Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-19


the doors TO the widest She had been
right in her conjectures-the cabinet had
not been locked since Sir Allan took ont
the pistol-case.
do you find the notes, Lady Darnel,'
asked Penwern when she had been stand
ing there some minutes, examining shelves
and drawers, and secret-nominally secret
{ -receptacles at the back of the quaint old
piece Of furniture.
! No they are not here-at least | can not
/ find them"
"Do you know IL Sir Allan had taken
( the numbers of those notes."
Il think not. He only drew them from
/ the bank the day before the accident. He
! was out with the hounds early next morn
| the afternoon"
We can get the numbers from the bank,
I | dare say" said the colonel
True. But they will be Of very little
use to us. Bank-notes and diamonds are
the bread and cheese of the burglars
I trade. The thing is to find out who did
this. l have an idea that could put my
! hand upon the man-tae hero Of good
many portico robberies."
pray, what is portico robbery" asked
the colonel
Almost every cou Itry seat has a portico;
the better the house the bigger the portico,"
explained the det0 tive. Nothing easier
| to scale than a hap pdsome, classical portico
No ladder or roper or tell-tale apparatus
wanted. The burglar watches his oppor
tunity, generally finds it at dusk, when
the family are at dinner, the servants all
occupied downstairs. He scales the por-
tico-there is always at least one window
above il. He gets quickly in at the win
dow, sneaks along a corridor To my ladys
dressing room or bed-roOm-of course he
has learned the geography Of the upper
floor beforehand-finds her jewel case,
pitches II out Of the window 10 a friend or
friends below-catch as catch can-and as
quietly sneaks out Of the house, and off Ia
the nearest railway station, where friends
have gone on before with trap. IL he is
met in a corridor after the fact, there is no
property in his possession-he rushes past
q hewildered maid-servant-gets clear OF
before she can collect her SENSES
"And you think that this was a portico
robberysn said the colonel
Il know of only one mana distinguished
artist in that line-quick enough and au-
daciOus enough TO manage this business in
the time in which it was done,7 replied the
detective. Pray, Lady Darnel, how long
were you absent from this room before
yOu heard a pistol-shOtr"
"A very short time"
Five minutes
Rather more than that-nearly ten
minutes. perhaps
"Ah; the man mean could do good
deal more than ransack that cabinet in ten
minutes. After you heard the pistol shot
did you lose much time in getting to this
roOms"
Not an instant"
+And when you came in there was no
one else in the room but Sir Allant7
No one"
And you did not think of looking out of
the window after the assassin"
u thought Of nothing but my husband"
"A pity. Yet, don't suppose you would
have seen much if you had looked. Did
nobody think of examing the grounds
round the house that nights"
"No one answered Colonel Stukely
We ought to have hunted the scoundrel,
but we were all half ont of our wits. The
only thought was of Sir Allan and getting
the doctor"
so the man had his chance, and got
c!ean off He must have left the neighbor-
hood by an early train, and got back 10
London. ! dare say / shall he able to hear
something about him at the station. BY
the way, Lady Darnel do you remember
if there was any conversation about those
notes between you and Sir Allan that eve
that could have been over
heard by a person standing outside the
balcony"
Sir Allan spoke Of the notes before he
put them away
Was the window open at the time;"
Yes, there was window open"
Thank you. Lady Darnel. Idont think |
| need trouble you any more. Be kind |
enough to lock that cabinet, and keep the |
key in your possession. 1t is a good lock,
I suppose,"
1t is a Brahma lock. which Sir Allan |
had put on three years ago." said Dora.
Lady Darnel sunk into her chair by the |
hearth, the pretty parti-cOlored basket |
chair in which she had sat on many an |
evening chattering with her husband W hen |
The rest of the household had retired for |
the rest Of the night. She sat with her |
hands idle III her lap, her eyes fixed and |
fearless, lost in painful thought. Yes, the
notes were gOne-and she knew too well /
whose hands had taken them. She could |
it all now, her sons persistent
iemand for 1890 or e4OO pounds |
He had been standing ont on the balcony
by the open window, when Sir Allan
alked about the notes; he had seen where
hey were put He would have got them
from her, if he could. induced her to rob her
husband for his benefit. IL was toward
hat point he was urging when Grace's
summons called her suddenly away and
ne was left in the room with the money
within his reach. Then came the diaholi-
al temptation, an easy step from dishon-
Jrable dealing to absolute theft The man
Who had never hesitated at cheating a
'reditor became in moment the midnight
-obber. Then the surprise. the pistols
ying there fatally ready for use, shot
ired at random, perhaps, and hasty cs-
ape by the open window.
While she was thus picturing the horror
Il that night. Mr.. Penwern was out i'm the
lalcony making a further investigation.
4 box of mignonette stood in his way as
he stepped from the window to the
Il must have been in the way of
he burglar in his flight. Mr.. Penwprn
melt down and examined the flowers and
he mold under them. Yes, the man had
rodden on the mignonette; there We're
,roken stems, bruised leaves, and the
leep print Of a heel on one side of the box
a smallish heel, worn down on one side
"A fashionably made boot, but a dooced
I'D boot, said Mr.. Penwern to himself as
e studied that point in lne mold. Il
ever knew COvey TO sport anything as
habby as that Covey was always neat
bout his understanding. 4 man who has
\ get across country against time can't
ford to be slipshOd or down at the heel"
The footprint in the mignonette box
made the matter of the burglars escape a
ertainty to the mind of Mr.. Penwern.
lie went downstairs with Colonel Stukely.