The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1900-12-06
ASLEEP OR AWAKE

ASLEEP OR AWAKE 8
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reflective KINCH was bafaed.
$D And the manner Of his baiaement
was as follows:
In my official capacity as chief Of
the detective department I had put
Kinch OF an important case of LIB.
Now, the detective department. Of
which / was chief was connected with
a large manufacturing town in the
north Of England, and the important
case of Lob. was illicit diamond sell
ing rather than illicit diamond buy
ing. A man, not unknown to me (pro-
fessionally speaking), had attempted
to dispose Of o fine uncut stone to-
the principal jewel merchant of the
town. This jewel merchant had sus-
picions; these suspicious he COM
municated to me. However, before
sending to me, the dealer had ar
ranged with the would-be seller to
call again on the morrow. I sent De-
tective Kinch, with orders to be a con-
cealed witness of the bargaining.
Kinch went; Kinch heard; Kinch
captured. But this last he did only
partially. The Lob. man proved his
guilt by escaping, and his bad luck
by@leavingl the diamond behind. When
$Kinch recovered an upright posture
he put the stone in the lining of his
hat. Then he carefully set forth. He
did not return at once to the office
and to me. Instead, he watched the
temporary haunt of the illicit dia-
mond seller. This he did for IS hours.
At the end of that somewhat tire
some period he crawled back to where
I was anxiously awaiting him. And
as he entered the sitting-room of the
Office I rose to my feet with pleasant
greetings.
"What luck, Kinch, my boy"
He told me everything.
swell, never mind" 1 said, soothing
", you've already done enough to
make Rowland yet more jealous;
you've got the stone; the man We'll
have later. Meanwhile, I'll put this
precious little pebble in my desk"
I did so. In addition, I made to lock
the desk. I found that I had left my
keys in the front office; I went there.
Then I found that I had no matches.
Fumbling about in the dark, I at last
came upon my knees. By the time I
had returned to the sitting-room some
minutes had elapsed. And Detective
Kinch was asleep.
Il was not surprised. The dutiful
man had been on his feet about one
and-twenty hours. It was now fve
a.. m. I determined not to awaken
him. He could sleep in that coy arm
chair very well for the next hour OF
two; and, as for myself, I could have
a pitch on the bed upstairs. I saw
Kinch's bowler hat lying on the floor.
Itpicked it up and put it on a peg be-
hind the door. Should I close and
fasten the window? Well, I am a man
of many suspicious; the nature of my
business and the disposition of my
wife have made me so. But there was
little danger, and on that sultry sum-
mer night the was already too
hot. I turned down the gas. AS I
left the room-quietly, so as not to
disturb the slumbering man - it
seemed to me that. even then, there
was something hat I had forgotten
to do; but not for my life could I
have determined the nature of that
something.
In the morning I was forcibly re-
minded. Entering the room I found
that Kinch was still asleep, I softly
moved to the desk. It was not locked;
that, then, was what I had forgot
ten to do. I lifted the lid, I looked in,
I fumbled about-the diamond was
gone!
Well, we raked that desk as a starv-
ing man might rake his pockets for
money, and with just about as much
hope. And, look where we would, we
failed to find the diamond. And that
was how Detective Kinch came to tell
me that he was bafled.
"No one entered the room?" I
asked. .@s
"Not to my knowledge"
"You were asleep all the time?"
"All the time" he answered, stoutly.
After more searchings and more
questions and more answers-a.l equal
ly fruitless, all equally baf1ing-I sug-
gested that Kinch had better go down
stairs into the wardroom and have
some breakfast. He took that sugges-
ton and his departure. But, first, he
made to take his hat. I pointed out,
quietly as I could, that such was not
necessary. He admitted as much, and
left his hat hanging on the peg where 1
had placed it overnight. Evidently the
loss of the diamond had rather upset
him.
When he had gone from the 1
pursued my search. Its result was
speedy, curious and astounding. I de-
termined to communicate that result to
Detective Kinch. Summoned him. He
entered. I requested him to be seated.
He sat. I told him that I had learned
a little matter connected with the dia-
mond. / asked him a few questions.
detective Kinch, I arrest you"
"Wby?
"The diamond has been found!"
"Where?"
an the lining of your hat!"
Detective Kinch turned crimson. I
knew that this was a color much worn
by the innocent. Therefore I did not
mark itdown as being against him. But
I am a man. of many ~suspecions; the
nature of my business and the DISPOSE
ton Of my wife have made me so; and
when I discovered that valuable stone
reposing between the felt and the silk
of a certain PERSONS bowler" it oc-
Cured to me to keep that certain per-
con under 1npk and kew.