Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-09-13
The Stury Teller.
CAUGHT BY A THREAD,
AN ENGLISH DETECTIVES STORY.

AN ENGLISH DETECTIVES STORY.
Some of our fellows who have been relat
ing histories in your paper have informed
YOU how they became detectives. All true,
+ believe; but there was no romance In my
case. took to the police force from liking.
That being the case, and being sober and
industrious, i soon managed to become a
favorite, and rose rapidly, and at last was
made sergeant, receiving, beside my pay,
what we call Intelligence money" which
makes a very nice addition to our salary.
So here am, Sergeant Fox, of the detec-
tive force, and having introduced myself,
will 60 at once into my story.
and took nv Wife and children to village
beyond Hornsey where a friend OF mine
kept an old-fashioned public-house- "a low,
rambling, comfortable place, as snug as you
could wish.
NY old friend gave me hearty welcome,
and we had glorious day. The children
ran i'm the fields at the back of the house,
and my wife and Mrs. Balmer-my friends
wife-sat in the bar parlor, while Balmer
and myself smoked our pipes in the arbor
at the bottom of the garden.
Balmer had given us warm welcome,
but for all that saw there was something
the matter with both him and his wife.
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 out of the room but he return
ed almost Immediately, and saying quietly
to his wife, "It's nothing, my DEAR" re-
sumed the conversation as usual. This, OF
course, aroused my curiosity, and deter
mined to know what the matter was before
left.
'sThis is fine old place, Harry" 1 said,
as | putfed at my pipe: g, ,;,-o :. ou,,
much, so does the wife. Still, not as much
ash thought / should"
"What's up now, Harry?" l demanded.
'Why, after you had seen this old place,
YOU did nothing but talk about 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"
ooh, the trade is good enough. That's
not it, Look here, Charlie, you might help
me little in this matter"
eff / can, | am at your SERVICE" L re-
piled.
"Well, 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 small back one-that over
there, where you see the window" he said,
as he pointed to kind Of outhouse. "The
consequence is that we have to stow away
a lot of things in the back kitchen that
ought to be in the front One-things of value
too. Well, almost every night something
disappears, and hang me if l can make II
out"
"Who have you in the house that you
suspect" suspect )" con-, ,roucn+ 81, nv old ser.
wants with me, and they have been in my
service for years. They are innocent"
"Humph! AS to that l don't feel quite
so certain" said l. 'Have any of your fe
male servants SWeetheartS?"
''Not that 1 know. If they have they
don't come here"
'Why do you not keep the door locke ed
YOU say that it always happens at nigh" ~
eve can't do that" and here Harry Bal
mer went into long statement as to the
necessity that that door should be LETT on the
latch during the greater part of the evening
All OF these reasons need not be mentioned
here. Suffice it to say that he proved to me
that for business purposes it had to be le1
on the latch at certain times.
81 can't understand it, he continued
"We have done everything to discover how
the thieves come in-taken every precau
ton, but all in vain. l do believe my OH
woman begins to think the house is haunt
ed, and really it is very mysterious-very!
'sGhosts don't steal" said /. "JuSt come
along with me and show me the place, and
Twill see what can make of it,"
Well, he took me to the place, and l eX
amined it carefully, and queer one it was
Only small back kitchen, with a copper
sink, and the utensilsof that sort. One dool
opened into the garden, and another doo
opened on to dark passage, and not int
tho front Kitchen aS is usually the case The
door of the front kitchen opened int
the other, near the end of this passage
which was very narrow. There was {
third door at the bottom of the passage
which opened into the bar. There wa
nothing to guide me there; so | walked
into the garden and examined it.
1t was pleasant little place enough; per
fectly country, having no wall round it
and only a low paling, over which any on
could leap. Then | looked at the country
which consisted Of beautiful fields, through
which ran the New river, which, indeed
came right under Harry'S house, just at tn
back. l saw at once that II a man came II
the house to steal things he would have t.
cross the river by bridge some quarter O
amile up which led into a bylane slantin|
down to the main road close to the cOrne
of fhe Jolly Farmers, as / will call Henry
inn.
"Well. what do you make out of it :?
demanded Harry, who had been Watchin,
me closely. ~
"I can't make it out" l said. "Jus
make Il written statement OF the facts an
give it to me. I'll lay it down before m
chief and ask him to send a man down t
watch the case. But mind you, do not le
any one know that you have told me-nC
exen Mrs. Balmer. Women cannot kee
coorotc . itc not their nature to dO so, Pei