Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-02-15
AN ADVENTURE.

snug business L now possess, but en-
ployed as commercial traveller in the
grocery line. My duties frequently took
me to Birmingham, and, if l am to tell
my story truthfully, must say I was
at that period of my history, to put it
mildly, no better than I ought to have
been. The life of commercial is one
fraught with very great temptation,
and was not always strong enough to
keep my feet out Of the midst of the
briers which then beset my path, with
which statement my readers will read
lily agree when they read the strange
incident l am now going to relate.
1t was O'Clock on an autumn even
ing. The streets Of Birmingham were
swept with rain. had had tolerably
successful day, and there reposed in my
pockets the sum of e20, which l had col
lected from my firm S customers. Hav-
ing nothing particular to do, and the
torrents of rain absolutely prohibiting
all open air enjoyment, l went to the
hotel was staying at, and although L
had already drunk during the afternoon
more than | ought and much more than
l needed 1 called for further supply of
brandy, and while slipping it was joined
by a stranger, who seemed eager to en-
ter into conversation with me.
Nothing backward, and with tongue
fairly set a-wagging, 1 talked, too, and
I believe that before many moments he
had ascertained that 1 had $40 belong
ing to my employer i'll my possession.
The brandy finished, nothing would
satisfy my new found friend but that he
should take me to the theater, where
the we'll known play of Drink was
being performed. l remember we'll
how, half tipsy as l was, l shuddered
at the realistic portraiture by one of the
artists Of victim to delirium tremens.
1 remember how the horrors of drink
were delineated and was sane enough to
remark to my companion:
"Bosh They are overdrawing it!'
"Certainly," he replied, 'they are
overdrawing it. But it's only play.
There are drinking bars here; they are q
reality. Como, let's go and get some
thing"
So we went and "got something"
and, to cut long story short, when
left the theater, leaning on the arm of
my friend, l was helplessly intoxicated.
The next thing knew was this: The
rainclouds had rolled away, and fitful
CLEANS Of moonlight revealed to me the
fact that | was i'll a strange room, lying
on strange bed. Two o'clock chimed
out from a neighboring steeple. Sobered
with fright, / raised myself, and then,
quick as a lightning flash, came the
thought-my money! My clothes were
thrown across the bottom of the bed. 1
searched the trousers pocket. The gold
was there.
Then | heard voices in soft converse
ton coming up from below. Noiselessly
l opened the bedroom door and listened.
"Sure he's all serene?" queried one
voice, to which another responded, "He
won't wake till 6, at the earliest. "
every good,' said the first voice.
"Mind, if he wakes while you're doing
it, The sentence was punctuated by
the unmistakable click of pistol, and
l shivered-not from cold.
'And at or 7, or whenever he does
wake" continued the voice, "tell him
you picked him up drunk i'll the street
and carried him in here out of compass
sion for safety, and you will easily con-
vince him that he was robbed out of
doors. But, mind, 1 have done my part
i'll plying him with drink and in decoy-
ing him here. See you do yours in grace
fully relieving the poor fool of his ego"
Here step on the stairs warned me
to close the door, and got back to bed.
Hearing the knob of the door turn, l be-
gan to breathe heavily after the fashion
Of a drunken man, and the next instant,
shading the candle with his hand, there
appeared the form of a strange man,
who was soon peering tiXedly into my
face.
Satisfied apparently with his exami
nation, my visitor searched my pockets,
pounced upon the gold, Of course. and
quickly transferred it from its erstwhile
resting place to-where do you guess?
He went to birdcage, which now for
the first time l observed hanging up,
drew out its sliding door, quietly emp
tied my gold into it, replaced the slide
and undressed and lay down beside me.
He was soon asleep, and hope sprang up
within me, but, alas Of all the light
sieepers he was the lightest | ever knew
Whenever | moved, he appeared to be