Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-04-09

''the whisky they used to keep here was
rather good"
been here before, have you, then,
Mr.. =" rejoined the other, And paused
again, as II expecting 70 DO supplied
with the name.
'.Peele is my name, replied the vicar,
who was affable, and had not enough
dignity to be offended at the mans
brusque manner. "Might l ask
But he got no further. With an oath
the stranger jumped up from the table
on which he had taken his seat and
roared out:
"What? By the living lingo, Pell,
did you say?"
i"No." replied the clergyman timidly.
"Peele-P. double e. |, e."
The other said nothing for q moment,
but eyed the trembling vicar suspicious
ly.
"Were yen ever in place, crib. berth
or Whatever you preachers call H. at
Shelburn?" he asked at last.
Intuitively the vicar knew that a
truthful answer to this question Woufo
entail unpleasant consequences anu
not being OF the stuff Of which martyrs
are made, he replied unblushingly:
mo, sir; never in my life"
"Ah, well" said the stranger, who hao
now Gained down considerably, linen
you can't be the man"
what man do you mean?" asked the
vicar.
The other laughed.
"Oh! a chap in your line OF life VINO
married an old friend of mine years
ago." he said lightly. "PVe often
thought I'd like to meet him, and ma
out what sort Of yarn Polly spun him
about my diamonds, and If she told MIN
she had 'em before or after they were
spliced."
He delivered himself Of the latter
part of this remark more as II he were
thinking aloud. than addressing his
compa9!su. Then he relapsed into a
moody silencem fixed himself more
firmly on the tSble, and sat swinging
his legs with an empty pipe between his
teeth, absorbed, no doubt, in memories
of the past.
The vicar, watching him cautiously
| out of the corner Of his eye, was able
TO take In the details of his appearance
better than he had hitherto done. He
seemed to be reckless, good-humored
sort Of fellow, with something OF the
sailor about him, and good deal OF the
free-living BLACKBOARD. To drink he
was evidently no stranger, and yet his
clothes were good enough to make II
| clear that he was in no immediate want
Of ready money. The vicar had just
come TO the conclusion that the man
was probably little mad, and might on
occasion be not little dangerous, when
he spoke again.
81 believe there's something they call
a billiard table In this hole" he said.
''Do you play, GOVERNOR"
As Mr.. Peele had not touched a cue
since his undergraduate days, his an
swer of "a little, but l am rather short
| of practice" was more literally true
than 1t usually is when used by anna
teurs as the proper form Of reply to a
stranger proposing game.
Mr.. Peeles knowledge Of billiards
was, as matter of fact, very element
airy indeed, but he would have played
quoits-of which he knew absolutely
nothing-for a pound side rather
than lose the chance Of getting a little
further information about Polly and the
diamonds.
His desire for knowledge was soon
gratifed. The stranger tired OF an OPP
| ponent who had TO be reminded con-
tinually, when in hand, that a ball in
balk was unplayable, and said sarcas-
tically:
81 don't think, friend, you were
quite Roberts at six stone when you
were turned out Of training. Suppose
we sit down and have another drink?"
The vicar accepted this proposal will
ingly, though he mildly insisted on pay
ing for the drink. The stranger, after
some persuasion, allowed him to do so,
declaring at the same time his own
ability and readiness TO buy up the cell
lar of the inn II he CHANGED to find
companions to his liking, ready to do
their share In swallowing its contents.
"Yet, you know, parson," he went
on, II like you the better for standing
your turn. Gents in your line are most
of 'em all take and no give. I've often
thought it must rile chaplains in Port
land and places, not being able TO pass
around the plate to the convicts. But
not one OF you, I'll lay, ever had such
haul at one cast, as that chap Pell."
"Oh! you mean the man that married.
your friend with the diamonds" said
the vicar as unconcernedly as he
could. II should like to hear the
story"
"Well," said the other graciously,
''you seem good sort, and you shall.
In those days, fifteen years ago or so,
had lovely little bag of sinners, uncut.
Enough to set a man up for life in a
modest way il he could sell IN honest
and keep clear Of those foreign thieves
In Amsterdam. And gave them all to
this girl, that I'd known from child,
to keep for me-"
"But why did you do that?" inter
rupted the clergyman. "'Surely 1t was
rash. Why did you not dispose Of them
yourself or deposit them with bank
err"
"Why didn't L" began the other,
but checked himself and surveyed his
questioner with somewhat suspicious
and decidedly hazy eye. "Ohl You
want TO know too much, you do. Per-
haps the market was falling just then,
or perhaps l had pressing appoint
ment-never you mind. Anyhow, l
left 'em with Polly Jebson on a sort OF
time bargain. If turned up within ten
years we were to set up housekeeping
on 'em, and If didn't, well, they were
hers anyway. got off light mean
returned before the time was up good
three years-and blessed II l didn't find
she'd married a parson within twelve
months of the time went away. Came
into money, the folks said, and left her