The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-14
Continued From Yesterday

Continued From Yesterday
At length Jeanie rose and left the room
to refill the teapot; and M'Sweeny. with
| the handouts ready I'm his teeth. sudden
! ly put out paw end gripped the horried
! plumber by the ankle. The effect was
moro disastrous than either had antici-
/ pated. for with loud cry OF terror Char
lie sprang up. grasping. at tho tablecloth
with both hands to save himself from be
ing pulled down. The table itself was
smooth as glass, and held on it's surface
! not only the beautiful tea set and tray.
but the great massive lamp OF pink china
which lighted the whole room. Tablecloth
and everything on IL came away with
I Charles hands. and, with a crash that
brought an answering scream from
Jeanie. the whole room became dark. and
{ the two men were madly fight
/, ing, and struggling. and rolling
over and over among the wreck on
the carpet. NJ Sweeny, though his
first intention was only TO cling fast 70
his prisoner. fought well, and succeeded
Ia effectually marking his man for iden-
ihcation," by giving him a tremendous
Oner" on the right eye; but just as he
was getting the upper hand. JeanIe ran
screaming into the room with the newly
filed teapot i'm her hand. The room was
darkened by the smashing and extin-
gushing of the lamp; but there was still
sufficient light from the fire to enable
her 10 distinguish between a towsy head
OF flaming red hair and the brown locks
OF her beloved Charlie. Without mo-
ments hesitation she brought the tea
pot smash down on the offending red
head, breaking the pot into fragments,
and bringing its scslding contents down
about M Sweeny's ears, and neck. and
face.
For a moment or two my chum was too
busy with one OF the sofa cushions get
| ting he hot water out OF his hair. and
feeling gingerly at his scslded ears, 10
think OF either prisoner or assailant. and
when he did recover sufficiently he found
Charlie gone. Jeanie was there though,
IN tearG and anger, TO listen to his ex-
| plane ton that he was detective sent 60
! investigate In regard 10 the missing arti-
Giles. but not 10 believe il. She told hun
Eoundly that neither Che rlie, who was a
relation OF hers, nor herself were thieves,
and that all sle had given her lover was
bought with her own money and finally
| refused blankly to give Charles name or
address. and not very gently bundled
/ M Sweeny out into the sleet and wind 70
cool his ears and his brain at one and the
same time.
turned they found the wreck cleared
away, but were told by the indignant
Jesnie that a horrid man calling himself
! a detective. who had smuggled himsol,
into the dning-room, had clumsily
smashed the lamp; and then -Jeesi@- wax
| ed SO warm In her reproaches at being
! suspected. that Mr.. Middleton began to
family ask himself IL he or she was the
! injured person. As she admitted having
friend in TO tea with her. however ne
would have discharged her on the spot:
but II happened that Mrs. Middleton sid
! ed strongly with the girl. and so after
I much altercation II was arranged that
she should be allowed to stay TIL the
/ tern.
MSweeny after spending restless
night with oily rags round his ears and
! neck. had his plans all cut and dry lie
f. first visited Mr.. Middleton, and discovered
. that some plumbers had been employed
! about the house some months before and.
! getting the name OF the firm who sent
! them, he went TO the workshop and asked
! coolly eli Charlie WAS ir?'
Charlie w9s in: and NJ Sweeny. thoucl
he could not swear 10 the face. Identified
him at once by the black eye he had Slv-
en him and the square ratoh IN mis- check
tweed trousers. But what added to his
exultation was 10 find the prisoner wear
ing on his little finger ring OF solid
! gold. set with a beautiful blood-stouc
+ Charlie protested loudly that the ring
was his own, but could not give any clear
account as TO how it came into his pos
session, and was marched off 10 the OF
! fee. where an hour, or two after Mr.
/ Middleton appeared and swore positive
! ~ that the blood-stono ring was that
/ which had been stolen from him. Strict
search was made in Charles lodgings
+ but no trace OF any of the other stolen
articles was discovered. The ring how
N
able 20 say how or where he got IL, per-
1 haps HIS case would have been dismissed; ;
as II was. he was RENTED TO the Sheriff
Court. and there, in spite of every protest
of innocence, sentenced 10 a months i'm
! prisonmcnt. Ny own opinion was then,
! and now Is. that the ring ne was convict
4 ed OF stealing had in reality been found.
I and that he was afraid that to confess
the truth would not avert punishment
\ as he had committed a crime Iva not re-
porting the find 10 the police and deliver
I ing up tho article 10 our Keeping. He was
unknown 20 the police. and said to be q
working fellow. though somewhat
/ haro-hrained, and so the sentence was
! made light.
! 1 have hinted thus that. In spite OF
/ NJ Swecnys cleverness in capturing ana
7 identifying him, Charlie was not the
thief; though NJ Sweeny TO this day
scouts at my explanation, and hints only
too plainly that il has been concocted out
/ Of my own imagination. The real truth
only came 10 my knowledge many years
I after. and then through the person prin-
cipally concerned. Mr.. Middleton. and
long after Charlie had been drifted our
Of my ken.
I Not month after the conviction OF
Msweenys prisoner. Mr.. Middleton
/ chanced 10 be up In one Of the bedrooms
/ IN the attics. when his attention was at
tracted by tiny voice In some invisible
| quarter crying out
Papa. papa! Tum an see my pletty
Z houslo."
A look all round the room revealed no
d ,l.t rrf hal reI