The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-01-01

paw. will go in the Flying Turtle,
and make inquiries
"It was during this trip, only days
voyage, that he added three or four more
links to his chain. On closely question
ing the captain the latter remembered
that on the fatal day one of his passen-
gers from Mosscreek to the city was
raw-boned, swarthy, ugly looking man
who had dissipated nose and q several
bladed jackknife. He remembered a
saw-blade in It, because 1t was the first
he ever saw and had said at the time
that if he was as homely as the owner
of the knife, he should cut his throat
with it, and leave the consequences to
other people. Foxpaw showed the rusty
knife, and the skipper said 1t might be
the same, and added that the strangers
name was Murdman or Murkman, and
that on landing in the city, he had seen
him at the Jolly Tar tavern at the head
of the wharf"
"Seen Paul Picra Y'' said one listener,
much gratifed.
w hJ hO dy ultcnIiOl pccii IhiS
ugly fellow-don't you seep"
" Yes, see; but don'tsee-"
" But you must wait and see, or you
will certainly lose the links. Up goes
Solomon Foxpaw to the Jolly Tar, as
interested as if he had been Paul Picra's
only brother"
"Did he have botherp''
"None of your business-and asked
the landlord to let him look at his arrival
book, of three years before. The land
lord sent to the garret for it, and they
overhauled 1t together; and, sure enough!
there stood the name, at the proper date,
in a fierce, big hand, of Mike Murdman,
and-n
Paul Picra."
"No! What do you know about 1t =?
Mike Murdman and Friend. This is
the biggest link of the lot says Sol, to
the landlord. DO you recollect what
kind of looking man his friend was p
"No, says the landlord, but 1
recollect that next morning the two had
a quarrel. They had slept together,
and Murdman was charged by the other
with stealing his money in the night.
But Murdman swore no, and as proof,
said he hadn't enough money to pay his
own bill and they went out quarreling,
without paying, and that's the last 1
ever saw of the other fellow, to my
knowledge
CO More links-I'm getting chain,
says Foxpaw. Went out together,
quarreling, about robbery. And did you
ever see Murdman again ?''
"'Oh, yes says the landlord, he's
captain of a brig now. He came back a
year afterward and paid his bill, and
now he stops here three months, every
return trip he makes. 1t is time for
him now brig was due yesterday; if
you stop I'll introduce him to YOU"
"Was the man hung ?"
Well, this beats all, / declare !"
cried Daniel Wonder, exasperated.
"Here you are, wanting to get to the
end of the chain, before I've got the
links fastened together. You would
never make detective
81 don't care anything about the
links. All want to know is, was the
man hung? You've got me SO excited
can hardly keep my seat. 1t would be
satisfaction to know If the man was
hung, at the start"
"Well, he wasn't hung at the start,
onI 81
Foxpaw had been as impatient as you
are. Have you no interest in the phi
losophy of the thing ?''
No." said the man, nettled "and L
don't care, now, whether the man was
hung or not; hope he wasn't; and L
hope Paul Picra was cut into as many
bits as there are links in your story"
Go on. Daniel, go on" said the
Others, " and if he interrupts you again,
We'll hang him.
So do. Well, Foxpaw waited three
days, patiently, for the link, and then
the brig came to port, and Murdman
came to the tavern, and the landlord in
troduced him to FoXpaw, over glass,
and they sat down to talk. Sol was
usually cool fellow, but, as he after
wards said, he had his scruples about
sitting down and talking with muir
derer, and he felt very pale and nervous,
considering the critical business he was
on. Sol eyed him carefully all over,
and he seemed to look homelier and
homelier the more he examined him.
He thought of poor Paul Picra, and felt