The sun., 1893-02-16


ETC., in pocket-book that might be
OF service to substantiate his right
to it.
The one thing Mr.. Wimble regretted
was that he had not taken effective
precautions against the owner OF the
other property adopting prompt
steps to recover it. Nothing would
have been easier than to have hidden
close at hand until the lat
ter came back 90 the spot where he
had left his clothes, and then to have
pounced on and Settled" him, and
scraped hole in the sand, and buried
him and the convicts suit as well.
However, it was now tolate to rectify
this little oversight, and he must make
the best OF matters. His first step
was to put score or SO OF miles be-
tween him and the scene OF his spirit
ed exploit, and then he proceeded to
enjoy himself. That is to say, he got
SO exceedingly drunk that, had it not
been for peculiarly favoring circum-
stances, which were unknown to him
he would probably have been rear
rested the same night.
By easy stages he made his way by
road towards London, but in less
than q week his purse contained but
solitary half-sovereign, and he had
dined at a modest little hotel and ar
ranged to sleep there, and the sum
mentioned was all he had to defray
expenses, which would leave him next
to nothing for the morrow.
Under such conditions it was neces-
sary for him to devise means for
replenishing his pockets, and he was
not the man to be over scrupulous in
such matter.
Staying at the Crown and Dolphin
was an elderly gentleman, who had
dined at the same table with Wimble.
The latter had been tolerably well
educated, and was gifted with some
amount of conversational ability,
and the result was that the two got
on quite friendly terms. The old
gentleman informed Mr.. Wimble that
he was on his way to inspect small
farm that was for sale, and which his
son had seen and had a fancy for.
and if it pleased him he, the father,
had come prepared to make a quick
bargain, and pay the money down
there and then.
"You mean by cheque, of course?"
Mr.. Wimble remarked lightly.
mo, I DON'T" returned the old
gentleman, with q knowing wink.
"When q man is pressed for means,
sir, and has anything to sell, there is
nothing like showing him ready mon
ey. A cheque rendered by a sound
man amounts, of course, to the same
thing, but as business man l know
that it makes all the difference
in making a deal. l tell you
what, you say, we won't
haggle about the matter. I
will give you so much down. There is
the money" and as he spoke the old
gentleman took from an old leather
pocket book little parcel of bank
notes, and clapped them down on the
table by way of illustration. Here 8
the NJ oney, say you. Say the word,
and I'll pay it over now.'
They had dined, and were having a
bottle of wine, and Mr.. Wimble, re-
clining in an easy chair, was enjoying
q cigar.
''That may be all very WE'LL" he re-
marked. "But there must always be
some risk in carrying large amounts
of money. never do so myself. 1t
is safe enough while one has his wits
about him and his eyes open. But
when he is staying at a strange hotel,
where is he to put his money when he
goes to bed?"
"Why, under his pillow, to besure,''
returned the oldgentleman. "Pocket
book, purse, watch, everything valu-
able, sir; put 'em under your pillow,
and who the deuce can rob you then?"
ITO be sure, didn't think ofthat,'
said Mr.. Wimble, negligently, and then
proceeded to turn the conversation
| from subject that had ceased to be
interesting to him.
| AS already stated, he had no money
wherewith to pay for it, but when the
bottle was empty he rang for another,
of which he pressed the old gentleman
to partake' And so they sat chatting
affably till bedtime, excepting for q
brief few minutes when Mr.. Wimble
was absent, ostensibly to wash his
hands in his bedroom. He had pre-
viously ascertained, however, that
the old gentleman was to sleep in the
chamber adjoining, and it was into
that he slipped and not into his own
1t was not customary to wash ones
hands with clasp knife, nevertheless
it was with such weapon-he had
bought it, q stiff -bladed, spring
backed one, the day before that Mr.
Wimble proceeded to busy himself not
at the wash stand but at the lock o
the bedroom door. He unscrewed tht
hasp, and having flied the worms o
the screws with soap pushed then
back in the holes again. Then he re
turned to his companion, and as al
ready stated, the7t two sat over thu
second bottle of prime old port unit
it was time to retire.
1t was very quiet little hotel, quit,
mile from the nearest town, ant
standing back from the highway, sur
rounded by orchard and garde1
ground. An old-fashioned, two
storied building, with ceilings so lov
| that the bedroom windows were no
more than twelve feet from theground
There were at the time only two guests
staying there, Mr.. Wimble and the olC
gentleman, and at dead OF night, o.
rather at small hour of the morn
ing, thelandlord and landlady scham
bermaids and mattresses were startled
to wakefulness by q shrill cry o
"thieves!" "thievesl" followed instant
| ly by the bang of firearms, on wnicl
Immediately ensued the sound of
hastily raised window.
In a very few seconds the house wa
in commotion and hurrying toward
the guests bedroom. There, on tn
outer landing, stood the old gentle
man with nothing but his trouser
and his nightcap on, in a terribl
state OF mind.
He had fallen asleep, he said, almos
as soon as he had laid his head on tn
pillow, having taken rather more win
than he was accustomed to indulge In
J and slept on until he was disturb be,
by hearing some slight noise in th
room, and presently opened his eye
J in alright to find man by the bed
side and stealthily sliding his han
beneath the pillow. my money wa