Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-14

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"Our business here" began Brasher-I
must own that his manner is little ponder.
ous-"is of a scientific, may say also, and
at the same time, of judicial nature. Oul
object is the Pursuit of Truth and the Ad.
vancement of Inquiry"
"Haye YOU been trying another smoker
INQUIRED Tress, nodding his head toward me.
Before / had time to answer, Brasher went
droning on:
"Our friend here tells me that you say
this pipe is haunted.
81 say it is haunted because it is haunted. "
l looked at Tress / halt suspected that
he was poking fun at us. But he appeared
10 be serious enough.
SIN these matters" remarked Brasher, as
though he were giving utterance to new
and important truth, there is a scientific
and a non-scientifc method of inquiry.
The scientific method is to begin at the be-
ginning. May ask how this pipe came
into your possessionT'
Tress paused before he answered.
"You may ask" He paused again. "Oh,
YOU certainly NAV ask. But it doesn't fol-
low that shall tell you"
"Surely your object, like ours, can be but
the spreading about of the truth?"
81 don't see it at all. 1t is possible to
imagine a case in which the spreading about
of the truth might make me look little
awkward"
"Indeedl" Brasher pursed up his lips.
Your words would almost lead one to sup
pose that there was something about your
method of acquiring the pipe which you
have good and weighty reasons for conceal
ing"
II don't know why 1 should conceal the
thing from you. 1 don't suppose either of
you is any better than am. 1 don't mind
telling you how got the pipe. stole it,"
''Stole it!''
Brasher seemed both amazed and shocked.
But 1, who had had previous experience of
Tress' methods OF adding to his collection,
was not at all surprised. Some OF the pipes
which he calls his, if only the whole truth
about them were publicly known, would
send HIM to Jail.
That's nothingi" he continued. "All
collectors steal! The eighth commandment
was not intended to apply to them. Why,
Pugh there has conveyed three-fourths OF
the pipes which be hatters himself are
his"
Twas so dumfounded by the charge that it
took my breath away. 1 sat in astounded
silence. Tress went raving on:
81 was so shy of this particular pipe when
1 had obtained If, that l put it away for
quite three months. When took it out 10
have look at it something about the thing
so tickled me that l resolved to smoke it.
Owing to peculiar circumstances attending
the manner in which the thing came into
my possession, and on which 1 need not
dwell-you don't like to dwell on those sort
of things, do you. Pugh?-I knew really
nothing about the pipe. As was the case
with Pugn, one popularity learned from
actual experience. 1t was also from actual
experience that 1 learned that the thing was
we'll, said haunted. but you may use
anv other word you like"
'Tell US, as briefly as possible, what it
was YOU actuallF did discover" ..
Take the pipe out of the bo1P' Brasner
took the pipe out OF the box and held it in
his hand. "You see that creature on it.
Well, wien l first had it it was underneath
the pipe"
"How do you mean that it was under
meath the pipe?"
at was punched together underneath the
stem, Just at the end OF the mouthpiece, in
the same way in which a fly might be
suspended from the ceiling. When be-
gan to smoke the pipe ] saw the creature
move"
"But thought that unconsciousness i'm
followed"
'Tt did follow, but not before l saw that
the thing was moving. 1t was because l
thought that had been, in way, victim
of delirium that l tried the second smoke.
that the thing was drugged l
swallowed what believed would prove a
powerful antidote. II enabled ME to resist
the influence of the narcotic much longer
than before, and while L still retained my
senses saw the creature crawl along under
the stem and over the bowl. Ii was that
sight, L believe, as much as anything
else, which sent me silly. When l came
to again l then and there decided to present
the pipe to Pugh. There is one more thing
1 would remark. When thespipe lett me the
creatures legs were twined about the bowl.
Now they are withdrawn. Possibly you,
Pugh, are able to cap my story with little
one which is all your own"
81 certainly did imagine that saw the
creature move. But L supposed that while
1 was under the influence of the drug i'm
agination had played me trick
"Not bit OF it! Depend upon it. the beast
is bewitched. Even to my eye it looks at
though it were, and to trained eye like
yours, Pughl You've been looking for the
devil long time, and you've got him as
last"
IL wish you wouldn't make those re-
marks, Tress. They jar on me.'
81 confess" interpolated Brasher-I no.
ticed that he had put the pipe down on the
table as though he were tired of holding it
THAT, to my thinking, such remarks are
not appropriate. AT the same time, what
YOU have told us is, 1 am bound to allow, a
little curious. But of course what 1 re-
ouire is ocular demonstration. l haven't
seen the movement myself"
mo, but you very soon will do If you
tn l,ox lat tIa
account. Do, Brasher, to oblige me
There's deal!"
at appears, then, that the movement is
only observable when the pipe is smoked.
We have at least arrived at step No. l.
Here's a match, Brasher! Light up,
and we shall have arrived at step No. Q"
Tress lit match. and held it out to
Brasher. Brasher retreated from his neigh
borhood.
THANK you. Mr. Tress am no smoker, as
you are aware. And have desire to ac-
qulre the art OF smoking by means of pois-
Oned pipe"
Tress laughed. He blew out the match and
threw it into the CRATE.
Then 1 tell you what FL do-rn have up
BOD"
Bob? Why Bobg'
"Bob"-whose real name was Robert Haines
though l should think he must have forgotten
the fact so seldom was he addressed by twas
and had accompanied his master when he left
the service. He was as deprayed a charac-
ter as Tress himself. l am not sure
even that he was not worse than his
master. 1 shall never forget how he
once behaved toward myself. He actually had
the assurance to accuse me of attempting to
steal the Wardour street relic which Tress
fondly deludes himself was once the property
of Sir Walter Raleigh. The truth is that had
slipped it with my pocket-handkerchief into
my pocket in fit of absence of mind. A man
vino could accuse me of such thing would be
guilty of anything. was therefore quite at
one with Brasher when he asked what Bob
fl,lx 1Na, slain