Year: 1859

autEfatl0n one nlgnI as we were scared
around the stove. After they had been
sufficiently examined by us all Tom put
them, as he thought, into his coat pocket.
1t so happened however that one of them
fell upon the floor. Cherrute quickly
picked it up saying, You have dropped
one, and obligingly stuck it in Toms
pocket for him, instead of handing it to the
owner. AT least, we supposed he had put
i: in the pocket with the other although
subsequent events convinced me that Mr..


Cherrute had merely pretended to do so,
and that he had retained the odd glove
for vile purpose, then only known to


himself.


That night, Mr.. Merton's ten thousand
dollars were stolen from his state room


His trunk had been broken open during


the night, and the little box containing


his treasure and quantity of papers alb


stracted.


Merton discovered his loss early the


next morning. Wild with excitement,


he Immediately spread the intelli gence


throughout the boat. The hubbub Gre


ated was immense, and every man and


woman aboard suggested plan for fer


reting out the thief. Frank Cherrute


proposed that Merton's state room should


be searched, as some clue might have


been left there by which to detect the


robber.


Il The room was searched, and a clue


acas found-in the shape of an odd glove
that had been left behind by the thief.
1t was one of those gloves that Tom Big
bee had been seen to wear the previous
: evening. Merton rushed into the cabin
; with this evidence of Toms guilt, and
5 exclaimed


z There stands the thief Bigbee is
E the owner of this glove, and charge
S him with the theft of my money!
q Toms amazement may be imagined
; upon being thus accused. My own as
: tonishment was no less. l had known
r him from childhood, and was confident
d that more honorable, upright man never
d trod the earth.


it 'Impossiblep / Indignantly cried
: But the excited loser of the money could
IS not be induced to withdraw the charge
i No one but himself, he said, had beer
,fI permitted to enter his stateroom since he
IF had possession of it. Somebody had
d entered it without his knowledge during
Ie the preceding night, and stolen the mo
D. ney. The thief had fortunately left thi
y; clue to his identity. He had seen the
n glove in Bigbee's possession before th'
Is robbery, and he now demanded that hi
s. trunks should be searched.
n. Don't be too hasty, eagerly interpos
of ed Frank Cherrute there may be 9th
at er gloves of the same kind as Mr.. Big
ne bees, and if that gentleman can produc


his pair, l claim that your suspicious ar
i'll unjust


to Tom instantly examined his pocket


thoroughly but fruitlessly. He foun
re but one glove, and that the exact mat
of of the one discovered in Merton's stat
On room.


l. Filled with wonder and chagrin, m


mortified friend gave up his keys, an
n requested that his trunks should be in
Nv mediately searched.


" The keys were not needed, for b


trunk in the stateroom was found III


locked. The lid being raised, the fir
i object that presented itself to view w
the missing box. The papers were
inS it, but not cent of the stolen money.
n'o 1t was plain to my mind that the re
-eu thief had adopted a cunning plan {
'en throwing suspicion off his own shoulde
wa upon my friend Tom. The glove mt
'cn have been stolen from him for the We
an' purpose to which it was applied, and t
"n box and papers put into his trunk wi
srt- view of fastening the guilt upon pc
'ldt Tom. Unfortunately, not soul on boar
lor- excepting myself, knew Tom Bigbee, a
US it was already the opinion of the maj'
we ity that he had stolen the money.
ers were rapidly approaching Memphis, a
ana the captain politely notified US that
= considered it his duty to hand Bigt
'Ws, over to the authorities of that city.
Whatever was to be done must be dc
we quick. Poor Tom, crushed in spirit a
dull now listless, could not assist me witt
that single suggestion. His sensitive matt
and would not survive the disgrace of c.
into finement in common Jail. At any h


ard 1 must prevent it. Who could
the real thief be.


the My thoughts naturally reverted to
our- incident of the previous evening, wi
bicb Frank Cherrute picked up Toms gil
his and appeared TO replace it in his pocl