Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1889-10-31

lived, and Norah getting impatient over I
waiting dinner. was soon satisfied, how
ever. that a good understanding. and even !
more. had Already been established between
nv friend and her; and, while at dinner, I
found time amid the love making between
themselves, to put them thoroughly in pos
session of everything that had taken place.
Hank readily promised his cooperation
In the thing in hand.
While we were on our way toward The
Spider he suddenly blufted out, I might
as we'll give myself away at once, Tom.
Norah has promised to marry me on New
Years Day, if you have no objection.
OF course had none, since l had seen
how the affair was tending for twelve-
month or more, and, Of course l congrat-
ulated him heartily, though it was some
thing of wrench to think of so soon los |
ing my little sister as housekeeper, she |
had been with me so long and devotedly
But, then, / knew that she deserved good
husband, which Hank was sure to be to
her, and perhaps the wrench at parting
from her was less serious than it would
have been n short time previously, before
certain rosy dreams and timid hopes on
INV own part began to assume substantial
shape and color.
we had both disguised ourselves as
rough-iooking boatmen in such perfection
that even our best friends would hardly
nave known us for what we were. We
Numbered into The Spider to find it de-
serted OF customers, and no one in attend
ance at the bar but the wizen-f faced little
boy whose acquaintance had made upon
more than one occasion, as the reade will
remember.
He served us with something hot in the
back room. There we sat, talking Ioudlv
and simply. as men of our supposed cali
ing are apt to do under the circumstances.
but at the same time with our ears wide
open, and each Of us with an eye at GER
tain crack in the partition through which
we could obtain a survey of pretty much
everything that might occur in the front
room, together with slanting glimpse of
the bar-counter and good slice of the
space behind It
sionally giving the boy a fresh order to
keep him unsuspicious, and quietly empty
ing the contents of the glasses into the
spittoons as soon as left to ourselves. on
account Of the villainous nature of the
decoctions supplied; and at last, as nothing
noticeable took place, we began to fear
that we were tn hnva npr trorbia for 80
pains.
But finally our patience was amplv re-
warded.
There came light quick tap from some
where in the neighborhood of the bar and
as both of us. alert, redoubled our spyinc
capacities, we saw it answered by the boy
suddenly darting under the copnter. after
which there came the sharp click of a hid
den latch or hasp.
Then, within the narrow space of floor
behind the counter, and partly under the
ledge of the counter itself, there suddenly
rose into view the head and shoulders of a
man. The hat was battered, the hair es-
Gaping from under it tangled and unkempt,
the clothing ragged and disclored; and,
even without these external characteristics,
there was no installing the face, careworn
and haggard, beneath its sooty stains and
struggling beard, the weak, nervous lips,
the furtive, hunted expression of the eyes
Il was the tramp.
We waited until he had got altogether
ont OF the trap, and was stealthily and rap
idly performing certain toilet operations at
the further end of the bar that would have
speedily effected his partial transformation
into Mr.. Rapsy, the proprietor of The
Spider, and then, gliding from our place of
concealment, the next moment we had him
in our clutches.
He gave o cry, and at first, from our
garb, evidently thought our intention was
hof ~