THE THIEVES' LAUGH AND WHAT GAME OF IT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 92, 3 March 1862, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE THIEVES' LAUGH AND WHAT GAME OF IT.

(From. Curiosities of Crime in Edinburgh.') c One morning: a good many years ago—lß47, I think I —I was going from my house in the Cauongate to my c duties in the oflice, at"my usual hour of eight intbeia morning. I had not much on my mind on that occa- t aion. In this negative state of mind, whom should I a see coming up but a well-known personage of the i name of M'Q.uarry, with whom, though so well t known to me, 1 wished much to he even more inti- ' mate, probably with the selfish view of knowing some a of his ' secret adventures 1 It was quite natural I t should fix my eye on him, because, while I had no- r thing else to "do,* he was bent upon something. I can c always tell an unlucky thief from a lucky one—one r with " speculation in" his eye" from one without a i job in contemplation—one with full robe from one i with ernptv pockets—one who expects being scented > from one who is on the scent. Their cheerfulness is t the cause of that choerfuluess which is in me, inas-|c much as it inspires me with the wish to know the i particular transaction which makes them happy and c so many others sad, while their sadness implies that 1 I have nothing to discover. On that morning, when t M'Quarry came down the High-street, he was so I cheerful that he did not see mc. There i yam something moro than blythesoineness in i the usual clocl face, which was a sure proof ' that he had made somo other unhappy—perhaps even i Mr Blyth, whose shop ho had passed in a, kind of : half run, darting his eye inside with a kind of humerous triumph—and continuing the same exciting ■ pace, he p-issed me. His co-partner, whose name .! ckm'fc recollect, but who was quite familiar to me, was behind him some few yards. He went at tho samepace, had the same look of merriment, threw tne same darting look into the shop, passed on, an-.l overtook his friend. Though not polite to look uinn your friends, I could not resist the impulse, and 1 just coked in time to see them burst out in a pretty joyous laugh together, and away they went arm-in-arm. There was nothing wrong with Mr. Blyth's shop, so far as I could see; and, after all, what was there iv a look to interest me 1 It might have been different ij.t night, when a lounger is reconnoitering for the purpose of a bolt in or a bolt out; but, independently of its being the morning, the young men were off with merely a laugh on their cheek. Yes, but I was sa tisfied ef one thing, and that was, that some game of draughts had been played in that shop the previous nights. "Ah!" thought I "little fishes when too happy with the light of the sun on~ the top of the waters, (ret tipsy, then topsy-turvy, and, turning up their white bellies so as to be seen by the pulls, get both picked up and gobbled up." With these thoughts I proceeded up High^street, and entered the ofiice. The Captain was already there, with a gentleman standing by him—no other than Jlr, Blyth, whose shop had'so occupied my attention in my walk. " Oh, Mr. Levy, you're just in time," snid the Captain. " Here is Mr. Blyth with information that his shop had been broken into lust night, and a great quantity of silks carried off. Call up some of the best searchers, and distribute them in the course of the day among the brokers. But we can expect nothing "for a day or two—until the robbers beam to 'give out.'" " There's no occasion for calling in any ofthe men," said I; " neither is there any occasion'for troubling the brokers. I know who tlie robbers arp, and will have them up in a couple of hours. Nay, if you wait, I will bring them to you."

" What," cried the astounded silk m<wr. " already. You're sure'v jnkinsr. Have you been up all night '!" " No; in bed all night, sleeping as sound as a bat in winter." " Then some policemen has been on the look-out and told you." "I have not spoken 'to a policeman 10-day vet." ''Then how, in the name of wonder, have vougoi it?" "JustthrouffhtJiemcansufalaugh," I ivpi'ii'd, laughing myself. ''"Why, you arc making a joke of mv loss of a hundred guineas." "A laugh ' is' not quite so useless a thing-' as you imagine." f " Well, no doubt, you're famous in your way, but I ; fear it won't do to apprehend a man for a laugh." " I've done it for a breath," said I, " merely because lit told me there was some fear in the breather of his | breath heinar interrupted hy a certain kindofhand- | kerchief which you don't deal iv. Sit down and keep ■ i yourself easy." I accordingly set to my task, going 'direct to M'Quairy's mother," in Hume's close—my j assistant, as usual," with me. I opened the door and ' ] weut in just as his mother was giving him his brcakjfiist. '* You didn't notice me this morning, ::M-'Qiiarrv, when you passed me at Blyth's door," ysaidl. The word"Biyth struck him to the heart, j"Biyth, who is Mr. B'lyth?" said the mother, as she . looked into her son's pale face, her own being nearly the same colour. " Why, bless you, don't you know the man you bought these silks of, up in that hole there?" pointing "to the likeliest place at the same moment that I observed something like a fringe hanging out fmm tho crevice made by the shrunk door. "There's nae silk there," said tlie' mother. "All a lie," growled the son. "There's no use of any words about that," said I, placing a chair and mounting:. On opening the door of the old cupboard sunk in the wall, there was Mr. Blyth's scarfs, neckcloths, aud ribbons, all stuffed in,' except that hit of fringe which had claimed my eye, and convinced me more and more that the devil" has a halt, but at that very moment tlio door of the room burst open, overturning the chair on wliich I stood, aud hiving me sprawling on my back, confounded but still able enough to hear the words of the intruder. "Run, M'Quarry: ?vl 'Levy's in the close 1" "Yes, and hero," I cried, staring up and seizing the speaker, jiut as ho had got alarmed ; no other but my friend whose laugh, along with il'Quarry's, so delighted me in the moriiing. " "The laugh's on the other side now." said I. The fellow .struggled, but ha was only a sapling ; and as M'Quarry saw there was two to one, lie started upon his feet and laid hold of inc. by the throat. I instantly changed hands, seizing the younger and weaker with my left, and, using the other against M'Quarry, pulled away his right, at the same time getting hold of his neckcloth, which I pulled so tight that he instantly became red in the face. I was afraid of the mother, who still held the knife in her haud with which she had been cutting the bread for her son's breakfast; but the sight of her choking son produced such an effect upon her that she set up a scream sufficient to reach the head oi the close. The sound had been heard by Mulliolland, who, hastening up, relieved me of one of my opponents. "We give in," said M'Quarry, as he gasped for breath. "Now, Mr. Blyth, here arc your silks and the robbers," said I, as the prisoners were brought to the mercery ; "it is not two hours yet, and as this affair began with a laugh, I wish to terminate with one." A wish complied with on the instant by every oue except the culprits.