Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-01-07
Smith and His Counterpart.
BY CLARA AUGUSTA.


"Will it be State prison?'' asked a !
solemn-faced old lady, with bundle !
of papers under her arm. Because. if |
it is, young man, I will give thee a
tract to read, and profit by"
And she handed me a leaf of paper
with the somewhat startling title. "The
Road to Help
l remarked that I had no wish to
learn anything in regard to that route,
and that brought. up clerical gentle
man in white choker, who inquired:
Young friend, hast thou motAer?"
Il hast" said I; likewise a grand
mother, two aunts, sixteen cousins, and
father-in-lawv'
Beware" said he, 3of sitting in the
seat Of the scornfulr'
He was just going to read me his last
sermon on total depravity, when we ar
rived at Rochester, and 1 was taken
to the lookup.
l did not like my quarters. It was
impossible for any decent white man
to like them. Dirty and ill-smelling,
and [ would have been glad to change
the bed for any clean pine plank
1t seemed that was charged with
appropriating the funds of one Mr..
Junius B. Streeter, of Syracuse. who
was represented as my confding en-
ployer, but I had never heard of him
before and certainly had not the pleas
| ure of being possessed of any of his
| funds.
fYin IN hi 20 H.,
captors, but they only laughed, and as
| sured me that Mr.. Pelham and Mr.
| Ball, the detectives who had seized me,
had very accurate description of the
rascally clerk, from Mr.. Streeter him
self, and my appearance tailed with it
perfectly.
| I was to have my examination next
that 1 was anybody but John Smith,
I was at liberty to do so.
| Just as I had finished my breakfast
next morning, the keeper came in to
say that young lady wished to see
me.
A young lady! I was Mortified, for
1 had neither combs, brushes, or clean
collars. I smoothed down my refrac-
tory locks with my fingers, firted the
dirty towel across my face, rubbed
my boots with my handkerchief, and
my toilet being thus completed, was
ready to receive my visitor.
Shades of Hebe and Venus! The
morning star itself was no comparison
to her! Blue dress, blue ribbons, blue
eyes, blond tresses, and voice sweete1
than fifty dollar music box!
| She rushed toward me, flung hel
! arms around my neck, put her soft
cheek against mine, hunted under my
mustache for my lips, and planted
there such a regiment of kisses as tt
!: take my breath away. I was quite
willing to have her take it away, ani
did not care a picayune if she KEEP
, up this sort of thing till Christmas
Dearest cousin Johnv' cried she; 81
5 is such a, shame for you to be here
f But it is just like those blundering of
ficers! They fancy themselves won
7 derful in the detective business! They't
arrest their own grandmother if the.
r had one, darling!'
5 LES, Sdlu L. SCOIuS tuuI Sue pduSet
for breath, II have no doubt Of it!''
4 Il read about your arrest in tn
:, paper last night. It gave your name a
Z j. Smith, but J. stands for John. an,
I knew it was you! I told papa sc
e but he said 'Pshawv But alway
s have my way and so came down t
see you. without even stopping t
t dress. Dear me! expect 1 am jus
= horrid in this old wrapper!'
r ''Horridw said I. "Why, I though
r, your dress was diyineH'
She laughed, and kissed me agai1
It / hoped she would keep on doing S,
It seemed to me the incest thing sh
could do.
g Papa is coming down in an hou
a Or two to bail you out, for, of cours
p you are innocent, and old Streeter
)" mistaken about your taking his dirt
n money?'
"Of course he isl said l.
l. "And you'll come up with papa
dinner, dear John?"
lg eyes, darling"
'Then, goodby," said she; II must {