Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-11


''What IS the matter?' said Nugent
thickly.
"You we been slugged over the hid, -
said the man, ''an yer pockets have bin
gone 'rou. Of this fact Mr.. Nugent
was able to assure himself without
great deal of trouble.
''Oamn 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 a casual survey of the
place. "Shure he erased the road
block or so beyant, - said he, after
walking up few PAGES, "and KEN up
to you from this way, an by this time
belize he IS across the par-r-k or ilse high
on to Sicond aveneyer.
"Wen, he got off anyhow - said MI
gent, and now help me to get up. l
shall be all right in few minutes. Help
me down TO FIfty-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's eyes grew round, for he
recognized the name, and Mr.. Nugent,
who by this time had struggled to his
feet and was busting the snow off his
coat, continues: ''Call at the house to-
morrow and III make it right with you,
but don t say a word about it to any one.
1t would brighten Grace to death, - he
muttered to himself, 'fand do no good in
any case and so leaning on the police
mans arm, he walked slowly along, un-
til a 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 a 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 a rapid pace along
Eighth street and Clinton place. 1t 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 s observation.
This movement on Lemuel 5 part did not
escape the strangers keen observation
@ Who 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. -
g Houston, Ell, - queried the stranger.
"What IS his fathers name. -
"Houston, of course, - answered
Lemuel with clumsy effort at smart
ness.
81 don It know that it is, of course, -
was the sardonic reply given with
chuckle; 81 mean what is his fathers
Christian name?''
''That 1 can t tell you. 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 i'll front of one of those
out-at-eIbows 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 a latch key, and having motioned
Lemuel 10 precede him into the dark
hail, carefully and nOiselessly closed the
door. Then taking Lemuel by the hand,
ne led him up one of those wide staircases
with square well, common in houses of
this description, up flight after
fight, until the top-most story
was reached. Here he paused,
and taking another key out OF his pocket,
opened a door at the head of the stairs
room having in it small stove, in which
were the dull embers of a dying fire and
the usual furniture of a boarding. house
bedroom-palnted bedstead and wash
stand, dirty curtains, threadbare carpet
and two or three decrepit looking chairs.
Now sir said the stranger, as he
turned up the gas, sit down here and
listen to me attentively
Certainly, - ventured Lemuel, whose
courage was returning as he found him
self in the light, ''but may I know to
whom 1 have the pleasure of speaking?''
The stranger paused. FCan me
Smith, - said he after moment IS re-
Election, "'and now l II show you how to
get even with Mr.. David Nugent. -
1t was daybreak before Lemuel left the
house. Mr.. Smith, with whom he now
seemed to be on familiar terms, seeing
him to the door and watching him as he
set off towards Sixth avenue with an
amused grin. The hang-dog air Lemuel
had worn when he entered the grimy old
house had vanished He walked with
head erect, and a keen observer would
have said, buoyed up with the conscious
ness of power. Well, David Nugent, -
he was saying to himself, eve II see if
am to be thrown aside like a worn-out
glove. -
CHAPTER VII.
STRANGE BALANCES HIS BOOKS.
The next morning the junior clerks
there were not many of tbem-In Mr..
S Office were struck dumb with
when o'clock came and
Mr.. Strange did not, as had been his
custom as long as the oldest of them
could remember, walk in on the last
stroke of the clock and pass into the pri-
vate office. At noon they were seriously
the ACCESSIBILITY of sending
word TO the police, when Mr.. Strange,
as if it were the most ordinary thing in
the world to be so late, marched in and,
nodding to the astonished clerks, shut
himself up in his own room. As he had
Mr.. Nugent had neither been
there himself, nor had he sent word, but
towards afternoon a telegram came from
him, addressed to Lemuel, which con-