The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-16
f~ocS~~~royN
s "a SMEAR OF PLASTER.
2 B. DAVID CHRISTIE MURRAY "JospKs
N~>N<eNr-~N~>r>>o>NrN<~ >N>>N>><NrN~N~SN~N0c~%
Il "Joseph's Coat, etc.

Ifclow, hut II ever the liahd Of death
was OH II itiail, II WAS laid Oh him. ! on cl
could see that he was marked out FOR ".
He never Erlimblcd at the time u khe y
HIN. never heard Hin complains bl't
once, aud then he went ar. white ns
ghost and very nearly tainted Wit fian 5s,d-
den spasn Of pain. THAT was the u li
when l found out what was the mntter
with him. lilo wIs suffering from, cancer,
andl,e knew rerfeaiy vel THAT there was
no cure for him in3thsswbrda lie wanted
looking after, POOR chap. sand lit lone It
wns pretty evident that he got What lie
wanted, for. you never IN All your days saw
anything moro devoted and gentle than
that little womnil's way With him.
Nov, mind you. yo,l wouldn't think
II police officer Of my experience had
got much sympathy left inside him, but
when was set OH TO poor 1.egHe l felt
real mean. or course. Ia got to do my
duty. IT came about In 'tlic coolest sort
Of way. W. t5Es 5s3fFg l.s9.fg = ,ii
lie was IL wonderfully and span
sort OF a Johnny. II wasn't tina he was
quite what you'd call 81 dandy but he
was always brushed and groolncd to a.
nicely: and It was that as much as
anything which made mo notice very
particularly one day that he had smear
fol Illuu On HIS GDht SIPcNn. WISH
Ike mud either--lt, had dried white
ana hard, and I took hold OF his sleeve
between my thumb and finger, to look
at 1t. II NJ
e'fIow did you come BY that. Mr..
LegEe? said 1.
lie looked down at his sleeve. and
ho fell into tho tiueerest kind Of con-
fusion lie began to rub al. the smear
With his gloved hand. and lie ntetcndedS
( to be awfuly busy about It, but i could
see that ho was curIously upset. and.
OF course ] hadn't the ghost Of Il notion
why. He brushed and brushed Until hci
got i1d Of the last trace OF the smear.
and then no made solncS excuse for get
ting away and left me. b. Thnt was the
beginning OF tic business. ] didn't take
much notice of4lt at tho time: butsBl
5dorpped In. on Leggcs invitation, to
smoke a pipe with him. night or two
later. and there. on the table cloth there
was Just such another smear ms Ia seen
on 8 his coat 1t was plaster OF Paris
Now YOU can't follow a dctectives bust i
ness for any length of time without get
ting into a curious prying sort OF way.
j began To ask rlyself>--what n man likc
B egge wanted TO be messing about with
plaster OF Paris for.
I'd always taken him for n man OF
independent means. lie was never very
Ff,ashy with his money. but he was fairy
( we'll provided. We'd been pretty familiar
with each other. but he'd never dropped
tho least hint as to any sort OF occupa-
ton, or even any little amateur eur work ,l
that might have explained that plaster
Y OF Paris. i3
about week after this was sent
FOR 10 the Yard. and my chief told mo
there was a whole mass OF complaints
coming in about the circulation OF
base money. There was half-cro"li
Ein circulation all over the county, ,alr,
and It was certainly the best imitation
T eyer raw. The old-fashoned false
money was such duning goods that
you really wondered how anybody ever