The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-04-29
MICK PEPPER
And How he Kept the Combination,
BY CARL BRENT.

IN OK Pepper, do YOU ever expect to
be OF any account in. the world?'
"No use Ia king, Sarah have Civ. n
up Nick as bad job. 1 would never
have thought that my brothers son
would turn out SO trifIng."
Nick Pepper only smiled at these re-
marks. He was summing himself on the
deck OF the canal boat General Burn
side,' bound from Buffalo for New York
with a load of wheat, and just then d.
cending the Hudson as one of feet in
tow of steamboat. The fist speaker
was his aunt, Sarah Pepper, and the sec
ond VAS his uncle, Captain" Pepper,
owner and commander OF the Burnside
Nick may be said to have composed the
crew, and it was the opinion of the first
and second officers, above mentioned,
that more'useless crew was never ship
ped.
Il have lived in hopes" said aunt
Sarah, ''lhat we would be able to make a
man of him; but the older he grows the
lees use he is. He does nothing hut loll
around from sunrise to sunset" /"
Nick stretched himself and smiled
again.
"Aun,ie," said he, "did you ever know
me to lie or steal z"
"No. You are good enough boy,
as far as that goes. You never do an,
thing at all. What's the use of being
good, when you are only good for moth
ing ?"
Nick raised himself up sufficiently to
rest his head on his elbow.
sAuntie,' said he, 'just look at the
Burnside She tolls not, neither does
she spin, but she gets fresh coat OF
paint every season. She lies in the ba
sin at Buffalo till the elevators fill her up
with grain then mule hauls her down
the canal; then steamboat bitches on
to her and tows her to New York; then
q tug yanks her over to an elevator tina,
unloads her; and then she loafs around
till somebody takes her up the river
again. She don't do stroke of wha,
you might call work, and yet she makes
a good living for you and uncle Why
should be any better than the Burr.
side? p"
Aunt Sarah was sharp enough to see
the fallacy of this argument, but hardly
sharp enough to expose it.
"What do you mean p she asked, "by
comparing yourself TO canal boat p
You are boy, or almost young man
now, with a soul to be saved The
Burnside is only lifeless thing of wood
and iron, and when she rots aud goes to
pieces that's an end of her. 1 wish yor
were as useful as the Burnside, bu
there isn't one earthly thing that yor
have learned to do
"There is one thing that can do, aur
| itie.'
81 would IKE 10 KNOW whst tiIas 10 is- !,
81 can keep secret"
"As il anybody would ever give yor
secret to keep"
The General B ,rnsile' reached New
York safely, was left in the basin on thu
Jersey TO await unloading. Nick Pep
per put on his coat and prepared to g
ashore.
"Where are you going9" asked aun,
Sarah.
"Oat in town to do an errand for ,
man."
Il pity the errand that anybody get.
you to do3'
Nick went ashore, whistling..
Jacob Messner, wealthy manufactur
er OF Jersey City, was seated in his of
fee, and with him was Mr.. White, law
yer. Mr.. Messner was reading, not fo
the first time, letter which is given her
in full:
BUFFALO, Aug. 3, 1878
"MY DEAR Mr. MEssNER: When
left your place so hurriedly, called to th,
death-5ed of my father, at this city,
was very sorry you were absent, 80 tha
was unable to explain to you, as wish
ed to, the result of my Investigations o
your business affairs The suspicion
which l had previously impaired to 20,
1 were confirmed, and became convincet
that you had heen systematically robbed
by your trusted clerks, Ebbitt aud AL
berson. | secured the books and papers
which proved their crime conclusively
and locked them up in the old SAFE, Civ
ing the combination to no one, as dit
not know whom to trust. / expected t
return shortly after my fathers funeral
and have since been unable to leave m,
bed / have been troubled to deci,l
how shonld send you the combination
as you will need it to get the books ant
papers | speak Of, though not for an.
other purpose. can not send it TO yo
by letter, as l am sure that Ebbitt or AL
berson will read the letter before you ge
lit, nor do know any Trustworthy perso
who is going direct to New York
Therefore was compelled to send it b
a roundabout route gave it to a bo,
named Muck Pepper, of the canal-5oat
General Burnside, which left here thre
days ago. In this boy / place entir
lcontidence, He will visit you as 500
as his boat lands, and will give you tn
pass word which we formerly agree,
, upon. When YOU give him the counter
sign, he will tell you the combination :
: must run the risk of having this lette
. read by Ebbitt or Alberson, but hardl
think they will decamp. Assoon as 20
get the books and papers out of the oil
safe they should be arrested, and l hop
to be with you soon enough to furnis
other proofs. Yours very truly.
THos F. BENDIx.
"Queer, isn't it2" remarked Jaco
Messner, when he had read this lettt
aloud to the lawyer.
"Verv queer" replied Mr.. White.-
"Do you suppose that the letter was rea
J. by those parties before it reached yo
, "That is what Mr.. Bendix seems
have calculated on. There was a della
Of several hours before the letter vi
put into my hands, and judged by Il
pos.- mark that the delay was at this Ell
of the route. Therefore l suppose th
they read it,"
"And they have decamped2'
n "They are still at work, as if they b:
j. no suspicion of any trouble" ;"
j. "Then it is my opinion" said the la
g yer, sthat they rely upon interceptil
g the boy and getting possession of 4
l. combination, so that they can destrt
n the books and papers upon which N
& Bendix relies for proof. Do they knc