The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-12-16
SIR WILLI4MSaCLEW.
How He Recovered, His Stolen
Property by the Aid of q Dog.


teen miles or so from London, on the
west side, great Inconvenience and
some damage had been caused by the
bursting of a water-pipe during the
day. In especial. one room was rem
dcrcd so damp that its usual occupant,
spencer Lady Brown-Salter's lady's
maid-was compelled to change her
sleeping place. Instead of sharing one
Of the ~bouscmaid's beds she chose, with
her ladyship's permission, to make mp
n bed for herself in the small room. or
large cupboard, situated at the end of
the corridor which runs through the
whole breadth of Lehman court on the
FIRST story. IL was a room used to
store trunks and boxes in, and Spencer
placed some of these as 4 foundation
for her couch. Many of these trunks
had made the voyage to India and
back, for Col. Sir William Brown-Sal-
5er had distinguished himself not a lit
tie in John Company's service. There
had been much extra work for all the
crvants at Lehman court that day, and
it was lat. before Spencer retired to
her cupboard.
On getting into her bed she found
lcr novel couch by no means so COM
portable Hs it looked. 1t had to be re-
arranged, but on extinguishing her
candle n second time she found herself
as fan from sleep As ever While she
twisted and turned she heard the stable
clock strike two. and Immediately aft
onward she became conscious OF 4 sub
ducd sound outside her door. Remem-
boring the jokes at her expense at the
supper table about the size of her bed
chamber, it occurred to Spencer that
her fellow servants might be going to
play her d trick or indulge in some
practical joke. So she slid from her
uneasy couch, and removing the key
from the iock-she had locked herself
i'll On coming to bed-she applied her
eye to the kcyhole. The door. as we
have said, faced directly the whole
length of the corridor; about two yards
from her stood Il man, but not N of
her fellow servants; he held Il lighted
canllc in onc hand. shading it with the
other so as to east the light now here,
now there. His face was concealed by
Il mask of black Grape and he was list
ening i~ntently. a breathlesS minute
or two passed, and, as if by magic.
there were two or three other men in
the corridor, all masked in Grape, be-
hind which their eyes shonc in the cam
die CLEANS. They went and came and
consulted. noisclcss as SO many spec
tiers. In and out of the rooms, locking
l.A-- I,L,-l tl.-, $500 ,.,l.rr a.
the third story, now descending to the
basement; now the one holding and
shadowing the candle was left alone
again.
Spencer drew back from the kcyhOle
n moment, trying to think if there was
anything She could do. Sir Williams
room gave on to the corridor; he must
be murdered, thought poor Spencer, or
surely she wonld have heard some
sound, for he often sat late reading and
it was round his door that the thieves
were clustered. lie was a passionate
man and powerful, beloved by his
servants for his bounty, though feared
on account of his temper. Surely he
would have made Il fight for it, if he
had not been taken at some cruel dis
advantage. What could she do? The
alarm bell, even if she could muster
courage to try and get to it, was quite
at the other end of the house. Apply
ing her eye nee more to the kcyhOle,
she was terrified to find not only dark
ness, but in the darkness some n
breathing close to the door. Then the
handle softly brushed her check as it
was turned, and lock and hinges were
strained by the silent pressure brought
to pear upon them to such a degree
that inStinctively she drew back, ex-
pecting the door to be forced in upon
her. The door creaked rs the pressure
relaxed, and just then the stable clock
struck three.
As the minutes passed and silence
was unbroken, Spencer gathered cour-
age to look from herspying place. The
Waterman stood alone, candle in hand,
in his former place. She became stiff
and cold at her post; nothing moved
that she could see or hear, except that
the man trimmed his candle now and
then with his fingers and turned his
head watchfully from side to side, his
eyes cleaning behind his mask and
seeming now and again to fix them
selves on her lurking place. At a low
whistle from the basement he and his
light vanished together. Taking the
%precaution to stop up the keyhole,
Spencer struck steel and flint till she
obtained a light, her huddled on a few
clothes, inserted the key, turned it,
stood one minute outside in silence and
darkness, then snatching up her candle
made 4 rush for the only open door in
the corridor-it was her masters
Bound hand and foot to n chair and
gagged was Sir William. The room
was in the widest confusion-boxes, |
chests all turned upside down, |
and their contents scattered indiscrim-
on the floor. Her ladyship was
in bed, bound and gagged, toe With
fingers Spencer set to work to |
free her master. No sooner was this
accomplished than specchless and foam
ing at the mouth Sir William staggered
of the room and. to her dismay, she /!
heard him descend the stairs Having
her mistress the lady's maid
next hurried to the rooms of her fell
servants, on all of whom the keys
had been turned, after they had been
threatened with instant death if they
n sound. They were soon re-
and the men servants descended
a body to the ground floor in search
Of their master. Here everything was
in disorder. On the dining-room table
were the remains of the thieves sup
per, but Sir William, rs well as the
lcpredators, had vanished. The groom
returned from the stables with the
news that his masters favorite hunter
was missing. There was no doubt now
hat he had gone s~ingle-handed in pur-
suit of the thieves-as was indeed the
Concluding that they were from Bon
Ion and were returning thither, Sir
had saddled his hunter and
lad started without an instant's de-
save to arm himself with a couple
# pistols from the stand of arms in the
IalL When he reached the head of the
three-quarters. of a mile FROM
lie house, he dismounted to open the