Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-07


soir, SAID the policeman. ''You II
feel all roight in a minute -
What's the matter?' said Nugent
thickly.
You've been slugged over the hid,
said the man, ian yer pockets have bin
gone 'rou.'' OF this fact Mr.. Nugent
was able to assure himself without q
great deal of trouble.
Damn the rascals!' said he. "Why
do you stand there like a stuck pig, Off
GER? Can't you look if you see their
tracks in the snow?' But the police
man, not relishing the tone of the re-
quest, made but casual survey of the
place. ''Shure ne erased the road a
block or so beyant, said he, after
walking up a few PAGES, ''and KEN up
to you from this way, an by this time
belize he IS across the par-r-k or Use high
on to Sicond aveneyer. -
Well, he got off anyhow, - said Nu-
gent, "'and now help me to get up. 1
shall be all right in a few minutes Help
me down TO F1fty-seventh street and
there call cab-and, bark you, officer,
you keep your month shut about this.
/ IN Mr.. Nugent of Fifth avenue The
policeman IS eyes grew round, for he
recognized the name, and Mr.. Nugent,
who by this time had struggled to bis
feet and was busting the snow off his
coat, continued; "Call at the house to-
morrow and I ii make it right with you :,
but don t say word about il to any one.
1t would brighten Grace to death - he
muttered to himself, ''and do no good in
any case, and so leaning on the police
mans arm, he walked slowly along, I'M
til cab coming numbering along, after
taking some belated roysterer home, he
bid the man halt it, and was soon being
jolted homeward, the only "reminiscences
OF his adventure being a splitting head
ache and his empty pockets.
AS to Lemuel, his companion, without
speaking word, led him to the elevated
railroad station, and hurried MIN on
board train going down town. On the
journey he still preserved the same dead
silence, apparently wrapped in his own
reflections, which, from the expression OF
his face, could not have been pleasant
ones. Arrived at Eighth street, he got
off, reckoning Lemuel who was becoming
more and more bewildered, to follow
him, and struck out at rapid pace along
Eighth street and Clinton place. It was
while they were passing the Brevoort
house that Jack saw them. Lemuel
espied him also, and shrank into the
shadow of the houses in the hope of
Guiding the young man IS observation.
This movement on Lemuel's part did not
escape the strangers keen observation
Who's that?'' he asked shortly but in
a tone of command. "Young Houston'
answered the other just as CURLY.
He's fooling round Nugent's daugh-
ter. -
''Houston, Ell, - queried the stranger.
t'What's his fathers name.
'sHouston, of course, - answered
Lemuel with clumsy effort at smart
ness.
81 don't know that it is, Of course, -
was the sardonic reply given with
al mean what is his fathers
Christian name?''
"That can't tell you. 1 have heard,
no doubt, but L have forgotten. The
young pups father ran away, or went
away, or disappeared in some fashion,
so have been told, before the boy was
born. -
'Indeed, - was the only reply, and
then the stranger said no further word
until they were in front of one of those
houses to the east of Nc
Dougal street, which have cheap board
ing house writ large all over them. The
battered front door the stranger opened
with latch key, and having motioned
Lemuel TO precede him into the dark
hall, carefully and noiselessly closed the
loor. Then taking Lemuel by the hand,
ne led him up one of those wide staircases
With a square well, common in houses of
his description, up flight after
light, until the top-most story
vas reached. Here he paused,
md taking another key out of his pocket,
opened door at the head of the stairs
Ind ushered Lemuel into large square
Dom having in it small stove, in which
we're the dull embers of a dying fire and
he usual furniture of a boarding house
edroom-palnted bedstead and wash
tand, dirty curtains, threadbare carpet
Ind two or three decrepit looking chairs.
Now sir, - said the stranger, as he
urned up the gas, "sit down here and
listen to me attentively
Certainly, - ventured Lemuel, hose
courage was returning as he found him
elf in the light, "'but may 1 know to
whom 1 have the pleasure of speaking?' |
The stranger paused. "Call me |
smith, - said he after moments re- |
LECTION, land now II show you how to
,et even with MIR. David Nugent. -
1t was daybreak before Lemuel left the |
louise. Mr.. Smith, with whom he now |
eemed to be on familiar terms, seeing !
i'm to the door and watching him as he |
ct off towards Sixth avenue with an |
unused grin. The hang-dog air Lemuel |
ad worn when he entered the grimy old
ouse had vanished. He walked with
cad erect, and keen observer would
ave said, buoyed up with the conscious
ess of power. "Well, David Nugent -
g was saying to himself, "we IL see if L
m to be thrown aside like WORKOUT
love-
CHAPTER VII.
EMUEL STRANGE BALANCES HIS BOOKS.
The next morning the junior clerks
mere were not many of them-ln Mr..
Office were struck dumb with
mazement when 8 o'clock came and
If. Strange did not, as had been his
lstom as long as the oldest of them
ould remember, walk in on the last
roke Of the clock and pass into the pri-
ate office. AT noon they were seriously
the advisabiIity of sending
ord to the police, when Mr.. Strange,
J If it were the most ordinary thing in
lie world to be so late, marched in and,
odding to the astonished clerks, shut
imself up in his own room. AS he had
Hpected, Mr.. Nugent had neither been
lere himself, nor had he sent word, but
wards afternoon a telapraTn cao,a froy,,