The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1895-01-17
THEY HAD MET BEFORE,
But in Circumstances Not Conducive to
Ready Recognition.

The drummer had for some time been
watching tiashy-looking city crook
playing game of cards with man on
the sleeper, who might have been a
farmer, and then again who might have
been something else. Ali of sudden.
as the train pulled up at a station. TIE
sharper made wild break and rushed
out of the car and off the platform,
leaving everything. The other man
simply smiled. and looked over at the
drummer.
what the mischief was the matter
with that party?" asked the drummer,
taking seat with the smiler.
There's story goes with that" re-
piled the smiler quietly Want to
hear it?"
Indeed do"
Here she goes, then. About five
years ago | had some cattle to deliver
IN Chicago, and when l got there |
stopped out by the stock wards in a
hotel | found convenient. 1t wasn't in
a very good neighborhOod but | wasn't
looking for society filings, so 7 didn't
care much. | had some money and a
fine watch, and once or twice during
the evening, rs | sat around the bar
room, | noticed | was being watched
by several of the lOafers about the place.
When | went up to my room | locked
the door and boiled ii and TOOK a look
out of the window to see what was out
side. | found it opened out onto a sort
OF Shed about eight feet below. and that
ran down to within climbing distance of
the ground. | took this observation so
as to know where | was going to be at
in case of a fire. Then / went to bed.
leaving the window up, as it was hot
night.
Il don't know how long it was after !
had been asleep that some noise awak-
ened me. At first | thought | was
dreaming, but just as | tried to 90 to
sleep again | heard the noise once
more, and this time didn't try to 90 to
sleep. | got up and went over toward
the window with a six-inch knife in my
hand that | thought would come handy
IN case | found at the window what |
thought | would. 1t was quite dark on
that side of the house, and when | cot
up close | could hear two men whisper
ing on the shed roof. | listened and
heard one tell the other to stoop down
and he would climb on his shoulders
and from there pull himself up into my
window. BY this time | was standing
by one side of the window ready to
meet my visitor as soon as he came.
While | was thinking whether to kill
him or not, | saw his fingers slide up
over the window sill seeking for a good
grip. Then they stretched down tight
rs if the man were testing his strength
for the final pull. At this moment
reached forward and with swish !
whacked two of those fingers off with
my knife. | kept very quiet about it,
too, but my visitors didn't, and they
rolled and tumbled off that roof in a
manner worth coming all that way to
see. Then | went back to bed, but
fastened down the window Next
morning when | got up, which was Just !
at daybrea for had my cattle to look |
after, | went to the window to see what |
was left of the wreck, and | saw two |
fingers on the sill. The owner had for
gotten them in his hurry the night be- |
fore, and it struck me then for the first |
time that | ought to take charge of |
them, SO that if they were ever called |
for | could return them.
We'll, l took them along with Inc, |
and as soon as | could get into a drug
store | got bottle filled with spirits
and put them into it. Until to-day |
have not been able to find anybody that
| thought might want them, although |
have carried them ever since when | 90
anywhere. and while that duffer YOU
saw trying to work me first shutfled his
cards | noticed that he was short two
fingers About the time he thought he |
had me pulled the bottle out of my
pocket, and, sticking ii right at him, l
asked him if he didn't think he had bet
.er see if be couldn't tit them on to the
,tumps he had. 1t took him about a
minnie to catch on, but when ne did
we'll Won know the rest