Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-12-12
sell, and am going vo try and find out


city was to look up a detective agency. He
told them all about the state of affairs
down at Riverton, and even detailed the
events of the night when he had the mis-
fortune to lose his shoes and coat. Then
he said he wanted good man to go down
there and find out who was doing all the
villainy. He arranged to pay all that was
necessary to secure the best of service, and
then he went away to the wholesale stores
for his goods. When he was through-and
it took less goods this year than formerly
he went home and waited the advent of
the city detective. He had paid over one
hundred good dollars on account, and he
began wondering when he was going to
get something out the investment. More
than Il month had passed and there was
not SO much as a hint of n detective com
ing to town But one thing was sure. Not
a case of burglary had occurred in all that
time.
Trade was so dull that Pittston was real
ly getting lonesome. He had rented one
of the front corners of his store to a sewing
machine agent, and had hoped for time
that he could have "a pleasant hour or two
now and then visiting with the fellow
But the agent was a busy man, and no one
ever saw him in the store for more than
half an hour at a time; he was out in town,
or somewhere over the country, introduce
| ing one of the greatest labor savers in the
kingdom. But he was very pleasant fell
low when he did come in, and Pittston got
to liking him better every day.
Getting to be a good deal of gambling in
| this town." said Ludlow one day, as he and
| Pittston stood in the shade in front of their
stores and looked up and down the street
! for some sign of a customer.
"Why?' asked the dry goods man.
"Well, there is n new man at the hotel
for the past two weeks and Boniface says
he is a gambler"
"Where does he play?"
"Oh, reckon in Il room over one of the
saloons. | see him hanging out at Fitch.
er's most of the time
"What does he look like" asked Pitts
ton. 1t occurred to him that maybe this
was the detective he wanted to see get to
work in the town
''rhere he is now" replied the grocer, as
a handsome man, well dressed ANA affect
ing rather iaunty air, walked along on
the opposite side of the street and went
into Filcher's groggery.
Pretty shrewd fellow" said Pittston to
himself for he was sure this was the city
operator he had hired to come down and
|
of burglar. He was immensely pleased
to think that he alone of all the people in
town knew what was the mission of this
gambler. Dunn, the sewing machine agent,
came in at evening and reported three very
good sales. He was quite jublant, and
} said he would put his money in the safe
with Pittston's if the merchant had no OBJ
jections. He had none, and so the fat roll
of bills was deposited in the innermost re-
cess of the locker, and Pittston turned the
| key n the outer door us he left the store
for the night. On the way home he stopped
at the tin shop and got teakettle that his
wife had sent down for mending. Filcher
was There waiting till the timer should
| finish a trif1ing repair on a beer pump.
! Pittston turned the kettle over and saun-
tered along to where Filcher was studying
the mechanism of reamer.
THAT new gambler pretty smooth fell
low" he asked of the saloon keeper al
though he had not before spoken dozen
words to the man in half that many years.
"Well, he may be" said Filcher, weigh
| ing his answer with professional fairness.
"but heTon't play much. He loses little
sometimes and he wins little sometimes
/ But he don't seem to care TO get into any
good games. Oh, guess he can play, but
/ he seems to lie waiting till he can learn
something about the other fellows
"ThaU's him, said pit,,ton Is 4ewalked
home. That's the detective He knows
his business, I'll be bound. And | am the
only man in town that knows who he is"
Next day this same gambler came into
the store to get some handkerchiefs, and
Pittston brushed past his clerk to get to
wait on the man himself.
Vail l.
in low tone, as he piled up an assortment
of handkerchiefs. 'Do you make daily re-
ports to Searchem 6 Findem?"
Without doubt the man was surprised.
Pittston could see that, but he expected as
much. Most likely this man had come
down here without knowing who had sent
for him. All! detectives in the city were
very clever men.
Getting any pointers on the burglars?'
he added, as the man pulled the handker-
chiefs around aimlessly ooh, it 5 all right
| know who you are. | am the man that
went up to the city and got your people to
have you come down"
sob, it's all right" said the man little
nervously, "but | can't say much of any
thing. Do you know anything new"
mot thing" said the merchant, not a
little proud to be on terms of intimacy with
a real live detective. but you watch out
It's likely to happen again any night"
"Ill make an examination of the prem
ises tonight" said the gambler. at might
come handy some time" And he look ed
straight into the merchants eyes for the
| first time
THAT man will shoot" said Pittston tc
himself as the gambler left with his hand
kerchiets. That night as he was coming
from prayer meeting he saw light in the
rear of the store, and came back after ht
had left his wife to see what it might mean
The light was there when he came back
but there was not another person on the
street. So Pittston walked around into
the rear of the place, and just as he got tt
the back door it was opened, and he stood
face to face with the man whom all The
town excepting himself thought was
gambler. The man was really more startled
than he, for Pttston had made no noise il
his movements. But he was treasured il
a moment, for the merchant stepped clos,
up to him and asked Ill a whisper if he hat
found out anything.
"Only that there is a dead certainty