The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-09-16

"anu My iittic GfHctH Juoo ciS
to. morrow; that tells nothing"
4.No it doesRt--does it?' said
|Spingings. "Nog say, did you
ever hear anything-a--a--mystery
about Mrs. Copper d
Mystery? No. What do you
mean? / asked.
"O!-well. Late Copper died a
natural death, Ell? Wasn't poisonei
or anything?a
..Fell from sscatfold and broke
his neck. He VAS builder" said
l. .ei.
".Shc couldn't have pushed dhiMi
off, or anything asked Spriggins.
aWhv in tssa nsme Of common
oag ssn : I 1l asks 'se !
fTachment to Somebody else"
suggested Spriggins."
"She attached to somebody else.
A plain, respectable woman like
that dear, dear! Why, whoever
suggested such'atEng?'
II Hm-well-nobody. said Sprig-
gins; '.but she wasn't On the scat
fold?'
at home getting dinner, and
went into eonvukions when she
heard the news" answered.
THAT seems to settle it," said
Spriggins.
Il should think it did" l said.
"Well, goodbye" said Spriggins.
drop in some evening"
l did drop in. Al least, after a
week or two, rang the front door
bell of Mrs. Copper's boarding
house and inquired for Spriggins.
l found him in his room, which
| warranted all his encomiums, and
he was reading paper devoted to
police reports.
Come in" said he. "Glad to see
YOU. Nice room, eh? Had my pho
tograph framed and hung up. Gives
the room a sort of human interest,
Ell? um?'
l said, at added to the effect"
| | don't know what l meant, but ii
pleased Spriggins. =,
He was silent for while, then he
looked at me with his queer little
eyes screwed up into nothing, and
said:
"See here. Landlady was mar
ried before she married Copper.
"Was she?' 1 asked.
81 ask you,'' SAID he.
"Well, / don't know" said l.
"She was Mrs. Copper when I first
saw her."
Him" said he; swell, if she
was divorced from what's his name,
| what may have been the cause?"
"Have you heard she was" l
asked.
NO." replied Spriggins. mo =
only she made the remark, first
husband yesterday. Do you re-
member any case in court-What's-
a-name against Whats-a-name that
might have been landladv'sw
"IfI could tell what you were
driving at" said ], 81 might an
swer y0u.'
"Well," said Sayiggins, .here's 8
woman, nobody rs,aer first h"s
band. l dono, curious
umY
sPerhaps nv dmother may
know" said, sss ag;to feel sure
that Spriggins. whose occupation
| I could never discover, was pri
vate detective. IF it's important
I'll ask"
"Well," responded Spriggins,
"might be--again it mightn't. Ask,
do; kind of you.'
The result of my inquiries was
that l soon found myself able to
mention to Spriggiigs that Mrs.
"copper" had been a Mrs. Mapes
whose husband was mate of an
ocean vessel lost at sea in the first
year of her marriage
When I told Sprigins this news,
he said: ''well, that 4 settled too!'
| And l was certain hewas a detec-
tivo. I began to bs interested, but
he was very close. He asked ques-
tions but answered hone.
One day he met me-; he had evi-
IDENTIFY been waiting for me some
time, and taking ne by the cuff,
said:
"Say, Perkins, does landlady eve
much in the neighbbrhood?'
"Not to my knowledge said l.
"Um. You mig ut KNOW" said
he. Copper leave Ter anything?"
"The house. 1 hlieve," said 1,
sand 1 think enough to keep her
from want. Grandmother says so. T"
might have spent it, though
snid he. "Well, ltok here. Ever
hear of any failing out with Cop
per-reproaching hun with not do
ing we'll enough for her9 Anything
o that sortY'
"Never," said L.
Grandmother lifely to a heard
if twas SO" said Spriggins.
~ should judgeso," said /.
"Well, that's settled, then,' said
he. "Know her dentistY'
sYes; / think l net her at G's," :"
said l.
The next day I saw him coming
out Of G's, and what he said to me
this time was:
.sNow, look here, Perkins.If-y yon
should hear anything curious about
landlady's past life, you tell me.
Something depends on it."
"It's not likely, but if l do I'll let
you know" said I. And my curl.
osity being aroused, 4 asked my
relatives SO many questions that
they began to accuse me Of having
fallen in love with her. However.
made a discovery in the end.
As soon as I heard what am
about to tell You, / fancied I had a
clew to Spriggins' condIct; that
his suspicious rested not on Mrs.
Copper but on some Of her boarders.
Some young man who had been rob;
bing his employer. perhaps; for my
idea that Spriggins was a detective
had now become q fixed belief.
Accordingly, on returning from a
sojourn in the country, where ! had
heard this news, ] sought Spriggins
out. / found him in a lunch room
where ! knew he usually dined, and
| / came behind him and said:
"Spriggins, Eve got something
fopyou at last"
"'Bont what?n asked Spriggins,
putting down his fork.
'sMrs. Copper said /.
"Umr' said Spriggins. "Eh!'