The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-27

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"'ll be at the house waiting for you. y
make 1t all right said, snow, hurry !
Then amid confused voices could hea
more Of the grating and grinding sound
which had first attracted my attention
and which | concluded must be produces
by the friction oftheir movements on harl
lgFaVel.
"Are you comlng9" I asked, imps
tiently,
"%TThtsy' y, gone" was the reply
| "Marcs and Glenn"
"Are they bringing the pluudsrW
"Yesi they'll have 1t back there In nc
time."
Crawling up from the mouth Of the pipe
put my hand on something hard AMI
smooth in the bottom OF the trench. l
was my revolver, which | had dropped
when ! tumbled in. poCketed It, anC
climbed out, still stiff from my recon
hurts or the benumbing effects Of lying az
long insensible and haltClothed In chilly
hole. i.
was by no means convinced that thu
booty would come back; and my aral
thought now was 10 wiring some sort o.
confession from HorRtio. ! limpsd back
in my thin socks over the ground where
had run before; but wasn't long In
reaching the house, which | left open, bui
which on my return found shut fast
against marRuders. At the sound Of my
voice old Phebe unlocked the door, and
stood before her q irightIul object, as l in.
ierred from tho amazed look and exClamR-
tons she greeted me with, while shestood
staring at mo by the light Of q lamp she
had placed on the stairs.
Wueu / came to examine myaelf after
wards, could hardly wonder that, hay
Ing firmly believed was killed, she took
me at first for the corpse Of myself come
to life again. My face, hands and shirt,
snd the light trousers / had on, were
sireRked and stained with blood from q
cut in my forehead and with dirt from the
pit; my hair was tumbled, and | was pale
and ghastly. But ! quickly convinced
her that, however dead l might have
been, was fully alive at that moment
ard cut short her questions and lamenta'
tons with;
"Where 10 Horatlo Bland2"
was Immediately gratidsd by the sight
OF that gentleman advancing IN the light
Of Phebe's lamp. He showed good deal
Of excitement which there was reason
enough for, whatever the degree Of his
guilt. He met me with slCkIy and anx.
iouR smile and exclaimed:
"Jiml where on earth have you been
went out and looked everywhere fol
you'll"
"You didn't look in the right place."
replied grimly. "You should have looked
into the EARTH"
"Haye you been in a fght2" no asked,
"lfI have, | have come of victor" ]
said, cycling him sharply.
handed In great concern, which wasn't
all occaaoned by his regard for mo.
At the same time old Phebe bewailed
the loss cf valuablCs, a catalogue Of which
she had at her tongue's end and begged
to know II there was any hope Of theil
ever being recovered.
"I'll tell you something about that by
and by" ! replied without deigning any
answer 10 Horatio's queation. "Is there
q light In my roomP" l was ascending the
stairs.
He had lighted the lamp there, he said,
as he followed me up. We entered, aud
stood looking at each other. Twas CEN
sidering how I could best frame my
charges in order 10 force admission from
him, when he helped me out by saying:
"Horors how you do look, though
Jiml You've got on my pants, did you
know itP".
had hardly realized the fact before.
glanced down at them, and remarked sar'
donically thatit was pity l had ruined
them; at the same time unstinCtively
thrusting my hands into tho pockets. Ii
one found my revolver; In the other
some small, hard, heavy, foreground OBJ
Ijscts, which ! Bcooped up into my palm
along with q few small coins. glanced
at them, and then again at him.
"They arc your pants!" ! said. Zane
here In your pocket, are the cartridges
you drew from my pistol, when you pu
your blank cartridges in their place."
The fellow was 30 disconnected that hi
could only grimace and utter feeble re
monstranoe, while / laid them on thI
table and proceeded to examine those re
naming In the undisoharged chambers
or course, there was no lead in them.
"You see, ] know all about Il" / said
"Nt ", Rashe, own upl"
He softly closed the door behind him
and then approached me with the mos
bringing, AFFECT grin ever saw on q hui
man countenanCe; and said In low voice
with an anguish or quaver In It,
"uon't talk loud l had no idea thu
house would be broken into. But ! wa
afraid you might shoot me or Phebe, o.
yourself. So l drew the cartrldges.n
"And put IN blank ones, 90 Rs 10 deceive
me II fred at anyone" ! answered.
"Y-e.B |" he gasped.
"And that's all you didH"
| "All go help me"
He was adding string Of proiane pro
teBtations when / stopped him.
"Your friends" 1sRid, tell a diGeren
story"
He stammefed; "Who-whMH VIII,
have theytoldp
They have told me. Where do you sup
poso / have been the last three quarter
Of an hour2' Az he was too bsRilderet
even 10 guesa, proceeded To inform him
" have been talking with Glen Wood
bury, Marco Hubbard, and the rest Of you
precious gang, In their den, at the city enC
Of tho new gSs.pipe, which you showed MI
the other morning. Didn't know that wal
10 be their rendezvous after the robbery
did your Never mind how stumbled OF
them. told you you ought 10 have look
ed Tor me underground"
The scamp tried TO articulate some aor
Of general denial, but stood pale ant
shrinking, his eyes wide open, his Jaw
moving Intellectually, and his throat click
ing like O Hottsntota.
aYou furnished them with keys aud de
sctiptions Of tho house, exchanged tht
cartridges, aud engaged 10 keep Inc quie
while they did tho robbery. You expect
ed 10 share the plunder,n went on, hBu
you won't, They arc bringing II back
And whPt do you suppose they expect o
maj That l will lot them pass Il oil az
practical Joke. They'll DO at the door Il
q few Minutes"
AT least | hoped they would be, aud
what was almost 20 good 40 the realization
made Rashe believe they would. Thei
he took the cue ] anticipated. II WA all
/ iokB "a he would have told me Lelore,