Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-11-01

tOrJn.
1t was not yet daybreak, though
that rosy appearance that generally
comes before the sunrise was apparent
Then lay down and once more fell
asleep.
BY the end of the week my brother
was buried, and | was alone in the
world.
Years passed on. My uncle died, and
left all the wealth he had accumulated
to his wife's family.
With new head to the firm, there
came new rules, regulations and staff,
and had to find fresh occupation.
Fortunately, without being long out
of employment, obtained situation
in an Insurance Company's office,
where l managed to get along very
well, liking my superiors, and being
liked by them.
One morning as / was making an en-
try in my ledger, the manager passed
my desk and beckoned me to follow
him.
did so into his private Office, where
he told me to seat myself.
Having shut the door, taken up d po-
sition in front of the fire, and lifted his
coat-tails he began:
81 have called you in here to offer
you rather hazardous piece of busi-
ness, which, however, if you fulfill
properly and to our satisfaction, will,
no doubt, ultimately be the means of
making your fortune
OF course l intimated my pleasure at
the honor, and was about to inquire
into the nature of the business when
tie manager went on:
"You have now been with us some
years, and we feel that we can place
implicit confidence in you-in fact, |
was requested to pick out a confidential
man, and one could depend upon, and
have chosen you"
/ bowed and murmured my thanks
"The nature of the business you
would be employed upon is this: In
this town is firm of ship-owners who
are in the habit of insuring their ships
and cargoes for extremely large sums,
and lately they have been very unfort-
innate, or, rather, should say, fortu-
nate. Do you comprehend meP''
"Not quite, sir"
"Why, within the last year they have
lost in mid-ocean, two ships and brig,
and have received the insurance money
on them. We have lately received an
intimation that, in the first place, the
cargoes are not what they purport to
be, and that the crafts they have lost
are not only old and worn out tubs
that have been sold for breaking up,
but also that in two cases, at least,
these ships have been scuttled for the
sake of the insurance upon them"
The last words the manager spoke
nearly in a whisper, and paused as if
to give me time to take in the enormity
of the offense. Then he continued:
"Now, we wish to discover them, il
possible, in the very act-as may say,
in fagrapte deIicto," and he puffed out
his cheeks and looked very managerial
indeed. Consequently, we have de-
cided to send an agent in their next
craft, in order to discover whether these
reports be true or not, and that agent,
sir, will be YOU"
| was fully aware of the dangerous
nature of the job offered me, but at the
same time had so little to care fol-
| that without hesitation | immediately
accepted the duty.
"Very good. Douglas-very goodr'
remarked the manager, evidently much
pleased. 81 am glad to see that ]
have not been disappointed or mistaken
in my estimate of your character. You
can now return to your work, and later
on l will see you again, and explain
what the nature of your duty will be.
In the meantime" he added, as | was
leaving the room, " be careful not tC
hint word of what have mentioned
to you.h
OF course l promised to be silent
and it would have been better for me il
every one else had been as silent as
myself on the subject.
A day or two passed, and then the
manager informed me that the time
had come.
The firm previously alluded to hat
insured a brig named the Falcon
bound to Mauritius with an assorted
cargo.
He then went on to tell me that
must obtain passage in the Falcon un
der the plea of being unable to pay thC
fare in the ordinary mail-boat, anC
then, once on board, was to keep my
eyes open and write a daily diary o.
every thing that occurred, particularly
if at all of a suspicious nature.
One of the seamen, it appeared, haC
also been engaged by the Insurance.
Company-the one, believe, who hat
first raised their suspicions-and | wa
told his name was Jack Allen.
Furthermore, he entered into particu
lars respecting remuneration, increase
of pay afterward, and a manager,
place at branch office in case of my
conducting the investigation to the sat
isfaction of the board.
After receiving my instructions anC
a check for expenses | bade the man
ager good-by, for | was not to return
to the office, for fear of arousing suspi
cion, and took my departure.
Having obtained change for thu
check went to my lodging and putting
on suit of old clothes made my way
down to the harbor.
| had not much difficulty in finding
the Falcon. She was nice-lookins
brig, and appeared quite new; at al
events she was newly painted, and tha
is much the same thing to landsman
A gangway board stretched across
AlOlAl lllO ollOlC w dCCh1 anu walk
ing across this | was soon on board.
A boy was busily employed doing
nothing, and having asked to see the
Captain, that party appeared on deck
He was not bad-looking man, bu
had that loose, rollicking, shifty ex
preston generally to be found will
lack of conscientiousness
"Good day, Captain" 1 observed
81 hear you are bound for Port Lousii
Mauritius. If that's so could you man
age to give poor fellow lift on thu
c6eapP"
son the cheap, ehr' replied he, tax
ing stock of me up and down. "Tha
depends. What do you call cheapP"
"Well, I've got little coin, re
piled. "But can't afford those mail
boats-they're too much altogether
beside, want to keep trifle in case
don't get the work expect when l ge
out there