Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-06-16
be thought of on the Instant Stephen
said; but | will do my best

be. thought of on the instant" Stephen
said; but | will do my best"
1t was midnight, and in small house
/ in ST. Johns Wood the lights were all
/ extinguiShed except those in the special
/ sanctum of the master of the establish
i ment. The other inmates of the house
/ were all wrapped in slumber, while
/ George Hammond sat brooding. On the
/ table before him lay Il leather letter-case
! The question he was debating was
| whether OF. not the papers should be de-
/ stroyed.
/ 1t had struck / o'clock when he was
reused from his reverie by loud knock
| ing at the front door. He started up. and
| was about to thrust the letter-case into
| his pocket. tut. changing his mind,
! placed 1t again on the table before he
/ hurried down stairs.
! Hammond was anxious that the house
/ hold should not be reused 1t would not
| mend matters to have his wife coming
/ down lnqulrlng what was amiss. So he
1 unlocked the door, and drew hack tho
4 bolts cautiously; then, leaving the chain
/ SUN up, opened the door Il few inches,
/ demanding who was there
/ The mmistakablc CLEAN of \ LuIrs-
! eye came into the dark hall, as voice
answered:
"A constable. Are you the owner of
/ the houseT'
| Hammond replied that he was, and
| asked what the policeman wanted.
| Il have reason to believe that nm at-
tempt IS being made to enter your prem.
| ises, he said. "A man has been watch
ing at the back for the last hour. Have
| you much plate?'
| we have some plate certainly. but I
| dont think any one could get Mt it. Nv
people are an asleep, so | hope there will
be no disturbance"
| Let me in. and | will look at the fast
| enlngs, the constable returned
| Inc cnaln was undone, and, saving he
/ was giad the women folk were a-bed. as
they always took alarm at the sight of
| polleeIlah, ne told Hammond only to
I close the door, as he should be off grain
4 directly. Then. throwing the light of his
LANTERN before him. kitchen, scriiery. nan
f.,.-s-f2 all were visited. places into which
Hammond had never before made his
way. d he policeman's keen eve scanned
each lock and window. but all were Sc
eurely fastened As they emerged once
more into the hail. the policeman asked:
W men Is the room at the back of the
house, where the lights are burning?"
NY private sitting ROOM" Hammond
said impatiently. 1T is impossible any.
one could reacn il from the outside. 1t
must be thirty or forty feet from the
ground"
Few things are impossible to a deter
mined mind. the constable answered, as
ne made his way noiSelcssly upstairs,
! Hammond following.
The policeman entered the brightly
! lighted room, aud gave quick glance
round Then he turned out the gas, leav-
ing the room in darkness. save for the
occasional CLEAN of his hulI s-eye. lie
asked Hammond to draw up the blind
and open the window. Then the two men
peered into the garden beneath
AS you say, it is impossible for anyone
| to get in this way" the constable said;
| and having ascertained that, | must be
off"
He quilted the room, leaving Hammond
alone in the dark
He was still fumbling for the matches,
when the front door closed with a bang.
Godfrey Hurst woke from dreamleSs
s.eep 10 the remembrance of Il calamity
that had brfallen him. He lay on the
sofa in his friends room. and in an arm
chair wrapped in Il cloak. Stephen sat
smoking. Ii was some seconds before
Godfrey became aware of the others
presence; then he started up, crying out
eagerly for news. For answer. stephen
! pointed to the table and there, in the
| lamplght, Godfrey saw the precious let
1 ter case that had caused him SO many
hours of anguish. For a moment h
could not speak: then he caught his
/ friends hand in his, rs he whispered:
1 Heaven bless YOU, Stephen You have
/ saved nae from dishonor.
/ See that the letters are intact" was
( all Stephen said: but there was an unu-
sual brightness in his eyes, which
4 showed that he. too, was deeply moved.
Godfrey examined the contents of the
/ case, and found nothing miSSing-the pa
perS were not even SoilCd
How on earth did You manage it,
i Stephen Godfrey asked eagerly.
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