St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-06-27

Dctectiye.
foyICE HEADQUARTERS.

xOv1CE lIEhDSC All Err
"The great Detective Grumley!
Wants to see ME, does he? Well,
show him up. Ha, Mrs. Horshaw!'
he soliloquized, you've lost your
bracelet. Well zee who gets it back"
Then tall, grinl-looking man, rath-
er stylishly dressed in plain black,
with an air something between cler-
gyman and a hotel clerk, entered the
room. He looked at the wall, at the
books, at the window, and finally at
Mr. Horshaw.
"Mr. Horshaw," believe" he said,
briskly. "My card informs you who |
am. Your wife has lost a diamond
bracelet. 81 am detailed to work up
| the case"
| Mr.. Horshaw offered him q chair.
Mr.. Grumley seated himself casting q
keen glance under the library
table, as if, perchance, the thief mi sht
have got entangled between the legs
somehow.
~ suppose can sec the lady," con-
tinued he.
"Must have full description of pro-
perty and details OF loss, you know
Mrs Horshaw is out. She says the
man has a slight cast in one OF his
eyes"
Cast in one eye-good" Mr.. Grum-
ley checked that point of ON one
finger.
"And-a-I think she said his NOUS
tache was waxed'-
| "Moustache waxed-good!' Dir.
Grumley checked off finger number
| two.
"I.et me see. think he drawled his
words-had also q slight lisp, and
then his nosc-his nose, now
"Drawled - lisped -good' Mr..
Grumley exhausted his two remaining
fingers with check apiece, and then
slapped his thigh. II think [ know
the fellow, sir-well- known crook too.
Now-for the property Must know
what the bracelet looked like, you
see.'
"Ah-yes-to be sure"
Mr.. Horshaw cogitated, and Detect
i've Grumley, producing a formidable
note book, jotted down few points.
"Now-youd hardly think it, yet
though I've seen those bracelets q
hundred times-I can hardly describe
them, except that they are all spangte
and glitter. If my wife were only here
now!'
81 have it, SIR" said the detective;
"there's a mate to that lost bracelet.
If could take a sauint at it now
"Certainly." Mr.. Horshaw rose with
q smile. at takes p detective to
think of ways and means. BY looking
at one you can spot-that's the word,
isn't it?-yes, you can spot the 9TH
err"
Mr.. Grumley leaned back with a
Napoleon-like nod of approval, while
MIR. Horshaw hustled up stairs, NUT
tering to himself: "Sharp man that.
Lucky WAS at home to help him
out" He rummaged about his wife,
bureau and dressing case until he found
the object of his search. "Now,
Julia" he thought, as he returned to
the library, veil see who RECEIVERS
your bracelet"
"a very peculiar mako" said the
well-known detective, handling the ar
ticle very much as if it were q hand
cuff. every fine; too. Cad, cir, l
wonder the lady let the fellow walk
off with it, observation-disclosures are
rather
"Oh, yes, they're weak and easily
imposed upon. But wemen can help
that. If we get them out OF these
scrapes, that's all we can do"
"Precisely. Butthi bracelet now
the pattern is quite complex. Diff
cult to remember all the points-un-
less''-
The detective, scrutinizing it closely,
shook his head discouragingly.
~ see," said Mr.. Horshaw, "the po-
lice will need this one to-as l might
say-detect and verify the other
Mr.. Grumley's brow cleared instant
ly.
at will facilitate matters" he said.
"Makes the recovery almost certain,
in fact. Shall | give you a receipt-in
behalf of the a-the a force?"
"Not necessary. Detective Grum-
ley's name is an ample guarantee"
Mr.. Grumley bowed his thanks, de-
posted his bracelet in a capacious wal.
let, and rose to go,
"Come round to headquarters in the
morning, sir, he said. II have little
doubt but you will then behold, not
only the thief, but the plumber too. BY
the way"-he appeared to reflect Sc
verely-"these movements are some
times necessarily costly. In short, We
may have to use some money-not for
ourselves, understand''-this with a
grim, renunciatory air-"but to in
veigle the rascals into q trap of our
own setting-see?'
Mr.. Horshaw saw, or thought he
saw, which amounted to the same
thing pecuniarily. The pleasure OF
triumphing over Mrs. Horshaw must
not be delayed for few paltry dol
lars.
"How much?"
1.-TWO tens will do, think"
Detective Grumley slowed away two
of Mr. Horshaw's bank-notes, much ne
if they were waste paper, then took
his leave with mighty sham of offic.
ial ceremony, after which Mr.. Hor.
shaw rubbed his hands and smiled
shrewdly to himself.
v
When Mrs. Horshaw returned, her
husband rose to the height of the oc,
casion and his own dignity, thereby
impressing her with such sense OF
her own wifely weaknesses as she had
not felt since the primitive days OF
Red Wood Gulch.
"You may regard yourself as 81 shin
ing light, my dear" said he "yet how
egregiously you were imposed upon.
Grumley intimated that such verdancy
was accountableonly because you are
o woman. He's the most noted detec-
tive we have. His name alone will
lend a kind of eclat to your-a-silly
lapse of discretion"
| uAnd Won LEFT him have tha other