The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-03-08

| on hand Sleds. | own hill over mile
long, and my old woman can make
| buckwheat cakes to beat the band.
| Say, now, is there any danger of any
one stealing my package from you"
''Not the slightest"
Because there are some suspicious
characters aboard. I've run across
four different men that l wouldn't
trust to go to my barn and get a peck
measure of oats. They call themselves
Stone, Dubois, Saunders and Wilkin-
son. We've got tin peddlers up in my
state that look more honest than these
men do. I'm right on to 'em, however,
and they can't fool me-"
AT least once Il day during the rest
of the voyage each of the four detec-
tives sought out the purser and report
ed progress and planned what should
be done when quarantine was reached.
While each one had only suspected
one another on the start, only three
days had passed when each mans sus-
piciOns included the three others in the
quartet. Uncle Abiiah bothered them
from the start. He insisted ON butting
in at all times and under all circum-
stances. If one detective had another
aside to pump him, the old man from
New Hampshire presently appeared
and carelessly said:
Gentlemen, l hope l don't intrude,
but were either of you ever up in Sock
county, n. H"
Never" was the reply.
"Then you've missed a great thing.
We hain't got no Niagara falls up
there, but sliding down hill in the
winter beats anything you can find
outdoors. You load up a big shed
with gals and boys and head her down
hill and let her go, and the first thing
you know you are two miles away. 1
hain't got but one spare bed in the
house. but Martha and me will sleep
on the floor if you'll come up"
Sometimes the four sleuths would
play cards together and pretend to be
very jovial and friendly. Before the
game was fairly under way Uncle
Abijah would stroll into the smoking
room and say:
Il dunno whether any of you fellers
heard about that big robbery in Lon
don OF not, but it was corker. Feller
walked into jewelry store and picked
up Il bushel of diamonds and walked
out ag'in as cool as hired man going
the store at the time, and l didn't
know but what they would arrest me.
The Teller got away. but I'm purity sure
I saw him and would know him ag'in."
He would then lounge out on deck,
and the game would soon break up, and
one Of the officers would hunt up Uncle
Abijah to get further particulars. He
would intimate that he had seen the
robber among the passengers aboard
and that he might give him away on
landing, and thus the four officers
would be further puzzled and mysti-
fed. Each one was invited up to New
Hampshire over and over again, and
before Sandy Hook was sighted each
one knew the old mans history from
the day he was born. No arrests were
made at quarantine. 1t had been left
to the purser, and he had telephoned
up. Four interviews had been held
Will l1lIl, anu as Il EeSulI lOuE uluCEeuL
men were arrested when the steamer
made her dock. The victims were
Messrs. Saunders, Dubois, Wilkinson
and Stone. Uncle Abijah saw them
taken into custody and smiled and
winked. He had also worked out lit
tie plan.
Three hours later the four men, ac-
companied by two detectives from
headquarters, boarded the Monarch to
ask Of the purser:
What do you know of the old fellow
who called himself Barnes?"
Mice old man and innocent as a
child" replied the official. Say, now,
he's gone off and forgotten his pack
age"
IF he returns for it, tie a string
around his wrist and hold him FAST
laughed one Of the headquarters men.
Hes the chap that took the dia-
mondsv'