The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-05-03
4 MODERN DELILAH
BY JAMES PAWN.

BY JAMES PAM.
John Riddle was n young man III
Whom confidence was justly placed by
Messrs. Moonstone X Co, jewellers, his
employers, in whose establishment, nj
the time we became acquainted with
him, he occupied the post of foreman,
He was not self made" man as yet
but he was on the road 10 IL, John
never drank. except IL glass; of beer
with his early dinner he never smoked
nor of course took snuif; he never
handled anything Iii the shape Of a
billiard cue, unless IL was his neatly
ami tightly rolled-up umbrella; he neN-
er-l WAS going 10 add, he had no
weakness as regards the ladies'; but
this | hardly dare III write. because OF
The extreme attention he paid to his
Nety fine head of hair. He was not
4 Don Juan. nor even gay Lotharlo.
still he cultivated that fine head of
lulr, narrowed ii with tortoise
shell comb, drove furrow straight
across II from his brew to the nape of
his neck, and top dressed 1t with
macassar oil and uugupnt,
There Were other assistants In the
sliop. and with them | am sorry To
say. Mr.. John Riddel was not popular
young men rarely appreciate in their
associates so much virtue as resided
IN our hero. especially II that virtue
has not been It's own reward, but has
enabled its posscssor Ia walk over
HEIR heads and stop there. There was
hardly one among them but III some
time during his servitude with Mcssrs.
Moonstone had mislaid II ring or a
trinkct for few hours. or had even
caused some loss 10 the firm, not
SO much from careleSsness as from
moi being quite as wide awake rs Il
weasel.
one of them had takcn jewclry TO
newly married couple nj a fashion
able hotel "On approval" and had been
- successful In his recommendations
that they had "colared' the whole lot.
and given him such Il dose of chloro.
form In exchange for them that he
WAS unable to give any clear account
Of his adventures for hours afterward.
Another had been set upon by whole
gang of thieves. In such n promscuous
and overwhelming fashion that he
could recall nothing of what had
happened, except that he had been
struck with an instrument like the ace
OF spades, which the newspapers eX-
pressed hope would afford some clue
10 the police; they thought 1t showed
| suppose, TINT the perpetrators of the
outrage must lac either gardeners OF
gamblers: but nothing came of tho
suggestion. Others. again had beer
exposed To he seductlons of the fail
scX. and In losing their hearts had
sacrificed the diamonds of their en-
ploSers
In this Inst regard, Mr.. John Riddcl
I...t, Il n Ia
His youthful as well as handsome
looks attracted these Indies of indus
try, who. on entering the shop grayi-
tated toward him quite naturally. A
man of that age, MS they fiattercd
themselves. and one so particular
about his hair, must surely fall an
easy victim TO their destinations.
do not say that Mr. John Riddel
had not some admirers among the fair
sex WHO loved him for his own sake.
Indeed, il was whispered among his
detracturs that. like the first Duke of
Marlborough and other great men,
who ought 10 have known better. he
derived pecuniary advantage from
their devotion 10 him; that the sums
expended In macassar oil, etc, for the
adornment of his appearance, came
back to him twenty fold In substantial
tokens from duchesses and countesses
and the like. Goodness knows
whether there was any truth in such
stories Perhaps II pleased his rivals
To invest the drudgery that was their
daily To- with this halo of romance.
But he was certainly rs fascinating
ar he was bard.hearted. When any
lady customer who was unknown to
him got out of her brougham-for no
one ever came In cab TO Messrs.
Moonstone's establishment and
moved up the shop In his direction. he
would look at her through his half
shut eyes for they were of the
dreamy order of bcauly-and muir
muir 10 himself. Now, Is this swind-
Ter or q bona-iide partyf" And many
bona fide party did he serve with
such external politcness who little
dreamed of the suspicion which she
excited within him.
one afternoon, a brougham stopped
1T Messrs Moonstoue's establishment
with a widow in it; ii was not pri
yate vehicle, but one of those which
was hired by the day or hour-tle ap
penrancc of the driver, not TO mention
that of the horse, precluded the posi-
bility Of Its being the property or the
person who employed 1t.
What reused suspicion in the watch
full eye of Mr.. John Riddel was tho
widow herself. Like Mr. Weller
Senior, he had a prejudice against
widows-at least, in jewellers shops
nor, hm bound TO confess, was it al
together without grounds. the CARL
aud the mlen Of sorrow being the
stalking horses under which a good
deal of knavery Is accomplished Ant
then this widow was so bewltcling tc
look a, that he was naturally alarmed
from every neat plat of her beautiful
hair, and every fold Of her modest sui
of moul ming, there seemed TO him Il
flntter a danger-signal.
II wish to see some rings" she said
In soft and gentle voice. "mournine
rings; and then she took off her glove
displaying the whitest little hand i'm
aginal le
Mr.. Rlddel said ALLOW me. mad
am in his most honeyed voice, anL
slipped ring after ring upon tho
widow dainty finger. II hope | an
not hurting you" he murmured
i'Oh, no." she sighed; there was o
time-but that Is passed now-when Il
would have given me pleasure.
mean," she added hastily, and with {
modest blush, when the rings would
Lave done 50; but jewels and gew
gaws have no longer any attractions
for me" Mr.. John Riddel by NJ
means felt certain of this, but he hat
an eye for number, and would have
missed a ring from the tray in an In
slant, though he had been exhibiting
thousand. At last she made he
choice Ut was the most expensive o
the lot, and produced from the prettl
est little bag In the world--a check
book.
Pardon me, madam, we do no
take checks except from-ahem!--olt
customers"