St. Landry democrat., 1885-01-03

uS buS IudbIeF CONSTANTLY increased.
The next night Watson again went to
the Welby residence and got another
mass of manuscript giving detailed ac-
count Of the family's negotiations with
the runaway couple. There was also
letter from McCarley saying he was
living like lord; the old gentlemen
required but little attention and he was
spending most of his time in the library
reading and writing. The old folks
had taken fancy to him and said he
should not leave the house until Welby,
| whom he had ''treated so successfully"
his wife said, had entirely recovered.
1t ended: ''I'll stay here as long as there
is any news to be had. The old people
are SO broken up over Julia's escapade
that they hadn't thought of sending for
newspaper yet, and I don't think
they will for few days-when they do
I'm out of here!'
The second days installment of the
''great sensation" as the newsboys
yelled it, created almost as great an in
terest as the first, and the Mercurq's
circulation amounted to astonishing
figures. The thing continued thus for
four days. Mac made the most of every
point, and after the fourth days batch
OF news had been printed there was
something over one hundred dollars
coming to him on his work. The other
city papers were sorely chagrined over
their failure to get even the slightest
clue as to whom revere talking about,
and pretended that there was nothing
in the affair at all-that it was only
a clever scheme to perpetrate on a con-
tiding public a gigantic hoax. We
knew who the persons were, though,
and sOe could afford to laugh at and
pity our less enterprising rivals. Oh,
yes!
About noon of the fifth day from the
timel McCarley first stumbled on his
scoop, a boy with message was await
ing me when arrived at the office. 1t
proved to be from Mac, and I opened
my eyes considerably when I read it.
Like the first letter received from him it
was written in shorthand.
"DEAR P-I'ye got clew to the most sensa-
donal thing that has yet come to light in con-
nection with this Welby fracas. Nothing
definite yet and it will take considerable
bribery of the servants to get at what want
Please send by bearer all the money due me SO
that will not be hampered if | find liberality
in this direction necessary. write this in
shorthand, and it will be impossible for the
bearer to find out what / send for; so if you
put up the money in package so that he will
not suspect what it contains, he will return
with it all right. 'MCC."
lput up the money as 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 MeCar-
ley's copy. When Watson returned
never saw look of more profound per-
plexity or dumbfounding chagrin than
was depicted on his face.
81 have crawled over every foot of
that front lawn" said he, land not a
page of copy could ! find. even
knocked at the door of the house and
thought [ would try and see Mac him
self on some pretext or other, but I
could rattle no one up"
We were surely in pickle now, and
the conversation that took place during
the next hour concerning the subject
am afraid McCarley would have
considered far from complimentary to
himself could he have heard it. 1t would |
hardly have been the thing, either, to
reproduce it 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-
the only thing the Mercury
of the next morning contained in ref
erence to the all-absorbing topic was an
item I had hurriedly written stating
that there were no new developments
in the case that we were yet able to
give the public; but as soon as our re-
porter had time to follow up a. start
ling cleW which he had run across, we
thought we would be able to- furnish
our readers a piece of news CONCERNING
the affair which would create HfOre in
terest than anything yet printedt This
I wrote on the strength of the cote we
had received from McCarley When he
asked for the money due him. We were
not little mystified at our failure to
hear anything from him as we had ex-
pected; but we supposed the next day
would explain the cause of his leaving
us in the dilemma he did. Such was
The case and the letter o late mail
brought us follows:
ZEN ROUTE HOME, Sept. T. 1882
"DEAR P--I played the Mercury scurvy
trick. / have no apologies to make, though,
as necessity knows no law but my con-
science is yet in such state of preservation
fully and save you any further trouble that
it would otherwise cause you. The first two
weeks worked for you could get onto moth