Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-03-17

me back my sacheI,
Mr.. Jones started, stared very hard
at Tad. as though he were trying to
remember where he had seen him be-
fore. and then looked at the sachel in
his hand. "Wen, / declare. he ex-
claimed. in seeming surprise, i must
have taken this up in a fit Of abstrac-
ton and walked out, without thinking
of you at all, my lad
Tad shrugged his shoulders. Il
want my sachel,' he said, stOurly, as .
little knot of people began to gather.
Your sachel," repeated Mr. Jones,
with a shadowy sneer; ''come, now,
That's too
cat your old games again, are You,
Edwards?" interrupted a quietly au-
thoritative voice. Its owner was 4
small. thin-faced man, in citizen dress,
who. stepping forward as he spoke,
gently touched Mr.. Jones' shoulder, to
that gentleman's visible discontinue.
sis this yours, boy?" continued the
speaker, addressing Tad and touching
the sachel with the tip of a small whale
bone cane.
Tad nodded eagerly. Strictly speak
ing, it was not his, but, for obvious
reasons, Tad forbore further explana-
tions.
Hand IL over" said the small man,
briefly, to Mr.. Jones, who complied so
promptly as greatly to astonish Tad,
and then, obedient to gesture from
him Of the cane, the fraudulent Jones
vanished with considerable celerity
round the nearest corner, while the
small man walked quietly away.
That's City-Detective Blossom-he's
been in our place lots of times" Tad
heard a telegraph messenger-boy in
form another. in awe-struck tones,
and, after admiringly watching the
small man out of sight, the two scam
pered off together.
"Strikes me that my friend Jones
won't get hold of this same little bag
as easy as he thought for" chuckled
Tad, unconscious that the gentleman
in question, with his hat pulled down
over his forehead like the villain in a
play, was watching his movements
from neighboring doorway.
But whittier should Tad turn his foot
steps? Uptown or downtown, or
stop minutel The sachel must con-
tain something of more than ordinary
ralue-a fact which the fraudulent
Jones had in some way discovered. else
why was he 30 anxious to get posses
sion Of it?
"Chaps Ike him don't take the
chances on an empty bag" soliloquized
Tad, with wise shake Of the head,
"and, accordin' to my way of thinking,
somebody'll be offering a reward for
this bit of property before long
Which reasoning resulted in Tad $
investing half his stock Of ready cash
in the purchase of three daily papers,
in whose columns he hoped to find pos
sible mention made Of the lost sachel.
The purchase itself decided the direc-
ton of his steps. He knew that along
most city wharves were sheltered and
sunny spots, where he could sit down
and glance over his papers undis-
turbed by officious policemen.
Having been duly directed by a
sharp-voiced newsboy, Tad began max
ing his way wharfward. through a mar
row and not particularly inviting
street, known rs Lewis Lane. The
theory Of cause and effect was visible
on every hand, in the shape of flourish
ing liquor-shops and miserable tene-
ments Shabbily-dressed men lounged
on every corner, filing the air with
oaths and tobacco-smoke, while shrill-
voiced women gossiped in the door
ways and swarms of dirty children pad
died in the cutters.
"Come, now-you give us that purp"
said a threatening voice, and Tad
looked suddenly round. Avery ragged
boy, whose hair was cut close to his
bullet head, stood confronting a neatly
dressed girl, rather younger than him
self, who, from her appearance, was
evidently stranger in the neighbor-
hood.
cav We don't hand i'm over, Wen
take i'm away from yez in less'n two
shakes" chimed in Hibernian voice,
whose owner was a red-haired youth Of
fourteen summers or thereabouts. In
his dirty fingers was a string from
which dangled an empty oyster-can,
destined, rs Tad at once saw, as an
attachment 10 the tail Of a small and
decidedly dirty dog which the girl was
hugging tightly against her white
apron, very much to its detriment.
The young and unprotected female
compressed her lips, and, looking quite
defantly at her opponents, deigned no
reply to their amiable intimations. But
Tad thought that she also glanced at
him rather anxiously, as though fearing
he might array himself ON the side OF
the foe.
"Sure, / w'udn't be afeared Of a
gurrl, Bob" scornfully insinuated the
red-headed, in an undertone, and, thus
stimulated, Bob took step forward,
but Tad was too quick for him.
Look hcre!' exclaimed Tad, feel
ing his blood tingling clear to his fin
ger-tips ~ he placed himself directly
in front of Bob, the short-haired-"yo
just leave that girl alone, will youP'
And, tucking his sachcl under one arm,
Tad threw himself into an attitude both
offensive and defensive, which was cal
culatcd TO strike terror to the heart OF
the enemy.
Wasn't a-touchin' Of her-was I.
| Mickey Dolan7" returned Bob, step
ping back in evident alarm. "I will.
though, if she don't give me my purpP'
ko added, with threatening shake OF
| the head, encouraged Mt the sight Of his
friend, who, after carefully turning
back his tattcred shirt-cufIs, was rapid
ly revolving pair Of red fists with a
view Of paralyzing the bold intruder
by his own display Of science.
I don't care" undauntedly replied
the small female, speaking for the first
time; ''it's not your dog, and l tooH'i
| give him up-therc, nowv' And | re-
gret TO say that Miss Polly Flagg fur.
ther emphasized her declaration by
stamping a small foot on the pavement
with considerable force.
Don't worry, missr' said Tad, reas
suringly. They won't dare lay fin
ger on you-or the dog, cither-whil'
I'm here; and there's policeman jus
coming round the corner, too" the lat
ter information intended for the ears o