Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-17

care not to show it, and took care not tc
seem Jealous of him, but was for all that
In those DAYS fused to study French.
thought it might get me on in the force, and
1 worked hard at it. 1 sat poring over my
grammar in old Days room, when who
should come in but Stewart. 1 wished him
good evening, but 1 returned to my work,
and, elbows on the table, ground away at
my verbs.
I thought Of Stewart and Annie. Stew
arts presence seemed to annoy me.
could not concentrate my attention; invol-
UNFAIRLY began to listen to their talk, as
usual about the establishment" as they
called it.
'New boaTder yesterday, said Stewart
they never called them madmen, but
'boarders.
"Bad case?" said old Day.
"Um," said Stewart; "curious case; he
beats me, the follow does. I've been on
asylum work, man and boy, this SO year,
and he's the first boarder / ever see as liked
it-and he does, he likes it. +"
"Likes it, said old Day as if he was
being chafed; "you don't say that?"
81 do, though" said Stewart; that's Just
it, he likes it! There weren't no fuss at all
when the Winker' comes in" q noticed
which they used among themselves) "1
think III go to bed at once, says he, quite
quiet like. I think I'll go to bed at once
Are you keeper?' says he. Show me my
room I'm an attendant, sir says L
All the same, says he, and tips me little
wink. marches him off into one of our
doubtless as per usual. TIL valet you,
sir, says I. You can 60, says he, cool
asa cucumber, tipping me another wink,
however, there I stood, awaiting on him;
and feeling of each of his pockets for
knives and such like. 1 leaves him his
watch, and leaves him his
money till gets my orders,
and as he jumps into bed, without a-saying
of his prayers, says to myself. You won't
be here long, young fellow"
"What are you taking my clothes for?"
Taking to brush, says I.
"Just so, SAYS he with another wink
that cool he took me aback. GOOD night, I"
says he.
''Good night, sir" says 1.
''And five minutes after, when 1 come
back, he was as sound as house."
Rum case" said Day.
81 believe you," said old Stewart. "I
goes in to the doctor for my instructions. Z"
"Safe in bed, sir" says l.
VERY good" says he.
81 suppose I'd better sleep in this room,
sir?"
"Oh, no! quite needlessP' said he, taking
me all of heap; 'he's chronic case"
'About his things, sir" said 1.
"Oh, he can retain them, said he, in his
stand-off way. "You might have Knocked
me down with feather, Dav."
heard no more; didn't listen; their talk
didn't interest me. Stewart left after supper.
Many of these chats took place between
Day and Stewart of an evening. Gradually
1 dropped into their conversation unawares;
there was no secrecy; the two men seemed
at loggerheads about one of the patients.
Stewart stoutly maintained that one of the
"boarders" at Selby House was sane. Old
Dav laughed at him.
lone would think we were in the old
times, Stewart. And the man attempts no
escape, and seems comfortable, and is sane
pooh"
'The Winker's as sane as am, Jack. 4"
sulkily asserted Stewart, land what's more,
the doctor and the prop had words about
him the other day."
By the "prop" he meant the proprietor,
who was not doctor at all, as he had told
us. The two old fellows wrangled over the
pros and cons of the matter till supper
time.
"By the way. I found locket, Annie, to-
day." said Stewart to my Annie. 1 didn't
like his calling her Annie, but he was an
old man and presumed on it.
Would you like to see it?'' She nodded,
and he drew from his pocket a battered
silver locket. In it were two colored
portraits, an old lady with little old
fashiononed curis at her temples on one side,
the portrait of handsome boy with curling
hair on the other. looked at him with
interest; seemed to have seen his face be-
fore, but eonldR't recall it.
sit won't be long before its claimed"
said Stewart, "and that find will not be
worth much to me. / expect it belongs to
one of our boarders. What's it worth, ser
geant?" said he, passing it to me.
"a matter of shillings, should saw"
weighing it in my palm. And L noticed
that on each side was a worn monogram
N. s. V. on one side, H. S. on the other
Stewart put the old locket in his pocket
and, supper over, took his leave.
l soon went to my bed, but not to sleep.
The $500 reward didn't give me much
chance Of that Wanted, ,Sigismund Hannay,
His defrauded employers couldn't want
their bonds more than 1 wanted Sigismund
and the e500 which depended on
his capture. I slept at last, to dream that
had captured him on an iceberg in the
Polar seas, and woke shivering, to find
that my struggles with the visionary culprit
had ended in my kicking off my bed-clothes,
which accounted for the Arctic regions.
1 used to go down to the head Office to see
what was doing occasionally, and among
the many photos Of the wanted ones 1 again
"a n tf1a connolly foofuras af Sirseyou1d H.
nay. gRzed on his face with rapt atten-
-stewart means dOuble-bedded room.