Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-07-07
THE SHADOW ON THE GLASS
By CHARLES j. BUTTON
THE STORY THUS FAR

THE STORY THUS FAR
Frank Rice, millionaire, IL, is found nd
his daughters wedding.
John BARLEY, crime detector and his
best friend, is called in on the case.
Upon questioning the butler he learns
while two detectives, bird to guard the
| wedding gifts, were in the house.
Pelt, Bartley's friend, is the narrator
! of the story.
A Mysterious Crime.
had no time to answer, for the
| butler was speaking again.
when l got to the library
| found the door locked, no one an
swered. When l could not find Mr..
Rice I thought it was queer and
went and told Miss Faith. For some
reason she was afraid. and said we
must try to get into the library.
She talked to the detectives. and
one of them said that the last time
| he saw Mr.. Rice he was in the
library. We all went to the top
| floor and Knocked again. No
answer. We had no ladders long
enough to reach from the ground to
| the windoWs-it's a matter of fifty
feet-so we decided to chop hole
in the door,"
who suggested that?" asked Bart
ley.
He shook his head. II don't know,
sir; maybe Miss Faith-no-I guess
one of those detectives. Anyway
| got an AK, and he chopped little
hole and reached in, and finding the
key was inside, he unlocked the
! door,"
1.-The key was inside?"
Eyes, sir; it was. He unlocked
| the door, and we went in. The we'd
ding presents were all on the long
tables, untouched. But when we
went in that little den, them
He hesitated, overcome by the
memory of what he had seen, land
| the tears again gathered in his eyes.
YES" said BARLEY softly.
| We've found him on the floor,
dead. There must have been an
awful fight, for things were scat
tered around and the draperies had
been pulled down. He was dead. his
head all smashed in. An awful
sight, sir"
Silence fell again, and in it could
! picture the scene and the horror of
| it. Then came Bartley's voice:
| Windows of the room locked?"
| fifty feet or more to the ground,
and / don't think that any one could
| get out of the room by either win
dow"
was there anything missing p
though l don't suppose you had time
| to look"
$50 far as I could tell. sir. there
| was nothing missing. Miss Faith
did not bother to look. asked me to
b, call you and get the police"
BARLEY rose from his chair and
walked down the little room, then
back again, pausing at my chair.
Suddenly the door bell rang. and
with a startled air the butler
rose slowly and went out in the hall.
After ne had gone BARLEY said:
''Pelt, this may be a simple crime,
but have an idea we will find it a
very mysterious thing. Rice did not
have an enemy in the world; the
butler says that nothing is missing.
If he is right about that door being
locked then we will have all we can
do to fathom how the murderer got
out of the ROOM"
He said no more, for there was
the sound of voices out in the hall,
and the next moment three men
came in, followed by the butler.
One I could tell was the chief of
police by the shining badge on his
chest. He was the largest police
man that I have ever seen, well
over six feet tall, and must have
weighed about $50 pounds. His
face was red and fat, flushed as IL
he had been hurrying. He was the
first one to enter the room, the
other two men following him.
One Of these / judged was a
policeman of some kind. He had the
shifty look of man who lived by
his wits, and also a rather over
emphasized idea of his own inn
portance, thing have often notic-
ed in small offlceholders. He look
ed around the room with an import
ant air. and his glance was sus-
picious as it rested upon us. II Ne
had only worn a cleaner collar, and
If the baggy black suit that hung
over his thin frame had been
pressed, might have liked him bet
ter.
The third man evidently was con-
nected with the police force. for
after a glance at us he whispered
something in the ear Of the chief.
He was one Of those unattractive
men that you never notice, with a
heavy figure, and yet with a keen
face. l saw the chief nod, then he
turned to the butler:
Who are those menu" he growled,
with gesture at US.
Why" answered the butler.
rather astonished, they are friends
of Mr.. Rice-one of them is Mr..
BARLEY. the detective"
Bartley's name evidently was un-