Evening star., 1896-09-19
TWO ON A STRING.
A Story Told by q New York Drum
mer From Mexico,

n 6tOfy IOl0 Oy q new YORK Drum.
mer From Mexico.
Last April was down in Mexico" said
a New York travelling salesman to Star
reporter. ION a business trip. and one
night my partner and 1 had to remain over
in small place about fifty miles out Of
Mexico City. 1t wasn't such a bad place,
either, but the landlord Of the hotel told
us that thieves were plenty. and If they
were cornered they might stick their knives
into people. Our room in the little tavern
was kind Of summer house affair. out
In the yard, with a door on each Of two
Sides and was only few feet up from the
ground on kind Of platform veranda.
We had several hundred dollars which We
had collected. and the safest place
could put il was in our satchels in our
room.
For a wonder the doors had locks on
them, but the upper part of the door was
made In Venetian shutter style. and a man
with long arm could by stretching prob
ably reach the lock- We weren't very much
afraid. and merely locked the doors with
cut LoticiEg the shutter part at all. Be
sides 1t was dark when we went TO bed,
as we didn't want a light to attract the
insects. We slept without disturbance un-
I'll the first gray streaks of dawn. and then
we were awakened by a queer noise at the
doors.
I'VE suspected thieves at once and as
quiet as mice We slipped out OF bed and
pegar to reconnoiter. When l got to my
door. 1t Kind of gave me the creeps to see
dirty yellow hand thrust through the
shutter and stretching itself downward to-
ward the lock. and l was tempted to yell
and scare the marauder away. However i
Kept my nerve. and in second or two it
was strangely fascinating to watch the
Efforts Of that hand to reach the lock. My
partner was having the same kind of an
experience. and the thieves were evidently
intending to take Us 'a-comin' an a-gwine.'
we stood i-resolute for a minute, and
then my partner made a sign 20 me to
hand him an old lariat hanging On the
wall. This In a second he had looped at
each end and l saw the trick. The next
minute We had a hand apiece looped at
each end of the rope, ard had pulled ii
tight inside. Everything had been perfect
ly still up to this time. and now ii was
stiiier than ever: do not know what the
thieves thought had happened TO them, but
they were caught. and as soon We got
the rope knotted. We let go and they dis
covered that they were tied toget ether ami
there wasn't any way for them to get
away unless one Of them pulled the other
thro, gh the knot hole, SO to speak.
Then 1t became funny. and we sat there
nearly splitting. but never making a sound.
IN minute or two more We could see an
| other hand coming through with a long.
| Lgly knife In 1t. trying TO cut the rope
holding the first hand, but we had drawn
them far through. and the other hand
now to hear yell. and have some kicking
| and other disturbances. but the stoicism OF
| the Indian was in them. and they never
| made sound until the landlord himself
spoke to them when he came to wake us
| up.
| That was two hours or more later, and
| we had In the meantime gone back to bed
| TO finish cur morning nap. trusting TO luck
| that they wouldn't get away. The landlord
| when he discovered them made more noise
In a minute than all four of us had made
since the act began, and when We got UT
| 1t Was to find oUr garden house SURF ound.
| ed by half the population of the town, and
the two thieves sticking to our doors as IL
| they had been nailed there and nobody
| able to get them loose"