The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-14
hour earlisr .ad .,detain him. uaia 81

while riding her hobby. and therefore
he was very much surprised 10 nave
her call him up on the third afternoon
of her latest efforts. That she was
disturbed the trembling condition OF
her voice betrayed, but she would not
explain. she only begged him to come
right home and bring the de'ectlVe
with him. and so Mr.. Bagley, wonder
ing, with visions OF some dire acci-
dent, called up the garage and ordered
his machine at three instead OF seven,
as he had intended, and took the de-
tective with him to his large ana,
when housekeeping was not IN prog
ress, very comfortable home MIS-.
Bagley herself opened the door, but
not the sedate, smiling and we'll
dressed Mrs. Bagley that the detective
had formerly seen, but an overpiump,
rather shapeless person in calico
dress and mob cap. who might have
been her own washwoman. She was
simply Mrs. Bagley in her houseclean-
ing raiment. but Mr. Bagley knew i'm
mediately that something serious had
happened for his wife to permit a
stranger to view her before she had
passed through the hands Of her maid
What is it. my dear?" Mr.. Bagley
asked In some anxiety.
Mrs Bagley's face was very pale,
but she spoke with composure. Come
upstairs, have something TO show
nd ha tTn
followed her upstairs 10 the room Mr..
Bagley used as study. There all was
confusion. Books and papers were ~
ing about in juxtaposition with pals OF
soapy water and cleaning rags. Mr..
Bagley groaned TO himself. How often
he had beg ed his wife to leave this
one room alone even he could not
have counted, but all TO no purpose.
Mrs. Ragley did not hear the groan,
for it did not leave his throat, but she
knew il was there, and a triumphant
expression began TO spread over her
face, little dirty, if the truth be told.
Il think you will be glad that | have
insisted on cleaning this ROOM" she
said coldly, moving ponderously to-
ward the closet. and motioning her
husband to stand upon chair just
within the door
Wondering. yet obedient, Mr.. Bag
ley climbed on the cane seat, hoping
he would not go through, peered at
the shelf at the top, then cried out
loud:
Rodgers" he said sharply, jumping
down.
Yes, what is it," Rodgers asked,
spring forward.
You get up there and look" Mr..
Bagley gasped, narrowly escaping one
Of the pals Of soapy water in his ex-
element.
Rodgers in his turn clambered up
on the chair, and incidentally he did
60 through, but managed to save him.
self and balanced on the edge, then
forgot everything at what he saw, for
there on that shelf, mixed up with dis
carded half-torn envelopes, newspaper
clippings and the odds and ends which
had accumulated from the last house
cleaning, we're neat packages Of bills,
and gold and silver
Jumping wild cats," he exclaimed
only he did not say exactly those
words.
Can either Of you explain?" Mrs.
Basley asked In a cold voice.
Il can't" Mr.. Bagley admitted, wi.
ping his face with one of the cleaning
rags he picked I'D in his confusion,
and thereby decorating his face with
some streaE: Of dust.
Rodgers did not say anything. but
raked on the money and then Sat
down On the bare floor and began
counti:3 il. 1t was all there to the
last roll of 25 pennies, all that had
been stolen from the safe on the two
occasions when it was robbed.
Mrs faSiey folded her arms on her
ample bosom and watched until she
saw that the detective had finished
counting, and then fred at him:
And now will you solve this mys.
tery?"
Rodgers looked up at her, smiled a
little and asked quietly:
Does Mr.. Bagley walk in his
sleep?"
'Of course not. Mr. Bagley snapped
rubbing his nose vigorously Ard dis
tributing the dust pretty evenly over
his red face.
Mrs. Bagley smiled in a way Mr.
bagley had always found very irritat.
ing. and said coldly:
Yes, he has for years"
Matilda, Mr.. Bagley began. but his
wife gave him a look and he subsidized
Ever since he had grip ten wears
ago. have never let him know hut
have been very uneasy about il and
yet never thought he could rob him.
self. and not know it,"
Il never" Mr.. Bagley started N saw
out Rodgers interrupted TO ask:
You don't mean to say that Won
knew what you were doing?" and so
he subsidized and Mrs. Bagley and the
detective counted the money again
while Rodgers explained that without
doubt bagley had been worried upon
ooth occasions over the money being
lett In the safe, and had gone after n
In the middle Of the night. Al anv
rate II was reasonable EXPLANATION
and Mr.. Bagley was forced To believe
IT. but 1t has made him very chary OF |
Judging others. and he has refused IN |
serve on the jury more than once for
as he says: