Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-21

ASPCAC IlNu UlSl n
as completely as though it had p newer
Again and again 1 went over the
Wnole circumstances as they had been
reiatea to me. There was, l reflected.
que circumstance common to all three
OF Q the robberies, if robberies thew We're
There had been at the time some nm.
usual amount of confusion, all lendinp
opportunity for a theft to take nl,ne
without immediate detection, fTho
Dowager Lady AS diamonds had beon
stolen during her illness, or about t]r
time of her death. The Countess of r
had lost her diamonds during the ex-
element of u wedding breakfast at
an hotel. At Colonel C.'s house.
there had been a ball on the night when
the bracelet was lost. Was there anv
one, [ asked myself, who, by chance or
intention, had been present at each place
at the time Of the %robbery?: Any occa-
slonal wA.ter, for example, or servant
OF any kind? could not find that there
had been. Yet, if the thief were not one
of the household. how was it that a
stranger should in three separate in
stances fix on an establishment where
the circumstances We're favorable to a
robbery of valuable property? In two
cases there had been illness and a hasty
summoning of doctors. That led to an
other thought; vas it possible that some
experienced thief or gang of thieves had
laid themselves out to track the brough-
inns Of fashionable West End physicians,
on the chance of finding hall doors left
open and property somewhat loosely
guarded?
l had not thought of such a thing scri-
ously before: but it seemed now to be an
idea worth following up. Once moro I
resumed inquiries. Who was the doctor
summoned in the case of the Dowager
Lady a.? l easily ascortained. 1t was
one of the best known men, at that
time, in London. He and his brougham
would be familiar to every thief who
frequented West End thoroughfares: 1
next inquired ut Colonel C.'s. To nv
satisfaction, l learnt that the same doc
tor had attended in this case. s.Here,"
| said to myself, 81 begin to see day
light" Shortly aftcrward 1 made a
further discovery. The coachman who
drove the famous physician to Lady
As on the night of the accident, and to
Colonel C.'s on the night of the ball,
had only been in his employ a few
weeks; and on the date of the Earl of
+. S wedding, the man had driven the
carriage of one of the guests at the
breakfast.
The clew, I felt, was becoming strong.
The thief, l grew convinced, was a con-
federate Of the grave-faced man in spot
less black who drove the fashionable
doctor from one house Of sickness to
another. I resolved to obtain an inter-
view with the doctor, and, after cx-
planning my suspicious, plan some mode
of detecting so consummate a rascal.
Circumstances occurred to make me re-
solve to carry out my purpose without
delay.
My journey took ME to one of the
somewhat somher-looking streets that
run down to- the Thames, from the Chel-
sea side, between Chelsea bridge and
Battersea bridge. The name Gideon
West, M. D., Physician and Surgeon
inscribed on. a brass plate told me when
l had reached my destination. DR..
West, l was informed, 'was still out, late
though it was; and the time of his COM
IL llOlIlC was AlO5l ul1CCl liLlll. ! was
determined, however, not to return with
out seeing him; and, after assuring the
t~ired-looking servant that l should GER
tainly await DR.. Vests return, even if [
had to spend the night on the doorstep,
/ vas shown into the consulting-room,
where a wood-fire was still burning on
the hearth. Seating myself in an arm
chair with a high screen behind me, I
settled down to my vigil, however long
it might be.
had often noticed the house; for who
did not feel some interest in SO famous a
medical man as Gideon West? Why he
had chosen such q house | did not learn
until afterward; but l knew it was an
old-fashioncd, rambling sort of place,
with a room built on here at n time
and there at another time. Windows
had been blocked up at place, and
windows had been let in at another. In
fact, it was a house that seemed to defy
stranger to explain upon what rule, or
what want of rule, it had been S con-
structcd.
Those who first heard of Gideon West
as one of the most famous physicians in
London, asked in astoniIhment how he
live in such q misunderstanding
building. Perhaps they forgot that
even famous doctors were not born
Gideon West, when he entered
on his professional career, was anything
but famous, and he was as poor as he
we'll could be. Father and mother were
dead, brothers and sisters he had none.
An almost forgotten %god-mother had, to
his surprise, left him the old house at
Chelsea. This was about the time he
received his diploma. Tkereupon, Gid
con West married, for love, a girl with
out a penny, settled himself in his new
possession, had the b%rass-plate affixed to
the door, and awaited the patients who
were to prove his skill and make his
1t was q weary waiting; but
the young bride had unlimited trust in
her husband, and Gideon West never
for an instant lost faith in himself.
Slowly, very slowly, a small practice
upon his hands: but the struggle
that only braced Gideon West for the
battle of life proved too terrible for the
frail young wife. But there was no
complaining, no repining, no word to
tell of doubt, much less Of despair, and