The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-12-12

turned into sitting room, which /
had already searched, and threw open
its windows to sweeten the atmos-
phere. Yes, it might" l assented.
especially if it was left lighted, by
the hall door, which, by the by, was
unbolted when came down stairs.'
But to make long story short one,
there was nobody in the house Not a
living thing, with the exception Of a
dog chained up in the back yard. which
was surrounded, so far as we could
see, by high walls. This was the poor
brute whose mournfui bowling had first
aroused me and that now seemed fran
tic with joy at the delusive prospects
Of a social termination to his gloomy
reflections. With the discovery of the
dog and the yard our search ended,
and the constable intimated to me that
he should summon additional assist
ance. A shrill call on his whistle from
the hall door translated the decision
into action, and with the arrival of
another constable upon the scene 1
was called upon for a fresh explana-
no more light upon the case than the
first, but offered suggestion. Lets
knock up the neighbors, p'r'aps they
know summat about it,"
To the right and back and then to
the left went that constable. Rata
tat, tat-a-tat! went the knockers. Up
went windows; out came heads.
who's thereY' what dye want?'
What dye say-who's my neighbor?
What neighbor-what dye meanT
And then doors opened, and other
doors caught the infection, and they
opened. In short, there was a pretty
Ito do" and half dressed crowd soon
shivered around the steps of No. lib.
was quite harried with their Ques-
tons. | had no sooner arrived at the
end of one series than l was plunged
into another. l had no sooner satiated
one individuals desire for knowledge
than l was called upon to feed some
one else. Whether my brain and my
temper would have stood the strain for
very long l can't say, but l may add
that this is a difficult question to pro-
pound even to myself. Happily l was
extricated from the unpleasant situa-
ton by being led off to the nearest po-
lice station, to be detained there pend
ing further inquiries, as the result of
those just made showed the existence
of local caste feeling which took no
note of the existence of the occupants
of No. 113, and it appeared well to the
force" under these circumstances to
hold me fast for the present.
At the station | told the inspector
on duty all about myself quite like a
little boy. But he did not appear sat
isfied and muttered some word to him
self that sounded to me like @sus-
picious" and which resulted in my Sc
clusion. 1t was but temporary, as the
result of the further inquiries proved
satisfactory-to me, that is to say.
This was what they proved: That my
landlady, my landlord and their daugh-
ter had left the house No. lib and had
left it in the night; that they had left
1t in the night because they were in
debt for their furniture (Which was
hired) and for their rent and because,
presumably and by the evidence of GER
tain tradesmen, they possessed no
money to settle those vulgar claims.
To them my half crown. paid in
advance, had been half crown. at
least so it was presumed, for their
whereabouts was never traced
Speaker.