The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-07-25

sinister plot. Very possibly she was its
originator.
1t gave me intense anxiety to decide
upon my next step. A daring suggestion
few to my brain, but dismissed it, not so
mnch as impracticable as useless. It was
to lock the two thieves in. This was pos
sible, if managed with adroitness, for the
key cast shadow on the polished floor.
Mrs. Climber had locked the door of papas
room with hypocritical care, as we retired
that night, saying that housemaids were
curious, and had been known to walk in
their sleep, and that it was not well to trust
them to excess. And now the adventures
had left the key on the outside. But what
would the counter-move avail? There
were villains below making away with the
plate; had heard them; they would come
to the rescue, and had no means of sue
cessfully following up the temporary ad-
vantage. Yet my fingers itched to drag
to that door and imprison my foes.
Clang clatter all our bells seemed to
be ringing at once, and Mrs. Climbers
precious confederates would not have given
the alarm; it must mean for them inter-
ruption and discontinue. And in a trice
l had acted on my wild idea. The great
oak door was fast-fast had the key,
and with it fled to my own room. There
| covered as children do under the bed
clothes, and suffered paroxysm after parox-
ysm of helpless, abject terror. Every yes
tige of bravery, deliberate or fortuitous,
had forsaken me. But Twas not molested.
What happened on the other side of my
fortress can be simply and succinctly re-
lated in the words with which on the
morrow our friend and benefactor, Mr..
Lidlaw, enlighted papa. twill be needful
to resume from the point of his recognition
of Mrs. Climbers handwriting when chat
ting in our drawing-room.
"You see, am an expert in these mat
ters," he said. Probably you may have
seen my name in the newspapers in con-
nection with some trial, civil or criminal,
in which the Identification of handwriting
has formed a leading feature in the pro-
ceeding?"
81 have" papa answered.
"Exactly. And two months ago l had
to make a professional study of various
documents and signatures in north coun-
try case of systematic and longcontinued
fraud. am prepared to swear that the
specimen of Mrs. Climbers, alias Mrs.
Cleggs, hand, shown me by your son, is
the fac simile of large number of those
forged papers. The writer is the same
And now that l have seen her-she had
most valid reason for keeping in the back
ground yesterday evening" recognize the
woman, too. She only escaped long
term of penal servitude through the plea
that she was her husbands tool. And an
other thing made me startled and suspi-
ciOus. 1t was this At Daleford a man
left the same train, whom l identified in
spite of his wrappings as the brother of the
condemned Long Firm swindler who stood
in the dock with Mrs. Clegg. He'll soon
follow him into convict cell. He was
involved in the Manchester case though
there was flaw in the evidence, and he
eluded the grasp Of justice"
"But Mrs. Climbers testimonials they
were most excellent" murmured papa
"Forged, my dear sir; | entertain no
doubt of it, replied Mr. Lidlaw. "These
people saw your advertisement, and appli-
cation and references were all parts of
rather Il clever plant But the female
trickster carried her daring step too far
and will pay the penalty. When l was
confronted with that cOuplet, in the hand
[ had so much reason to know, | got an
inkling of the game that was on foot.
And instead Of going on to Walnsey Cross
| returned to Daleford and interviwed
sergeant of police. 1t seemed that he was
in possession of an official warning that
tended in the like direction of watchfulness.
We both had suspicion that you might
have been lured out of the way by bogus
message"
"No; there was no stratagem there, put
in my father
"Then events conspired so far with the
gang of rogues. Well, we came up to the
Manor to make sure that all was right,
and we found an open window and moving
lights. Wewere five in number and armed
The sergeant and two of his men entered
by the same road as the burglars, and at a
signal from the officer | aroused the house
hold. One thief was taken in the act of
selecting the choicest specimens of your
old-fashioned silver; and to our infinite be-
wilderment we discovered later that your
clever housekeeper and second confeder-
ate were caught like rats in trap. That
was the work of Miss Maggie here As
soon as we learned this, we applied to the
young lady, got the key, and entered. We
were only just in time to thwart an attempt
to escape by the window. But for the
height and the awkwardness of the descent
the man at least would have escaped. But
the three are in Siston jail
"And have to thank you, said papa,
'for the protection of my property, Mr..
Lidlaw; am sincerely grateful"
"And [ am glad to have been of service"
answered our friend.
My story is almost at its close One
point which was cleared up at the trial at
Siston assizes was that of the choice of the
occasion for the attempt 1t came out that
a fictitious letter had been compiled which
would equally have taken papa from home
that stormy February night; but this part
Of the scheme was rendered superfuous by
the genial message of Sir Hugo Ferris, and
the resolve to which papa subsequently
came.
Mrs. Climbcr-boasting many other
names equally convenient for month or
year-was this time punished by heavy
sentence, her two associates being treated
with the like severity
Val believes still more than ever in
graphiOlOgy.
We lost housekeeper, but gained a
permanent friend. Mr.. Lidlaw comes now
as frequently to Walnsey as to Walnsey
Gross. And may not confess that there
is more behind? I have special reason to
remember with thankfulness the deliver
4 q