
BY and by the conductor COLI
lectcd their fare, and the tletec-
five followed him from from the
car. Far
"Where are those fellows 60
ing?"she asked.
"To Terre Hautc," was the
reply.-E'Do they strike you
unfavorably?"
Moderately SO, said Blink,
"Send a man in TO trim the lamp
above them"
Then the detective returned
to his bride, who thought that
something strange was going
on, and a minute later a brake
man entered and proceeded to
trim the light in the coach.
Binkley did not appear To-
watch the two men; but never
theless his eyes were upon, thems
and before they moved back in
to a shadier seat he had spot
ted one, if not both.
"Courtney, | am afraid your
wish is about to come true," he
whispered TO his wife.
She looked surprised at the
solemnity of his manner.
"Why, Carl?"
"An old offender has boarded
tie train," he replied, "and it is