Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-03-12

city papers were sorely chagrined over
their failure 10 get even the slightest
clue as &c whom We were talking about,
and pretended that there was nothing
in the affair at all-that it was only
g clever scheme to perpetrate on q con-
iiding public q gigantic hoax. We
knew who the persons were. though,
and wc could afford to laugh at and
pity our less enterprising rivals Oh,
yes.
About noon of the fifth day from the
time McCarley first stumbled on his
scoop, a boy vita a message was await
ing me when arrived at the office. 1t
proved to be from Mae. and | opened
my eyes considerably when l read it.
Like the first letter received from him it
was written in shorthand.
DEAR P-Tve got a clew to the most sensa-
nonai thing that has yet come to Light N con-
necton with this Wclby fracas Nothing
definite yet, and it will take considerable
bribery of the servants to get al what want.
Please send by bearer all the money due me so
that l will not be hampered if lind liberality
in this direction necessary. | write this in
short hand and IL will be impossible for the
bearer to find out what l send for: so if you
put up the money in Il package so that he will
not suspect what II contains. he VIII return
with Il all right .'NCC."
put up the money rs he requested
and the boy made off with it.
That night. as usual, Watson again
went to the Welby house, and from the
note we received in the morning we an
ticipated something intensely interest
ing l had given orders to the foreman
in the composing room TO hold several
columns of space until we got McCar-
ley's copy. When Watson returned l
never saw look of more profound per-
plexitv or dumblouDding chagrin than
was depicted on his face.
Il have crawled over every foot of
that front lawn said he. land not Il
page of copy could / find. | even
knocked III the door OF the. house and
thought | would try and see Mae HIM
self on some pretext or other. but |
could rattle no one up.
We were surely in Il pickle now, and
the conversation that took place during
the next hour concerning the subject l
am afraid McCarley would have
considered lar from complimentary to
himself could he have heard it. 1t would
hardly have been the thing, either, to
reproduce il here to be read by people
who are unacquainted with the peculiar
livid and sulphurouS character which
makes the language of printers, and |
regret to say sometimes editors and re-
porters as well. of such pronounced
force.
There was nothing to be done under
the circumstances. however, and con-
sequently the only thing the Mercury
of the next morning contained in ref
erence to the all-abSorbing topic was an
item | had hurriedly written stating
that there were no new developments
in the case that we were Yet able to
give the public; but rs soon as or re-
porter had time TO follow up Il start
ling ciew which he had run across, we
thought we would be able to furnish
our readers piece of news concerning
the affair which would create more in
terest than anything yet printed. This
| wrote on the strength of the note we
had received from McCarley when he
asked for the money due him. We were
not little mystitied at our failure to
hear anything from him as we had ex-
wSiild eSpls.i IN c eau 81 ms lea7irs
lis in the dilemma he did Such was
the case and the letter late mail
brought lis follows:
.'ES ROUTE HONE, Sept. /. 1852.
DEAR P-i played the NeirulU Il scuryy
trick. have no apologies to make though,
as necessity knows no law; but ny con-
science i yCt IN such IL state Of preservation
that feel must explain the "elby matter
iuliy and save you any further trouble that
Ur,Nrp Al how. hn Tir.Sf two
weeks worked for you could get onto moth
ing bur five line items. and as you are aware.
| hardly made enough to pay my board. l
had to have money. and so concOcted that
elOpement of Webys daughter out of the
whole cloth-an artistic. Journalistic (which
at this distance appears 10 me only as a right
proprietor of which gave ME all
the information L needed about the family
about square from the W residence, and
here | evolved the thing ont of my, mann
moth brain in Il little back room. which ! left
only once day to throw my Ms. on the lawn
1T Weibys. They are al in Vermont, where
they have been all summer, and, as we gave
no names. they will lie no worse for the pleas
IRE and profit they have unconsciously yield
ed me.
81 got my money o. k. yesterday. and when
this reaches you viii he fast leSSening the
distance between N and the paternal roof
with kindeSt regards to yourself and all the
boys, and trusting you will forgive me for the
trick have played you, bid - and the
Mercury Il joyous. a last IA, IA.
MCCARTNEY"
No language of mine can adequately
describe the anger and CONSERVATION
which the reading of this epistle caused
in the Mercury office. No one SO thor
oughly appreciates artistic lying as a
man: but when carried TO
the extent McCarleys genius had car
ried this. it was more even than our
blunted sensibililies could stand. and l !
would certainly have given up the
bco lest pleasure to have stood by and |
seen some horn bly, severe punishment |
on him for the trouble and |
he had caused us. Suffice |
it to say the Ncrcmy died peacefully |
about two weeks after the departure of |
orr brilliant friend. The assignee |
had one mournful meeting with the |
creditors. and. with all the earnestness |
OF /. man who feels that on his is the |
side of 4 mighty truth. convinced them
of the utter impossibility of paying even