The morning times., 1895-08-11

cast Of anxiety. and he DIRE " from ais breasa
pocket small morocco case which cous
tained comb and mirror He combed
his moustache aud scrutinized It with
extraordinary care. He combed the hair on
his forehead and temples and scrutinized
that with extraordinary care. Then he
combed his thick, black eyebrows, aud
peered at them into the mirror as closely
as II lie had been examining them through
microscope. Next he examined his chin
minutely and seemed disSatisfl ed
Once or twice he looked at the sergeant,
who lay with his legs stretched out, and
the merest hairs breadth SIT OF wateh1uI
eye quite veiled by the eyeiash. And,
occupied earnestly as he was in these
singular details, the dapper Jewish gem
tleman never forgot the hat-box for much
more than half minute at time.
Where the treasure is said the ser-
geant. with his heart beating ike hammer
at his ribs. For he had begun to think
what an uncomnonly close shave a dark
haired gentleman like that must have
taken, to be sure, 20 have no sign at all
of a beard on cheek or chin. 'For a man
as is naturally black" said the observanu
sergeant, 'gets blue with close shaving.
don't you notice. sir? and this chap WASN'T
bit bluer on the chin than he was on the
bridge OF the nose. Dyed his hair-he had .
1t occurred to the sergeant to wake up
and light pipe and assume brisk Interest,"
in the landscape. II occurred 70 him furtheR
TO cross TO the other end or the compartsi
ment for a better view OF the landscape
on that side. He ventured to remark thai
it was pretty country aud that the young
wheat was looking well
Then he sauntered back to his own cor
ner and made believe 70 dOze again-with
his heart beating more and more Ike a
hammer at his ribs, until he wondered
that the other man didn't seem 70 hear
IL. For at that nearer view he had seen
what he had fully expected to see-an
auburn rime on cheek and chin, nameIz
and touch OF auburn at the roots OF
the carefully pencled eyeIashes. AND
all the while he was thinking, so he told
me: What stroke OF Iuckl And here's
my step at last" And yet he had no
authority 10 act, and TO arrest man on
such mere suspicion, and without aus
thority, was dangerous thing TO do. The
sergeant was nightly tumbled I'D and
down in his mind, and knew not what
to do
They came to Rugby, and the gentle.
man got out and ordered a glass OF milk
and soda at the refreshment bar. Be<
fore 1t was served he boIted back to the
train and secured his hat-box. Now is
be going to slip off here?'' asked the sera
geant within doors, ''and If he is, what's
my gamer The gentleman went back To-
the carriage, however, in due season, and
the sergeant followed. At Birmingham
: they both alghted, and the gentleman
went 10 the Queens Hotel He chars
tered bedroom there. and carried his hat.
box upstairs with his own hands, a Dor.
ter following with a p0rtmaneau. In
half an hour he came down again, passed
into Stevenson Square aud on into New
street,
The sergeant took his courage into bOtn
hands, and went to the mana ger A Jewish
gentleman with a black moustach had
taken such and such a number? Yes.
That" said the sergeant, producing,
MS hand-biH IS the man" The mann gez
stared, and then laughed. No, he knew that
man He was a ed-haired fellow with a.
red beard and moustache. shaved and
dyed said the sergeant 'Bcgad," said
the manager, Il believe you're tights
1ou know me?" says the sergeant ..Yes,R
says the marager naming him "VerS
Well l take all the responsibility OF thii
move That man has the stolen Jewels in
ms hat-box- Let ME into his room and wen
soon see"
IT was common lock to the bat-boxR
said the sergeant, concluding his stort
IN great excitement. Il begged a hair
pin from a Chambermaid-One O. them
thick, strong hair pins, and the trick
was done in minute. There was thu
vioist-velvet lining OF the jewel case. all
torn out loose and rolled into q bundle. and
inside 1t was the whole twenty-thousand
pounds worth. And while We was az
staring at each other, like a pair of STICK
pigs, back comes his Nibs, sees me a kneeR
ng over the open hat-bOx, whips out q
revolver. and knocks a hole clean through
two sides of my new silk hat and ruins 10,
Twelve -and-six it cost me, and brandk
new out OF Hyam's shop only the weeE
afore- 1t was nip-and-tuck then for a
minute, but we got him down, and I had
EN- on his wrists in a jiffy. Sever
years be got at the Old Bailey, and pretty
cheap at that. Five hundred pounds re-
ward is good deal to a poor man like me,
but London chance is more, and thai
slice O. luck brought both.
That's his Nibs' portrait, that there
big cOlOred photograph over the mantek
shelf His misses sold up the little housa
at Brixton, and 1 bought that at the saIa
for a reminder Of him