The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-02-16
A GENTLEMAN
"A DETECTIVE.

George M. Travers, clubman, man
about town, society man, was selected
BY the chief Of police for detective
work. How the chief secured him for
the purpose no one knew.
Mr.. Travers was to make himself q
favorits In society and quietly give
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
tins that drove three or four families
into retirement and a false baron into
prison. Then two events occurred ST.
multaneously to give him trouble. A
lady guest ut a country house was
robbed Of $4,000 worth Of diamonds
the night beio he himself arrived FOR
4 weeks stay. and he had no sooner
seen her than he fell in love with her.
II was Edith Meridith who had suf-
fered the loss, and Edith Meridith was
the daughter Of California million
aire. He was travelling in Brazil for a
dime, and his wife and daughter were
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 In the afternoon while all the
guests were on the golf grounds. The
Arst 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 Meridith was kind
enough not to take their loss too much
ut heart. They represented only a
days income Of her fathers, and he
could afford to lose one day out of the
1856.
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 had 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. 0!
course, and again there was a great
ado. No clew-absolutely no clew.
Another detective came down next
day, and he gave it as his opinion that
a magpie 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 robberies, privately and
confdentially. 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
tilted host, hostess and all the guests
that he suspected one of the servants
and must have a 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 a matter of a
few days when the guilty one would
be punished and the plunder 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 Meridith would surely
make a match Of it. They walked and
talked by day, and they sat and sighed
in the moonlight Of evenings, and on
the sixth night Mr.. Travers went to
bed reasonably satisfied. As he did
not appear up to late hour next morn
ing. and as the same was the case with
Miss Meridith, their doors were forced.
Miss Meridith was gone, and ladder
at her window showed how she went.
Most of her wardrobe had gone with
her.