The Democratic advocate., 1885-04-11

/ 1HOlC uOuCSb nlC, nhiSh1 Inv ouO hiOSO VI
such resolves, were soon to be dispelled by
that iron hand of fate or circumstance
which seemed to relentlessly pursue the
confirmed gaol-bird.
The house-breaking was discovered the
next day and promptly reported to us, when
our share in the mystifcation began. 1t
was clear that the house-breakers had been
disturbed or scared in the midst of then
operations bundles put up ready for
lifting proved that; but the puzzling thing
was that the back door had been forced in,
and yet the front door was found unlocked
The bedroom window being unfastened
only deepened the mystery.
So far as we could discover, nothing had
been taken from the house, and thus it was
reported in the next morning S newspapers,
but when Mr. Woodford and one of his
daughters were brought from their country
lodgings the bank notes, postage stamps
and a packet ofpapers were at once notified
as stolen.
At first little was, said about the papers,
but next day Mr.. Woodford appeared in
great excitement, and said that whatever it
cost was to try and get back these papers,
which were of no use to any one but him
self. Questioned more closely, he vaguely
gave me to understand that they were i'm
portant evidence in coming law suit, with
out which he feared he would not only lose
his case, but be cast in heavy expenses.
Now, had very littleto work upon except
the reckless manner in which the back
door had been pried in, and that was not
unlike Touser's passionate style of going to
work. It happened, too, that Touser was
brought to the office dead drunk on the
same day, and searching his pockets there
was found, not money, but some three shil-
lings' worth of postage stamps, all in a
sheet, and somewhat creased and dirty with
his pocket 1t was absurd to think that
any one in Tousers position should have SO
much correspondence as to need supply
of stamps like that; but depending little on
that fact, l went to Mr.. Woodford and
asked if he thought he could identify the
stamps stolen He in turn referred the
matter to one of his daughters, whose desk
it was which had been broken open, and
she eagerly declared that she would know
them by splutter of violet ink with which
she one day chanced to mar them. | joy
fully produced the stamps; showing the
splutter of ink, and, as they were identified
at glance, [ knew that my case was all
right against Touser Indeed, was of
the opinion that he and no other was in
volved
1t went to his cell as soon as | returned
to the office and abruptly said:
''Those stamps which you took from the
desk in that house you broke into last
week have done for you, for they've been
identified by the owner; now, seeing that
you're booked, [ suppose you won't mind
letting me know what you did with the
papers you took with them p
Il took none. l could swear it with my
diving breath" he said, with curious look
over his shoulder "The devil got the
papers.
"Who ?'
"The devil.
"Who's he y
"What don't you know hinr 9-him
that lives down, down stairs, you know,
and he pointed down as his voice became
hushed.
"Come, come, Ben-no chatting. These
papers are wanted particularly, and [ give
you my word that you won't lose by telling
what you've done with them"
"That's all [ know about them. The
devil came, all flaming in sui phur blazes,
and took them as neat as if he'd been crack
ing cribs all his life, and that's long
word.
II could get no answer out of him, and
enormously supposed that he was chatting
as fence to concealment.
[ began to believe, indeed, that he had
been employed by some interested person
to steal the papers, like "Coreing Jim, the
Paisley wire" in the incident of ''The
Yelled Portrait" but l was all wrong, as
the reader may presently see.
When l was thus probing the case from
one side, another had been busy with it
also, and that other was Thin Edge.
One day when going along Princes street,
before Touser's capture, his companion
suddenly cried
"Well, there's that - devil again
What does he mean by haunting me like
this ?''
The person thus indicated seemed an
aristocratic and foreign-looking gentleman
not at all satantic in appearance, and Edgey
at first set down the idea as the offspring
of the bad whiskey with which Touser's
head was certainly at the moment befud-
died. But reflection induced him to change
his opinion, and on hearing that the papers
taken from the desk were wanted particu-
larly, Edgey thought proper to follow the
foreign-looking gentleman the next time
he met him. The result was a growing
conviction that the noble-looking foreigner
and the strange burglar was the same per-
son. The strangers name was Nicole
Charter; he was man of wealth, and a
scientific savant as well, and quite lion
at all the fashionable parties. But the
most import information CLEANED by Edgey
was the fact that for six months NJ. Char
tier had been most attentive to one of the
many Miss Woolfords; report indeed had
it that they had been engaged; that they
had quarreled, and that if the rupture were
not healed the case was likely to be heard
of in the Court of Session in the form of
an action for breach of promise.
Edgey chuckled hugely and had many
and goblin dances and rub
bings of hands over the discovery. In a
word, he said to himself that he had got
hold of a good thing. The fact that Tou-
ser was in gaol, and still in superstitious
darkness regarding the flaming faced cracks
man, rather added to than diminished his
sense of satisfaction. 1t would not do if
every one were enlightened alike in this
world-no one would have any chance to
live then. Edgey dressed himself and oiled
his Newgate knockers, and paid visit to
the French savant
The interview could not be called a
pleasant one, for each, after few words of
explanation, loudly defed the other, and
threatened to call in me to settle the diff
Guilty by locking the other up, and both as
persistently failed to carry out their threat.
At length, in weak moment and to save
his reputation, and also to prevent valua-
BILE alliance with second wealthy lady
coming to sudden conclusion, Charter
agreed to pay the blackmail demanded by
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