Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-09-18
How NARROW
Got His Thief


| I'll give you a check for f300l'
The detectives thin face flushed. He
| was young and unknown and so far had
| never had chance. Now it had come.
and he might not only make his reputa-
ton, but $500 as well, and that last
would give him all that was best in the
world to him-the girl he loved for wife
| and without it il might be years before he
could afford to marry.
He turned eagerly and gathered up the
papers and notebook.
I'm lose no time" he said. "I'll do
my best" But all the same it seemed an
almost hopeless task. Fred Emerson,
| the thief. had had good IL hours start.
He had gone at 4 o'clock the day before
to the bank to pay money in and to cash
| check, as usual. ready for paying the
mems wages on the morrow, and he had
never returned. The check had been
cashed, the money never paid in, and
Fred Emberson had vanished.
Mr.. Richie was hard and bitter man.
He had been soured five years before by
the disappearance Of his only daughter.
She had met at the house Of some friends
she had been visiting a man with whom
she had fallen in love. He had been in
eligible in every way--a poor man with
/ uu DicsPtttSt WIN hppaichNsy AOlhAhr "
recommend him-but that made no differ
| ence to her.
Mr.. Richie had stormed and raved,
had refused emphatically to see him and
had forbidden her ever to mention him
| again. She had refused. She had tried
for some months to induce the two men to
meet, she had persisted In sticking to the
man she loved, and then she had run
away and married him.
Mr. Richie never forgave her-never
would. He returned all her letters I'M
opened. He washed his hands of her and
settled down, bitter and soured, to live
out the remainder of his life in hard work.
NARROW sent his men to the station to
make inquiries, and then made his way
toward the rooms In which Fred Ember-
son had lodged during the year he had
been with Mr.. Richie. He went sp to
them, questioning the landlady as he
went and getting no information except
that she had not seen Emberson since he
had left for his office the morning before.
He was almost giving up at last when
suddenly tiny scrap of cardboard fallen
between the mantelpiece and the wall
caught his EYE. He took his penknife
and began forcing it up. 1t might be
nothing. OF course, but he had turned
over every scrap of paper and every book
in the room and he would miss no chance.
The cardboard came up slowly. 1t was
wedged in firmly between the mantel-
piece and the wall, but he loosened il at
last and held 1t up to the light.
When he saw it, he gave a little gesture
of disappointment. 1t was the photo
graph of child. That it belonged to
Emberson seemed the last thing likely.
He called up the landlady and held it
out to her She shook her head over it.
She had never seen it before, but it must
. have belonged to Mr. Emberson. she said,
for her own daughter had occupied the
room before he had had it, and the photo
graph was of no child they knew.
: NARROW looked at it again and made a
note of the photographers name, which
, was printed on the back 1t bore the ad-
dress of a small town, and he frowned a
little as he looked at il. What had Fred
Emberson. a thief, to do with a little
, child?
: He shut up his pocketbook with a snap
r and gave a final look around.
He was just turning away when his
man came back from the station with the
information that Emerson had been seen
taking a ticket, not to London, as they
had expected, but TO a little place called
|
D was a trick. of course. He would go on
? to Euston and pay excess fare and be lost
Y at once in the London crowd.
Still NARROW sent his man to telegraph
to the station at Staybridge and waited,
still impatiently searching the room. for
the reply.
1t came promptly. Only one person
/, had come by that train on the day before
a and that was a mechanic in working
suit apparently on the lookout for work
{, | Evidently it was not Emberson, and Mar
' low decided that his only chance now was
to go to Topping, where the photograph
had been taken.
He started Immediately, sending his
j man on to London to try to get some in
Q formation there and meaning to wait fol
Q him at Topping. He got out at a little
quiet country station. The town lay be
hind it-a sleepy market town full OF
sheep and cattle and farmers gigs and
? bright with spring sunshine.
4 He found the photographer easily
= enough. and there a copy Of the photo
g graph he had brought from Emberson's
rooms. 1t had been taken Just about O
: year ago. The photographer remembered
it distinctly, because the woman who
= brought the child broke down crying al
. the finish for no reason at all that be
!: could make out.
8 II suppose you know nothing of her
: 10 your asked the detective, and the
: photographer shook his head.
.No, but she came here from place
not far from here" he said. AT any
: rate. sent the proofs thereto place
: called Staybridge. about five miles away
!, Detective NARROW started a little
!, Staybrdge! He was on the road at last
9 surelyi Staybridge was the place tC
which Fred Emberson had bookad-tht
J, place at which the workingman had got
r out. Detective Marlow's pulse quick
,, ened, and ten minutes later he was walk
! Ing away from Topping toward the dis
tant village.
1t was hot ak that day. The road.
i were dusty. he was tired when III
y reached il al
He made l. way slowly through thu