An Oregon Girl: A Tale of American Life in the New WestRice, Alfred Ernest
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An Oregon Girl: A Tale of American Life in the New West
Rice, Alfred Ernest
Oregon -- Fiction; Western stories; Women pioneers -- Fiction
"Not wan bit, sor. It came out in the wash. It do be this way. Yees
see, the orficers cudn't get him to spake wan worrd an' no sweatbox or
other terror ave the force did he fear, at all, sure! So they turned
the water on him, after takin' off his clothes with the aid of two
'trustys,' and it was raymarked by the jailer that his skin do look
uncommon fair, an the hair on his limbs was a sandy color, an' not
black, like the hair on his hid, and his mustache oily black, too, so
it do."
"Artificial coloring," suggested Sam.
"Sure, that's jist phat the jailor sid, the very same worrds, although
do yees naw the color blend av his nick from the color bone up was a
beautiful bit of worrk, as nate an' natural as anything yees would
want to see."
"He is possibly an Italian artist."
"Sure, he's no Italian at all, fir the trustys soaped an' lathered an'
scrubbed all the Dago off ave him. He raysisted loike a madman, but it
was no use, and whin they held him under the shower bath his heavy
black mustache fell off onto the floor. Wan ave the trustys picked it
up and said, says he: 'By jimminy, he's no Dago at all; he's a
scoogy.' An' I say so, too, so I do. And the jailer raymarked it was
just as he expected, and then he tould them to get the scoogy into his
duds."
"I will try and get permission to see him."
Sam then entered the office, followed by Smith. They were readily
allowed to see the prisoner, and upon approaching his cell, Sam
recognized him at once, and the Sheriff wrote on the record, opposite
the name of George Golda--"Alias, Jack Shore."
An hour later Sam Harris was closeted with Detective Simms, in his
office.
"I believe the fellow who escaped from the cabin last night," said
Sam, "was Jack Shore's partner Philip Rutley, otherwise known as 'Lord
Beauchamp'."
"Why do you suspect the lord to be Philip Rutley?" inquired the
detective.
"Because they were partners in business, and inseparable chums
socially," replied Sam. "And where one was to be found, the other was
not far away."
"You say he got ten thousand dollars from the bank on your uncle's
indorsement?" inquired the detective.
"Yes," replied Sam, "and tomorrow afternoon he is to be uncle's guest
at Rosemont."
"Well, tonight my lord will attempt to leave the city, but he will
find it impracticable," remarked the detective, dryly. "I desire you
to keep strictly mum on this matter for twenty-four hours, and I
promise you positive identification of his lordship."
Later, Detective Simms, smoking a cigar, sauntered carelessly into the
"sweatbox," where Jack Shore was still confined, and dumb as a stone
statue on the question of kidnapping.
After silently looking at Jack for a time, he said with a smile: "If
you had been shrewd you would not be here. You were sold."
"Then I am either a knave or a fool?" interrogated Jack, carelessly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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