The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-26


"Marce and Glenn
Are they bringing the plunderg
Yes; they'll have IL back there in no time
Crawling up from the mouth of the pipe. put
my hand on something hard and smooth in the
| bottom of the trench. 1t was my revolver,
which had dropped when tumbled in. / pock-
eted it. and climbed out, still stiff from my recent
hurts or the benumbng effect of lying so long
insensibIe and half clothed in chilly hole.
was by means convinced that the booty
would come back. and my first thought was
to wiring some sort of confession from Horatio.
limped back in my thin socks over the ground
where had run before; but | wasn't long in
reaching the house, which / had left open, but
which on my return ] found shut fast against
marauders At the sound of my voice old Phebe
unlocked the door, and l stood before her a
frightful object, As inferred from the amazed
look and EXPLANATIONS she greeted me with,
while she stood staring by the light of
lamp she had placed on the stairs
When came toexamine myself afterwards, /
could hardly wotf&er that, having firmly believed
l was killed. she took me at first for the corpse
of myself come TO life again. My face, hands
and shirt, and the light trousers had on were
streaked and stained with blood from q ont in
my forehead and with dirt from the pit; my hair
was tumbled, and was pale and chastity But
l quickly convinced her that however dead /
might have been. was fully alive at that M O.
ment; and cut short her questions and lament a.
tons with
where's Horatio Bland2"
was Immediately gratifed by the sight of
that gentleman advancing in the light of Phebes
lamp He showed a good deal of excitement
which there was enough for, whatever
the degree of his guilt He met me with a
sickly and anxious smile and exclaimed
"Jiml where on earth have you been! / went
out and looked everywhere for you"
You didn't look in the right place." | re-
piled grimly. "You should have looked into the
earth
Have you been in fght2" he asked
"If have, have come of victor" said. eye
ing him sharply.
'''You came up with them1" he demanded in
great concern. which wasn't all occasioned by his
regard for me.
At the same time old Phebe bewaed the
loss of valuables, a catalogue OF which she
had at her tongues end; aud begged to know
il there was any hope OF their ever being re-
covered
I'm tell you something about that by AMI by"
replied without deignng any to Hora-
tics question. us there q light in my rooml' |
was ascending the stairs
He bad lighted the lamp there, he said, as he
followed me up. We entered, and stood LOOKING
at each other. l was considering how l coul
best frame my charges in order to force ad mis-
sions from him, when he helped me out by say
ing:
Horrors! how you do look, though. jim!
You've got on my pants did you know itl'
had hardly realized the fact before ! glanced
down at them, and remarked sardonically that Il:
was a pity had ruined them; at the same time
nstnctively thrustng my hands into the peck
cts In one | found my revolver; in the her,
some small, hard. heavy, loneround objects
which scooped up into my palm, along with a
few small coins. glanced at them, and then
again at him.
They are your pants" said 'And here in
your pocket are the cartridges you drew from
my pistol when you put your blank cartridges IN
their place"
The fellow was so disconnected that he could
only grimace and utter feeble remonstrance,
while laid them on the table and proceed ed to
in tha md cch
chambers. OF course there was no lead in them.
''You see, kow all about IT," said. Now,
Rashe. own up"
He softly closed the door behind him, and then
approached me with the most cringing, abject
grin ever saw on human countenance, and
said in a low voice. with an aguish quaver in it:
Don't talk loud! had no idea the house would
be broken into But | was afraid you might
shoot me or Phebe, yourself. So drew the
cartridges"
''And put in blank ones so as to deceive me
if fred at anyone answered.
Yes" he gasped.
"And that's all you didl'
"Ail. so help me-"
He adding string of profane protesta-
tons when | stopped him.
Your friends" said ''toll different storys
He stammered: "Who-whatl Who have thew
todl"
They have told me. Where do you suppose
have been the last three-quarters of an hourlr
AS he was too bewildered to guess. pro-
II have been talking with Glenn Woodbury.
Marco Hubbard and the rest of your precious
gang in their den, at the city end of the new gas
pipe which you showed me the other morning.
Didn't know that was to be their rendezvous
after the robbery. did you'll Never mind how l
stumbled on them. told you you ought TO have
looked for me underground"
The scamp tried to artculate some sort of gem.
eral denial but stood pale and shrinking, his eyes
wide open, his jaws moving Intellectually, and his
throat clicking like Hottentot's.
"You furnished them with keys and descrir-
tons Of the house, exchanged the cartridges an
engaged to- keep me quiet while they did the rob
berry. You expected to share the plunder,",
went on. But you won't They are bringip
It back. And what do you suppose they expee.
of met That will let them pass it off as a prnc-
teal joke. They'll be at the door Ia ten min
utes."
At least hoped they would be; and, VIII at
was almost as good As the realization. / made
Rashe believe they would Then he took the
cue | anticipated; it was all joke, as he would
have told before, if 1t hadn't been for my
alarming absence, and my still more alarming
plight on my return.
IF you claim that" said, I'VE must prepare
PhebeS
He was too broken up to raise any strong OBJ
jectious, and called her in.
What DO you think, Phebel" | eaid "You
and have had big fright for nothing. It's all
joke-the roobery-panned by this innocent
here. and some playful chams of his. So he
says"
The incredulous old girl turned from me to
her favorite and at sight of his sickiy asserting
face, burst into tears as she said:
o Mr. Horatiol is it truel'
Owe just meant TO have little fun: had no
idea of its going far" the wretch admitted
-A mile and half was certainly too farl But
we assured her that the silver would all be back
in the house in short time; whereupon the
good creature dropped upon a chair and went off
in perfect earthquake of Mysteries which mada
the room shake and the globe rattleI mean the
globe on the lamp:
was glad enough to get Horatio to commit
himself in her presence to all important points
in tho rascally piece of business; and gladder
still | assure you, when Glenn Woodbury. and
Marco Hubbard actually appeared with their bag
Of booty. ] had by that time washed of my
stains and put some clean clothes but it was
not until Phebe had got silver salyer and nitcher