Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1916-11-03


hours. no living creature entered the
house In all that two weeks the post
man left no mail Billy Gard seemed
to be up against blank wall. He
held, however, that If a man kept
awake on the most hopeless Job for a
sufficient length of time some clue was
sure to develop or some idea present
itself that would lead toward results.
Gard investigated the maid who
worked the daily short shift in the
quarters of the red-haired woman from
America. He found her a placid and
stupid creature who knew nothing nor
had intelligence sufficient for his nur-
pose. Incidentally he found that she
had secured her place through an en-
ployment agency located at a consid-
cradle distance. He Immediately made
use of this information.
The special agent, through the
Paris police force, secured the CO.
operation of the employment bureau.
A position that paid much better was
offered to the servant of Mrs. Berliner.
1t was, quite naturally, accepted. That
lady, finding herself without a servant.
returned to the agency that had for
merly provided her with one who was
entirely satisfactory. She asked for a
second maid.
The employment bureau immediate
ly supplied her demand. The woman
who was sent was, in secret, more
than she seemed to be. She was con-
nected with the Paris police depart
ment and was a detective of some
cleverness. Almost Immediately she
took up her new activities.
Three days later she reported to
Agent Gard from America. She had
found in her red-haired mistress
woman who led a quiet life that
seemed in no way irregular, who fol-
lowed normal routine of housekeep-
ing, walking, shopping. She seemed
to have no acquaintances. But one
thing irregular appeared in the whole
establishment. There was one room
in the rear Of the suite which re-
NAMED locked The mistress had
stated that it was a storage room.
This seemed somewhat strange, as it
must look out upon the interior court
and therefore be the most attractive
room of them all. 1t seemed peculiar
that such a room should be used for
storage and, even SO, that it should be
locked up.
Gard put together the two facts
the locked room and the short hours of
the servant-and drew conclusion.
1t was as the result of this conclusion
that he asked the woman detective to
install dictagraph beneath the table
in the sunny little dining room just
off the apartment of the locked door.
This was easy of accomplishment dur
ing the hour of the afternoon stroll of
the mistress of the house. The wires
of the dictagraph were run across the
street and into the watch tower rooms
Of the special agent.
When the dinner hour approached
that evening Billy Gard sat patiently
with the headpiece of the dictagraph
securely in place. The first sound that
he caught from across the street was
that of feet, supposedly those of the
woman of the Titan hair, passing
back and forth about the room, then
an occasional snatch of song while
she worked. He gathered that she
was arranging for the evening meal,
the servant having gone home hours
before.
Ten minutes passed and then there
came over the wire sound that
might have been a bit surprising to
the observer of this ultra quiet house
hold, the watcher at the entrance
through which none had passed I'M
seen since the day it was rented, had
not the listener already developed a
theory.
"Well, Margaret" said full-throat-
ed mans voice, as transmitted by the
dictagraph, this is not so bad. /
never dreamed that you had the house
wifely instincts that would make it
possible for you to arrange with your
own hands the dainty dinners we are
having. l am beginning to think that
the man is lucky who cannot afford
servants"
"And don't you know" said wom-
ans voice, 'I never enjoyed anything
more in my life. For almost the only
time l can remember have definite
occupation. have to provide our
creature comforts. / haven't been so
happy in years. really don't care
how long they keep us cooped up"
81 will confess" said the man,
that the novelty has worn off of the
view into the courtyard. But it might
be worse. For while they had me
thinking quite regularly of striped
suits and the lockstep which are part
of a life even more combining than
this. And here havo you. 1 am quite
content to wait for the atmosphere to
clear"