Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-03-08
CLOSE YOUR SHUTTERS.


library fire. My sister and nieces had
gone to a party, and the servants had
retired, the kitchen being, IS is gener-
ally the case at the South, a building
detached from the house.
l had been very busy settling some
household and other accounts, and
counting money just collected, to be
next day deposited in bank. Having
nov concluded this business, I put
away my books and papers, carefully
locked the money in a private drawer
OF my secretary; then, producing a de-
canter and little brass kettle, presently
was calmly imbibing a steaming bever-
age of sugar, lemon-juice, water and
one or two other Ingredients sover-
eign~remedy against cold. Not that I
was rs yet affected with that complaint;
but | am Il believer in the adage that
"an ounce of preventive is worth a
pound of cure" ... 81.
was just falling into g. state of luxu-
rious d~rowsiness, when a slight noise
at my window aroused me. / listened,
and the sound was repeated. The Ii
brary, l may observe, was on the first
parlor-foor of the house, and the Win
dow was about eight feet from the
pavement.
Rising, L opened the window and saw
two figures standing on the portico of
the adjoining house, which, by-the-by,
had been for some time u~noccupied.
The dim light of the nearest street-lamp
showed one of these men muffied in a
great coat, whilst from beneath the
loose cloak of the other | caught a
CLEAN of the belt and buttons of a po-
liceman's uniform.
81 want to speak to you,'' said the
latter, leaning forward and speaking in
low voice. t"I am Officer Perrin of the
Third District. Open the door, but do
it with as little noise as possible"
l obeyed, and found the two men
standing on the threshold. Officer Per-
rim, as | confronted him, looked not at
me, but beyond me, over my shoulder,
into the farthtSt recesses of the hall, as
though %searchin4 for someone. Then,
with a silent salute, he entered, follow
ed-rather reluctantly, it seemed-by
the other man, and both tiptOed noise
.lessly across the hall into the library.
But first, to my surprise, the policeman,
on my turning the key in the door, had
tried the bolt, and, removing the key,
silently handed it to me.
In the library Perrin turned to me.
"You are Mr.. Saunders, | presume"
he said in the same low voice as before,
whilst he carefully shook the rain-drops
from his oil-skin cap.
eyes"
"Have you, or has n of the house
hold, admitted any person at the 'front.'
door within the last quarter of an
hour?"
"No; l am alone in the house. No
one has entered but yourselves"
The two exchanged chances and sig
nificant mods.
"Then," resumed Perrin impressive
ly, 81 have to inform y~ou-don't be
startled or make any exclamation
that there is probably at this moment
a burglar in the house"
ga burg -"
He checked me with a motion of his
finger, and at the same time turned his
a in a listening attitude towards the
door of the di ing-room, adjoining.
"What is thatP"
told him. He turned on a full blaze
of gas, went t the door, drawing a
pistol as he did so, listened a moment
or two, then, opening the door wide,
gazed around with keen, searching
eyes.
''Is the farthest door locked? And
those closets?"
| believed so; but he proceeded to in
vestigate for himself, still holding the
cooked pistol in his hand, and said, as
he nodded towards the plate on the
cloSet-Shelges:
cit is here that they will naturally
try. No doubt it is this that they are
after, unless you have other v~aluables
in the house."
"Nothing, except the ladies' jew
elry."
"That is up stairs, I suppose? We
will first search this floor thoroughly,
and then proceed above"
"But,'' said l a little ~nervously,
"what leads you to suppose that there
are burglars in the house?'
CT was coming up Foushee Street
lust now-not on duty tonight, you see
when | met this gentleman here, Mr..
- h?"
observation-disclosures Goodman-Bel-
WINS furniture factory" said the man
in the great coat, speaking for the first
time.
"Ah! He stopped me, and said he
had Just seen something snspicious-a
man standing in the portico of the
next house here, leaning over and
-stealthily looking in at a lighted win
dow, you see."
"Good ~gracious!" said [, remember
ing the money [ had been co inting.
"That led me to watching him" said
Goodman, taking up the narrative. 81
stepped into a dark doorway, and saw
him come down and 60 up the front
steps of the house. He stood there a
considerable time, now and then stoop-
ing down, as if doing something to the
lock. Then the door opened and he
went in"
"But the door was locked on the in
side," l said.
The policeman shrugged his shout
4ders. "Not much of an obstacle OF