The Storyteller.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7946, 9 October 1905, Page 4

The Storyteller.

A CLKVER THAI'.

When the veteran detective-sergeant, retired trout the force, he invested '.lijiMi of his sayinics in a country. hotel. Tin: house was situated in the vicinity of a colony of wealthy rcsitl.nts, who drove fast horses and automobiles, and enjoyed a good meal without grumbling at the price. The ex-sergeant's house soon gaiui.l a reputation that caused it to bring in a revenue that astonished e\co the proprietor himself. The prosperity of the place was so well known that it was not surprising that, one night, a burglar made his way into the establishment. As the burglar approached the safe he intended to rob, the light from his electric lamp revealed the fact that the safe was open. Judging from the scraps of cheques and some Mitall coins scattered about the floor, another thief bad preceded him. As the burglar cautiously swung ins lamp to the left, the shaft of li>)it fell.on the •body of a man lyiii; on the floor. Bloodstains and bruises showed that the prostrate man had been dealt several blows. The burglar listened intently, but could hear no sound of breathing. String as his nerves were, he fell a thrilling chill creeping over him as he realised that he was in the p resit.ee of a murdered man. The burpiar stood gazing at Ihe • ipse, frightened, but fascinated. He forgot about his errand as he stand at Ihe ghastly figure on the floor, :al wished lhal the corpse imghi i ■me lo life. Then he would not be afraid. He could fight the living man, and render him hclphss without killing him. Of that the thief was confident, because he li.d never hid to take a iiunuii life, although a-' had many encounters villi men v.hi.m he had robbed. The first i,uri.!,ir hid been a -bungler. He heed nol have committed murder. So Hi-wi-.;hi the man who *tood and s";di«d the silent, motionless thing th't fay before him. Vet lev (eared lo approach near en•"igh lo the body lo touch it. His trior was so overwhelming thai his ■acuities wrre, in a measure, paralysi 1. ijwl Ik- will never know how h'ng he stood there, in benumbed (right. U-i'oic be realised his danger. Al last it recurred to the shiver-i ins burglar, thai, if he was c.iughl I here, he woukl lie accused of murder aid r.ife'iVry. He was aware lhat, in that event, nothing but suicide could save him from the Kvcn then he recognised his own peril and thought how absurd it was lo remain where he was, especially as there was no chance for anv prolil after the visit of the first "thief. Ihe troubling robber could scarcely force himself lo leave the sc.-ne lhat. tilled him with the agonv oflear. Uui, in time, the thief'regained tm-nt.il equilibrium, and quilted th"J hole!.

A:; there was nothing regarding the miirjor in the newspai>ers ot the ta-xl morning, the burglar sunnis.dthai news oi (lie crime had nolj irans-pirnl in season for Ihe earlv : .dihoas. But as the day progressed an.l he- heard no rumours of I lie murd«r, his ama/eim-ni grew apace tw afternoon papers appeared withoul a uienlion of the tragtdv. Tli.'ii ■tie burglar was so astounded that tie couM scarcely refrain from speaking of the crime to the persons with whom he came in contact. Hut he knew that lie could not aiT'ln! to take the risk of bung the ' lirst to mention such a crime as thai) which had hern commit lid. Unal)h? to sland the susp, nse longer, the burglar drove to the hotel at 5 n.iii. and ordered dinner. He fully expected lo hear the muril.r discussed there, and depended upon that circumstances to afford an, opportunity to relieve his mind. Hill not a word was said about the jnurilrr or robUry. There was not the slightest sign of excitement. Everything was being condecltd in the jisual. orderly manner. I 15ut tlie now thorough dazed buiplar did not see the proprietor oi tlie place, and, so fearful was thloWier (i f arousing suspicion, he Would not ask for the missing man. 'flie Uurglar could not see the sale from the dining-room, and. therefore, fi.'.ild not i*',lain an excuse from that nuaiii-r for broaching Hie sr.le sul>ject uiH>n which his mind was cntnd. As the burglar drove home he wondered if th? hotel people wen- keep- j ii;g Ihe clime secret for the purpose • oi detecting Ihe criminal hv luring I hilii.tlrrough fatal ciriiisitv. 'to .he scene of the tragrdy. (!r could the whole business haw been a dream . | Or, worse, was he losing liix niin.l - a-.il basing hallucinations . ' 1-Y.r hours thai night i|n- itiii>f i t-i'ni-,1 „ver the different phases of ' '!.,- case, as they caper, d il.i-ugh hi> j iit.Mii. By an irnsistiin' impulse h- ! t..,s drawn I wards ihe hocVI. At I tiisl he persuaded himself lhal he v.Mit there to see if the real burglm c. iimimil by Ihe mysleriois silence i-raiding ihe crime, wo'ill reli:rn. Th-:i thedisap|H>intid robber realised '

: lli-l il would be inipi,ssil,le to keep such a i-rinu' smet for a in ili.il i' 'i !y-M-lilr.-| so he'dismiss-, i I Hi.' Ihtiry of -.iippr, s -i.,, of ihe n> '.:-. Ihrrr* had Ik-cii no news to Mipprrss. Therefore, lie must have >V<ti (Irraniinp, or he was insane. If In- had rlr.'.ininl thr murder .mil rol>-bt-t>, il was not 100 l.u- io make a J.iolilalil,-- wsil to the safe. If he did 10! settle the affair ,„„. ttHV ,„■ an _ «:!:vi. tlmr could hr no doiiht thai )■•• vmihl become insane Thr Imiiftl ir rimll no imirr resist the impulse In cnttT the house ihan lie cuiilif live without hrcalhing. "">•.• ' inside, thr robber quickh Irailinl thr little room cwiUmne' ll\f! safr. ami there lav- the roni-7; tli.it hail shockrd the ' bursar on .iliß previous i:i K ltt. The safe was opr:t, .>nd coins and cheques were scat--I«.rcd ab»jul (hr floor. Afl.-r caMjn; ~ hiirriedl ulancc around thf ro<„„. the now complete h terrified burglar turned ~fi the il-'hl. and swtfilv retreated. t ;!i was no dream." he niuse.l i„'i i *. ",'"' ""• '""l' l '' 3 < 'I"" « .',lr I fh, r ■ ,'" aK,{ r "»'" "-I'' I ''- '"P!.-M..„ that (he landlord is a>v a y 11 '"',''"","•• u "-' w »rp ->f his tale '" ',lh'"H' , and W '" k ''" r -NIV ~"< '■ io the hotel. J'thlrr ' ,lr, ' a ""''-" nr niHlt.-r.-rt. J, ' havp a c-nsiiinmafe foil' 1.-jl corpse is what the c*-det,ctivr rails, in police par]:,,,,,.. > a p | all ,.. ; l"-nest folks Would rail it a scare- ' crow. Knowing that an on- : M-itor has been Imisv recently in this comtnunily. and. huv,,,;.",,,, ~,,,,,,!,,,,,. Mil (he police sorviti>. because of his txpoflence in llie business, the e\'Brtrclivp has up his 'plant' i.. .waive honest hurjjais. He eatne ' *|var frjoling ujp ; Ijui. Hunk n-y-t-

ness : I have come lo at last. !!*• must have something worth while, or lie wouldn't go to all tin.- trouble 1 c <lws nightly to install his chart.- ; . oi horrors. And I'll stake my prrfcssiorul reputation that his money is in mat sate, the door oi which is purposely kit open to lead lo 111•» impression en (he mind of a confiding burglar thai the strong box has I {wen rilkd by a uii-tnliir of his own trait. Any man th?t is guilty of easting such a reflection on the profession deserves to gel just what that stupid dolt is about to receive at my hands." Within a few minutes, alter having indulged in the above-recorded selfcommuiiion, the burglar had re-enter-ed the hotel, abstracted a large role ot notes from the safe, and was once more on his way home, excusing himself for the commission of his crime by saying, as he always did, that it was for lire sake of his lovely wife, who had no suspicion of his hazardous calling.

"We will see, now, whether there Will be anything said about it," said the burglar to himself, as he turned in at i a.m. But there wasn't. Once more the burglar was mystified. Alter waiting for the evening editions of the daily panels, and seeing no mention ol the rolAery, llie burglar again rode off lo llie cxdcKctive's place for dinner. As oi the day More, the business of the establishment was being conducted as usual, and there was nothing 10 indicate the knowkdge of a robbery on llie part oi the persons pit sen I. Uul this lime the proprietor was in evidence. When the Jiulgiar had finished his dinner, the landlord took a seat opposite his customer and invited him to have a t'n ar . al the same time laying on the table in front of the burglar a bill for the meal. The two men smoked and chatted about politics and other topics of the day for 15 minutes before the burglar picked up ihe bill and looked at it. He saw il Was for £lOllll. As he did so, lie gave a violent [start and exclaimed : "It was only eight hundred '■ "We will call it a thousand," coolly put in the ex-dcuctive. "1 will Igo with you if you have lo go anywhere to get Hie money, but you don't get out of my sight until I get the thousand." Within two hours ihe money had been paid lo the ex-deteclive. As the two men were iheu on an even fooling in ihe mallei of crime, the burglar said to the landlord : "I confess I don't understand why you luntbeted up that room as you did. What was all thai truck for ? What was your object !"

"l! nab to pn.t.-ci m) money. I know il was almost a certainly I would have a call from a Ijur-^lut, anil I expected lip would Ik- a com--1111)11, ignorant ruffian who would t )( . iiigblcii;d away liv the gruesome spccUcle; bui jt s, >n.t-i iliat I was mistaken. Ii did , 10l , SCart . vou apparently.'' ' "It frightened ih,. ujis nut in m I "'<■• l.rst niglu i was in there." "Were- you there more than once'" "Certainly. Didn't yon know it '" ,"•;,'' ' d'' l "' l Know )ou were there at all until you divulged your guilt »>' the start you gave and the exclamation you made when you looked at your hill for your dinner, llii.s evening.. 1 w*s away when the .ill) was done. When I found that I had been robbed I concluded thai I would say nothing about it lit! I had -trial the simplest test that caught you. llt occurred to me that the thict who robbed my safe in the face ol lite horrible cxhil.it made to keep 'robbers at a distance must be a. man of intelligence and nerve. 1 surmised that such a man would do the Wisest thing that anvim.lv suilty ,f the ruibery would do—that is, con:e to the place and avert suspicion by leisurely oat ins; a nu'al while he made observations. I hit upon the tl'lliu hill scheme, and vou were '■be filth man I tried j| on.'The olh•r four accepted it as a ioko, or talndy said f must have been drinking lo get twistid like that. Of course I apologised a ,„| |, a ,| , lle ~;|| corrected." "If I had pretended In take it as •| Joke, < r i o ld you you li a ,| drinking would you ;i aV( . apologised to me '■ ' ~ "Certainly." "(Jood-nighi :" "G'>od-fli lit. Call again .'•