The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-02-03

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A large, heavily mustached stranger,
with a cup in his hand, nodded pleasant
ly to Van Bibber, and asked him, with
a glance at the tea, if he had got what
he wanted.
Eyes, thank you" said Van Bibber
cheerfuIly. II think l i have"
At the next place he was somewhat
surprised to see the same stranger drink
ing more tea and apparently watching
him. But Van Bibber put this down to
the fact that he was unduly suspicious,
and that his imagination was excited.
He was just going out without having
made any seizures, when a fat, pompous
gentleman, who he was sure must be
the host, took pity on his apparently
neglected condition and said: II see you
are locking over my bric-a-brac, sir. 1t
is not much of a collection, and / have
not had time lately to give it the atten-
ton it needs" Then he proceeded, at
great length and with evident satisfac-
ton to himself, to describe each separate
piece of crockery ON the wall. Van Bib
Der was greatly bored, but he was too
polite to say so, and was rewarded when
the gentleman said, ''This piece of Sat
suma cost me five hundred dollars"
Van Bibber kept his eye on the plate,
and, when his host turned to greet a
new arrival, slipped it into his coattail
pocket and bowed himself out.
He placed it under the seat Of the han
som very carefully, and drove on to the
next place quite assured that he had
won his bet, but anxious to settle it
without a question or doubt. He did
not see the stranger with the heavy mus
tache pass him in a close cab and dart
into the house to which he was going
Just a minute before him. Van Bibber
elbowed his way. with many apologies,
to the third floor. There was a dressing
table covered with silver tribes, and Van
Bibber smiled c~omplacently.
There was a bed in the room, and he
could see this as he looked in the mirror.
But he could not see under the bed. His
overcoat was on a chair, and he made
several trips to it and filed the pockets
with silver backed brushes and combs.
But ON the third of these trips his heart
stood still, for out from under the bed
came the big stranger with the heavy
mustache. He came very leisurely and
detertninedly. Don't make a row." he
said; you're under arrest"
At that moment two young men came
into the room. pulling off their over
coats.
"Helpi' screamed Van Bibber; ''lookl"
he shouted, pointing at the detective.
There's a sneak thief Under the bed"
Then he fell on the officers head just as
relentlessly as he would have dropped
on a football, and banged his nose into
the carpet and sat on his shoulders. The
two young men got out Of their coats
much more quickly than they had in
tended doing and fell with their knees
on each of the detectives arms, and
while they thus pinned him to the floor
they punched him vigorously in the ribs
and yelled.
Look at thisl" said Van Bibber,
catching up his overcoat by the tail and
splitting all the silver over the floor.
Look at what he had stored awayi
Hold him, win you? while l get a po-
liceman."
6FSAg OAO was A64hhA5 up SAO ACA
stairs, SO he could not goodwin that way,
and so ran TO the back and went down
the kitchen stairs and on into the din
ing room, whence all the walters had
fed. He was quite unobserved in the
confusion, and accordingly took time to
fill his pockets with spoons and forks Of
heavy silver. Then he walked out
through the excited women, and stepped
into his hanson, and told the driver to
go to the club.
"That detective of yours" he said
calmly. as he produced his treasures
from the bottom of the hanson, will
probably be around here when he gets
his nose patched up. In the mean while
| viii ask you to value these articles
roughly and ring for some messenger
boys"
An authority said the lot was worth
800, and the separate exhibits were
promptly returned to where they be-
longed by messenger boys, who were in
structed to leave them at the door and
run. The detective was pacified by
some of the clubs best brandy and a
twenty dollar bill. But whenever Van
Bibber enters the club now the men
feel ~nervously for their watches and the
walters count the forks. New York