Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-24

even try to surprise look or hint in that
direction out of one But thought it could
do no harm to get the priests opinion of
rwomey as q man. Of course, such plan
as going and charging Twomey with the
crime never occurred to me; knew him to
be too acute to betray himself, however sud-
denly pounced upon.
| was In the West Port later in the day,
not far from Twomey's place, when CHANGED
to see Father Bradley passing along on the
other side and hailed him cheerily.
You know the fish man, Chick Twomeyf'
said, knowing the priest too well to insult
his intelligence by beating about the bush.
"Yesn
"He goes to chapel regularly, doesn't her
YES, pretty regularly"
There was no change in the priests face,
but he was eyeing me keenly.
us he good, straight man, think you!" l
said, giving him as keen a look as he was
showering upon me-
The priest continued to stare, but uttered |
not word for full minute.
"Mr McGovan," he SAID at last, IF you
want me to betray any one, you've come to
the wrong man; but ii its TO lift up any poor
boy out of Sin or misery, ask me what you
please If / knew anything to hurt any one,
even though it did not come to me in confes-
sion, you might hack mo to pieces, but it I'D
never pass my lips"
81 know all that, ~ returned, respectfully;
''but there's surely no harm in asking you
what you think of Twomey"
: 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 stammer out that l had not,
and then the priest deity changed the sub
ject, chatted away for few minutes, and
then went on his wav. While we were chat
ting thus, l saw Twomcy pass down the
street on the opposite side, but he could not
possibly have known that he was the subject
OF our conversation, though he saw and
recognized us both At least, my impression
now is that neither of Us by look or tone gave
him the slightest hint in that direction, yet
| the meeting was TO be a memorable one for
him
| Somehow, though the priest had betrayed
nothing, his response had not been heartily
IN favor of Twomey, and the first real doubt
of the man settled in my mind Yet the
more / considered the case in my quiet mo-
ments the more puzzling it became. If
Twomey would reveal his secret to no one,
and no one had seen him commit the crime,
how could Slider have come by the informa-
tionl 1t was an utter impoaSibIiity Again,
felt sure that if there were any ugly secrets
in Twomey's life, Father Bradley at least
would know of them through the confessional
Slider said no, but that was only his opinion
Even If that were so | knew that the secret
was as safe in the priests breast as it could
possibly be in Twomey's, and hoped nothing
from that. l was in perfect despair of max
ing anything of the case, when Mr.. SandforC
came over one forenoon, and burst in on mt
with the agonizing words:
My fenich-ny magic fenichr'
'Your fenichi And what, pray, do vol
mean by thati1
at has been taken, believe, among TIL
silver that night when my place was broker
into he answered, and than he explained
that a pfennig was q German coin of tn
value of one-tenth Of a penny. out that thi
particular one was to him of the value 0
some thousands Of pounds. lie had been il
Germany some years before, and had had
few of the smaller coins over when he go
back to Scotland. The magic pfennig wa
magic properties when using it in tossing
for no matter what the stake, the losses c
the pfennig always won, though the two side
of the coin were quite different.
The LAWYERS excitement over the loss c
> this miserable half-farthing was comical i
the extreme, for it was e7ident to me tha
! he really believed most firmly in its Hlagi
powers, but when he gravely asked me if
L.
, altogether.
| "You will never see it again. l snappishi
4 answered, angry at having had so much {
my time wasted in listening to his story {
the vretchei coin IF it had been Col
e watch or anything worth carrying of, whiC
n you could identify out of thousands, it wou
i have been different"
1 Il could identify my magic fenich out
I Thousands he plaintively and eagerly r
l turned, for there's notch on one side whit
e put on to represent tails"
n And is that al! you came aboutT l sa
: agely exclaimed.
e He admitted that it was, and again e
IS pressed hope that | would get the smf
5. copper coin, and then l said something
r him which sent him away believing that
it was the most i'll tempered man in creatio
o After he was gone | was little sorry h,
le been so cross; but every little while won
If start out Of my work and mutter, Il
v magic fenich!' snappishly and derisivel
IF When had finished the task IN hand, no
le ever, and had leisure to think, l started, a
suddenly began to look at the despised FEM
g in a new light. After some minutes ha
ed thinking l resolved to have Il search for
III ! t--fthnt,% bn fnin+a-t oyraptatiOtt
~ getting it. II Twomey had really commit
iy the robbery, the best place to look for
ls fenich was his house. He could get rid
silver, but he could not in this country spe
or fenich, as nothing can be got for the tel
y" Of penny. He might throw it away, q
prudence would prompt such q course,
thieves do not always act prudently, S
er, gave him the benefit Of the doubt.
l went right out to Twomey's house in
'hs West Port, and on the way passed his 81
re- and saw him there busy selling fish He
On no wife or children, and his house '
iys looked after by an Old woman whom Il
10 to be his mother l asked for her son,
led was invited in to sit down till she sent
Ter him. but told her not to hurry and to fiji
her smoke comfortably by the fire Will
re- had talk with her
the Now, if | were writing story and aHxi
to appear the most wonderful detective
his the world, should put that fenich in
ven most inaccessible place in that three ROOF
house, and spend at least a page in asst
ey, searching for it. But am not ambitit
ild, While Mrs. Twomey resumed her seat
up her nine my owe ran elonr- tho mantelp
haI and rested on a Clipped pin tray, in VIII
among other odds and ends, was COZ
coin Of about the size of a farthing. t
ind the coin in my hand and said to
Is Twomey:
but .Ebat,s tbis7r
u II "Och, its only a bad farden that Chick
somewhere He threw it into the fire,
got it out again. I'll pass it on some v
you for there's no need to lose by it, and
denis farden."
looked at it. There was on one side
iSn- figure |, and on the other a tame device '
deep notch over its face
Eyes, a farthings farthing,n remar
anS "but this isn't farthing It's a Ger
the fenich worth less than half farthiug.
'eak he tell you where he got itf'
vent Tel mel Him tell me3" she exclair
ney. 'Humph. il would need to be in his s.
he then, for sorra a bit Of it would any one
| be- while he's awake"
"Oh, does he speak in his sleep, then!'
in "He used to when lie was boy; b
lied don't know for now"
rect, "And of course no one sleeps with him
nd to hearm
wing mot often
ut a "Oh Sometimes, then? Did any
the sleep with him latelyT'
cry. ''Yes; Tim Slider did last well, whel
-ible was out Of a lodging"
ID in was about to add another question, ,