Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-10

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filled with admiration at his companions |
grasp Of an unaccustomed subject.
"Blow'd If it doesn't look as u you was
born to the profession, guv'nor," he ejacu- |
lated, with perfect sincerity.
"1f you get blank postcard on the morn
ing of the day." said Mr.. Facet, rising from
his seat and buttoning up his coat, "you may
feel perfectly satisfied that at the hour ar
ranged there shall only be one person on the
premises, and he shall be dead drunk"
"All right, sir. And lookee here w added
Mr.. Milliceut, enthusiastically, "ii the police
find the slightest clue TO lead them TO sus-
pect It is a putup thing, I'll give myself up
and do another stretch. | can't say fairer
than that"
Mr.. Facet took his departure, leaving his
old schooi-tellow in capital spirits, which
were fully sustained during the interval
which elapsed before the date fixed for the |
enterprise arrived He privately thought
that Mr.. Facet must be mad, not fully appre- |
ciating the advantage 10 that gentleman of an |
opportune robbery in the circumstances he |
had described. But he was none the less de- |
lighted at his good luck, and anticipated with
keen pleasure the sensation which such
coup would cause in professional circles at
such a dull season.
The blank postcard duly arrived, and Mr..
Millicent, having made all his preparations
beforehand, was ready for action at the ap..
pointed time. He found everything had |
been arranged by Mr.. Facet with scrupulous |
fidelity and exactness, and the result was that
having been instructed beforehand Where |
the most valuable goods were placed, hecon- |
trived to carry out his part OF the operation
with completeness aud dispatch. Ihe next
| mornings papers announced the robbery IN
the largest type, commenting upon the un-
| paralleled boldness of the attack and the eN-
traordinary amount of booty secured. Mr..
| Millicent glowed with pride as he read these
encomiums nor was his satisfaction dimin-
| isheo when it appeared that the police were
| entirely deceived by the precautions he had
taken TO make it appear that the burglar had
Ytp ,,NIin No, In hNfl lip.y
1t is to be feared that Mr.. Mlllicent rather
gave himself airs among his brother proes.
sonals upon the strength OF his achievements
No doubt, his head was a little turned 10y the
wealth he had gained According to infor-
nation furnished to the police and to the
papers by Mr. Facet himself, the stolen pro-
perty comprised diamonds and precious
stones OF the value OF many thousand pour DIS
Mr.. Millicent had visions as soon as he could
| realize his plunder of living on chicken and
champagne, and opening public house in a
leading thoroughiare. His friends rather
resented his elation, and demonstrated by
| their conduct the fact that envy and jealou-y
| exist in other professions besides those ofart,
| literature, and the drama.
In this state of things il was naturally
| doubly calling and humiliating to MIR. Milli-
| cent to he informed by the trusty and ex-
| cellent Hebrew gentleman who acted as his
| banker and agent, that it had turned out upon
| investigation, that nearly the whole of the
| supposed most valuable stones were false
| Every diamond was paste-and, indeed
| speaking generally, the only genuine part of
| the booty was the gold setting. 1t happened,
unfortunately, that Mr.. Millicent, acting upon
the disnterested and friendly advice of Mr..
Facet, had not encumbered himself with
| bulky or heavy articles. Hss had selected his
plumber with dI->'Imination, choosing GER
| tain stones and cases which the ieweller had
described as worth all the rest OF the goods
| put together. By SO doing, as it now ap-
| peared, he had inadvertently carried off a
| large assortment of Spurinus aIp
| with very little that was valuable.
Poor Mr.. Millicent was so upset at this un-
| pleasant news that he called the Hebrew
| gentleman some very shocking names and
| brought tears to his venerable eyes, In fact,
Mr.. Millicent was fairly beside himself with
rage aud humiliation, and bis comrades, who
We're delighted at the turn OF events. 1t he
had been iwise Mr.. Millicent would have
swallowed his disappointment, for though
his prize had turned out to be comparatively
valueless, 1t nevertheless would realize a
| pretty substantial sum. But, unfort unately,
the burglar was very sensitive upon the SUBJ
| lect OF his professional reputation, which, he
| foresaw, would suffer considerably from the
trick that had been played upon him. He
| realized with painful clearness that he had
neen made cstspaw of by the sagscious Mr.
tacst, who had, no doubt, desired to account
Tor the disappearance of certain articles
which he bad himself appropriated. The idea
OF having been deceived by person who
had come to him in the guise OF a friend and
l y
fession, made Mr.. Mllicent's blood boil with
indignation, and he resolved that Mr.. Facet
should pay dearly tor what he had done.
lie was Tor long time unable, however, to
irame any definite scheme of revenge, for a
| very little reflection suifCed to con vince him
) of his helplessness. The circumstances of
the case were so peculiar that he had no re-.
dress He could not strike at Mr.. Facet by
dlsclosing his pertidy without incurring
| personal risks. To do him Justice Mr. MILF
cent was not a bloodthirsty person, and
though he carried a revolver IN the exercise
of his profession, he always shrank from
using It He even preferred to avoid vio-
| lence OF any kind, aud for that reason he re-
sisted his first impulse of confronting Mr.
facet ana openly accusing him of his treach-
| cry. 1t was hardly probable that any useful
result would accrue from this, and the Jewel
| down.
The idea which finally evolved itself from
MI Mllllcents brain was to recover the
oooty which he considered rightfully be,
longed to him. lie had read with interest
the reported proceedings OF Mr.. Facets
bankruptcy, and had observed how the
JeWeiier had pathetically described himself
as having been completely ruined by that
heartless robbery. But with his peculiar
knowledge OF facts, Mr.. Milicent had a very
shrewd suspicion that Mr.. Facet had made
provision for rainy day, and that some
where or other he possessed valuable store
| oil precious stones
1
that Mr. r acct resided at BALKAN, and he de.
| voted ms leisure time TO Remembering the
jewellers trim little villa. There was a con-
venlent held at the back OF the house and
Mr.. Millicent studied the beauties OF nature
ana the habits OF Mr.. Facet aud his household
win quiet persistency. His natural history
studies are not recorded, but he observed that
Mr. Facet had passion for orchids There
was small greenhouse at the end OF the
garden, which was devoted to the culture of
.hat fragile and expensive flower and here
Mr: facet used to spend hours together not
tering about among his beloved plants and
| Jealously excluding even the gardener from
H. sacred precincts He used TO keen the k ey
| vi lhis glas s-house in his pocket, and never
inuusted it to any one
Alter awhile Mr.. Milicent was ssizsd with
, strong desire to explore his holy of holi.s
ioa gentleman OF his ingenuity the lnrk al
door was but tritling obstacle He Drnnnred
private key, and tor several eyeninps no
searched cautiously about the floor w,tL a
dark lantern. 1t was necessary to use tba
utmost caution, and Mr. Millicent's proceed
ings were tedious and wearisOme. He egroped
ABOUT upon his hands and knees soundinp
tne earth beneath the stages inch by incn
with an iron probe His seli-impOssd task
seemed as Improbable as II was monotonous
ana istlguing, but at length his exertions an
Pdrehliy attained their object One evening
ne uttered a sudden exclamation and fell 10
leaflng up the moist earth with his fingers
lhen he cast ray of light from his lantern
INTO the cavity he had formed and disclosed
small oblong box, covered in canvas
Nnhout more ado he pulled il out, laced il
unuer ms arm beneath his coat, shut the
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