The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-01-22
Why | Joined the Detectives.


Certainly, SIR"
"Nice weather."
Splendid indeed"
"Crops growing finely -
eyes; couldn't do better"
was sitting in a car on the Wisconsin
railroad one day years ago, when a good
looking, pleasant-spolen man came along,
stopped at my seat, and the above conver-
sation took place, the latter part of it after
had given HIM part of my seat.
Now l am regarded az social man. I
like a joke; more so then than now. On
entering railroad car I always looked
around for a talkative man, and then got
as close to him as possible and drained him
dry, il the journey was long enough.
And want to state one thing more. Left
an orphan, before | could realize the sad
event which made me one, got kicked here
and cufied there, and grew up between folds
as they say. ought to have had at the
time of which I write, a pretty thorough
knowledge of human nature, and have been
enabled to read evil in mans face if he in.
tended me evil. I did not pride myself on
being over sharp, but the knocking around
among strangers ought to have given any
one good experience.
Well, the stranger and fell into an easy
train ofconversation as we rode together, nd
in ten minutes I began to enjoy his COM
pany. He was well made fellow, finely
dressed, and wore a fine watch and simon
pure diamond ring. | never saw man
who could talk so easy and so pleasantly
1t seemed that he had but to open his mouth
and the words fell right out.
had Travelled in the South so had he
! had heard the roar of the Pacific; he knew
all about it. had been up in balloon
down in f. mine, been blowed up, smashed
up and repaired again and again; my new
friend had experienced oil these things, and
was wishing for something of a more start,
ling nature. We agreed on politics, never
had any religion, and had never met such
a railroad companion.
Did you ever meet man, who, though &
stranger to you ten minutes before, could
wrest from you your secrets which you hat
sworn to yourself not to reveal? Well, he
was such man. 1t was not long before h'
commenced asking me questions He die
not seem trying to quiz or draw me out, bu
he asked me questions in such sly, round
sbout w0y, that before knew it ! was Civ
lug him my history.
! was at that time just at the point Of be
ing admitted at the bar of Wisconsin as
student of Law & Law, of Briefville. Th
firm were old lawyers with lucrative prac
tice, and it had been talked over that il
about month | should become the "Co.'
o! the firm. A year before farmer namec
Preston, down about four miles from Graf
ton, died, and his matters had been put il
the hands Of Law & Law for settlement
Preston had died rich. He had money il
the bank, railroad stock, mortgages, etc
and everything was settled to the satsiac
tion of the relict and fatherless.
About a year before his death, bein
pnched for money, and not wishing to sci
anything at sacrifice, Preston had given
mortgage on his own farm Tor 5000. Will
the papers read "for one year from date,
there was verbal agreement that it shoul
be lifted any day that Preston desired,
month after when, haying the funds to elea
of the paper, the cold money bags" holdin
it refused 10 discharge, wishing to secure hi
interest for year.
was on my way to learn the date of ex
pilation, A fire among our office paper
de,royed the memoranda, and / must (
down and get the date from Old Grip, wh
lived south of Grafton, about five mileI
Tn, stranger pumped this all out of me i
about ten minutes, and yet l never ono
suspected he was receiving any information
90 am not positive" added, "but al
pretty sure that the time is the 18th, whic
would be Tuesday next"
'"And then your folks will send you dow
with the money and discharge the mortgage
of course ?" he queried.
"ol, yes, shall most likely bring
down." I replied, and it never occurred I
me low imprudent I YVES.
He turned the conversation into othc
F., '1aus.s. and did otorce attempt pun
y inr.her We got to Grafton tlo5ofan
t9ny grcat sarp-.se be announced thot
W'E-ug 10 stop in the ,owu Cor a few isy
j sa 20 ass bic name and vocation, whiI
snsw everything about me,
re Fent 10 re hatel had dinner and
iMn tr-ure3 a ilr--,, ts.., ..1 t..,-. ....