The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-01-15

der to put the thieves off their guard;
Tor their own opinion was the opposite Of
this.
No event, however serious, can keep
f hold of peoples minds, beyond GER
tain time; and these robberies were be-
! ginning to give place to some other sub
! ject, when the next act in the drama
began to be played. 1t was on a Fri
day afternoon, about month after the
robberies. The day was wet and wild ;
and as my work was the outdoor cary
ing of stones, which had been placed in
position in the rough, / was unable to
go on with it, and so had to return to
my quarters. I had got my dinner, and
/ had just called for pint of ale with my
pipe, when an elderly addressed man
came in, and sitting down on bench
beside me, said in broad Lancashire
accent, "I'll sup WI tina lad, if tina
doesn't care - on which he lifted my
mug to his lips, and drank freely. l
had not got over my surprise when he,
wiping his mouth with his hand, gave
me a history of the past day or two.
The account was this: he had been a
/ gentleman's gardener, near Lancaster,
over twenty years; had capital place,
but had not had sense enough to keep
1t, for he had gone on the loose for a
fortnight, which was more than his mas
ter could put up with; so he was dis
charged. This wor day after yester-
day. he said; 80 an I've drank for vary
vexatiOn ever sin, trampin' as l drank /;
an so here / am, wi a dry math an
wi'out 'openny i my pocket. Doesta
think, - he concluded, saw con rise a
penny or tippence amang tn COM
! panyP"
! I gave him a trifle; others did the
same so having thus g raised the wind,n
he called for bread, cheese, and ale, and
made good meal.
During the time the gardener had
been talking to me, the landlord had
been within hearing. So accosting the
old man while he was eating his dinner,
he said, g You are a gardener, l under
stand?"
s. 1 am, - was the reply.
well, y said the landlord, I've a
garden that needs fettling. have not
time to attend to it myself; and as it is
time the seed was in, III employ you if
you are willing. III find you plenty to
/ eat and drink; you can have a bed as
well and if you please me, III not see
! you leave without a few shillings in
| your pocket What say you?n
g say agreed" replied the garden
er, rising to his feet and grasping the
/ landlords hand ss1'H not begin to-
morn, howiver; but III look rand, an
| get riddy for Monday morn"
This proposal was satisfactory, where
fore the gardener was made happy.
Shortly afterward we had an addition
to our company by the incoming of the
old bird-stuffer whom / shall hence
forth call the naturalist, as this designa-
ton was the one which pleased him, his
! -f1rrI 9th
men whom / had not yet seen. These
the strangers-frst looked hard at
the company; but the naturalist, giving
them significant nod, which seemed to
say, "AIl's right" they settled down
and called for glass of rum apiece.
BY this time the gardener had finished
his dinner, when, putting his arms on
the table and his head on his arms, he
fell, or seemed to fall, asleep. The rain,
which continued to come down, com
PEELED me still to abide under cover; so,
placing my chair in a corner, and put
ting my head against the wall, tried
TO get nap also. The naturalist and
his companions were now the only per-
sons in the room besides the gardener
and me.
can not tell half nor quarter of what
was said by first one and then another
| VI inG1vuI HGISOnSs ilO1 ulN ulluCIoltblO
some of the phrases which they used
''Bruce - and "WOnder," g fax " and
I" stuffing," were words often employed
by them. / recollected that NBruce >
was the name of the dog, and s. Won
der - that of the lamb, in the museum
before spoken of; and the other terms
/ judged, referred to the materials with
which they were stuffed; but l could
not see why they should speak in so low
a tone as they did when they spoke o.
them. Once or twice they referred to &
bird by some slang phrase. But after
events made this clear enough.
2 By-and-by the weather took up, wher
: the men, draining their glasses, got VI
and went away. The moment they were
gone the gardener reused up, took s
2 memorandum-boo out of his pocket
1 and began to write therein. He theI
: asked me if / knew who the men were
= and what was there occupation, and if
. understood any of the words they haC
1 uttered in the lower tone of voice.
/ gave him what information 1 could
s' But / said, 81 both they and l be
g lieved you were asleep"
I g 1t is well to go into dream-land a
times, - he said; and then added ''DiC
t you say that the old man keeps a mu
e seumP Have you seen itP Do you thinl
4 l could get look at it?''
The questions were put one after an
x other in quick succession, as though h'
5 where eager and anxious about some
y thing. l said % Yes'' to each; but / wa
5 surprised at the good English in whiel
= he now spoke, and at the refinemen
2 which marked his manners. Still,
e could make nothing of it.
/ pass over the next few days, as the
brought forth no remarkable incident
The gardener had stuck TO his cOntrac
. with the landlord, and l had been en-
e abled to get on with my work. Th
a four men did not again visit us; but a
2 l went on with my carving, l saw frs
e one and then another of them pass m,
: place. And once l saw them all in earn
e est converse in a retired lane.
Y After supper one night | took the gar
a dener to the barn-like habitation of tn
=, old naturalist AS he went along, h
e asked me to take particular notice O
d the dog and the lamb. s. For" said he
t q I was struck with one of the question
+; one of the men put as to whether Bruce
|, and Wonder could take any more cot
e tom or flax And It is just possible,
he continued, .'that he has a way of tax
Y ing out and putting in the stuffing ate
3 the skin has become set and hard a thin
d worth knowing, l should think"
>; When we got to the house the oil
1t man came to the door, closing it afte
g him. Being asked if he would allow tn
D gardener to see over his collection c
1t preserved animals, he at first SCENE
a. perplexed, and saying, "I'n ask M
Ot son." he went in, leaving us outside
Of Shortly he returned, and said, 1T
ID not convenient to enter the room tC
al nipht as il is being cleaned and th