Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-04-01
HIS NEW YEARS CALL.

Tom Burnham relaxation. The
Winter evenings sun had set drear
lily, and in the last rays of the
fading daylight a pile of "copy'
was to be seen on his battered desk.
He was not in the humor to attack
it. The Egerton safe-robbery, the
most mysterious affair within his
experience, aud which had baffied
all the detectives in town, as well
as hiss two sharpest reporters, was
sssists~stfsubiing -hias AfT@< Brrn.
ham bad worked out-scveral leoal
sensations of obscure character, and
had won almost a national reputa-
tion for cleverness; but this Eyer
ton affair was more enigmatical
than ever. There was not clue.
He knew how the authorities, who
were in a sort his rivals in this kind
of disentanglement, were laughing
at his failure, and he was intensely
annoyed.
The story was a very simple one.
About fortnight ago large pack
age of money bad been taken from
the safe of Egerton & Co., the su-
gar merchants. 1t was clearly not
a burglary, because the safe was
found intact. The old clerk, Jen-
nings, had come down one morn
ing and found the money gone.
Some one must have distracted it
in broad daylight the afternoon be-
fore, and yet no person connected
with the establishment could re-
membe that the safe was left open
for an instant. Old Mr.. Edgerton,
who was the last to leave, was sure
that everything was secure when he
locked up the premises and gave
the key to the porter. The latter
was out of the range of suspicion,
az he did not know the combina-
ton, and would not have under
stood, under any circumstance, the
method of operating it. Young
M. watson, trejurfior partner and
the "Co." of the sign, had left at
noon for the races.
Tom Burnham was one of the
earliest of newspaper detectives who
have achieved such distinction since
MIR. Belch hunted down Chastine
Cox in Boston. Tom had several
extraordinary successes in ferreting
out crime on his own hook; but
here he was altogether bafiled.
With a sigh he lighted his gas
and glanced over his desk. The
pile of ''local copy which con.
fronted him he pushed aside, de-
Gliding to turn it over to his assist
ant, Slater, who would arrive pres
emily, and Tom took up and fun
bled over, with listless attention.
half o dozen books that mad beer
left for review. A little volume in
blue and-gold arrested his eye
collection Of poems by Miss Dais,
Henderson. The verses were ex
ceedingly graceful and pretty, bu
just now the editor was in bilious
and disagreeable mood.
"Why on earth do women vast
their time and worry the public
trying to write poetry 20 said Tom
angrily, scanning the pages her
and there. "Miss Daisy Hender
son ! suppose she is the daughte
of Daniel Webster Henderson, tn
rich lawyer on Three Hundred an'
and Fourth Street, and no doub
she thinks this twaddle equal t
Jean Ingelow or Mary Robinson
By Jove! I'll open her eyes. y
Mr.. Burnham took up his pencil
and seized a sheet of paper to writ
a review of the fragile little pro
i duction. He was az old hand a
"noticing books" without reading
them, snd could polish off worl
in five or sick volumes, which ha
cost the author half lifetime of la
Dor and research, in about forty
FIVE minutes.
He had scarcely begun TO. sa
that "the plethora of bad poetry i
the literary market did not seem t
deter rash aspirants from fresh al
tempts," when the door opened an
a very handsome and stylishl
dressed young man entered, whor
he recognized as Mr.. Lionel Wa
son, the junior member of the fri
of Edgerton & Co. Mr.. Watso
was slight, elegant and winning
He was attired loudishly, after th
English manner, and wore sing
eye-glass, and had cultivated a vel
pretty English accent.
Tom did not fancy him a gre.