Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-09-14
CHAPTER III,

CHAPTER III.
 UNCLE AMOS.
 Amos Bergman owned cottage in a west side suburb, where he kept up a plain but comfortable establishment He was a bachelor of fifty, a small, mild man, looking even older than he was.
 One-half of his friends and acouaintances regarded him as crank, while the rest maintained that, i'll spite of some eccen- tricities, he had a fund of native shrcwd- ness that might have been genius under different circums tances
 The trouble was that he had never been obliged to pin down to any regular work As young man he had taken up first one profession and then another; he had veered around to science and then to trade, and hnally settled down to books and gardening TOT pleasure, varying his seclusion by dip ping now and then into the affairs of the world, sometimes as an agitator, sometimes as philanthropist. With all his vagaries, ne was generous-hearted man, and his nephew, Norris, had lived for a half-dozen years in his household, the recipient of his bounty and the weather-vane of his ideas which had left the young man a little worse oil, perhaps, than if he had been thrown upon his own endeavors in his tender years. However, he had the good sense to rebel when he came of age, and turn ed his
  fered. He had been two years in the ex- press service, and fattered himself that he was trusted employe, when his abrupt dlsmssal brought him up standing as it were, and cut away some of the self-con- celt Which goes with youth and incXperi- ence the wide world over
 There being nothing to interfere, he went on the afternoon following his receipt of that dispatch to pay visit to his uncle Amos Bergman met him with q hearty handshake, and congratulation for what the young man was disposed to regard as decided misfortune.
 "Glad you are out of the business. my boy. It never did give a chance to the capacities that are in you. Purely mechan- 1cal, without scope for tho reasoning DOW CTS, but there's an opening now that will tax them, ii you choose to avail yourself of it'
 If can reason out 8 new situation shall be very glad, Uncle Amos.'
 ''That's it exactly" cried Amos Bergman ''Or let us say occupation, to be ex- act, for 1t will be to your advantage to work independently in this matter haven't any doubt of your fitness for the work, and I'll advance the necessary funds for expenses, etc. No thanks, my boy! I'll have my reward i'll seeing you win tho honors, as I'm sure you will.n
 "But, my dear uncle, what is the worl1!" "Well-you know always said you had the making of Q lawyer ln you!" broke off Uncle Amos, with just the least Dicion of anxiety apparent in his manner.
 "Yes," laughed Norris. And of a doctor, and minister, and a stock broker, and I dare say, of a gambler, and cracksman, also, if the simple idea were not too shock ing to contemplate. You have always rated my abilities away to the upper notch, that's certain. What is the fancy now, Uncle Almost"
 "It struck me, as soon as read the re- ports. I said to myself: Norris has all tho advantage of having been on the ground He has the making of a detective in him'-I think had it myself, when 1 was younger and he'll see what see, that the second robbery is only cover for the first.' Find out the man who stole the single package, and you'll have tho root of the whole affair ill your hands. You'll make name for yourself, my dear boy, for, mark my words, this is no ordinary robbery. There is some deep plot, some scheme of wrong-doing 2 which reaches farther than the public sus- poets, and yours will be the grand oppor- tunity to unearth the whole villainous com plication, and bring it to naught''
 Norris was well used to his uncle's enthus- iasm over his hobby of the moment, and an
 
 listened to the growing eloquence of the elder man.
 "You evidently allude to the recent ex- press robberies. You seem to forget, though, that the regular detectives are at work, and at fault, too, as far as can learn.'
 "Of course they're at fault. They're deep in the old ruts. It needs young, clever fellow, without bias, uninfluenced by the deductions drawn from previous cases. Don't tell you this is a robbery without a parallela Tho superintendent of your di- vision himself admits that He told me had grounds for my theory when I ex- plained it to him.''
 "What! you have been to the officers of the company, uncles Whens What had you to say to thems'
 "Nothing to your discredit, you may be sure, Norris. They seemed quite struck by my reasons for thinking you the very man to unravel their mystery'
 "What reasons, ln the name of alls''
 ''Wel, there's that affair of the trap in the car floor, evidently the work of a me chanic, nothing rough or bungling about the job. When told them that you had quito genius for working in wood, that you were as well up in calculations and measure ments as any skilled carpenter, and could do as neat job of epairiug-conveying the idea that you might find something in the shape of clue that would pass un- noticed by an untrained eye-they really seemed quite impressed.'
 "You dld that, Uncle Almost" Norris spoke slowly, looking at his uncle, with Q sudden cloud dropping over hls face.
 To be contlnue,
 r T LIT 0ND