The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1893-12-22
Icopynsnt. 1891. All rights rcserved.l

Is night, 1892. by Mr.. and Mrs
u Cornelius Van Tassel tc
their friends, Mr.. and Mrs. John Girard
and Mr.. and Mrs. Vincent Cowles. a,
their Gismercy park home, will prob
ably pass into history as the most re
markable dinner of all.
The table was a cheering sight as thu
guests entered from the drawing room
its polished mahogany top cleaning here
n there between the snowy. weblike
doi!ies, its glistening china and cut glass
its bright silver and its floral decora
tons. forming under the soft glare Of
the electric lights a picture that seemed
eloquent in its augury of good things tc
come.
Candelabra with dainty yellow shades
and vases filled with golden hued chrys.
anthemuns stood at opposite corners o.
the table, and one OF the fluffy yellow
flowers lay at each place.
The maid had announced dinner Jus,
as the grandfather's clock in the hal
sounded the hour of Z, but when the
guests and their hosts we're seated she
failed to appear. Mrs. Van Tassel was
annoyed and surprised, for Betty was al
ways alert and had never failed her when
a dinner was to be served in state. Afte,
waiting several minutes Mrs. Van Tas.
sci touched her foot to the button be.
meath the table and rang the electric
bell, but no Betty appeared with the
belated Blue Points.
The conversation was tagging, as il
will when host and guests ai conscious
that the household machinery is not NOV
ing smoothly, and Mrs. Van Tassel's
annoyance and indignation rapidly in.
creased as she rang again and again in
vain.
Finally, concluding that Betty must
have tainted, Mrs. Van Tassel excused
herself, with very manifest modification
and started for the buffers pantry tc
solve the mystery of the maids nonap.
pearance.
AS she opened the door she screamed
and ran back toward the table. A
masked man, with a revolver in each
hand, stood in the doorway. He swept
the company with the leveled weapons
and then pointed one of them at Mrs.
Van Tassel.
Don't exercise your lungs again like
that, madam, please" he said politely
"or l shall be under the painful neces.
sity of perforating them with a leader
pill. don't you see. The other ladies and
gentlemen present will also remain quiet
or these pistols may go off 10y accident
don't you know. There's going to be
big movement in silver here pretty soon,
as we say down in Wall street, but don't
be at all alarmed.
mo one will harm you if you are moi
ungentlemanly or unladylike enough tc
insist upon making a scene, don't yor
know-a thing which, of course, you will
not wen think of doing. But pardon
me for not having introduced myself be
fore. 1t is a trife late for Santa Claus
but here l am-Mr. T. Brown Jones, al
your service-silver service, don't you
know. Ha! Ha! Pardon the pun; but
as you are aware, the Ubiquitous habit Of
play upon words has gained a strong
foothold, don't you know, even among
the exclusive circles in which we all
move"
To say that the Van Tassels and theil
guests were astounded by the advent Of
the masked MI. T. Brown Jones is g
very conservative statement. His sud.
den entrance, his daring GOODNESS and
matchless ~impudence, his polite manner
and his excellent English, fairly stunned
them.
Not long before a desperate fellow had
held up and robbed a money broker in
his office IN Broadway zeal Trinity
church at midday, but his audacity paled
into comparative insignifcance beside
that Of Mr.. T. Brown Jones. who had
coolly held up an entire family, their
guests and servants, in the heart of a
fashionable New York residence quarter
at 2 O'Clock in the evening.
The ladies were deathly pale and on
the verge of fainting. The gentlemen
had half started to their feet, but sank
back into their chairs with dazed faces
as the r~eyolvers covered them. The bur.
glars chin and mouth beneath the edge
of the mask had a resolute, but refined