Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-05-03


II want the watch, please" she said.
The pawnbrokel's assistant looked
her up and down carefully. When he
had, as 1t Iere, sized her completely,
he inquired. dryly: Where did you
get this?"
Alice fared up Indignantly. THAT
Is no business Of yours. Tell me what
I have to pay and give me the watch"
mot so fast" said the young man;
you must answer one or two questions
first"
He went away, and after a whispered
confabulation returned with a gray
bearded old man, who was polite, but
firm.
81 am sorry, madam, but cannot al
low you to redeem this pledge until
you inform me how this ticket came
into your possession"
~ found it," said Alice.
"Allow me to inform you, then" said
the pawnbroker, sternly, that you
are committing very grave offense.
BY attempting to obtain the watch
you lay yourself open to criminal pro-
ceedings."
"But," said Alice, 81 am friend Of
the gentleman to whom the watch
belongs"
Come, come" replied the man, that
won't do at all. A gentleman who
called himself Mr.. Hamlyn was here
about an hour ago endeavoring to get
the watch himself"
"Mr. Hamlyn been here this morn
ing!" cried Alice. She had never sus-
pected that he would be able to redeem
his watch so soon.
Better send for a policeman" sug-
gested the assistant.
Hold your tongue" said his master.
Then, turning to Alice Valentine, he
said: 81 do not wish to be hard upon
you, but insist on an explanation. L
will send over to the address on the
ticket, and if your story is true, Mr..
Hamlyn will corroborate it. Harvey,
send the boy over TO Queens Bench
walk and ask Mr.. Hamlyn to come here
Immediately"
"Mr. Hamlyn coming here" cried
Alice, unguardedly. "Oh, 1 must go
at once"
81 cannot allow it," said the pawn
broker. "You must wait. If you re-
fuse 1 have no option but to call po-
liceman."
If looks could kill the pawnbroker
would have died on the spot, as Alice,
with the air of a tragic queen, submit
ted to the indignity of being escorted
to the back parlor, while Harvey kept
watch and ward over her.
4 quarter of an hour later Everard
Hamlyn jumped out of a hanson and
hurried into the shop. He was an i'm
petuous person, and he had not waited
to change his robes, but had come
straight away in wig and gown from
the law courts. He was met in the
passage way by Harvey, who had been
awaiting his arrival with keen inter-
est.
There's a woman in here" he said,
pointing to the parlor, "who says she's
a friend of yours, and has found your
pawn ticket, but L"
"Out of the way" cried Hamlyn,
thrusting the officiouc young man on
one side and rushing into the room.
"Alice, by all that's wonderful" he
exclaimed, and then, seeing that her
bosom was helving convulsively, he put
his arm around her and inquired ten
derby what had happened.
"They have been so rude and insult
ing" she sobbed.
Hamlyn waited no further explana-
ton, but, Selling Harvey by the throat,
he shook him until the unfortunate
youth had not breath in his body. |
Then, turning on the older man, he
cried sternly: What do you mean by |
insulting this lady?"
The pawnbroker, discovering his |
mistake, was all apologies, but Ham
lyn's temper was still up.
Nothing could justify rudeness to
a lady, he said, and he insisted on an
abject apology from the crestfallen as
sistant.
Then he took Alice back to his rooms |
in the Temple. When they were alone
he put his arm around her, and said i'm
pulsively:
ooh, my darling, how sweet of you
TO try to get my watch back for me.
Did you do it because you care? Tell
me, darling-I love you'll"
ut was very silly of me, know"
she said, softly and shyly, "but ]
thought you were poor, and-oh,
wanted to help you"
81 am not poor" he said, smilingly;
"at least, not very poor. Ihave thou
sand a year, and we might manage on
that"
st would not have mattered," she
whispered, "if you had been a poor
man."
He took out the watch and held it
before her eyes.
81 shall never look at it," he said,
without thinking that I won you
through it."-A. E. Manning Foster, in
Royal Magazine.
DEWEY FAVORS THEM.