The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-10-24

/ back, with a man a-kiting.
1t was none of my business how
Mrs. BANDS messages came, though
now remembered that on her hotel
/ bill there were quite = number Of
charges for telegrsphic messages. In
q moment more Mrs. Bland was down
stairs, holding in her hand quite
number Of large hooks IL was not
my fault, but the lady had taken up
with the package a small fy-hOOk,
which, as she Opene1 the package,
punctured a rosy first finger, so thst
& drop OF blood started, 81 am 80 sOr-
~" said, "msy ] not tie this hand
| kerchieF around 1t 81
"Whaf, with the hook in my
| finger? Pull It ont. Please, n0 fuss"
Here Mrs BANDS face looked rigid
and the wrinkles between her eyes
/ made a seRes of archIngs.
"But, but," 7 exclaimed, really dis
turbed, al can't pull It out. Can you
bear the nearest cut with my PEN
knife ?''
"Cau L? Nonsense, of course ]
can,n and she held out a taper white
finger, and l felt my heart sinh with
IN me as 1 made q careful probe, and,
fortunately extracting the barb, drew
out the hook, which l deliberately
nut in my p9ckethOOk. "WOuld Mrs.
Bland faint now ?" asked myself.
"a glass OF water ~ / said anx-
iously. "Whst for? To dip my
finger In ? Ridiculous | will put
it in my mouth. Please do net de-
strny your pOcket-handkerchief You
will excuse my sucking my thumb
like q baby while talk. There, it is
all over now, young gentleman. L
never scream 1T q mouse, go into
Mysteries over a eaterpiIler, and do
net blink at lightning"
"Y0u are very brave little woman
then. Here taze this telegraphic
message which you have dropped"
and I handed the message to her.
81 heard that waiter tell you re-
ceived ten messages a day. Now,
can you put that together with my
dozen newspapers ~
81 cannOt-do not care to. 1t is not
any OF my business, Mrs. Bland. l
am not curious" / replied.
"Well, 1 am-very much sO-and
my business is to-ah =" here she
stopped, for David just then rang a
bell, which meant that the stage
coach with the passengers from the
railroad was coming. This coach
stopped at the house first, then con-
tinued on its journey to a small tsv-
err further up the coast.
"YOu were saying, Mrs. Band
pray continue"
"All that can tell you is this, sir,
that in thst coach you will find q
man you hardly expected to see. Go
and look" With that Mrs. Bland
famed herself quite composedly, and
went TO her room.
went to the coach, not understand
ing what the woman meGnt. Some
three women got cut Of the vehicle,
followed by an old gentleman, who
had to no helped Out--evidentiy an
Invalid. On the oox Oy the uTrvoE
was q man who, as | approached, lit
fuse, and with it his cigar. His
face did not recognize. l then felt
some little curiosity to find out what
Mrs. Bland meant about the man 81
hardly expected to see." l did peer
into the coach. was aided by
David, who, with a lantern, was look
ing for a parasOl one OF the lady pas
sengers had left. There was a man,
apparently asleep. Though it was
summer, handkerchief was thrown
partially over his face. One glimpse
was enough. Though his whiskers
mad been cut, and his reddish hair
stained black, it was the face Of
George HarIsnd, the assistant teller
OF our bankI He looked at me in an
agonized way, then put his fingers to
his lips, and said in a low, broken
voice: "My God Henry, I am a
thief, trying to esc8pe-tO escape. |
know they are after me-" Then he
shuddered. 81 am mad-crazed-I
have lost my head. You here ? Do
not betray me !"
"TO Dickerson's, !" cried the driver,
and of went the coach. From Dick
erscn's I knew that small fishing
boats ran to MsrthR's Vineyard and
the Massachusetts coast. ! stood sp-
palIed, dsZed, and speechless.
Mrs. Bland met me on the veranda
with some flowers in her hand which
exhaled a deep, luscious perfume. |
The OdOr quite sickened me. "Lsdies |
and gents" cried the gOOd-natured, |
familiar landlord in his shirt sleeves. |
at isn't down on the bill of fare, but |
we have been quite short OF fruit, |
peaches and sich, for the last three |
days, and nary a bosrder has grUmb- |
led, / came across q fine lot OF fruit |
this afternoon, and they is set in the
dining-rOOB1. and do you all jess go |
in and help yourself" Mrs. Bland |
was near me, and clapped her hands |
with childish glee, notwithstanding
her prlcked finger. "WilI you take |
!, cI,, 81 rr,;Eo
| had no heart for peaches, still l |
offered the woman my arm. There |
was a group OF noisy bOsrders st a |
long table, but, through Dsvid's care, |
Mrs. Bland secured 3 small kitchen |
table, on which was placed a dish OF
peaches, fianked with huge half
moons OF watermelon.
"You saw him ?' asked Mrs. Agnes !
Bland, pairing q peach with a silver |
pocket fruit knife which she drew |
from her pocket. "Desr me ! the |
juice o: the peach gets into my cut |
finger, and really stings."
"Saw him, Mrs. Bland For Gods |
sake. Whist does this all mean ?'
81 like cling stones better than free
stones. / should be 81 much Obliged !
to you il yOu would pare a peach for
me. My finger makes me 50 awk-
ward"
"Are you Nemesis, Mrs. Bland ?"
"a what? I don't know what that
means.
Explain ~
30! the man in tho coach? Now,
sir, listen. The 'S2S.6G, Korreet,' you |
wrote on that bill OF mine gave me |
the clue TO your handwriting. Mr.. |
Bland-tnere is 8 Mr.. BIaud-sent me |
down here after you. Those figures |
and K-o-T-r-e.c-t cleared you, There /
were no figures like yours in the al |
tered accounts. George Hsrlsnd was |
q thief. I was glad when could con-
grstulste you on your luck"
Luck, madam! What do you
mean?n
"You were the only gentleman
here-Ell the rest OF them were ends |
and muffs- Your society was not un-
pleasant ts me, and l should have so |
disliked to have been the means Of +
bringing q theft to your door. Mr..
Bland was on that coach, with the |
driver. You may may have noticed !
first 3 blue splutter, and then 8 red 1
splutter, from his match. that meant, |
'All right. Mrs. Bland Geurge Har-
land has missppropristed SIS, 900 be-
longing TO your stupid old bank, and |
did 1t, clever as you are in figures, |
right under your nose, sir. The pa
pers for the last week have had an /
inkling Of it-nOt where you would |
look for the news, but in personals |
and advertisements. That is why I |
read the papers. Please don't go
any sympathy l might have had i
and L have not much to Wsste-was |
really that OF thankfulness that quite |
decent young man like you was |
safe. Mind, l never suspected you,
though Mr.. Bland might have done |
so. George Hsrland ought to have
$4,000 in notes, with him, on his per- |
SOD, this very moment" There was
a base look OF greed in the wOmAn's
face.
"YOu are, then, Mad ann"
"The wife of Mr.. Bland. / am
q afroi6 - q nd AGra Rland snniIad uhouy-