Show y t. rt THE DETECTIVE We were five passengers passengers in all two all two ladies adles on the back seat a middle-aged middle gentleman and a Quaker on t tho middle middle middle mid mid- dle and myself on the one In front The two ladies ladles might have been mother and daughter aunt and niece governess and charge or might have sustained any other relationship which made It proper for two ladies ladles to travel together unattended The middle-aged middle gentleman was sprightly and talkative He soon struck up an acquaintance with the ladies ladles toward whom whom In his zeal to do he rather overdid the agreeable agreeable- bowing and smiling and chatting over his shoulder in a way painfully suggestive suggestive suggestive sug sug- at his time of life of a crick in the neck He was evidently a gay Lothario The Quaker wore the uniform uniform of his sect and confined his speech as many manya a parliamentarian would save his credit cred cred- it by doing to simple yeas and nays As for myself I make it an Invariable rule of the road to be merely merely merely mere mere- ly a on looker-on and listener Toward evening I waS was aroused from one of those reveries into which ayoung a ayoung ayoung young man without being either a poet or or a a. lover will sometimes fall by the abrupt query from the talkative gentleman gentleman gentleman gen gen- Are you armed sir I 1 am not I answered astonished no doubt visibly at the question I am sorry to hear it he replied for before reaching our next stopping slopping plans it will be several hours in the night and we must pass over a portion portion portion por por- tion of the road in which more than one robbery is reported to have been committed The ladies turned pale but the stranger did his best to them Not that I think there is the slightest slightest slightest slight slight- est est danger at present he resumed only when one is responsible for tor the safety of ladies ladles you know such a thing as a pistol in reach would materially aid to ones one's confidence Your principles my friend addressed addressed addressed ad ad- dressed the Quaker I 1 presume are as much opposed to carrying as to using carnal weapons Yea was the response Have the villains murdered any of their victims the elderly lady nervously nervously nervously nerv nerv- inquired Or have they contented themselves s with with plundering with plundering ring them add added d the younger In a timorous voice Decidedly the latter the amiable gentleman hastened to give assurance and as we are none of us prepared to offer resistance in case of ot attack nothing worse than robbery can possibly possibly bly befall us Then after blaming his thoughtlessness thoughtless thoughtless- ness in having unnecessarily introduced ed a disagreeable subject the gentleman gentleman gentleman gentle gentle- man quite excelled himself In efforts to raise the spirits of ot the company and had succeeded so well by the time I night set in that all had quite forgotten forgot forgot- forgotten forgot forgot- ten len or only remembered their fears to toI laugh at them I Our genial companion fairly talked himself hoars-e. hoars Perceiving which he STOP EXCLAIMED THE QUAKER ok from his pocket a package of a newly Invented cough candy and ani after passing it first to the ladies ladles he helped himself to the balance and tossed tossed tossed toss toss- ed the paper out of ot the window He was in the midst of a high encomium encomium encomium ium on the new nostrum more than half the efficacy of ot which he insisted depended on Its being taken by suction suction suc suc- tion lion when a shrill whistle was heard and and almost immediately the coach stopped while two faces hideously blacked presented themselves one ODe at each window Sorry to trouble you said the man manon manon manon on the right acknowledging with a a. a bow two like lady-like screams from the back seat but business Is business and ours will soon be over if things go smoothly Of course gentlemen you will spare as far as may be consistent with your disagreeable duty the feelings of these ladies appealed the polite passenger In his blandest manner Oh 01 certainly they shall be first attended attended at at- tended to and shall not be required to leave their places or to submit to a n search Bearch unless their conduct renders It necessary And now ladies ladles continued the robber robber robber rob rob- ber the barrel of his pistol glittering i ithe inthe In Inthe the light of ot the coach lamp be so good as t to pass out your purses watches and such trinkets as may be accessible without too much trouble The ladies ladles came down handsomely and were not further molested One by one the rest of us were 1 N o 1 I compelled to get out tb the tha middle-aged middle gentleman's turn coming first He submitted with a winning grace anti ana was robbed like a very Chesterfield My own affair like the sum I lost Is s scarcely worth mentioning The Quakers Quaker's Quakers Quaker's Quakers Quaker's ers er's turn came next He quietly handed handed handed hand hand- ed over his pocketbook and watch and when asked If he had any other valuables valuables valuables bles said Nay A Quakers Quaker's word Is good even ven among thieves so after atter a hasty good night the robber thrust his pistol Into his pocket and with his tw two companions ono one of ot whom had held the reins of ot the leaders was about taking his depar depar- ture Stop exclaimed the Quaker In atone atone a atone tone more more of command than of request Stop What for returned the theother theother theother other In evident surprise For at least two good reasons was the reply emphasized with a couple of ot Derringers cocked and presented Help l shouted the robber Stop the Quaker again exclaimed And if one of thy sinful companions advances a step to thy relief the spirit will surely move me to blow thy brains out The robber at the tIte opposite window and the one at the leaders' leaders heads head thought it a good time to leave Now get In friend said the Quaker er still covering the man and take the middle seat but first deliver up thy pistol The other hesitated Thee Theo had better not delay I feel the spirit beginning to m move ve my right forefinger The robber did as he was directed and the Quaker took his place by his side giving the newcomer the middle of the seat The driver who was frightened half out of his wits now set forward at a rapid rate The lively gentleman soon recovered his vivacity He was especially especially especially espe espe- facetious on the Quakers Quaker's prowess You are a rum Quaker you are Why you dont don't quake worth a cent Im not a Shaking Quaker if it that's what thee means Of the Hickory or rather of ot the theOld theOld theOld Old Hickory stripe I should say re retorted retorted retorted re- re the lively man but the Quaker relapsing into his usual monosyllables the conversation flagged Time sped and sooner than we expected expected ex ex- petted the coach stopped where we were to have supper and a change of ot horses We had deferred a redistribution redistribution redistribution of ot our our effects till we should reach this place as the dim light of the coach lamp would have rendered the process somewhat difficult before It was now necessary however that it should be attended to at once as our jovial companion had previously announced announced announced an an- his intention of ot leaving us at this point He proposed a postponement postponement postponement postpone postpone- postpone postpone- ment till after supper which he offered offered offered offer offer- ed to go and order Nay urged the Quaker with an approach to abruptness and laying his hand on the others other's arm business before pleasure and for business there is no time like the present Will thee be good enough to search the prisoner he said to me still keeping leeping his hand in a friendly way on the passengers passenger's arm I did so but not one of ot the stolen articles could be found He must have gotten rid of ot them In Inthe inthe the coach the gay gentleman suggested suggested suggested sug sug- and immediately offered to go and search Stop thundered the Quaker tightening tightening tightening tight tight- ening his grasp grasp The man turned p pale le and struggled to release his arm In an Instant one of the Derringers was leveled at his heart Stir SUr a hand or foot toot and youre you're a dead man The Quaker must have been awfully excited so completely to forget torget both the the language and the principles of his persuasion Placing the other pistol in my hand with directions to fire tIre on the first of ot the two men that made a suspicious movement he went to work on Lothario Lothario Lothario Lo Lo- from whose pockets in less time than it takes to tell it he produced produced produced pro pro- every item of ot the missing property property property prop prop- erty to the utter amazement of ot the two ladies ladles who had begun in no measured measured measured meas meas- terms to remonstrate against the shameful treatment the gentleman was receiving The Quaker I need scarcely add was no Quaker at all but a shrewd detective detective detective detec detec- tive who had been set on the track ofa or of ora a band of ot desperadoes of whom our middle-aged middle friend friend who who didn't look nearly so middle-aged middle when his wig was off was off was the chief The robbery had been adroitly pl planned leader of the gang had taken passage in the tIle coach and after learning as he supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed our defenseless condition had had given the signal to his companions by throwing out the scrap of paper already already already al al- al- al ready mentioned After Atter the ed capture of the first robber it was S attempted to save the booty by secretly secret secret- ly passing it to the accomplice still believed to be unsuspected who counted counted counted count count- ed on being able to make off orr- with off with It at the next stopping place Ilace The result was that both for tor a a. season season sea sea- son Bon did the state some slime service New York Dally Daily News |