The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-31

ue'd hove made n bonfire Of the place II be
bfdn'. been afraid OF the light beng seen pe-
fore be got away
The story appeared TO be absolutely IL
credible. Twomcy-or Toomey' rs &c AHA
bjrnself-hal been fish cadger on tne s'ict''
Int had rot into n shop d his own ala i
business of some importance IN supplying
c,drers with less ca'ntal hc was still but
.t-uccling man, but lac hzl never given tho
faintest sign OF en- inclination TO robbery.
He vas a dirty looking man, and horrible
swearer, but always appeared 50 ensr"s'g IN
his fish selling that be would have been tho
last / should have connected with such
crime. lie was a ccvout Roman Catnohc,
too, AID attended chapel and confession reSu'
larry, so. on tie whole, was inclined to put
aside the statement q Slider as utterly CD
surd.
"H)w did lie come 70 try such thing!
asked with marked skepticsIn.
If don't Enow-a sudden temptation
think; and p'rhaps he's been IN the line be
FORE
| thought for a little, ard decided that, as
had seen Twcmcy about the town only Tor
a few years, and he was a man between 81
and 90 it was possible that the last sugges-
ton at least was sound.
Iwaited, expecting Slider TO say more but
when he did not gently observed;
| "Ycu don't say how you learned thisN
"No. nor don't mean T.. won't say an
other word about IT, but / could take my
o,th on the truth Of what have told you"
And so, with "makc what you please OF
itr look at me, nc moved off and left me.
! followed and stopped him.
did Twomey tell YOU himseifP | asked,
desperately, "or did you only hear Of itY'
"Twomey wouldn't tell that TO q living hui
man being, believe" was the astounding
reply, mot even TO the priest"
'.He didn't tell it, and nc did it alone-did
YOU, then, see him ut it9
mo, | knew nothing about il till last
week. and away he went again, leaving me
thoroughly mysti1ed =,
The mention Of the priest, however, LAD
prompted me TO queer course. did not
expect 70 get from priest anything coniided
| to him in confession, nor could descend TO
even try TO surprise a look or hint III that
direction out Of one. But thought 1t could
do no harm TO get the priests opinion Of
! Twomey as a man. OF course, such plan
as going and charging Iwomey with the
crime never occurred to me- knew him to
be too acute 70 betray himself, however sud
denly pouncod upon.
was in the West Port later in the day,
not far from Twomeys place, when CHANGED
to sec Father BrGdey passing along on the
other side ami hailed hiIn chseriiy.
you know the fish man, Chick TwomeyF
said. knowing the priest tso well TO insult
his intelligence by beating about the bush.
"Yesp
"Hc goes 10 chapel regularly, doesn't her
"Ycs, pretty regularly
There was no change in the priests face,
but he was cycling mo keenly.
as he a good, straight man, think your /
said, giving him as keen q look as he was
showcrinS upon me.
The priest continued to stare, but uttered
not word for full minute.
mir. McCOvan,n he said az last, IF you
want me to betray any one, you've come TO
the wrong man; but if its 10 lift mp any poor
boy out Of sin or misery, ask me what you
please If knew anything to hurt any one,
even though 10 did not come 20 me in conics-
sion, you might hack me TO pieces, but IT nd
never pass my lipsn
~ know all that returned, respectfully
"but there's surely no harm IN asking you
what you think of 1womeyN
81 only think that he is a man working
hard to raise himself and pay his way" he
shortly replied. Have you anything against
him..
| could only stammcr out that ! had not,
and then the priest deity changed the sub
iect. chattcd away for a few minutes and
then went on bis way. While we we're chat
ting thus. / saw Twomcy pass down the
/ street on the opposite side, bet he could not
/ possibly have known that he was the subject
| OF our conversation, though BE saw and
recognized Us bo;n. at least, my impression
now is that neither Of Us ~ look or tone gave
him the slightest hint IN that direction, yet
the meeting was 20 be u memorable one for
/ him
Somehow, though the priest had betrayed
nothing. biz response lad not been heartily
/ IN favor OF Iwomey, and the first real doubt
/ Of the man settled in my mind Yet the
moro / considered the case in my quiet mo
mcnts the moro pulling it became. If
lwomey wOull reveal his secret TO 10 one,
/ and 10 ono had seen him commit the crime.
/ how could Slider have como by the informa-
/ tionl II was az utter iinpo sibility. Again,
/ | felt sure that if there were any ugly secrets
/ in Twomeys lie, Father Bradcy at least
would know Of them through the confessional.
/ Slider said no, hut that was only his opinion.
/ Even If that were so ! knew that the secret
was a. safe in the priests breast as II could
/ possibly DC in lwomcys, and hoped nothing
/ from that. | was in perfect despair Of max
ing anything Of the case, when MIR Sanford
came over ono forenoon, and burst in Oh me
with the agonizng words;
My fenich-my magic ienichw
"Your iCnich. And what pray, do you
mean 10y thatN
at has been taken, believe. among the
silver that night When my place was broken
into" be answered, and than he explained
that a pfcanis was a German coin Of the
value Of onetcnth Of a pcnny. but that this
particular o1e was 70 him OF the value Of
some thousands Of pounds. lie had been in
Germany some years before, aud had had a
! few Of the smaller coins over when be got
back 10 Scotland. The magic pfenuig was
ouc Of these and he had only discovered the
magic properties when using it IN tossing,
FOR 10 matter what the stake, the tosses Of
The pfennig always won, though the two sides
Of the coin were quite different.
Tho lawvpr's evcitemeut over tho loss OF