The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-16
copyrighted. 1895.

Our train had been snow bound for
nearly two days. At hrst most OF us
were, very naturally, restless and I'M
patient; but, as the hours drifted by, we
grew philosophicslly resigned. Two OF
the trainmen. together with several pas
sengers, had volunteered 10 nght their
way to the nearest station ana pring
relief; so there was nothing 10 DO but
occupy our minds with CARDS, converse
tion and smoke, and try TO forget that
our stomachs had been put on short
allowance.
With this aim several men gath
cred at one end of the smoker ana
took to spinning yarns, first humorous,
then of adventure, and nnaiiy driitihg
into what are known as detective stories.
There were five of US besides myself; two
drummers, one from New York and one
from Chicago; Frenchman, who had
been "doing' the country; fussy old
gentleman on his way east TO attend his
daughters wedding, which he was pretty
reasonably sure TO miss, ana gaunt,
powerfully built man with somDre,
nervous face and gray hair, VINO sug-
gested a cross between a New York stock
broker and a Kentucky colonel.
The Frenchman, one OF the best com
panions, by the by, l ever met, had Just
concluded, amid an avalanche OF welroly
accentuated English and cyclone OF
gesticulation, a "true" story OF the most
pronounced Gaboriau type, when our
SOM bre nondescript cleared his throat.
He had shown no interest whatever In
the humorous tales of the drummers, and
had paid but little more attention when
the theme shifted to travel and adventure.
The detective vein seemed, however, to
rouse him somew hat, though hitherto he
had eyinced no disposition to bear his
share of the telling. Therefore, when he
did speak, we all turned to him with
the greater alacrity.
~ suppose some OF you will recall the
name OF John Phillips?" he said, looking
around.
"The big detective who died a few
years ago? Sure!" put in one OF the
drummers.
"Yes," continued the first speaker;
"the greatest, perhaps the only really
great, detective this country has ever pro-
| duced.n
"Let me see-but was he an Ameri-
can?r / asked. "It seems to me heard
once that he was an Italia n.
"No. His father was Neapolitan.
Sebastian Phillips-tbe name was origi-
nally Phillippi," went on the other.
"Sebastian came TO New York when
quite young, married a Southern woman,
and went into the businss of importing
fruit from Sicily. His son was born here
and, when old enough, made several voy-
ages on his fathers ships. They tell how
he had q quarrel with one OF the captains
once, deserted at Messina, and wasn't
beard OF for over a year-lived among the
peasants in the interior So you see, he
was an adventurous young fellow, even in
those days; but the experience was just
what was needed to make him what he
afterward became. Take the subtle in
telligence of an Italian, and add to 1t an
American mother and an American edu-
cation, toppeo off with several years OF
life right down among the lower classes,
and you've got the best foundation for a
good detective that / can imagine"
"Well, he was a good one, F" interrupted
drummer No. 2. "Somebody told me once
but, pardon me, sir"
81 was going to tell you OF perhaps the
most remarkable case that John Phillips
ever unraveled, said the sombre man.
."Let's have 1t by all means, came from
us in q chorus, in which the offending
drummer Joined heartily. The sombre
man leaned back in his seat, half closed
his eyes and began:
number of years ago / was resid ing
with an elder brother at a certain village
situated on the Hudson river nor far from
the northern end of the Palisades. Our
family was composed OF my brother Rob-
ert, his daughter Mary, myself and a
negro servant of the name of Pompey
Augustus Anderson. My brothers wife
had died shortly after the birth OF my
niece, who was, at the time speak of, a
remarkably handsome though delicate
girl. She was clever, too, and, at times,
erratically brilliant; but she was Great
ure of strange moods, and there We're
days when she would hardly speak to
any of the household, and would either
shut herself up in her room or wander of
through the fields and woods, even man
aging 20 return late for meals so as to
avoid sitting at the table with us. My
brother worried good deal over these
eccentricities; but / used to conso'e him
with the idea that young girls of from 10
TO 1s years were apt to be dreamy and
NOR bid at times.