Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-07-26
CAUGHT By A THREAD


Some of our fellows who have been
relating histories in your paper have
informed you how they became detect
ives. AL true, I believe; but there
was no romance in my case. took
to the police force from liking. That
being the case, and 1 being sober and
industrious, soon managed to become
a afayorite. and rose rapidly, and at last
was made sergeant, receiving, beside
my pay, what we call Intelligence
mo ey," which makes very nice adj
dit4on to our salary. So here I am,
Sergeant Fox, of the detective force,
and having introduced myself, I will
go at once into my story.
One day 1 happened to have holi-
day, and took my wife and children to
avillage beyond Hornesy where friend
of mine kept an old-fashioned public
house "a low, rambling, comfortable
place, as snug as you could wish.
My old friend gave me a hearty vel
come, and we had glorious day. The
children ran in the fields at the back
of the house, and my wife and Mrs.
Balmer- friends wife-sat in the
bar parlor, while Balmer and myself
smoked our pipes in the arbor at the
bottom of the garden.
BaImer had given us a warm wei.
come, but for all that saw there was
something the matter with both him
and his wife. For instance, when we
were at dinner and tea, noticed that
now and then they would pause in the
conversation and listen as If they
expected to hear something. Once
during the latter meal Balmer jumped
up and hurried cut of the room; but
he returned almost Immediately, and
saying quietly to his wife, "It's moth
ing, my DEAR" resumed the converse
tion as usual. This, of course, aroused
my curiosity, and I determined to
know what the matter was before I
left.
"This is fine old place, Harry" I
said, as puffed at my pipe.
YES" he said, slowly, 81 like it
very much, so does the wife. Still,
not as much as thought 1 should"
whats up now, Harry?" 1 de-
manded. 20 Why, after you had seen
this old place, you did nothing but talk
about it. and never rested till you
bought it. Yet you have only been
here some six or eight months, and you
seem tired of it. Is the trade not as
good as you expected?''
"Oh, the trade is good enough
That's not it. Look here, Charlie, you
might help me a little in this matter"
"If l can, I am at your service" 1
replied.
We'll, then, the one great fault in
this place is the want of kitchen room.
We have only small kitchen proper.
as l may call it, and a small back one
that over there, where you see the
window" he said, as he pointed with
his pipe to kind of clubhouse. 1.-THE
consequence is that we have to stow
away lot of things in the back kit
chen that ought to be in the front one
things Of value, too. W ~, almost
every night something disappears, and
hang me if I can make it out"
who have you in the house that
you suspect?"
"Not soul. l brought all my old
servants with me, and they have been
in my service for years. They are in
nocent."
Humphl AS to that 1 don't feel
quite SO certain" said I. ~ Have any
OF your female servants sweethearts ?"
"Not that l know. If they have
they never come here"
why do you not keep the door
locked-you say that it always happens
at nightP"
"We can't do that" and here Harry
Balmer went into long statement as
to the necessity that that door should
be left on the latch during the greater
part of the evening. All of these rea-
sons need not be mentioned here. Suf-
fee it to say that he proved to me that
for business purposes it had to be left
on the latch at certain times.
"I can't understand it," he con-
tinued. eve have done everything
to discover how the thieves come in
taken every precaution, but all in
vain. do believe my old woman
begins to think the house is haunted
and really it is very mysterious-veryl'
"Ghosts don't steal" said 1. "Just
come along with me and show me the
place, and I will see what can make
Of IT,"
Well, he took me to the place. and |
examined it carefully, and a queer one
1t was. Only small back kitchen.
with copper sink, and the usual uten-
sils of that sort One door opened into
the garden, and another door opened
on to dark passage, and not into the
kitchen, as is usually the case
The door of the front kitchen opened
into the other, near the end Of this
passage. which was very narrow.
There was third door at the bottom