The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1893-03-28


AS we left the room together no
ticed that The window was open and
called Mr.. Burt's attention to the
fact.
,.Oh. yes" he said. I like fresh
air. Ialways keep tho window open.
see what You are thinking about,
but it is moral impossibility for any
one to enter unseen that way. It
could only be done by means of a
ladder eighty feet long placed in the
center of Il crowded alley below. See
for yourself.
It was tue enough. The wall of
the lofty building ran sheer down
into sort of alley or courtyard
through which was public thor
oughfaTe tecming with business men
taking advantage of the short cut,
A ladder placed there would have
created an obstruction that would
have been promptly resented So
we went our several ways, firm in
the conviction that the room was
unassailable except through the door
way.
At o'clock returned to Queen
Victoria street and found Mr.. Burt
waiting for me in the outer Office. On
passing through the anteroom on our
way to the private sanctum / noticed
that Mr. johnson was absent, and
learned that he had gone out to the
bank on his principals return from
the meeting. In the private room
everything was as we had left it, and
there was no apparent trace of any
intrusion. But one glance at the
shutter of my camera told me a diff
ferent story. Turning to Mr.. Burt /
said:
Your drawer has been opened
during your absence. 1t is only a
question of time now You will know
all about it in Il day or two"
Taking the camera / went back to
my Office and repaired to my dark
room. will not say that felt any
positive certainty as to whose face
should discover on the negative,
but | will confess that l should not
have been surprised at seeing certain
features present themselves in the
process of development
What was my astonishment, then,
to note aus soon as the details of the
picture began to show up that no
living figure had been present in Mr.
Bur't's room at all. The desk came
gradually i.lto view; the outline of
the chair showed itself; and, yes. the
drawer was undoubtedly open, but
the tamperer was not there. Yet
stayl AS developments progressed
minute objects began to be visible,
and faint line running from the
drawer out through the window
caught my eye. Clearer and clearer
it grew, TIL at any rate the method
of the mystery was revealed. The
draw end been opened from the out
side with the aid of long bamboo
rod. Whose hand had guided it,
foothold7
The next morning was early at
the offices of Burt q Go. The finan-
cier greeted me effusively, the more
so when informed him that we
were on the eve of a discovery. ALI
asked was to be allowed to give my
o'clock" another trial that afternoon.
Permission accorded, set the ap-
paratus so as to focus small window
high up in building which formed
right angle with the wall of Mr..
Burt's private room Judging by
the direction that the rod took in the
photograph. this was the position
whence it had been manipulated, and
had already ascertained that there
was something queer" about the
firm which occupied the one room
Office next door, as related in The
Million.
1t was o'clock when 1 reached
Sydenham. Instead of finding the
millionaire seated comfortably at
dessert, as l had expected, he met
me looking flushed and angry in the
hall
"Colne in here, Zambra,'' y he said,
leading me into the dining room.
'You may as well tell me all about
it, though 1 have a worse worry on
my mind now Stay, though. Be-
fore you tell me anything about that
little business, just read that. may
want to put you on the track of the
villain" "
He placed letter in my hands
and read as follows, after noting
that the date was of the same day:
DEAR PAPA-AIr. Solvyn and were married
this afternoon You sec he has made so much
money lately thai he afford it. 1 told yon
there was lot In thought reading. Hoping
that you will forgive us, am your a1Tectionate
daughter. TRTSrE SoLyYN.
Money!" exclaimed the enraged
father as I finished. 1.-The penniless
loaferl 1 don't believe word of it.
How can he have made money!"
Perhaps these two pictures viii
help you to form an opinion, y 1 said,
throwing down two photographs on
the table. They show how and by
whom your private information has
been pilfered. :"
The first picture have already de
scribed. The second portrayed Miss
Trixie Burt at the other end of the
rod, apparently engaged in fishing
from top floor window. For mo
ment did not know how he was go
ing to take it. His face worked and
twitched so that it was impossible to
say whether he would laugh or cry.
1t was evident, however, that the
whole situation was clear to him.
Finally he threw the picture on one
side with a laugh that shook the