A Night in the Park

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 110, 12 May 1939, Page 15

A Night in the Park

By Reginald Foster

Si) f.ii l'.-liri' Cmi-'liiblr Williams did in.l i. _■ ii.l I In- V u \ ( ~ii- a< being ciili.'i particularly happy, bright or There «ns ii crime wave in Hopton llciL.il.i. I hill delectable \ illage where the thiol nf Ihe "Dili U and Drake" in so low tliiit well imt• jlllill tr l*tll tiresome ihift|iln\iiiir visitors from the <■ i13- crash their Ymi li.im' In wiiil tin hour nnil a i.alf if \.lll inU-t a Inn in* r» the next market liiuii. I'.iil :liis liin! 'iot prevented the mipiM-iiilendiMll IliiTi' sending to 101 I'lilirn IViiiiliiblc Williams, county cona I'll Ii iv, cum mun ica 1 ions which seemed tn hi , couched in anything but terms of» Iwill. All nf Williams' nfti'Oll stone — something had shaken when he read the memorandum by that morning's post. In hi ief, olViciiil liingiuige. it pointed nut thai complaints wen- still being reri'i\rr| from (he city-country magnate up ill the park about the unknown raider who, the magnate thought, must have lii-i'M "Mpplying half I/oadenhall Market witli liis game. There was nlno, it reminded Willi mis. tin' -till unsolved niv*tery of the midniirlit raid on old Mrs. Daly's sweet sliop. linl.cidiislipry and generul utores. A j the niiiin loss had boon a sevenp< mi ml tin of boiled sweets, and as every iliild in the village seemed to bo in 'enfly munching boiled sweets all d.iy. Ihinsis -were difficult for thnt hl.iw inoxiiig, geiitlo thinking, some--1 lines geninl. but Unlucky detective, 104 I Police ( unstable Williams, county con- -' il.iibny. Ho wfis still toying with the latest memorandum wlu-n the telephone rang. "Williams? Superintendent speaking." "l"'.r. yes. sir. Happy New Year, sir." "Never mind the Xew Yenr. Did you v 1 strange car last night?" , "Well, thorp win h red sporting two'.l'litcr, No. ARC >"»()."), proceeding towards I...111I011." "I-Acellonf." rnnin the nnfwrring voice, "That's voting OeorgoV enr from the park. He's home for the holi"Oh, or, yen, sir, I'll make a note of it." 'Listen, Williams," the voice mennii'il. "According to what I have just hpptl told tliore whs firing nil niglit in the park and this morning there's a tniil of fi'iithern from Hopton Heigho to here. To night you must get this puncher. I nderstHiid 1" "You, sir, certainly, sir." and Williams, 11 trifle redder about the face. rung off. That, i-i why Williams, on this night of the New Vein, was hiding himself us much as possible behind a tree, Hliivering an-l waiting. He wore a cap inn! ovcrcni t, over bin uniform, being Inclined to pi Mo himself on his plainclnthcs u, I. Not thai !'■■ ease of the nissing pheasant* renllv l-Uh-il i: . <>h. no. H« knew, and eseryone kuev. . '.'ie criiiiiiiiil was that genial. wlni* whiskered reprobate, that drunken goat owner, Larry Atkins. Once before Lnrry had made a fool of Williams. Now be would fix him. "I'll get him." biiml William* to himsi'lf, cupping and blowing on his hands ami taking a sip of tea from the flask supplied by Mrs. Williams. "Jimt let me see him here with one bird In his pocket and. . . ." Williams fi'lt a triHi! warmer at tlie thought of the commendation and possibly promolion which was surely near. The east wind seemed warmer.

Sure enough, nt 1.25 a.m. thnt mornIng— becutiMe with police exactness he noted the time—a shadowy figure began crossing the park and made stealthily toward* the woods nt the fur end— the woods with the biggest rabbits and hiire* and the favourite roosting place nt Hip magnate'* best pheasants.

Pi mli'iniiHly following the figure wliii-h was too dint tint to bo identified William* awaited action. Here, very lir-iir, wiih success.

The figure, without a doubt that of Lurry .Atkins, nut down and waited. WilliuniH hid, nearby, behind another tree, uerhapa a hundred yards away. l'"irif\ Hi; had Hot been ween.

At the I'nut hang-bang, after watchinjf to sc« something being stuffed into tlie artful Lurry's pocket*. Williams time cliusc, at tlir> time mentally thinking how smart he whs to be sure of cut rhliiy liitii with evidence and all.

"Hi. stop," mured Williams. "I've pot you. I cnn x(.f» you. ,. Which was true. Rut not even William* roiild have "Worn that the figure in those trees one hundred vinrls uwiiv was Atkins.

Atkiim allowed no inclination to stop, «nd run.

Williams rnn, puffing but pluckily •nonph. In fart, lie held his man across that park almost to the wall bounding •lie Hopton Heigho and Hopton Heighi road*.

On* padded the poacher, and then. w ith only fifty yards between him and Mie inventijrator of the county con««bulnry, nhot off across the frozen lake.

Pnllcn foiwtublo Williams followed. "»t m.t fnr. ll.trdlv lih<! Atkins reached Jho other Hide of'the Like and bepiin 'oelnmber ovi-r the wall when there was "» "iniiiiiiis crack.

■ urn tMioiiuh. the detective made a levy m.iri« st.c|w, mid then nlowly bu' •Urely, tin- ic,. vavwl in, rose up with vvi' nV l ' nu " ki "f* nonnd and engulfed ♦VHlmiiis (Hi-l vcuiitv constabulary) in «,u f>£ water - Col,l water. Oh, hi, oh, hi, etop, oh, hi. stop, r ® o-o-o." Thie and other remarks and •'t'lnmatione came from 104, urn in hie "''■iiffjiee he broke the ice more and "lore.

Ami there, clear in the moonlight, climbed on tin- will! t Ik- well-known tigure. of Larry Atkins whose cottage Wiis not tar away down the road. "Allo there, iiiiyone in trouble , / Alivtliing wiDiiyV lie shouted. '•Clinic and fret me out. Don't stand then, filling like a fool/' roared William*. "Why. Wwa mo. if it ain't old William*. How- ever did you get in there? Half a mo. Hang on and I'll get a rope mill ladder." Little At kin*, runninjr lionie, returned with the roue-lie a p|m ratlin Drenched, cold. his cap lost somewhere under the ice, Police Constable Williams Mood safely on the hank. "[ thought 1 heard someone calling out and camp out to see what wa« wrong. But. Mr. William*, whatever were you doing out at this time of night. Skating or what?" "You got dressed very quickly," *aid William*, auspiciously. "You know very well what I was doing and what you were doing, too."' "Me? Why, [ been over to see my lirother fit Heighi, and we had a bit of a party. That wax why I was out late. Lucky I happened to hear you. Of cournc, you woudn't have drowned, but you ought to be grateful to me for Vetting you out." .

The water dripping from hi* clothes, the investigator went home and explained to hi* wife juet why he wanted blankets, hot-water bottles a'nd anything else hot.

With a cheery good-night, Mr. Atkins also went home.

Within a short time ,he was out again, speeding merrily ucroo* the park towards the wood* at the far end—the woodn with the biggest rabbits and hares and the favourite roosting place of the magnate's beet pheasants.

it wan then nearly '.i a.m. when an enraged magnate rang up the superintendent.

"Look here, where'e your damn fool police'/ They're here again right now. Listen." Bang, bang, bang. Mr. Atkine got busy. "Looks as though we'll catch 'em redhnnded, *ir," said the (superintendent. "Just leave it to me." • • • • Tn a few minutes the telephone rang at Police (Vuistable Williams' houne. Mr*. William*' voice answered. "I want to speak to your husband, quick." "He. he's in bed.", "[ don't care. Bring him down. In bed and pheasants being rdiot .every minute. Bring him down." "Get up to the park at once. T thought I told you to spend the night there. You'll pay for this. Making, me look a fine fool," roared the superintendent. Which in partly why Williams nearly had apoplexy next day. when Larry AtkiiiK greeted him outride the "Duck and Drake." with a cheerful, "Happy New Year, officer. Looks like we'll be 'aving skating soon."