The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-10-02

Inc tram was seen TO ufaW In, car.
riage doors to be flung open and pas
sengers to alight. But Warrington
Stout was for me the center of inter
est. Although he had partially turned
round, and now had only a view OF
his side face. I,could see that he was
| intently watching all the passengers
by the train. Then he took a step for
ward, apparently having recognized
some one. A second later he and a
clean shaven young man in bowler
hat were standing face to face In the
latters hand was something wrapped
in brown paper, apparently an oblong
box; he was carrying nothing else.
Stout looked at the parcel nodded APP
provingly, and clapped the young man
on the shoulder. Then he hurried him
away to the cab-rank lining the plat
form, hailed hanson, gave directions
to their driver, and both stepped in
side.
Good heavens!" | exclaimed aloud
and the people on either side Of me
edged away from an apparent luna
| tic.
The detective fever fairly ragged in
my veins. The man whom Warning
ton Stout had met at Kings Cross was
l felt convinced, the missing butler;
the description exactly tailed. And
the box he was carrying, at which
Stout glanced with such approval con-
tanned, without a shadow of doubt,
the missing jewels.
"A Naval Review" began to be
shown on the bioscCpe, but for me the
performance was over. l rose from
my seat and left the theatre. had
all the, pieces of strange puzzle in
my hands; they only required putting
together 1t was perfectly clear that
Warrington Stout was party to the
theft and receiver of mis- own jewels.
My valuable assistance had been
sought to elucidate a bogus burglar.
FaughI
went straight to my humble fiat
and looked up an "A. B. c." The train
that reached Kings Cross at TO a.
m. stopped at Grantham at SOC a. m.
If Mrs. Stout's story was correct, and
the burglary took place at daybreak,
say, between 4 and 4.S0--the pseudo
butler could easily have reached Gran
than Station and caught this train.
That point established, lit my pipe
and considered others.
What was Warrington Stouts object
in making away with his wife's jew
els? Assuming for the moment her
innocence in the matter, / asked my
self the reason of the queer plot that
ne had Matched.
Was he jealous of those jewels? A
society woman's fame rests-with
shame, let it be said--less on her per-
sonality than on the ornaments with
which she crowds her person Was
this man envious of that fame? Had
those gllttering jewels usurped the
love and care that he felt, ought to
have been showered upon him? Did
he fancy that the wearing Of baubles
worth thousands of pounds was blight
ing and destroying the soul of the
wearer, and had he chosen this ex-
traordinary method OF putting them
in a place of security-probably some
bank? And was my summons to Mel
vile Court merely a rather daring de-
vice to appease and delude further his
wife.
summed up my impressions of
Warrington Stout. No, he was Meth
er a sentimentalist nor moraIist.
MY, first shot must be wide of the
mark.
More whiffs of my pipe. All, I had
it!
The Warrington Stouts were in f.
nancial difficulties, and found them
selves under the painful necessity of
raising money. To plan fictitious
burglary was really most picturesque
way Of accounting for the absence Of
valuables that you have taken your
self or employed a deputy to take to
the sign of the three balls. You get
ready money in hand and splendid
advertisement for yourself in the bar
gain.
IS rose early next morning, and by
o'clock was at Kings Cross arrival
platform. The chances were about
even that that same hanson cab driv-
er met the ITO on most mornings az
the week, and / fancied that, brief as
was his appearance before the bio
scope, could manage to pick him out.
For one thing, he was wearing top
hat, and in these days of strenuous
competition with taxicabs not many
drivers Of horse vehicles can rise TO
that height Of affiuence.
| found my man
( He was surly at first, but l disclos-
ed my identity, produced my authority