Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-05-28


quail appreciation Of things. For in
stance, quite unknown to his parents, he
yearned to be detective. COWBOYS and
raiders were not much to lis liking;
they lacked the element OF respectability.
But 10 be detective, a sleuth hound of
the law, to rise to the high position of
inspector chief Of police, to be the
terror Of small boys and evil doers was to
reach the ultimatum of his ambition.
When his employer imagined his new
clerk at the reading room of the Y. n.
c. A. or sound asleep in his boarding
house bed, Charles Augustus was hang
ing around the police station, watching
the criminals brought in. and aimirinu
the officer on duty who assigned each
one to cell with a wave of his baton.
He thought he was getting deep in
sight into human nature, and that he
could tell criminal from an honest man
st the first g lance. That was the inter.
estlnS state OF his nina when he reached
the hotel with the valuable package in
his pocket, the Jewels in a satin lined
case, ready to be TENT pinsly displayed
before eyes of the fortunate woman 70,
whom they were TO be purchased.
In answer to his question tie bov who
opened the door said that he would see
Il Mrs. twas in, and Charles Augustus
sent up the card of his EN- oloyer, and
waited IN the parlor for the lady to see
him. When the boy returned he was
requested to attend to the lady in her
own room.
"Ha.' lie said to himself, "its the
old gag!'
The lady admired the Jewels and told
her husband, who was present., that they
suited her exactly. Charles Augustus
had literally frozen to them; he stood
close to the lady while she tried them On
aud furtively watched her lest she should
make dash for the opposite door, when
he would snatch the diamonds and fight
the two conspirators single handed, and
he pressed something in the breast
pocket of his coat It was the first
purchase he had made out of his fathers
gold piece-a revolver, which he needed
about as much as a cat needs two tails
"You can leave them,' said the gen.
tleman languidly-gentlemanly villains
are always languid-'I will call in and
pay FOR them on my way home from the
Office"
''Ha, the plot thickens," remarked
Charles Augustus, mentally. Aloud he
said:
81 beg your pardon, sir, but my or
ders are peremptory. am not to leave
the diamonds without receiving the
money
The gentleman smiled. But man can
smile, and smile, and be a villain still.
Charles Augustus stood his guard with
come one come all-this- rock shall fly
from-its first base as-soon- as-I-Fltz-
James expression that meant business.
THE idea," said his wife Indignantly.
"to think that you are not good for that
amount! They cant know who we
are"
"Never mind dear. It's just as we'll
to pay for them now as at any time.
will write out check and give it to the
young man, and you can keep your dia-
monds.' But Charles Augustus saw
only new move in the game in this ar
II must have a certified check" he
said firmly.
"Ring for coupe" said the gentle
nan to his wife, II viii: 60 to the bank.
and get the cash, and see it paid into
the hands Of the jcweler myself. It's q
good idea to deal only with principals in
an affair of this kind" ~
This was carrying the war into
tue enemy's camp with vengeance.
Charles Augustus felt that he had met
foeman worthy of his steel. These are
stock phrases which novelists use, and
they were as familiar TO Charles
Augustus, as they are to the rest Of the
world, and served to illustrate i crisis.
The coupe was announced. and the
two men went down and got in together,
each visibly shrinking from the other.
The fact was the buyer of the diamonds
was suffering from raging tooshache,
and just as the coupe got we'll started, he
remembered bottle of ether, and some
other mixture which he had bo<ight that
morning for that purpose, and forgotten
during lull in the misery. Now he
brought it out, removed the cork, and