| Show it was during dining the time of my connection with inith the police force that the incident related in the following 11 lines occurred although there 1 Is 19 9 nothing startling in the details and the unraveling of the mystery with which they deal required no great amount of sagacity on my illy part still I 1 an am inclined to think that there is sufficient interest about the alio affair to warrant making it public I 1 w was as ell aged with N ith tile superintendent one ino ining on some routine business when a note dote was handed in from mr a well known solicitor pr practicing dictlein in the town the superintendent load lead the nils ml elssie ssie bile and then their turned to tile 1110 it Is a case of pilfering sampson he lit salt said ind and the thief of course cannot bo be discovered there Is nothing requiring your services this morning go and see v hat you can call do CIO in ill the run matter t ter I 1 put pill on oil my batand aliat liat and went as directed mr norths ills place was well vell kuohn it to me ile and I 1 was win boell the occupant of a seat scat in tile the private room lit at his office 1 I have been a goud deal concerned colcol ned of late said the solicitor turning to tile the business at once about the abstraction of certain sums aunis of money from my lily cash box in my iny desk ind and as I 1 fear that I 1 am being robbed by someone in the office and cannot put my lund hand on oil tile the actual offender Tender ol I 1 am alit compelled to to seek ill lie c aid of the police quite so sir art said 1 I anil and it will be both the duty and tile pleasure 0 of ill the force and or of myself to give y you ou every possible pos assistance in ill tile matter how I 1 nv long lot have the pilfer ings been going on oil I 1 asked about 1 a I week or ten days was mas the reply and the robberies always take alico at dight after the office 1 is closed how do you know that dial Ive Ik cause ause I 1 count the cash in my illy desk every ev evening elling before locking III up when nihon everybody has Is left and again tile the next morning before ancone ari ardies ies salt said mr 1111 what at are the sums you have missed Y they illey have varied one night i s was t taken another 17 7 ind and a third 13 3 and so ou on altogether I 1 have been robbed of 55 and I 1 dont know where it is going ill to end have you illy any suspicion as to whom tile thier tully may be none whatever unless 11 31 mr r north hesitated go on sir I 1 said bald give eipl expression to your thoughts they may a clow clew 1 I was going to say continued tile solicitor with home boine apprent app nent reluctance tail unless it be Il hartley artley but I 1 cannot believe him guilty of such a 1 thing he added who Is hartley I 1 asked 1 my confidential clcil replied mr ile he his has beer been with tile me oler since nince lie was a boy and ills his charlier to tor lias always been above s suspicion u sl lei 0 11 then why should ills name occur to ou in connection with fill these the thefts I 1 queried well it is like this said tile solicitor ll hartley artley ail and I 1 ire are thc jhc only persons who nho sleep 01 on tile alie premise and 1 as I there arp are no do signs of entry 1 and I 1 ld the thefil always take plue place in ili tile hie night I 1 an ain lit in spile of myself driven to it a certain conclusion the fit one olle in ill tile hie circuit I 1 I 1 iut toll fell me you kaip several links lit in addition to hartley ley Y yes four at lait ii jt time thile do 10 they lc loaia 1 I six S 0 clock chick win 11 do 1 I ion oil lock iok or 1 l sol can ell you look anik jour desk and alid tile office door w D docs ies alfolia ii al ivono lolia b ix sidio your yourself belf pus pos sos so s krys hi ys of either cr ll artley docs too ui of both and ou say bay lie on tile prem ies avs yrs no one myself hut lit you do not ilot iye here bore mr V 1 iselda north 0 quite so 0 o my jr bridelle i i Idelle e IR ii i i on oil tile the outskirts skirts cr if fit alie tonn but lor several nights I 1 hae ahne been ble at fit the ollice office in ili older to catch tile alie fl ilef I 1 quel quelled let ImI indeed Qed lint flint was riot not iny illy motive it at all sald the hie dav liwer cr quickly and is as a matter of if fact tile the iob boiles liao ha c only occurred since my sojourn in tile place thea ahi neier once ODell before llly hill ili hint flint li attley I 1 is the thief van rail you sug suggest Zest 1 I 1 motive for ahi 11 s I 1 asked none whatever was the be reply what kind of oe a it life does he lead steady Not nobody body mole so but brt gam lilL NV neither Ither i to my knowledge lie ile Is envied toa to a very respectable girl and I 1 know as aa a i fact that he shortly contemplates I 1 tomp litos housekeeping all ald there Is a motive motive for or pilfering fering I 1 hail with a abru shrug of the shoulders liow how sit SO askeT naked the solicitor why a house requires and furniture costs molla I 1 said thou then you think that IIa Ila itley is helping himself to my mccash cash iu ili order to fit up lip ida louse house said mr sadly 1 it looks remarkably like it I 1 replied ent we shall probably see of bouise you lave not barged liar geil litra him with the thefts no NO for or I 1 cannot persuade myself of liis ills guilt and lie ho has no knowledge of the object of my lily visit none so go far ns as I 1 am aware very well let him film keep keel in the daik tor for the present meanwhile can you tell me your object in sleeping on these premises the last 1 rely ew nights well stid said mr bridgforth slowly it Is this lor for sonic some little time I 1 have found myself out of sorts there Is nothing really the matter with me that I 1 know of lut but I 1 have been spending it a lot of restless nights either getting no sleep at all or only sufficient to do me little good under the impression that a change of apartments Is sometimes a rl remedy m e dy lor for insomnia I 1 decided as I 1 ani am a bachelor and have only ody myself to please that for a 1 night or two I 1 would sleep here where there is plenty of room and ample accommodation 1 I see well went on tire the solicitor the hie change ari answered admirably irom from the very first night I 1 slept soundly save bior for some persistent dreaming which nightly haunts mo me and leaves me somewhat in ili tho the mo coining ining tile the old woman naho comes in to do for ll hartley artley finds it little extra work to prepare a dormitory for me so I 1 have remained for the present this is the explanation thank you sir we will now try and run tills this thief to earth tart li what I 1 propose pro poso Is very simple find tile me a dilding place here tonight to night ii a screen or 1 a I cup lioard will ilo do for I 1 am alit used to in cramped els and I 1 will sto see what is to be seen look lock your desk and inc door as usual but blit provide tile me with nith n key of the latter for use it if needful mr brid dorth and shortly after I 1 took my departure As I 1 passed through the outer room I 1 got i look at tho the clerks ind and in particular it at Ilar hartley ticy which I 1 was enabled to do without exciting suspicion judging from ances the follow fellow looked like anything any tiling but a havill having a fl frank flank ank open countenance te nance and ill picking licking altogether that shiftiness or of vision characteristic of nl almost every rogue aware annare however that there I 1 is nothing more deceptive than externals I 1 went away little doubting that II 11 hartley artley was vas my lily ruan man late that evening I 1 presented myself at mr door and was received by that gentleman in ili person the was closed the clerks had all gone lic home tuie and hartley was out presumably love making mr brid doitel found little in ill securing Illg me ile a 1 retreat behind 1 a I cabinet which stood in one corner of tho the office ind and here I 1 ensconced myself with as much coin comfort folt as the circumstances permitted at 1030 tile solicitor retired locking both ills his desk ind aud the hie office door before going upstairs ind providing me inc with a duplicate key of the latter bitter as I 1 had desired ilat ticy would X lie be home ile he informed me about 11 and would mould doubtless go straight to his room the lawyers estimate proved correct for almost exactly on oil the lie stroke of the hour a key turned in ill the lock of the outer door and the lie choik entered ire he had no occasion to conle come into the office oance in order to reach ills his apartment but on oil ills way past he be paused a moment and tried the handle of tile the door and it fa tautened aellen went on in ills his way nay A minute later I 1 heard board the closing of ills his chamber door lind anil lily watch began the time passed floii slowly ly a away na y twelve struck then their I 1 ind and 2 ail and I 1 had begun to think that my would be in vain arill when in the still stillness of the night I 1 heard a door softly opened above and a cautious foot footstep stell slowly descend the stairs it paused at tile the foot of them elo close to the door of the room in which I 1 lay bid and I 1 next hoard board the jin jingling aling of 1 1 I bunch of keys is if tile posses possessor bor of them wore were selecting tile right one to fit tile lock A k moment later the alio portal opened ind and the pilferer entered the place was in dat darkness kness ind and I 1 had to strain my lily ees to watch his mote boic merits the lantern I 1 had with tile me I 1 did riot not desire to use ue until the right moment for it m was as my lily hope to capture tile tho iu in the very let act of ills lir laie larceny ceny elly j I 1 hall had riot not very long iong to wail Wi pird lit in a long gown and without shots shoes on oil ills his feet the pilferer glided gilded i to to the desk and lilting a key ivi y into the iho luck lifted alit lid ild ile he then open the lie eash I buy OX and out some sollie of llie lie coins coill now was alas my illy time slipping front my illy hiding place I 1 turned on my illy Li liin litell tein and 11 the culprit As I 1 did so I 1 gadea a stale of for tho the man I 1 encountered was mr it hini film belf fi lf 1111 and 1 I could tell 11 by Y ill his 11 closed 1 l eyes that lie he N was a fast asleep lind 0 of f co 01 lse quite of what lie was doing nocing that tile the light front froni my illy lantern bothered him sonie somewhat what for lie he lii passed sed liis ills hind hand several times dio dica amily nilly across lei his face I 1 rep the shade ind and tile the somnambulist at once closed and allt enod ened the desk and adli then walked out of tile hie office lockins locking tile the door behind him noiselessly I 1 reo reopened penca it and followed him lie retraced roti ret aeed laced ills steps up tile stairs and going to it a cupboard on oil the landing stooped stoup down a second or t to in 0 it inong some old h at t lie bottoni bottom and to lo deposit ills his coins there he entered a chamber ch adjoin in ans leei peering ln cautiously luto into this I 1 s saw I 1 W the sleeper divest lUin Idin soK self of ills his sown gown ind and get unconsciously into the bed lit in had a tew few minutes before left well sampson said mr north when lie he came down uie the next morning what Is the result of roa ro A watching alave ilave you discovered the thief filter 1 I think I 1 have sir was the reply ind anil it is Is it Il hartley artley lu quirce the solicitor anxiously no sir it Is riot not hartley I 1 salt said thack th ault god for that ejaculated the lawyer li wyer fervently as is if the statement of the fact relieved him allut then lie ho asked with sonic surprise surp risie who L 1 la the culprit before I 1 tell ym that I 1 replied kindly kS nilly see how much lunch you voll have been robbed of durins during the night lie ire 1 bont ent to ills his desk counted over ito collis coins and said four pounds that makes lit in all I 1 queried fifty nine como come avith tile 1110 mr I 1 sal sald 1 I should not le be surprised if I 1 can put you lit in possession of your inon 1 with a puzzled nil air the lawyer followell followed me die ui the to the cupboard cuppon id I 1 have mentioned tile door ot of which I 1 opened A pained espres expression swu canie came over the mans mails face as lie watched wat elied tile 1110 how strange he L half alf to bim himself self half to tile me 1 I haie been dreaming every night of this recess lu ill connection with these st ind the things inside it nil all seem familiar to me though I 1 have never once seen them before stoop down sir abild feel lit in that or nor I 1 said lie ile did us is I 1 bade tind id drew 11 ew out sovereign lifter after sovereign count them I 1 sol said when ho be had got nil all flint lie he could find lillie lie 11 koins oln over the pieces piece tine one ly by one diio 11 1 0 exact amount anio lint of my lily losses just u to I 1 said d alit ind now if you x will ill come liick back to the boffice lof fice I 1 will tell you yon who is the thief before y otiles comes down we vc ic turned to lila ills room and there I 1 informed him to liis his intense istanish anent or of what I 1 had it you will pardon the ilie liberty lib eity sir mr I 1 salki ul at the alio conclusion of the nair nai alion rallon 1 I 1 should advise iou to lo see a doi do tur fur you ou aro are evidently eling froll froin adle nie lital affection which if ailt g lecter lec ted allay kiy develop into a disease disc ise tile ilie effect of which you you cannot foreen toresor lo fo resor reec the lawyer acted upon lily auy suggestion and called in 11 ti a specialist who ordered him a prolonged ned rest A try iryll ing ind and complicated ciso case in ili shibli lie he linn been recently eviza ged md giai apparently proved too much for liim ind and liro t oil fin this peculiar form of brain trouble whon list I 1 heard of him lie had returned quite julto restored all ciul hartley artley Il ills confidential fork clerk married to a harming wife wis was about ili ort to lie be taken into with him alt aits |
