Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1908-03-19
4 GENTLEMAN
! -. DETECTIVE.

Mr., IrayerS was to make hlmSeI
+ fayorite in society and quietly give
4 away the criminal element moving
] therein. There was not the remotest
/ chance that the most astute thief. male
/ or female. could connect him with the
/ police In the first six months he gave
! tips that drove three or four families
into retirement and a false baron into
prison. Then two events occurred ST
| multaneonsly to give him trouble. A
| lady guest at country house was
robbed of $4,000 worth of diamonds
the night before he himself arrived for
| a weeks stay, and he had no sooRer
seen her than he fell in love with her.
/ It was Edith Meredith who bad suf-
fered the loss, and Edith Meredith was
the daughter of a California million
aire lie was travelling IN Brazil for a
time. and his wife and daughter We're
stopping In town. AS for references.
the father and husband had been a
United States senator and three or
four other things and the wife and
daughter had moved in the best so
ciety on the slope. One might as well
have asked for social references from
the presidents wife.
Mr. Travers found himself in two
fixes at once. He was in love, and he
could not give away the fact that he
was playing detective. He gave his
opinion of the robbery, as did all other
guests. but he had TO stop at that. The
room had been entered and the jewelry
taken ia the afternoon while all the
guests were Oh the golf grounds. The
first suspicious were against the serv-
ants of course. That is thing that
never fails The servants were ex
amined and cross examined and put
through the third degree, but no clew
was obtained.
The whole situation was rendered
mighty uncomfortable. Travers, being
the last conner, and not arriving until
after the robbery, was the only one ex-
empted from suspicion. He could not
act openly. A detective was sent for,
but he could not make himself known.
The opinion of the man, after going
over the ground was that some one
had sneaked into the house by the
front way. This theory was accepted
by all 1t did not recover the dia-
monds. but Miss Meredith was kind
enough.not to take their loss too much
at heart They represented only a
days income of her fathers. and he
could afford to lose one day out of the
365
But after twenty-four hours some
other theory had to be advanced
There was second robbery. This oc
Cured in the evening, while all the
guests were looking at fireworks ON
the lawn The victim was an old dow
ager, and her loss was also thousands
of dollars. Entrance by the windows
was impossible. Entrance by the front
hall was impossible. The old dowager's
maid bad been sitting by window in
the hall upstairs all the time, and she
had seen none of the servants spying
about They were suspected again, OF
course, and again there was a great
ado. No absolutely no clew
Another detective came down next
day, and he gave it as his opinion that
a inagpie or tame crow had entered by
way of the window. That no magpie
or tame crow had ever been kept
around the house made no difference.
You could take his opinion or not.
Even amid this excitement Mr.
Travers progressed with his newborn
love. Miss Meridith. seemed smitten
with him also. Perhaps smitten Is too
strong a term, but she was very gra-
cious. The two talked privately about
the mysterious robheries. privately and
confidentially. They didn't exactly lay
them on to the old dowager. but. they
understood what each other thought
The mysteries did not break up the
house party. as might have been ex-
pected. This was because the third de-
tective who was put on the case no
titled host hostess and all the guests
that he suspected one OF the servants
and must have week or two to work
up his case. After that five peaceful
happy days and nights passed. There
were no more robberies. Clews were
being picked up like potatoes at dig
ging time. 1t was only matter of a
few days when the guilty one would
be punished and the plumber restored
At the end OF those FIVE happy days
and nights most Of the guests were
whispering to each other that Mr.. Tray-
ers and Miss Meredith would surely
make match Of 1t. They walked and
talked BY day, md they sat and sighed
In the moonlight Of evenings, and on
the sixth night MIR. Trayers went to
bed reasonably satisfied. As he did
not appear up to d late hour next morn
ing. and as the same was the case with
Miss Meredith. their doors were forced.
Miss Meredith was gone, and ladder
at her window showed how She went.
Most Of her wardrobe Ind gone with
her.
Mir Travcrs hadn't gone. He hadn't
because liz was tied and gagged and
conldn't ~. HE had been despoiled of
everything. and fhc two men who had
tied and despoiled him Ind injured Ills
feelings hy Whispering words into Ills
ear. There was further Injury await.
ing him. On his dresser was note
written hy Afixs Meredith. III ii xhe
Apoke III him as 4 donkey she also
mid She had spotted him from tho isrst.
Further. that he Ind better opcn an iii.