The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-12


 RAAA@@&@, Saw Him Put a Leg Over the Low
 Fence
 sHThank your lucky stars" Fred called in a mufded voice.
 I had some work to do at the office, and half past that night found me at my desk. But my mind strayed from the papers before me. After a useless effort to concentrate gave 1t up as useless, and by 10 o'clock I was on the street again, my evening vast ed, the papers in the libel case of the Star against the Eagle untouched and I the victim of an uneasy apprehen- sion that took me, almost without vo7 lition, to the neighborhood of the Fleming house, for it had occurred to. me that Miss Fleming might not have left the house that day, as. she had promised, might still be there, liable. to another intrusion by the mysterious individual who had key to the. house.
 It was a relief, consequently, when I reached it's corner to find no lights in the building. The girl had kept her word Assured of that, looked at the house curious1y. It was one of the largest in the city. not wide, but run ming far back along the side street. A small yard with a low iron fence and garage completed the property. I Tue street lights left the back of the house in shadow, and as stopped in the shelter of the garage I was positive that I heard some one working with rear window of the empty house. A moment later the sounds ceased and fnufaed footsteps came down tue ce- ment walk The intruder made no at tempt to open the iron gate, and against the light saw him put leg over the low fence, follow it up with the other and start up the street still with peculiar noiseIessness of stride. He was a short, heavy shouldered fel- low in cap, and his silhouette showed a prodigious length of arm.
 followed, don't mind saying, fin some excitement. I had a vision of grabbing him from behind and leading him or pushing him, under the cir cumstances, in triumph to the police station, and another mental picture not so pleasant of being found on the pavement by some passerby with a small punctuation mark ending my sen tence of life.
 Once the man just ahead stopped and lighted cigarette, and the odor of a very fair Turkish tobacco came back to me. He glanced back over his shoulder at me and went on without quickening his pace. We met no po- licemen, and after perhaps i've min utes' walking, when the strain was growing tense, my gentleman of the rubber soled shoes swung abruptly to 7 the left and-entered the police sta ton!
 had occasion to see Davidson many times after that during the strange de- yelopment of the Fleming case han, the peculiar experience later of having him follow me as I trailed him that night, and I had occasion once to test the strength of his long arms when he helped to thrust me through the tran- e som at the White Cat, but never met him without recurrence of the sheep ish feeling with which watched him swagger up to the night sergeant and fall into easy conversation with the man behind the desk.
 Two or three iroundsmen were sitting against the wall lazily, helmets off and coats open against the warmth of the E early spring night. In back room others were playing checkers and dis putting noisily. Davidson's voice came distinctly through the open windows.
 "The house is closed" he reported, ''but one of the basement windows isn't, shuttered, and the lock is bad. couldn't find Shields. He'd better keep an eye on it.'' He stopped and fshed in his pockets with grin. ''This was tied to the knob of the kitchen door," !" he said, raising his voice for the bene- fit of the room and holding Aloft piece of paper. "For Shields" he explained, .tand signed 'Delia'"
 The men gathered around him. Even the sergeant got up and leaned for ward, his elbows on his desk.
 Read it." he said lazily. Shields has got a. wife, and her name ain't Della"
 "Dear Tom," Davidson read in a | mincing falsetto, i've are closing up unexpected, so I won't be here tonight I am going to Mamie Brennan's, and if you want to talk to me you cansget me by calling np Anderson's drug store. The clerk is a gentleman friend of mine. MT. Carter, the butler, told me |. before he left he would get me place as parlor maid, so I'll have another sit ! uation soon. Della"
 The sergeant scowled. "Pm goin' to | talk to Tom," he said, reaching out for l. the note. 'sEIe's got a, nice family, and things like that,re bad for the force''