Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-01-04
SIR WILLIAMS CLEW.
How He Recovered His Stolen
Property by tho Aid of n Dog.

trOSt OF three weeks duration. At
Lehman court, n mansion situated ~.
teen miles or SO from London, ON the
west side, great Inconvenience and
some damage had been caused by the
bursting " n watcr-pipe during the
day. In especial, one room wqs rem.
dcred so damp that its usual occupant.
spencer Lady Brown Saltcr's ladv's
mail-was compelled to change her
sleeping place. Instead of sharing one
.. the houscmnid's beds she chose, with
her luuy>hip's permission, to make mp
u bed for herscf in the small room, or
largo cupboard, situated ut the end ut
the corridor which runs through the
whole breadth of Lehman court ON the
first story. II was u room used To
store trunks and boxes in, and Spencer
placed some Of these as Il Foundation
Tor har couch. Many Of these trunks
Hll made the voyage u India and
buck, for Col. Sir William Brown.Sal-
trr had distinguished himself not lit
tie in John Company's service. There
hs been much extra work for all the
..ryNuti It Lehman court that day, aud
B.. was lat before Spencer retired to
hcr cupboard.
on getting into her bed She found
d." novel clu,h By no means 50 COM
i,r,.bls 90, it looked, II had to Ice re-
49rga nl, bu. on distinguishing her
e,4 n Il second time she found herself
us %" iru.n sleep as ever. While she
,9.,.tsl aui tarael she heard the stable
C.a 3. s,ri,' Two. and Immediately att
.'s..ri %" became cor ,si1u3 ui "a suO-
at.l H1aa outside her door. Evmcu-
,..i.r the j1lc5 at ncr cSuouso ut the
s.rp.: table about tLc $40 81 her bed
chamber it occurred 10 spencer that
t.y fellow servants might Doe going TO
play her q trick or ilDu. tr iu some
practical joke. So shc slid from her
uneasy couch, and removing the key
from the locl,-shc had Locked herself
Ia 90 coming u bCd-shc applied ncr
cv, TO the kcyholc. The door. us we
have said, faced directly tine whole
length of the corridor; about two yards
from her stood a man, but not one Of
her fellow servants; he held II lighted
candle in one hand. shading 1t with the
other 80 Us to cas-. the light now here,
now there. His face was concealed by
II mask OF bac., Grape and he wa, list
oniuR intcntly A GREATNESS minute
or two passed, and, as II by magic.
there were two or three other men in
the corridor, all masked in Grape, be-
hind which their eyes shonc in the can
die CLEANS. They went and camo and
consulted, noiselcss as SO many spec.
ters. In aud out Of the rooms locking
doors behind theta, now ascending to
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 lSeyholc
moment, trying to thin, II there was
anything she could do. Sir william :
room gave on to the corridor; he mus,
Dc murdered, thought poor Spencer, or
surely she would have heard some
sound, for he often sat late reading and
it was round his door that the thieves
were clustered. lie was passionate
man and powerful, beloved by his
servants for his bounty, though feared
on account OF his temper Surely he
would have made fight for it, II 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 aud get to 1t, was qditc
at the other end OF the house. apply
ing her eye once more to the keynote
she was terrified 10 find hot only darA-
ness, but in the darkness some onc
breathing close - the door Then the
handle softly brushed her check a. IL
was turned, aud lock aud hinges were
strained by the silent pressure bruughv
10 bear upon them 10 such a degree
that instinctivcly she drew bach, cX-
pccting the door 10 he forced in upon
her. The door crcakcl as 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 her spying 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 10 fix them
selves on her lurking place. At "A low
whistle from the basement lac and his
light vanished together Taking tho
precaution 10 stop up the kcyholc,
Spencer struck steel and flint till she
obtained light, then huddlcd on n few
clothes, inserted the key, turned it,
stood one minute outside in silence and
darkness, then snatching up her candle
made a rush for the only open door in
the corridor-it was her masters
Bound hand and foot to chair and
gagged was Sir William. The room
was in the widest confusion boNc,,
Baskets, chests all turned upside down,
and their contents scattered indiscrim.
inately or the floor Her ladyship was
in bed, bound and ragged, too. WIN
nimblc fingers Spencer rct 10 work 20
free her master No sooner was Tho
accomplished than speccui'ss uul innIn
ing at the mouth Sir william staggered
out OF the room and, TO her diam.y, sHn
heard him descend the stairs Having
released her mistress the lady's ung.I
next hurried % the room, Of her .rl-
low servants, on all - whom the keys
had been turned, after they bah boon
threatened with instant death II iu,y
uttered a sound. They ". ne soon r'-
leased AMI the men servants descended
In n body 10 the ground floor IN search
Of tIisIr inastAr. iIsre "vSrytGL4a Wa