MONTROSE; PA:,•:JULY.II;IB77
41iViE Mill
,* LIFT,
. ,
Give a lift. Don't` kneel in pralyei,
Nor moralize with his despair;
The 111E111 is down; md his great need • ,
is ready, help—not Drayer and creed.
'Tis time when the wounds are washed. and
healed, -
That the inwhrd motives be revealed;
But now, whaVer the spirit be,
Mere words are but mockery.
One grain 01 aid just now is wore •
TO him thau"tomeS of saintly lore;
Pray,,if you tnnst,in Your full hearti.
But - give-hini a lift l-giVe him a start!
The, world is full of goed advice,
Of-Prayer, and praise, and preaching
Buts the generous souls whq aid man
- Are, scarce .as gold,and hard : to find.
Give like a Christian—speak in deeds;
A. noble ble's the best of, creeds;
And he shall wear a royatcrown
Who gives 'em a lift when they are down:
kIvip,uNTA!NAAISY.
MTE HAD .traveled together for many a
-TY weary mile. I -wee on my-; way to
my usual summer retreat, in . tne moun
tains • but even before I took • tI , e stage
coach ' niy jot racy by :steam hacke haust-`
i ll
id Me, so that I was in no humo to join
'in the hilarity of my fellow t avelers.
We jolted and plunged and era* edpver.
the . hills to the paradise\ beyond ;land
while they talked and jested, and ha'd
and ha'd as travelir's will, we keptan'un
broken silence----this fellow passengerand
I-= striving in vain to shut out the hub
hub within by gazing upon the sweet
solitiide Without ; and the bond . of ;um.
patliy 'between this straight, ;stern, mid
dle aged man increased when I fotooti
that he was determined' to rid himself of
the gool humored confusion ahbut him
by climbing on the top of the stage.
While we were changing horses he
climbed ;up aniong tho luggage so . in
siderable, as tO prevent ,the usual accom
modation for' - deck_ paengers, and my
face must have shoivii a l sort of despar
ing envy, for he looked over and , said :
"There is room, 'if- you will venture up
here; but the evening air "grows- chill.
If you are not afraid of taking cold—"
- "I am afraid of nothing," - I said, des
perately, "but this gabble and dip" .
He put,down his band, and up lamb
ed. With his portmanteau and. shawl and
an ola.mail bag he compassed -me com
fortably about, and
,presently the stage
jolted on. I was alone with my moun
tains, with the night and the stars, and
'my fellow pave tiger, 'who counted, for
nothing, because he neither moved nor
, spoke; his side face, was as rigid as if
carved from one of the boulders by the
wa,vaide:
It must be e , been five miles after this
that thin bit of boulder started me by a
slight movement. I found tha he was
bending forward„ gazing'. eagefly, with
his *hole soul in his eyea, upon the win
dow of an old farmhouse on the outskirts
of the village.. It was ,one
_ot' the upper
windows, half raised, and . the head of
a woman appeared in_a shadow so deep
that no feature ,could,.. be distinguished';
but as we,slowly passed, an ,almost con
' yulsive , sigh- escaped the lips of my fel
low traveler. He 'raised his hat from his
head. , Then I plainly ea* the woman's
\ face, fot it seemed to start forwatd sud
denly, and even the dim starlight reveal
ea a surprise upon it that almost par
, took -of terror. No longer young, but
still beautiful f .that face was stamped with
a melancholy so profound that; it haunt
.ed Me. I looked at that of my comian
inn. It'was sunk up6n his - breast, Mad
just then I saw the sweet young moon
over. the -left shoulder. The ' thought
was eo tormenting to me thati spoke on
the .impupie of the nionient., "Don't sir,"
• I said; "don't look over your left shoulder
- at the moon. Look over 'your right
_ shoulder and wish. - It is agOod omen
1
they say." ' ' ' ' ,
,
• He started, paused as if to gather the
meaning of what I said,' then looked over
his right shoulder at -the Moon ; his face
was full of strong' emotion, and, his lips
moved. Then he turned to me, his face
' melting into one. of = those rare smiles
that are.so nice because 'they are so few,
and stretched over his hand." Thanks,"
be paid es we rolled up to the'doo4',,of the
hotel; where Mrs. Aiken was *4iting for
tict?ith her comfortable carryall filled
- with the usual parcels and packages for
the farm.
But she could , not find - a welcome for
me, so Men . up was she with niy fellow.
piieettiger. Her
.comely - mothirly face
was all agape upon his straight, stiff form
as he lifted me down'®and said lat.-bye.
and disappeared in the corridor seyoud. `
"Wa'al, ' she said, drawing i ii- long
. bteath; "that's - either Major Jacques ,or
- . his ghost: That does beat everything.
After'all these years:—Lord o' mercy, if
that don't go ahead I"
• "And.who is Major Jackues . " 'I said'
at last, finding myself the prey to a de
youring curiosity. . - "Do, please; Mrs.
Aiken, tell me who is Major Jackues ?"
"Well, child, he. Made a sight of trou
-
ble here a good many years- ago,' but I
canTsay as it was his fault. You may
blow your lunge nut sometimes to boil a
kettle, and then, agin, a spark from a
pipe'll i set a hay ricks. in,.. a blaze: ' Good
-,. Lord - I I: wonder if he's come after Oak
Witivail ?.- He'll find her - a Poor broken
doini hituble - crifter,- - but , a - purtier gal
thavpaisy :.. the : , sun.- - -neverlahcini upon_,.
her:skin; was l as white ;.as: , Milk, lanctliee
- -eyealikt the-stars up-:there,;:ancL the city
f ! .lks that- catne out, here .to board eltris-ct
it-Led her DaiSY, ihough.' her
,naine was'
Ilanner-L•-•lianuer Ilitchner.;. anti, in
spite 'of everything, she would go and
throw herself On - Hugh Alliean. They
do say that loVe'lrgo where it's sent but
it's a pity it. Should be so headstror - g.
Get up Nig," Pursued the farmer's wife,.
whipping up her horses, and, like - the
dear '
good body she • was, never .halting
with her story.,-- "She had plenty o'
chances to settle, -needn't say. David
llitohner, waif a -foreharided - maw, - and
there warn% chick nor child. but Dais'.
Judge Bates' son—he that went off - to
Indy 6t; somewhere afterwaidhe'c: - a
given his eves i'or • Hubner.,; and as for
them painter chaps, they just went wild
over her, and she might 'aitad a dozen b'
'eni, though to my mind. it'd take a bail
ees cozen 'o them idler's to make one de-
cent •
nice;
ind,
"But she turned her batk on the *hole
kit. and boodle of 'ern, and stuck to Hugh.
M'Lean. It was a , dreadful spite to_ the
aitchners, for the M'Leans warn't. thU4
much of herebolits; they'd Idlers lived
away . on the top of the Inpuntaip, = and
Hugh grew up as wild as, a young Volt
He raised black colt - up there, that
atween you. and . me; Mrs. Smith, was 4
spawn 'o Sean ; fire used to ily out 'o its
'eyes and shake off .its hoofs,- and not a
living soul conld get on its back but
Hugh M'l,ean. As for harness—l'd likg
to: see harneds that could hold 'Black
Dan. It seemed, as Hugh and that
colt was one piece o' stuff, for they was
part and parcel o' one another, and I
guess whereier ,one loftier is, now "; ,
leastways it , seems to me only, natural.
But as much, as he thought o' that, colt,
he used to cuff and
tu kick, -it in histant
rub I
• and one day, When I was down to
Hitchner's a
for
that star pattern
patchwork for Daisy I was looking,,out
the winder,
when ,Hugh rode up, and he
got mad atenthin, and drew his ,whip
clean across the .critter's face fie to take
out his eyes, and I told . Mrs. Hitchner
then' that if 'it was done to me, I'd sooner
see Hanna- in , her -grave than belong to
Hugh Dl'Lean. But you see, he was as
gentle as a lamb- to Daisy, and alWayB
had since she Was a little mite o' A thing,
and he used to board , down in the Village
to get his winter sehoolin'—for you might
as well be out o' the world as up on Athe
mountains ',in winter; there's freshets
there too in the spring that shut 'em off, .
and Hugh was down here a good part of
his time. And he. used to just own little
Daisy Hitchner. It was a prettY sight to
see him skating along, drawing that little
apple blossom alter him on the white
birch sled he • made for her.—He was
handsome es oogh—there warn't no fault
to be found with his looks, only to my
mind handsome is . as handsome does,
Mrs. Smith. 'Well, he put in a claim to
Hanner then, and no boy thirst stand in
his way. There was my poor Zekel, he
came home with a black eye only for
sharpening her slate pencil, and Hugh
hadn't a knife ready to do it with; but
it was allera,a word and and a blow with
Hugh M.'.l.,en, and . he held to Daisy
right along through thick and thin. ,
" 'Why,' he says, right up , to David
Hitchuer, you s'pose I'd 'staid round
here, if it hadn't been for Daisy ? Don't
you know rd. a teen off :to ,the North or
South rule afore this? It's is bard work
for me, 813 it is for you, tor I - hate to set.
tle down here worse than poison; hut I
hate worse to leave little Daisy. I can't
do it, and I won't.' ".
"So they let 'ern get married, for what
else could they . do ? , And for quite a
spell there it did seem as if everything
wa s gOing to turn out right. Oid Mr.
Hitchner he Made him promise not to
take Daisrfar away, and 'give him the
place by the mill, and.; furnished it - frota
top to bottom. There must - -have been.
nigh on to a hundred yards of carpet in
that house. I helped Mrs.,Hitchner sew
and color many a pound 'of the rags
myself. And the dimity curtaina was
the .prettiest things, and that yaller call.'
ker covenngs for. the sofa and cheers
made everything look cheery like. Then
M'Lean, knot to be behindhand, besot
'ern' up with no less than thirty cow,
good milkers; all o ='em .; and I will say
for Hugh that he itould get through with
tnore:work in a day than . any two mewl
ever saw. —o.velything went, along as
slick as could be, and Daisyp, went singing
about the honse like a medder lark."
"But the second summer after she was
married poor Daisy, took it intuter head
she'd have some •hoarders from: town—
she, was naterally thrifty, and: `plenty o'
help, and she felt somehow as if that big
house was running to waste.
_Hugh he
let her have her own way' in everything
then, and was as humorsome as if she
was a baby ; and I never shall forget, if
I live to `be a hundred, the first time I
laid eyes on Major Jacques, when he came
down wittia, Int of other boarders from
town. I was sating at Mrs. Hitchner'a
front winder,, and the stage stopped at
Daisy's door.; and out got that man ; and
if it hair been the good Lord's , will that
• he'd been tumbled' out somewhere else
and broken his leg, 80'8 be couldn't get
away, "a "deal o' trouble might have been '
saved. . '
"For Hugh M.'Letin had' kind o' scorned
Most city folks that come, our way, and
bad a faihion of smiling at them in a
sett of contempt. But this JaCquei was
- half .a Frenchman; and bad a deal of fire
in him; he'd been all over . the, world or
pretended, he had, and, if you could he.
liege" him, had as many lives As a cat to
lose. And Huey, 'd''sit there and drink .
all the 130103eliSe ii by. the hour together;
auk for-that matte4-sopoorlittle
Daisy. The inajotOuld.talk a bird off a
bush, and Hugh got to miming in and
Mnding his little meddirladi listehing to
some tale of the major El l her eyes per
hapsiull of silly: - tears and her cheeks all
pale with excitement."
„"Sooriafter that my Miranda was teach
ing school and boarding around the vil
lage,nud she went to. M'Leaus to stay,
and she told me that Daisy had stopped
going in they room when- ibe ,major was
there, and got out of his way. all . she
could, but Hugh was as black as a thunder
cloud,' and Miranda said that he and
- Daisy' - "would both be glad 'Who the
boarders all :went away and never
came back again."
"But this was only ,'mid -summer,• and
one - night the men were out late itif the
`hay fiied,and Daisy went out ' iu he barn
to help milk the cows. It was'only play
to her, sho.l bin used to it at home,land
I dare say the poor child was . so sick'and
sad she was, glad to be busy., But what
tirnst that jackanape do but follow her
out there and take the pails from her
hands to . bring them in She couldn't
get courage, you see, to tell him to go
about his usiness, . but if he'd an eye in
his,head, he could seer how things was a
going. Howsomever, Hugh 'came in at
the big gate and saw Daisy; empty ling ,
ered, walking along, by the major's side,
while he had a pail in either band; acid
il3 the Major set 'em down on the stone
floor of the wide room, and turnedwith
some plessant word to Hugh, theliails
went flying out in ;the stubble,-the milk
streamed at his feet, and Miranda saidtr
for she. was standing by—she never, Rim
such a surplus(' look in a face before:as
in Major Jacques. Then he. flamed up
and got mad, and Hugh got madder, and
if it hadn't been for;, Daisy- there might
have bern murder there." . •
"That night poor- Daisy hid her wish,'
for the 'City boarders were ,all, - scuttled,
away; and not a light was burning in the
house 'at 9 o'clock ; hut' my Mirandy she
couldn't sleep, and no wondor, consider
ing what he'd been through, and about
midnight she beard the clatter of hoofs,
and just got up in time to see Black Dan.
flying• out the gate with. Hugh on his
back. Soon after •that she heard a low
sobbing sound, and looking down, there
she saw Daisy in her. .white gdwn, dip
ping water out of the pen-stock and put
ting it to her face, crying and sebbingas
if her heart would break. • ; • •
"MST Mirandy was just going down to
her, when she heard the click of the gate
and in walked the rnajor,atid' up he went
to Daisy`as'straight as a string.
"And 'Madame,' said he, trembling all
over, arid a blaze' 'like lightning' in his
eye, 'l'ye come to take you from this brute
and put .you. under your ,father'S protec7
tiore."
" 'Oh, You haven't told my father ?'
said Daisy; ;holding up her. hands.
"'No ; butt will,' 'said the major.,—
To you think I can look on and stand
all this ? Clime the scoundrel I I.nev
er had a thought of you Lill he,put it in
to my head by his brutality. But now
he'll find ~ e are- enough about you to
shield , yoti.from harm. Conie, Mrs. AV-
Lean, put a shawl about you, and come
with me to your
_father's house. I'll deal
with him when he' cOmesbaolc.'--
Then if you'll believe the; that poor
child' to begging--,:the major not, to tell
her father, and declaring she'd I rattir die
'at Jingles hand than to five away from
him.
s.:'As GO& is my judge, I love him
better than my. own I will stay. I
am,not afraid," said Daisy. •
"Then the major turned upon his heel
and went out the,gate,and Hugh' M'Lean.
was brought home the next day with a
broken spine.' He Black Dan had
rolled.down a together, and they
had to shoot the' beast to get him out of
his agony ; and they do say that: but for.
Major Jacques Hugh would have died
there; for the major was the . one that
found him.• He, was a good rider,you
see, and could make his way where thers
would be afraid. And something he Said
to. Hugh made him gentle as a lamb. Al!.
the way home be held his handln his,
and was• with him. after the doctor left:—
Hugh, fell into a kind of faint. When
he opened his eyes they tenon the major;
and Mirandy 'that Daisy, was on the
other side of the bed.
" 'So I'm going to die,' said Hugh.—
'Well, I'm ready.' And thn he put 'Dai
era bawl in the major's: 'Take care of
, her,' he said." '• -
" 'But, you're not. going .t.o` die,' said
the-major. 'You are to live - the,doctor
says? , .
'to live,' said *Hugh. 'So much the
worse. 'ln that case, major, get away, for
God's sake. I think it's best. -: •
" lust as. you say, Hugh,' said the
major. • - • ,
" 4 1 think it's best,' said Hugh ; And
the major went away that morning, and
from that day. to .this nobody has laid
eyes on him. - • - •
~"And. t hejudgement of Rod was sore
on Hugh He lay ,in, that bed
for seven long years, and Daisy never left
him night nor 'day save - when he'd free
her to go, and, if yang] belie,ve me, that
girl never seethed happy out of ,his sight;
and, my Miranda said it, used to make
her cry to see the way,Hugh followed, her
about with hit big .fierce eyes, thatiliad
plenty of fire in them yet,for everybody.
but Daisy. Miranda actually got to his
lug Hugh ; and I never dared say a 'word
about that night nor the bruise on Daisy's
cheek to Mrs Hitchner, though I've, been
that burning ^ sometimes_ that -I've had to
jump up and run 'out of the:loom. And
now the old voinan's dead 'and buried
these three years; and MrAlitchner he
Went afore she did. , Hugh' Outlived -'em
died) •_bt
wanted :to be buried- by his horse Dant
• .
atd there they-lie, up on . the mountain
• together.; and Miranda:says that Daisy's
sworn to be put on roth,er side.— t
fit to make ther-
,shiverS creep doWn one's
back; the - hull. of it. ;And - there sho3
lived ever since; all alone in the old houSe,
.sast when school is keeping and,Miran.
dy's there.' And' yonder, may be - '4le
major's ghost; but if it ain't, it's Mellor
Jacques hitirtielt. gti?er, - ain't•it?"
"Very queer," I said:; and :just
drove in at the open-gate.
The very next morning, as I was gatr
ing grasses'a mile -or cwo below,. I sa* a
tall, straight form akiroaciiing me, his
head bent, his eyes upon the ground.;!, I
could not step aside, _for a ditch - as
there. -
So he raised his eyes, jand his face light
ed up with that rare, smile of his.'
"—God bless your womesily : heatit !'
he said; "It was , a- good otne4 and the
next:thne I see a new moon over my right
shoulder, I Shall wish for your happirOs
with, I hope, the same success that I idid
last night for my own"
A LAINTIEIPS , STORY. _
Mr. Courtney :was a rich old bach(fler
and the, uncle of a Couple of nephews
the one a brother's, and the other a!sis
tens son. Thei3e two were his nek o
kin, legally entitled, in ease he die in
tektite, to inherit his property.
Edward .Hortou; his • deceased cis
son, was decidedly , hiss favorite '
an
him the old gentleman resolved to
the bulk of his estate.
- Charles 'Courtney, the other nephew,
had inherited a handsome fortune , from
his father, and, moreover, by -his tinCle's
will, was *entitled to 'succeed . to that! : left
to ,his Cousin, in the event of the latter's
dying without _issue.
Old - Mr.,Courtney was one of tbeihal
est Of bachelor's when it „was suddeulp
announced, not only:, that he was dead,
but that , foul play was = : anspected l ' A
post mortum _examination demonstfated
that he had fallen a victim ofvOliOn ;
anific was girif out that the hand !that
had" adininistered it was that of his fa
vorite nephew. The- public mind . L"
naturally both surprised and Shobkeil:
It was not until Edward Hortotil had
been fully committed for trial for hia un
cle's murder. that I wail retained tot* up
tne defense: - . • -
His - own statement was, in substance,
this i' 'A physibian had. been Juane(' in
to see Mr. Courtney on the occasion of
some apparently trifling illness, requir
ing some'simple remedy, for which a pre
seription was-written, and handed th the
r
prisoner to have made up: , This the lat
ter had carried to_ . a well-known,•coMpe
tent _druggist, who had put_ it up in his
presence. The medicine consisted of
three - ,white powders, each folded lin a'
scrap of paper, and the whole inclosed in ,
a single . wrapper. They were to be given
at intervals of an hour, and had reTain
ed continuously in the prisoner's po sess
ion till the .first, was administered,- vrbieh
was done by himself, immediately on ba
return from the druggist's. - Mr. Court
ney-grew rapidly worse, and when, at the
expiration of an hour, a second powder
was administered, the symptoms became
so alarming that a- messenger wail dis
patched for the physician, who, 01 his
arrival, declared that the patient was suf
fering from the effects of poison. An ex
amination 'of the) remaining powder dis :
closed the fact that it was pore arsenic.- - ---
It was too late for any antidote to be
available, and in less than an hour death
had relieved-the Sufferer. An autoirsy of
the body and an analysis of the cotents
of the . stomach, left no doubt as.' 43 the
cause of death. The presence of a enie,
in a necessarily fatal quantity, Waal indi
cated by every known chemical test. It
was further admitted by the prishne';' that
he alone had access to his uncle!s, part
inent, or bad hindled 'the medicine from
theme: l it was compounded by the drug
gistltintil the coming of the physician,
after[the second powder had . been - taken.
114 f -druggist, who was known to be a
man of extraordinary caution,• and thor
oughly skilled in his, business, waslready
to swear that by no possibility could any
mistake have occurred in putting up the
medicine. .1
.
To snake matters worse it transpired
that the amicable relations between the
uncle aril nephew - had been somewhat
disturbed of late, by reason of an attach
ment of_the latter disapproved liy the
former, who had One soifar as to threaten
to change biewill unless : his wishes were
respected. •
"Who was in company /
. with you from
the time you received the medicine till
you returned to your uncle's house?" I
asked the prisonar, desperately groping
after eomothing to afford a ray of hope,
• "No one," he answered, -"but my
cousin Charles, whom I met near the
druggist's, and who accomnanied me in."
I drew from Edward - the fact that
Charles saw the medicine put up; walked
with him a little way ; then - went back
for something; 'Edward waited - his re
turn .; then walked arm-in-arrn nearly
home, - when Charles left, -I also remind
ed Edward that, his uncle being dead, if
he also should .die ehildlei3, Charles would
enherit the whole estate. , : •
"He did it! fie b'll it l" the young man
cried, in a paroxysm of excitement. too
earnest to•be counterfeit. - "He went oat
to get the poison when he left me wait
=ing.. He put , it up to _resemble the drug
_gist's parcel,- for which he substituted it
:when as, we went .along. Villain—l
know it now! , Lcarried the parcel in the
right pocket of my. -overcoat, and it was
on.dual side' , he Walked!" :- ' `-- •
I was seated'iii , i - iny . .4fice`-'tin the day
= A .
precednig that fixed for the trial
indulg ..
iing in anything, but sanguine expecta
tions, when a tap at the door announced,
a visitor. It' was a detective whoin'l h a d
einiployed.
"What is - it:?" I. enquired, after closing
the door.
4g.[ made an' arrest to day, be answer
ed; "and ii the - prisoner's possession found
this overcoat," undoing a paCkage he hid
brought.
"WeliT" 4
"In one of the pockets, I found this;"
and he handtti me: a small ctrl, n hick
I opened.
Inside wre three papers folded
druggists put up their prescriptions. I 1
"The person with whom
,I found tin's
coat,"- the-detective continued, "eon few's
that he stole it from a billiard-saloon, the
Owner having laid it aside while playing;
and the date he fixes corresponds with •
1.1. r. Courtney's murder. But . what is
;more important, .I , tave ascertained that
Charles Courtney is The owner of the
coal , •
,
"Let us at-once proceed to the drue.
:gist's !" I exclaimed, springing, from
chair and`sriatching up my 7 hat.
We were *soon there. ---
"Please examine that parcel," I said,
!putting it into the druggist's. hands:
He did so, carefully opening the pa era
iand inspecting their contents. They con.
Wined three white powders ,
How do they correspond with those
:you put up for Mr. Courtney,'4l in.
quired, "and. for .which others semi to
,have been so mysteriously substituted ?"
"They do not correspond at all," he
:answered; "they are the same."
"By these figures," he replied, point.
ing to theinside of , one of , the papere.
"1. had , made a calculation that day on
the sheet of paper, part' of which 1: used
in putting up the prescription brought by
Mr. Edward Horton.: The remainder I
'have preserved, not knowing but it might
become important. Here it is, and son
see how this piece aroft the figures fit it."
They did exactly ; the chain 'of evidence
'was complete! -
I need hardly tell how the trial end r ed,
Charles Courtney was called by the pros
ecution.to prove some unimportant point.
The counsel whom I had retained for the
-defence,asked him but three questions, on
cross-examination ' - .
c es
ki to
'. i ye
"Had he accompanied the prisoner
from the druggilVs ?"
"Had he lost an , overcoat that day ?'
"Wai that it?
The *shows were , very — simple, but
the e ff ect on the witness was most 're
markable.: He trembled and turned pale.
He knew his secret was out, and, that ly•
ing was useless.. He answered all three
questions in the affirmative, but in a
voice scarcely audible., Before the next
witness'Was called he slipped from !the
court and - was never heard of afterward.
With the testimony of the detective
and the druggist, not forgetting tha, of,
the thief 'who stole the overcoat, we made
short-work of what had promised to; be
"a beautiful case of circumstantial evi•
deuce." '
How Hr. Prker t'atight a Thief.
"Did I ever - tell yon how I caught a
thief once ?" , asked Mr. Parker of his
friend - Mr. Johnson, 'as he sat smokingi,
a pipe in Mr. Johnson's ,comfortable
"pace." . - ' ,
..No, tell us about it," said Mr. John- '
son; filling the glasses with - fresh ale.
"Well," said Mr. Parker, "I d6ii't mind
if I do. You see, I bought me aim •
overcoat,-and I was rather proud of it.
I hung it up in the hall 'one day, 'and
that evenin&just as I was coming into
the hall from n ner, I ; saw a chap 'get•
ting out of 'the dbor with my overcoat on.
I rushed after him, but it wean() go-'—he
got away. Next ' day. I met. that fellow
on Broadway and had 171 arrested,; but
t a
when we came into court 4 I tried to
identify that coat he had fi fty otherfel
lows there, and every blamed one of them
had a coat just like mine and I couldn't
swear to it, and the judge had to let him
go. Perhaps I wasn't mad I` 'Great gibs l'
said Vain I to be robbed with impunity?'
'Parker, old boy,' said I. to myself, ( this
will never do I' So I went right back to
the store where I got, the first coatland
and-got one exactly like it. 'Now,'. said 1,
'l'll set a trap for that young than and I'll
see if I can't identify this coat: , I baited ,
my trap with the new coat, 'and sure
enough the sneak thief came alonOind
marched off with it. I phased hitn, but the
rascal got away, and I began to wish I
hadn't been so sharp. Well, I looked for
that fellow more, than a week ;at last I
caught him I 'Young man,' said I, 'I want
that coat."
' " "There's some mistake here,'saidle: ,
"'Yes, sir, there is; said I ; 'you'y got
an honest man's coat on. "
"'Weil,' said he, bold as brass. !'l'll
go to court with you. There's a thotiz,,,
sand other coats like -this in New York.
There's no mark' on, it; you can't swear
to it.' " ,
i .
" 'We'll see' midi:" • - 1
"We went to cciiirt:
~There were the
fifty fellewit with coats like mine, as be
fore. The judge took the coat and ,ex
amined it."
" 'I find no mark,' -said he • ' can 1 yon
identify this as your' property , l i ark .
err - . :-'
",'Give me the coat:. said I. The jtidge
handed me the coat, and, taking nlyPen•
knife,
I -ripped the, seam on the shoulder ,
and tooli Ont . two small peas, 'There are
my, initials;' said.l—'l ) . P.—Peleg Pa'
ker."' . - . '
~.
" Well, I'm, d d l',' said the prisoner
"He 'Wasn't. (not just: then at least)," eon-
CludediMr... Parker, -. ": , with a benevolent
sfine; qint-lie gottwo' . .years in the pent•
tefitiery nevertheless."-,.