Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-03-06
A Victim Of His Clothes
BY FREDERICK BURTON.
CHAPTER XII.
VIRTUES OF NECESSITY.

VIRTUES OF NECESSITY.
At this point in Mr.. Drane's adven.
lures he ought to have met the emer-
gency with calmness and a ready wit.
He had certainly experienced quite
enough Of encounters with the police;
but, law-abiding citizen that he was,
having an innate and cultivated respect
for the guardians of the peace and faro
banks, tho more he encountered their
power the weaker he was to resist them.
Therefore, when he was hustled out Of
the good old parsons study he went
with blind acquiescence to cruel fate,
mems coRscia Tecti, but very much cast
down nevertheless.
In the hallway Of the parsons house,
however, he pulled himself together
and demanded the cause Of his arrest.
The policemen were by no means will
ing to explain; they really believed
that they had dangerous maniac on
hand, and Jimmy, the reporter, was on
the gus Cice to get good news item and
q reward at the same time. However,
as Mr.. Drane resisted, Jimmy finally
produced this telegram from q New
York newspaper:
crush interview with Drane. Man
held here proved to be sane and not the
right one
just one ray of joy shone against the
dark background of Mr.. Drane's pros
poets in this dispatch-the tramp, inn
properly confined rs insane at his in
stance, had been released. Thinking of
that as Of one sin which had been for
given, Lawrence bowed his head and ac-
companied the policemen out Of doors.
An officer was at either elbow and Jim
my pranced along behind. AS Mr..
Drane was very quiet no especial at
tention was attracted until they came
to the door of the Beaver House. There
o man was slowly descending the steps,
looking vastly worried and out of sorts.
It was the tramp. He had Mr.. Drane's
clothes on and he appeared to be in
hard luck. When he saw the officers
and their convoy sailing down the
street he stopped suddenly and looked
hard at the prisoner with wildly
| angered expression on his face. 1t was
but q moment that the tramp stood
thus, but in that moment his reasoning
faculties went through q tremendous
operation. This was about the sub
stance of it:
Hello! there's Lawrence Dranel I
stole his clothes and his name and mar
ried in both Of them an awfully rich
widow. He got back at me by stealing
his clothes again and getting me in
hook. He even inveigled me into an
insane asylum. He is even now sus-
| pected Of being lunatio. Now know
that he is not only sane, but that have
been the cause of his misadventures.
further know that the Kansas City men
| who declared this morning that was
not Drane, will be here by the next
train from New York and will free this
man from all his troubles. He is ire
mendously rich and good-natured. D.
me if don't do him a good turn"
This chain of reasoning was so speedt-
ly accomplished that by the time Law
renco and the policemen we're opposite
the Beaver House door, the tramp had
resolved upon his course Of action. He
ran down the steps pell-mell, seized
Lawrence by tho hand and exclaimed:
"Wcll, we'll! to see you again and in
this shape! I'm delighted and everlast-
inGly relievedv'
''Oh! you are, are you?" responded
Lawrence, as the policemen paused.
al see that you are at the upper end OF
the teetsr-board at present"
| He would have said more in express
sion of his bitterness, but the tramp
interrupted:
"Odicers, don't think you have any
right to hold this man. know him.
He Is my only brother. His name is
Lawrence Drane. of Kansas City, and
am his brother John, como on to take
care of him. l demand that you show
me your authority for arresting him be-
fore you take him any further"
This, Of course, was stumper for the
policemen. They had no authority what
ever.
But" said one of them, chow about
that rcward?"
At this moment button in Mr.
Drane's Bowery suit gave way.
Jimmy, of course, had explained the
prospective reward to the policemen
and had held out its terms as induce