The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-06-19

customer, but when | reached the
street the oycrcoat man had diSap-
peared. Every night for an entire
week took my stand In my old posi-
ton by the window. but to no purpose.
The ovcrcout man haunted me. |
could not dismiss him from my
thoughts. At length | grew so nervous
Il lldgcty that the boss noticed it.
Jim, said he, is any thing the matter
with you? Something seems to have
been worrying you lately Then |
told him the whole story. After
he heard it he thought q moment and
then said: jim, | have concluded to
give you a holiday. Miller will take
Your place while you are away. Go off
duty tonight and don't come back
again, jim, until YOU have seen that
oEcrcoat man and are in a posi-
tlon to finish the story which YOU
have just told me. Mind. Jim, | want
the whole of that story and you must
get It if it takes YOU a year. Your sal
airy will continue as usual Well. |
went off duty that night and strolled
over to see my friend at the uptown
hotel. BY the way, said |, carcIe>Sly,
after had shaken hands with him.
have you seen any thing lately of our
trIInH with thn .nV-nT,1ntyf ,Il,1I,,'
You We bit the very thing; | was just
going to ask YOU. he exclaimed. He
came in here the other night, and
I'm a g~jhbering idiot if he didn't wear
another coat Black fox-skins?' |
suggested. We'll, Jim, if you aren't a
tool when ii comes to a question of furs.
Black foX-skins! Why, he had on Il
long ulster made of Alaska sable.
trimmed with otter and he grinncd
at me with the Sclf-cOmplaccncy of one
who feels that he has lioOred an Vppo-
nent. But | wasn't tloorcd. | wished
him good evening and sauntcrcd out
into the street.
For a solid week | put in my nights
Watching the hotels in the neirhbur-
hood Of Madison square. During the
day time | visited furricrs. Have YOU
sold such and such an overcoat
this season.: | would ask, describing
one by II the several garments worn
by the o~'ercoat man. Usually they
said they hadn't. Sometimes they
WuIlli show me an O~Ytrunat something
like one which he had worn. | would
examine it critically and ask the sales
man the price. Occasionally they had
SpId an oycrcoat answering the ,iescrip-
ton, and then | would ascertain the
pUrchaS'r name and look him up.
lie was always the wrong man. 1t
took me just a week to finish up the
fur shops, and then | was at the end of
my tether. 1t was Sunday night and
it WAS showing. don't think there
has been another such Snowstorm dur
liz the entire wint r. The wind
hOwIrd GRO the park and
swooped up Broadway like a
pack Of wolves on the prairics.
1t was one of those searching winds
which seemed to eat right through
your skin and rattle YOUR bones about.
Il was almost ten o'clock and | was
jl>t mrditaiin- whether should knock
OFT and 70 home for the night. when
somebody turned the corner and
stumbled against me. 1t wa,
the oyrrcOat man! NV first
impulse WIS to collar him. but
thought better Of it,. Judged from
hi gait that he hu,t been drinking, and
As Ii" Aad evidently not r~ecogniz 1t me.
| concluded to follow him. and | did.
But wa> badly Handicapped. The
oyerr"Ht man dit not appear to have
any d"eiinila notion where he was eoinr.
He woub.el about aimIcssly. first on
one side Ot tn" street and then Oh the
until finally he came IT, a dead
stop and leaned against a lamp-post to
think. Picture my amazemcnt when |
tiscerncd by the tlickering gas-Iight
hi, bony form was enveloped in d
sealskin doiman Of capacious dimen-
'lons, such as is ordinarily Wort by
~;olpu4ent d~Uwagers when they lahe
heir afternoon drives in the park.
Il was just recovering from the eff
.ect produced by this discovery when
he overcoat man drew a large brass
loor key from the interior Of his
TRANCE costume and started with I'M
steps in the direction of a large
tore, directly across the way. | was
Vt his elbow in a moment, and as the
turned in the door my hand fell !
on hi shoulder. I'm an officer. {
Numbered, turning back my coat and I
.isplayed my shield. What do YOU :
1ean by perambulating the streets at Z.
light rugged out in this stylc?' The l
vercoat nan weakened. Come into :
he back part OF the store, sir, said ]
e, and I'll tell you all about it. | fol- ,
owed him to the rear of the building, Il
There he stopped and turned up the {.
as, which was feebiy pickering in a !
racket projecting from the wall.
hen he sat down on a small cot bed
nd said: Mister, I'm the night watch :,
of this here fur store. If you +
link that its a pleasant job, just look u
them stuffed lions and bears with II
Ieir eyes a-glaring at yon all night :,
ng. Look at that there little imp Of II