The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-12-10

rte first time that I saw the pocket
knife OF which now write, and noted
as Irregularities. wss when We had .its
ssteemcd owner Anthony Potter, other
wise "Coity."'up OF suspicion. and was
relieving him Of his unnecessary Nalns-
bles before havins him locked up II
bore no name. Indeed, professional
thief has seldom any use for his rear
name, and hastens 70 set rid Of ~ Hnu
men rcligiously shnns Il as Ions as he
enrses tie world by existing. A. Tor
s,prinr a will. OF course. thief needs
no name for that never having a. much
"A small toothcomb 10 bcnueath 70 MS
scrrnwine relatives. But though Col-
rvs knife bore no name, AZ hah pf
liaritIes enough 10 distinguish II from tho
many other knives coming into our Keep
ing. otherwise I should not nave nao thiS
story 10 tell The blade was much wSrn
~ tobacco whiting OF which II smelt
strongly--so much so, that In taxing ~
frorn Coltv's pocket j felt constrained 10
say: "You' n have no tobacco Tor wnle'
so Voiill not need this which ponte-
ness was rewarded with most inahs-
nant scowi.
One side OF the buckhorn handle was
nearly an gone. leaving hut scrsr a.
tNe enc anu ilUAAAftS FHf '--N 'ff
beneath shiny and clear with fmction'
IA MS pocket On This brass Flde some
one-+pfrhaps colfy himself In an idie
momei.t--had scratched the efnsy OF
mar IN the act OF being hanged on
rftbcf / thought II had been designed
10 represent Coltys probable end, ana
may have said so to the owner. but II
did ! was wrong Colty was reserved for
. more signal distinction, and one which
few burglars can hope 70 attain
Little or nothing came OF the arrest on
suspicion. and in a few days Colty got
back his Knife, ana coppers. and fas end
OF tobacco. and went forth once more 10
conquer and subdue
Things did not prosper with him Tor
some time after. and he and believed
pal named Joe Egger-, at length with
many curses, decided to cut all eonnec-
tion with Edinburgh, and remove to
better sphere for their abilities. The
tourney OF course was on foot, and we
might have been blessed by MS prolonged
absence had he and Esgers. otherwise
.',rhe Daisy. NOT chanced to pause be-
hind a hedge some miles south OF Edin-
burgh TO lounge and sleep in the sun.
While i'm this retreat two men passed
evidently speaking OF a grim and stately
looking house near by, called Ellerton
Hall
.'The Major made all his money in In
dia. and has as much gold and silver
plate In that place as would stock the
mint" said one.
And he's quite a character, isn't he?
old and miserly though he hasn't
wife or relative 10 leave IL to, remarked
"Yes. and stingy as possible; keeps only
women instead of men servants though
the place is worth better watching. He's
got dog though: a great brute OF a
mastiff as big AS
The voices died away In the distance,
and Colty. who had been awakened by
the sound heard no more. But what
he had heard was enough 10 interest him
deeply in Ellerton Hall and It's contents.
Leaving his companion wrapped In the
calm and tranquil slumber OF innocence
behind the hedge, he made a tour round
the house i'm question at safe distance,
and being satisfied that the subject was
hopeful. returned and kicked his friend
into wakefulness. The house In question,
tenanted by Major Bartlemore, stood
well back from the road, and nearly hid
den by trees: and though TO the ordinary
eye II might have seemed invulnerable
as fortress. the principal windows be-
low being protected by iron bars to the
practiced thief no such objection pre-
sented itself. There was way into the
house. and at the side farthest from the
kennel Of the mastiff, which Colty had
inspected with deep interest. and the in
tending burglar at once proceeded to
lay the result OF hls Investigations before
The Daisy Had Colty known ali that
was 10 come OF that promising plant.
he and his companion would have passed
on with n shuddcr OF profound thankful
ness and left the plate TO some other
thicf with more daring and hardihood,
or had he even known of one eccentric
ity OF the Major. besides that OF keep
ing a large mastiff, / question much II
he would have ventured within the walls
OF the house. though he had been offered
the Crown jewels as the prize. But bur
glars are but men. and the risks and
dangers OF their calling have never been
sung by poet or wept over by biographer
so IL is not surprising that they saw
not an inch before their noses and
grasped at the chance with the eager
avidity OF gamblers or fortune hunters.
After deciding To break 'into Ellerton
Hall. cnity and The Daisy were com
-s..ll4.l l.. returla-ln-I Edinburgh They had
no tools. no friends. and no money where
with to buy them; but when did the
want OF money step between man and
his fatcg Colty had set his heart on tho
Major. stressure, and realized his difficult
Ties only 10 overcome them. From a re-
set in their power they borrowed canvas
oyeralis 10 give them workman-like APP
pearance: and with these covering their
shabby clothes. they boldly walked into
a builders yard and stole q sixty feet
ladder Thi. ladder they carried between
them out OF the city to a plantation near
EIlerton Hall. and then sat down beside
Al 10 wait for night
II wonder what the old woman At the
cottare yonder could mean by sayin' that
the Major was n queer man. and kept
some queer pets?r snid The Daisy reiec-
lively, as they waited thus after a tour
OF INJURY in different directions "she
sort a lauehted when she said it, too"
'Oh, I tnow--it'n be parrots or some
thing. He's been in India and would
most likely bring 'cm With him or
maybe It's monkey. or some sich boast
course. IL We see any We may Mt them
n they're quiet They'll bring n bob or
two from some o. the show folk or cara
vans"
II mink we'd better let them alone"
quickly suggested The Daisy. parrots
bite awful. and so docs monkeys. 20 say
nothing Of the noise Let's stick 70 our
own line. and lift just whatll 20 easy
f.+. ~. ~~cIft,rr