The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-18
llne gateIIi0eaEe1.
oaiooi Nos, IS an9 ~ FoarIasala street..
THE SPEAKING TUBE,
BY !, =, TROwDRlDoE,
copyrighted, 1855, by ., 8. WGClure,l
PARTI.

60 out and occupy his house nights, as
protection sgainst tFamps aud burglars.
Iwas pTeposterous young prlg in thoi
days, and q sense Of thsimportance Of Ii
trust set me up a peg in my ssli.esteen
Very little danger from housebreakers w
unprecedented by anybody, l auppos,
except old Phebs, the cook; she was I
remain, and 1t was chiefly to quiet he
feminine nerves with the sweet conscioul
meas Of "a man in the house" that | wa
made use Of, Our relative poaitlous Nigh
we'll have heea reversed, Tor she was
creature Of quite formidable proportions
while l was about as stout as a clothes
pin,-couldn't have weighed much over /
hundred; and in any serious, Homsrl
COZ tllCt, you would have said shs was tn
goddess 10 cast her @gis over me.
But / magnIhed my mission, talkinl
freely about 1t among my acquaintance
and Dragging Of what would do In cast
Of an attack, The Qldboya had some
times gone of for week or two in sum
meF, leaving their house without any oc
cupsnt whatever, relying for Ito safety or
the simple isCt that wicked world die
not know Of lie txpoEed condition; anC
here was ! advertising openly and idiot
ieslly 3 ArstClRRp suburban Tasldeage "a
be robbed y
OF course, ono Of the umart things did
was to procure areVolVet; considered nc
heroic, equipment complete without thai
bit OF lOollshnesH, y
"But you wouldn't really plug man,
would your said HOratlo Bland, one 81
the young fellows 10 whom showed nv
aix.shCoteT and boosted OF ths blood
would shed With IL II had a chance,
| bad at that Time, remember, mous.
taChe In lis fret downy eoilness, which j
was watching the dByslopment Of Win
vast sollcIIude and | fancy That il curled
at the corners with smile meant to be
wouldn't, wouldIW
! had always regarded Horatio as O
rather fast young fellow and, / am free Ia
ConiesH, that had n6yhr cultivated his
soCletytq any great extent under-.he eve
Of the shr9wd old Squire. had antiClpa,
ted his admiration Of my plupk, and was
quite surprised at the serious Wow he an,
Pesred to take oil the situation, He look,
I'd ut the weapon thouGhLiully a moment,
then quietly laid II Mt cafe distance from
him on the table 1--WE were In the'SQuire's
office at the timel and remarked, gravely
II don't think | should like to shoot q
man, under any circumstances It's an
awful thing 10 take q human liiel-did
you ever think o. It, JimP-eYen II It Is a
robbsr'sn
'But he shouldn't be arobber," I re.
piled. "0lconne the naked Idea Of kill.
tuRa man isn't so pleasant. But Il be
makes war against society what can he
expect? Whoever helps 10 ria sevisty Of
such nests" ] added, with immense do.
nifty, us public beneiaVtor."
"Ihen there's another eide to tho cues.
lion," says HoIatio, "Whils you are
shooting tho burglar there's tho chance Of
his shooting you'll Theirs are Qenerallv
TIVE or three Of them they ara pyavtlcal
sbotp, which you arc not; aud when Il
comes to i hSnd'to- hand fight they can
fire Ave or elk times as iast as Won can.
aud nineteen or twenty times "a strsioht
at the vital party. Particularly in 2he
dark. 4t's always in the dark, You know y
he went on, looking me auxlousIy In the
lace, while was dreadfully afraid be
might notice that l turned slightly pale.
"Ihey have eyes like cats, and esTsr-
why Gays he, their senses are rendered
60 SbnoImally acute by the sort Of life
they lead that you can't make tho least
movement or the sliRhtGGt noiss but they
seem to know inatlnCtively just where
you are, and-pop.pop.popl you are az
full Of holes as a Colander. Oh, It's all
very vel, "he added with . aignihcant
hesdshake, no talk about shooting burg.
lars |"
, %Bq !! J We don'thear Of thstrshootlng any.
"No; whyH" says Horatio. "They &c
for plumber, not ior the fun OF Strengthening
inoneneive people. Let them alone and
they'l let you alone. And, come case ID
hand, wise man generally let's them
alone, or merely makes noise enough te
Tighten them away without exposing
himself. But, while they preiey 10 d.
their work In quiet and gentlemanly
manner, they go prepared for the worst
and II shooting Is on the programme
they're Mcrsp
This kind Of talk from q Rekless young
fellow about town, didn't hayo a bracinS
effect on my courage; and ! found my
sell growing nervous at the prospect O.
long and lonely nights In the great empty
house. / should have thought little O.
any danger, II 1t hadn't been for the re,
yolver Instead Of giving me confidence
1t became source OF apprehension.
almost wished / had never thought OF Il,
but having bought IL and bragged abouj
It, | was bound to sleep with it under my
pillow, and make use Of II, II necessary
With all my seltconcelt, ! wasn't alto
gether wanting In resolution. Beside,
believed all Hofatio had said, as mean
to convince him.
However, when he suggested that
ought to have somebody stay with me in
the house, I admitted that 1t would be
Agreeable for the sake Of the company, Il
not neceEsafy Tor further aaieLy. And
when be said he wouldn't mind Going on
there himseli once In q while, Il not ex
peCted 70 do any Of the shooting, ! fell
truly Obliged to him.
The 0ldboys' house was al Percy Park
about two miles from our office in thu
city; and ! used 10 walk out eyeryeven
ing, and back every morning alter ole
Phebo had given me an omeletta and |
cup Of coffee. After HorGuo had onct
shared my bed and my break fast, he liket
both well enough TO 70 out with inc abou
evoty evening, without more fOliCtStiOn
II he didn't 90 when did, be Calno later
he was y follow oil many engagements
Bome Of which kept him until near mid
night. Ho was provided with a night
key, 30 that he might enter at any hou
without dlOsurhipg old Fhebe In her par
Of the house, or mo In mine, II l had gon
10 bed. To make up for the late lloutr
he sometimes slept aboplnably lato Il
the mornlngI then | would return Il
town alone, leaving him 10 follows at hi
leiaure.a
Ne had managed to find the cot side Q
old Phebs'a heart, aud ! never heard
complaint from her because abe had Il
keep his breakfast waiting, She though
him BuCh a delightful yoWug man Hs ID
decd he wac, couldn't help ieelin
somO misgiyingP 90 To the view the Of
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