The evening times., 1898-12-24
Female sherlock Holmes,
uFrom the Boston post1

lFrom the Boston Post.)
81 shall report this to the police at
once"
NO, Frank: I, myself, shall sift it to
the bottom.
You, wifey. What could you do?"
What have l already done?"
This was the conversation between
Frank Dakin and his young wife the
evening after their first lat home" sue
ceeding the honeymoon tour of the Great
Lakes.
Among the things presented was d
purse containing twenty crisp $40 bills
1T is mine. all mine,' exclaimed the
bride, as playfully she tried to take the
purse from her husband
Yours. if YOU can get it," he laughed.
holding it above his head just beyond
her reach. AT this many of the young
folks rushed to her assistance and. see
ing that he was bested he tossed the
purse on the top of bookcase.
There he cried, lit is safe now sure,
and I'll let ii stay there a WHILE and
he did, forgetting it altogether in the
frolicking which followed.
We'll. what have you done?" asked
Mr.. Dakin as he stopped eating
Just this. You see while cleaning
the parlor this morning / espied, lying
near the wall on the floor, Mr. Halls let
ter of regret. Ii had blown from the sec
retary. AS / picked II up | clearly saw
the print of a boot heel upon it Some.
how l instantly thought of that purse.
so l got the steps and ii was gone; there
WAS no purse on that bookcase. In the
dust upon the back OF the ornamental
top is clearly the impress OF a hand a
mans hand, and "A large one it is. And 1t
was large hand that groped about for
that purse as il lay in the dust on top
OF the case
WHO did this?' ! asked myself A
large man, surely. for that heelprint is
| large, the hands are large, and had their
owner stood upon a chair even then more
than the tips of his fingers would have
dragged through that dust as he poked
for the purse: SO. then, he is a tall man.
for he reached up there on tiptoes and
his heel crushed into that letter as he
stepped back. Do you see?'
Yes, wiley. Have you more?"
"Oh, yes. he is no real gentleman. for
he wiped his dusty fingers upon the un-
der side Of my lovely table scarf"
What else. darling?"
well. in his boot heel are five tiny
! horseshoes: there have been six. for the
first and third are far enough apart to
admit one.'
| well, done, sis Perhaps you followed
| him by this heel
Il did, Frank, and he was one of the
last to leave the house, as those horse
shoes nearly Obliterate all other foot
| prints, and they can be seen down the
path and even TO the corner
rs that fact? Whom do you suspect
| any of our guests?''
Certainly; who else could it be? It is
an awful thought, but let me alone and
! I'll find that party between now and Sun
day. or my name isn't Eva Dakin."
I'm glad of it, darling; l am proud Of
you. / was going down the street tonight
but now I am going to stay home; yes
| where are those fol-de-rol slippers of
mine?''
of came his shoes, and as his wife took
them from him, passing him the slippers
he said: II always stand my shoes on
the window sill to air.
"Why, Frank Dakini' she exclaimed. as
she stood aghast; chow could you? You
are just too mean for anything. so there?'
What now. pet? What's wrong?"
"Why, 1t was your heel"
Certainly, love. You see, ] thought oi
that purse this morning, so 7 slipped ir
and took 1t. See here, 1 banked my money
to your exclusive account" and he pre-
sented her the bank book.
Frank, you're angel!' she cried.
81 presume SO, puss,' said he, tenderly
though II is contrary to what you were
making me out only a moment ago. But
by George. it is wonderful how you fol,
lowed everything I did-a regular Sher.
| lock Holmes" ,.r 49,