The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-12-28


few family friends, was the only per-
son who had access to the house. The
two servants were quite beyond sus-
picion.
Articles had been missed for weeks
before learned of the fact.
The kind old lady and her daugh-
ter had refrained from speaking
of the matter to me. First, "a
much priced locket, containing an
old miniature portrait, had dis
appeared, then several finger-rings,
one set with a valuable ruby. After
this a string of antique. gold beads
was missed, then a lady's watch, and.
in fact, long catalogue of such ar
ticles, all of considerable value and
much priced for family associations.
/ had come a stranger to New Ha-
ven; little was known of my family,
and it is not wonderful that when the
facts became known the neighbors
were suspicious of me.
After nearly month my dear old
lady told me about her losses, with
tears in her eyes. The matter made
me very uncomfortable. 1 began to
watch everything and everybody at
the house, and enlisted the aid of the
two servants. New locks, bolts and
chains were put on. and installed
an electric alarm that rendered it
well-nigh impossible for q thief to en-
ter the place by night. kept close
watch on those who came in by day.
These were few. Two elderly ladies
/ called once week, always in COM
pany; dressmaker came at times;
the family doctor, the parish clergy
man, the lawyer and trustee of the
estate at irregular intervals; also .
wealthy widow, who had consecrated
her life to charity work.
Although she was, as many thought,
q most importunate begger for char
tiles, she gave very literally of her
own means, and the integrity of her
motives could not be questioned.
There was also an old gentleman,
whom I understood to be a relative.
These were all, except myself, who
came into the house for weeks, yet
during that time valuable locket
and it's chain, pair of old, round
bowed gold spectaclcs, beautiful
inlaid vinaigrette, pearl brooch, a
letter seal, with an emerald set in
the end of the handle, and several
other long-treasured trinkets had dis
appeared one by one from their accus-
toned places.
As l went over the list of visitors,
I acknowledged, that a disinterested
person would be far more likely to
suspect me than any one of these emf
nently respectable people. The more
pondered on the affair, the more
clearly it was borne in upon me that
was in an ugly position, and that
my only way out of it was to catch
the real thief.
From that moment 1 was OH the
alert night and day, but soon salts.
fed myself that no one broke into
the house by night. For several days
I kept an eye on the little lame
grandson, till was convinced that
he was not the pilferer. The invalid
daughter did not now leave her bed
Afterward 1 kept watch of all the
movements of the old gentleman rel
alive, till 1 grew ashamed of myself.
For some time 1 did not gain the
slightest clew. Then one day q queer
circumstance occurred. The wealthy
charity worker was calling at the
house, and after time i heard her
taking leave of my patroness and
her daughter at the door of the lat
ter's room on the second floor. My
door being ajar, I heard the caller
rustic down the stairs to the hall be-
low, and n moment later the street
door closed.
| Obeying an unreasonable impulse,
I moved to my window to see her go
down the outer steps to the side
walk; my room was ut the front on
the third floor. Somewhat to my sur
prise, the lady did not appear on the
steps outside. At first 1 supposed
she was putting on her gloves in the
vestibule; but five, ten, fifteen min
utes passed, and then SO strong was
my conviction that she was still in
the house that / went quietly down,
to reassurc myself that no mischance
had befallen her.
She was not in the vestibule or in
the drawing-room or the hall or the
library. None the less the conviction
that she had not left the house had
impressed itself on me. then no.
ticed that the key to a closet door
behind the hall staircase, which was
always in the lock outside, had been
removed, and as I passed the door
1 tried the knob. The door was fast,
and although passed directly on and
assembled the stairs, felt absolutely
certain that the door had been
locked from inside the closet, and that
some one was in there.
Whistling unconcernedly, 1 ran up
the stairs, but a moment later de-
scended on tiptoe and concealed my
self behind the open door of the
drawing-room.
After ten minutes I heard the lock
of the hall closet move in stcalthy
manner, and n moment after i saw
through the crack-the visitor