Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-09-07

He gave the policeman good-evening
and. after chatting with him for a few
minutes, asked him if he would mind
keeping a special watch on the house,
as he (Merridew) had noticed rough
looking man prowling about earlier in
the evening. The policeman said that
any burglar who might try the house
was already as good as in custody.
Merridew, to keep him up to the mark,
gave him glass of Hennessys whisky,
extra stiff.
The policeman continued his beat
and Merridew, instead of going home,
turned back into the house. He shot
the bolt and put out the hall gas and
then crept upstairs to Hennessys
dressing room, which looked over the
front garden.
One o'clock came, and with it few
passers-by from the last tram. The
garden gate clicked and Merridew,
looking through the half-closed win
dow-the dressing room was in dark
ness-saw a man walk unsteadily up
the path. 1t was Hennessy. After five
minutes fumbling he managed to get
his key in the keyhole and uttered an
exclamation of triumph. On finding
that the door was bolted he changed
his note and Merridew shook with
laughter.
He stumbled over the flower bed
and went round the corner Of the house
to the scullery window. 1t was about
six feet from the ground and about two
feet square, but by standing on an in
verted flower pot and going through a
kind of acrobatic performance 1t was
possible for man very much in earn
est to get through. Hennessy had done
so before when the servant girl had abb
sent-mindedly bolted him out, and had
Dragged about the feat afterward
On this occasion he was half in and
half out of the window when he was
seized from behind and hauled down
into a potato bed.
Got you this time" said the police
man, pinning him against the wall.
"Will you come quietly or are you
going to make fool of yourself?"
go away, you blockhead," said Hen
messy fiercely. "This is my own house
and I've been locked out. Knock at the
door and you'll find it is So"
The policeman consented to knock,
and after he had knocked six or seven
times there was the sound of the bolts
and chain being Embossed and Merri-
dew opened the door.
Here, Merridew, tell this fat-headed
Il mean tell this active and intelligent
officer that I'm not burglar"
Says he lives here" said the police
man, grinning. BEG pardon for knock
ing you up, sir"
by Jove! Have you caught the beg
gar?" said Merridew. "Well done, off,
Ger. Do you want any help to take him
to the station?"
For Gods sake don't play the fool"
said Hennessy. Tell him it's all right
and make him let go"
Him." said Merridew, that would
be playing the fool, my friend. Take
him away, officer This is the man l
saw hanging about. recognize his
truculent aspect"
At this Hennessy lost his head. He |
twisted round with the suddenness of
catherine wheel and in another mo-
ment he and the policeman were en-
gagged in a catch-as-catch-can wrest-
ling match all over the cherished front |
garden. For five minutes Merridew |
could not tell which was policeman and |
which was Hennessy Sometimes they |
were wallowing in the garden path to-
gether, sometimes they were trampling |
the flower beds and shrubs to ruin,
sometimes they were doing their best 4
to force each other through the wall |
of the house, but all the time they |
were devastating something. At length |
Hennessy upset the law into a holly |
bush and the policeman, with shrek,
let go. Hennessy leaped the fence and
tore madly down the road.
The policeman did not linger in the
holly bush. He set off in pursuit. like |
a spurred racehorse, waking the echoes
with agonized blasts on his whistle.
Two other policemen appeared from
nowhere and joined in the chase, but
Hennessy kept ahead rounw several
turnings and at last, getting back to
his house, rushed through the hall into
the dining room and fell on the carpet
with a crash. He lay there, painting,
without strength to remove the die
tionary which had taken him in the
small of the back and completed Mer-
ridew's triumph.
Mrs. Hennessy returned from the
seaside to find a model husband. Hen
messy never comes down by the last
train now. He spends his evenings