Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-05-16
Saint Mary $ Beacon.
THE DETECTIVES STORY.


enough to know that these were
very valuable indeed and likely to
be worth several hundred pounds.
These two young people we're sit
ting out during a dance, and they
flirted all through set Of lanciers,
without any Impotence at their
length.
At last they got up and went into
the ballroom again. On the chair
where the girl had been sitting lay
something shining. strolled
across and examined it. 1t was
her vinaigrette, which she had prob
ably left there by accident. l re-
placed it. thinking it might serve
as trap for our fashionable thief
if he were in the neighborhood, and
withdrew to my corner, where l was
almost invisible.
Presently an old gentleman
strolled out to smoke a cigarette.
He was tall, handsome, intellect
ual-looking man, with tho air Of a
true aristocrat. His name didn't
know, but | had noticed him chat
ting with the guests. He was evil
IDENTIFY known to every one and was
q man of social Importance.
Presently his eye caught the little
jeweled vinaignette. lie looked
carelessly round the conservatory
to see if he we're observed and pick
ed it up. lie now had his back to
me. / was on the point OF stepping
up to him, when he turned round
and replaced the vinaigrette and
walked quietly away.
1t was lucky | had not moved. /
should have looked rather foolish.
Some curious instinct babe me cross
the conservatory and look at the
vinaigrette again. Without think
ing about it | put it to my nose.
The next thing remem Der ia
that / found myself sitting il q
chair. Gradually things became
clearer. The vinaigrette lay by my
side. l was drugged. For few
minutes l had lost consciousness.
| still felt dizzy and sick, but know
ing that everything depended on
my being prompt and acute, |
managed with an effort to pull my
self together.
Then arose the question what
should / do next? Should / 60
straight to the man who had tam
pered with the vinaigrette. A mo-
ment's thought showed me that
that would be worse than useless.
l had no proof Of anything, The
situation must be allowed to devel-
op itself before interiered.
After some little reflection | de-
cided to 60 back to the drawing
room, where ! could see what was
going on. Under any circum-
stances must not lose sight Of the
girl to whom the viniagrette be.
longed.
For nearly half an hour | waited
in vain. She danced with two or
three different men, bat did not
seem to have missed it.
At last, after one Of the dances,
she appeared to be looking for some-
thing. With what was, presume,
an apology to her partner, she
skipped across the room to group
of girls. Evidently she was asking
if any of them had seen her yinai-
grette. For some time she got no
information, but presently a girl
who was passing, leaning on a mans
arm, turned round and made some
remark, pointing with her fan to
the conservatory door. The owner
Of the vinaigrette gave a little nod
Of thanks and hurried across the
room.
All this time / observed that the
man who had drugged the scent
bottle and who was chatting with
some of the people standing about,
watched the girl closely.
AS soon as she had left the draw
ing room he broke off his converse
ton and strolled quietly toward the
conservatory. Az he passed through
the curtains noticed that be
glanced round to see if he were be-
ing followed.
That settled it | had found NV