The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-08-27

"I amt done nothin'." he expostu'

that last job that you've got to finish"
Jem's face grew dark. His hands
fdgeted strangely after his handouts,
and if it hadn't been that he was a
hardened, hopeless criminal one might
almost have fancied that his under lip
trembled.
We'll, I'm blowed if I ever tries ter
cheat th' gallows agen," was his vague
and ungrammatical remark, and then
they marched On to the police station.
There, inside the bare room with its
wooden benches and square desks. with
the dingy green ledgers and musty pa
pers, Detective uartly proceeded to turn
out the unhappy Jem's pockets. AS he
did so his eyes first opened in astonish-
ment. then screwed up in bewilder-
ment; and finally he looked as if he had
suddenly been confronted with the rid
die of the Sphinx.
Out of the depths of Jem's capacious
pockets he turned on to the table a
chicken, tin of soup, some eggs, a
packet of sweets, sticky piece of can
died peel, and last. but not least, a bottle
of port.
"What's the meaning of this ?" said
the detective, sharply, feeling vaguely
that some trick was being played upon
him. What is it? a Apicnic, a card par
ty, or what? Apparently you're in a
new line"
"Oh, yes" said Jem, sullenly; "I've
stole 'em ALL" And after that he made
no remark. He sat staring at the stone
floor, with his coarse hands clasped to-
gether by the handouts, and with o
strange, almost baffled expression on
his face.
"I'll tell yer wot," he said, raising
his head suddenly, "f yen cum WI me
Tll show yer the bloke as put me up
ter this job. It's straight-no kiddin',
an swear as if yer does I'll cum back
quiet-I swear 1 will. Yer can bring
Snaith with yer an some more 'coppers'
if yer like-I don't care"
The detective looked atJem in silence
for moment. Something about the
case struck him as peculiar. 1t was not
like Jem Brooker to steal eatables when
better things were to be got with the
same risk, and he felt a desire to know
what it meant.
SO, with fine disregard for the rules
and regulations of her maiesty's prison,
he bundled Jem and Snaith into a cab,
and with another policeman on the box
they were driven to a small and filthy
court short distance away.
There they all three mounted the
dreary stairs to the dingy garret where
John Endleton sat with shaking shoul-
ders watching his dying son.
At the sound of footsteps he raised
his head and looked round. With sud-
den astonishment he saw that Jem was
handcuffed. He saw the policeman and
the detective, and then Hartly stepped
into the middle of the room.
He looked round expectantly.
"Well," he said. "what now?" He
had expected to find perhaps half a
dozen roughs. He had hoped that Jem
might have given him some valuable in
formation-somec clew that he had been
unable TO pick up himself; and now all
that was to be seen was a man and
sick boy.
What do you mean by this?" he de-
manded, turning to Jem, and the thief
pointed with his manacled hands to the
bed.
There's the little cove as started me
on this" he said, and Hartly snorted
impatiently.
Look here, Jem Brooker," he said,
you won't make things any better for
yourself with trickery. Now, what's the
reason for this fools errand?"
Jem stood up.
That's t meanin' of it," he repeated,
still pointing to the bed. ITS the little
bloke there as set me on tim as is dy-
in for things to eat. There 'e is. S'elp
me, that's wot l done it for.''
Hartly turned round sharply and
looked at the boy. Then he stepped
across the room and peered down at the
wan face that was blue with cold and
pititul with hunger, and all at once he
became aware that there was strange
silence in the room, and when he looked
again he saw the father staring breath
lessly into the boys face.
He saw it only dimly before him, and
then it faded away to a picture of his
own son. Some vague establishment at
Brokers behavior passed through his
mfnd-he had never expected to find a
heart under the mans rough exterior
and then he strobe suddenly across the
room to the top of the stairs.
II say, Harris-Harris!" he shouted.
go back to the station at once and get
those things that are on the table there.
Hurry up, now. Bring the port and the
soup, and you'll find cup and saucer
in the cupboard. Be quick. You'd bet
ter take the cab; and, oh, say, bring
corkscrew!"
Then he went back and calmly un-
locked the handouts on Jem's wrists.
To-day Detective Hartly is not quite
such hard man as he was. He has
great belief in the human nature, and
even in the Observation-Disclosures, of the
greatest criminals, and sometimes he
will cite the instance of man whose
heart, cankered with evil and hedged
in by vice, was reached only by the
small fingers of a child.-Tit-Bits.
----
Clear Case OF Suicide.
| Mawson-That was funny about
Riley's dog They saw IL committed sui