Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-04-25

which had served as Jimny'S home
! won't inside and asked the deputy
to hand over tho conviCt'S posses
sions. He did so with an air of
scorn, rcmarking that Jimmy's be
lOngingS We're not worth twOpCnCO 10
anybody. l Thought no was right
whom l subsequently turned over
the contents of the bundle. There
was nothing thCro of any cOnSc-
quoncc, and / wondered very much
that Jimmy Timblc should havo
boon SO particular about having his
little properties handed over to his
! brother Jerry. Tho"Pilgrim' Prog
ross" was the most homogeneous oh.
| jcct turned out of tho blue handllcr-
chief which held Jimmy'S belong
ings. l shook my head porplexodly
as | stared at it. What was Jimmy
TimblC, thicf, burglar, thrice CON
victod criminal, doing with tho "Pil-
grim Pr02ress?" And how was it
that that particular work was the
only book ne possessed? And how
did ho como to possess it Mt all? |
turned the leaves over CarClCSSly and
! could 500 nothing unfamiliar about
the book. l finally concluded that
Jimmy Timblo had picked it up
somewhere and kept it out of curl
osity, and with that tied it up again
with the rest of his possessions.
Tho days passed by, hut l saw
nothing of Jerry Timblc. He had
left the county Jail, but he did not
present himself at his usual haunts
in Woolford l preserved tho bun
die for him and waitcd knowing
quito we'll that if he was in tho town
wo should see him at tho police Office
sooner or later. 1t was impossible
for either jerry or Jimmy Timblc to
keep his hands from picking and
stealing. But timo passed on, and
Jerry did not appear. l began to
think that no had removed himself
to some other town.
About nine months aftor Jimmy
Timble had Como back to penal sCrvi.
tudc l Glanced to go ono day into a
secondhand bookshop, the propric.
tor of which was an old aCQuaint.
anCe of minc. Somehow our convcr.
satiOn driftcd to the criminal class,
and arc long the shopkceper men.
toned tho namc of Jimmy TimblC
"Ho was n queer customer, was jim.
N.Y." said he. "Ho came in hero
one day last time he was out of priS
on and looked around him rs if he
, wanted something. Now, sir, says
, 1, what can l find for you?' Give
, mo an old book to read, mister, an.
, sworcd Jimmy. We don't give
, books here, says /; we sell en-. He
said nothing TO that, but after awhile
!. he pulled out twOpcncc. What can
have for that he asked Hero you
are, says l, Pilgrim : Progress,
pictures and all, for twopcncc.' Sc
he walked OFF with his book"
That explained Jimmy's posses
sion of the "Pilgrim's Progress
[ then lying ut my house. l Went
homo and had my supper and thel
sat down to have thorough cxami
nation of the book. felt confident
that thCro was something about that
book which it would repay anybody
to discover, and l was determined t.
solve the mystery. But though
, went through it carefully page by
page, once, twice and even three
times, l saw nothing. There was nc
writing, no hieroglyphic signals
| nothing to attract attention. But al
the fourth time of examination
made discovery. Underneath the
first the on the first page there
! was tho plain mark of pin prick
just as if n pin had been carelcSSly
jabbcd into tho paper and quickly
withdrawn. The mark was very
faint, but it was there. / assured
myself th"t the pin prick had not
penetrated to the second page, anu
then | came to the conclusion that
Jimmy Tlmblos "Pilgrim's Prog
ress' conts, ned somo private mes.
sage from himself to his brothc,
Jerry.
l began what proved long and
weary task. Tho next pin prick
found was under the letter - or
page s, the next under "o' on page
IL, the next under Wv" on page -.
Then came pricks under tho letters
&c, II, "'s, all on different pages,
and thus l spelled out two words,
1.-The jewels. took courage ut that
and went on. There was no doubt
much to follow.
All that evening l worked away
at my task. 1t was anything but
easy. Some times the pin prickS were
faint and II" rdly dcciphcrab!c; some
times there wore several on one
page; sometimes tho spelling puZ
Zlcd me; sometimes seemed to los,
the track altogether. But | pcrsc
vered, and just rs midnight struck
had solved tho mystery and haG
written out Jimmy Tmblc's inGrn
lous mcSSa''N to his brother Jerry:
Tho jewels "a l got from III
mares vito is bCrriCd underneath
the lilac troo in OH George Atkn
sons gard II il Lilywood road
tcrb them niles thcy arc goin to bill
on the garden. If thoy bid, Gig
them up and keep them safo till
como out agcn your brother James. .
So there was an explanation of in,
mystery, orrather of two mysteries
/ had been right, after ail-tho bur
glary at tho mayors residence was