The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-09-14

Il
side me. lighted match and looked at
my watch. 1t was a quarter past g.
The sound l had heard was not dis
tant chime, but one very near, and 1t
was In watch. When the next time
for 1t to strike came around l was ly-
Ing OH my back and did not hear II.
out when IT struck 3:45 my ear was on
my pillow, and I heard every stroke.
That" l said, lis watch that may
ne made to strike the hour 1t is I'm
This house and possibly I'm this room"
In order to make 1t appear that was
investigating had requested such
change of rooms as was convenient.
had slept in this room two nights be-
| fore heard the chime, bu< each night
there had been strong wind Be-
sides, had proved that unless my ear
was connected with the watch by sol
ids the chime was inaudible. Believ-
ing the watch to be in the room with
me, few minutes before 1t should
| strike again / ot'up and, pressing my
ear against the wall, heard II distinctly.
During the next hour / made several
such experiments with view to locat
| ing the sound, but without success.
Then it occurred to me that watch
must tick and if could get near enough
| to it l might hear it. l walked slowly
around the room. stopping at intervals
| to listen. and drawing near fireplace
| the ticking grew more distinct. Thrust
ing my head up the chimney. heard
| N tnh I ohn
to reach up to grasp it when a chime
rang out fine. clear, melodious strokes
put my hand upon a narrow coping
and took down what could feel to be
a brooch. Then l grasped other arti-
cles and finally watch.
"Eureka!' exclaimed, delighted.
Leaving the articles where / found
them, went back to bed, but not to
sleep. Day soon came, and. rising.
examined the fireplace and found quite
a lot of jewelry. l compared the pieces
with list OF the lost articles and
found that about two-thirds Of them
were on the coping.
What should be my next step? l had
found the plunder-or most of it-but
not the thief. And in this second part
| Of my work l was as much at a loss
how to proceed as I had been In the
| first place. But I felt comparatively
| easy. l had evidence that l was not
another kind of thief In palming my
| self off as an investigator when was
really simply falling in love-. called
Mr.. Ainsworth into the library after
breakfast and told him that l had
made important Roadway in the case.
having located a number Of the miss
| ing articles. l intended to say no more;
but, fearing that If left where they
were the thief would remove them,
added that during the morning would
turn them over.
That morning when the postman de-
| livered the mail l received letter
| from England that obviated the neces.
| sity of my remaining in the detective
business. The missiye had been fol.
| lowing me for some time and was COW
cred with TRY this and try that
| place." indorsed by different postal of
| ficials. 1t announced that the cousin
mentioned earlier in my narrative,
| vigorous man OF thirty, had broken his
neck following the hounds, and since
| his wife had not presented him with
| an heir | was Earl of BarrOwfield.
l called up my chief, reported the
case so far as had followed it and Of
fered my resignation from his force OH
the ground that ! had business of my
| own that demanded attention. Before
| Mr.. Ainsworth went out for the day
| told him where he would find the plum
| der had discovered and made a clean
| breast of the fact that had learned
where it was. not by deep laid and
methodical process, but by accident.
and declined to receive any pay for my
services or to permit any charge to be
made by the bureau represented.
Mr.. Ainsworth declined to accept my
services either as detective or as his
| daughters music teacher. After argu-
| ing with him for awhile showed him
the letter had received that morning
changing my condition from a detec-
| tive to nObleman.
while l am not the son Of an old
friend Of yours" said, II am or at
least have been in forlorn circum-
stances. l am your debtor, not you
mine, since / have received every kind
ness mt the hands of your family"
1t was agreed between us that it
would be better to inform the men,
hers of his family that l was not the
son of his old friend, but that in con-
sidering me a gentleman they had not
been deceived. Mrs. Ainsworth was
informed first that the bulk of her lost
property had been recovered; that |
had come to the house rs a detective
and was going out a nobleman. From
her the news spread to the other men,
bers Of the family.
Miss Edith did not seem to know
| whether to be glad or sorry at the turn
events had taken. l saw sincerity In
her eyes when she expressed her re-
gret that her music lessons must cease
and said that she supposed the episode
of my being there must end and she
| would never see me again. / assured
her that an acquaintance so pleasantly
| formed would not be suffered by me
| to come to an end.
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