The Washington times., 1894-08-19

fancies-which. OF course, is very creditable
to you as man and husband-I should GER
tainly, If l was you, sir, carry something in
the shape OF revolver about me, just ior
| safety's sake"
Oh, YOU can't conceive how grateful the
venerable Higginbotham was for the hint! So
much obliged he was! Would the sergeant
add to his kindness by giving his valuable ad-
| vice and helping him to purchase one? For
| he had never handled such thing in his life.
Accordingly the very next afternoon saw the
| inspector and Mr.. Higginbotham in Mr.. Snap
| per's, the gunmaker's shop, busiy engaged in
| looking over that gentleman's rather limited
stock OF revolvers.
A selection was made at last. and Mr.. Hig-
| ginbotham walked proudly away with it. to-
| gether with box containing. the facetious
Mr.. Snapper remarked, enough cartridges to
snoot a whole army of burglars.
"Burglarsr' added he afterward to the SER
geant, when he had got him by himself. 1T
strikes me that the poor old gents precious
| deal more likely to shoot himself or his wife
than anybody else. If he drops her by acci-
dent one of these fine nights sergeant, her
| blood'll be on your cad, my boy, I'm blessed
| if it won't.
"Never mind" added he, ~ take 1t very
| friendly OF you bringing Mr.. H. along to my
place, and if you don't object we'll turn into
| the Lion and have friendly glass on the
strength of it."
| That revolver OF Mr.. Higginbotham's af-
| forded amusement to the town for weeks. 1t
was continually going off of its own accord
and damaging its owner or somebody.
One day it would playfully knock of the
| black bunch of cherries that grew on the top
of Mrs. Higginbothams SUNDAY bonnet; the
next it would be her husbands hat brim that
would suffer; anon the celebrated pony's ear
would be grazed, causing him to break from
his usual fast trot into IL wild gallop.
Oh! it was something like a revolver. that,
and worth the price its proud owner had
given for it ten times over II only for the fun
it afforded. The burglaries in the neichbor-
botham's revolver kept gong off. SO that the
natives of Slumberford had not had so much
to talk about for ages past.
As for the different inns-the Red Lion, the
Bald-faced Stag, the Cat and the Fiddle. and
others-they had not done so much trade for
a very long while.
have already mentioned that. with the ex-
ception OF the children and the dogs, Mr..
Higginbotham was great favorite with
everybody, both in the town and round about.
l should have said. however, that there was
one person whom he occasionally came IN
contact with in his walks or drives abroad,
whose good graces he never could succeed in
working himself into and who steadily de-
clined all efforts at determination on Mr.. Hig-
ginbotham's part. This was John Scragg.
river-keeper to Sir Charles Birdmore, Bart, of
Birdmore Park, whose estate lay all round
the town OF Slumberford--the park gates, in
fact. were but just outside-and who, though
seldom at home, was quite the greatest man
in those parts.
There was very fine fishing. both trout and
salmon. on the estate, and this being let out
in rods-for Sir Charles was no fisherman him
sslf-the lessees were forced to stay at Slum-