The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-09-04
Ere nv IDEAS were completed the flash

Ere my ideas were completed the flash
of thought did come. A sudden dart
downward on the part of the professor
was instantancously succeeded by n
frightfrl yell that rang through the
wood. Mrs. Cargill's hano was
dropped in u moment, and il
seemed as though the professor
was engaging blindfoldcd in some
awful struggle with y foe whom none of
us had as yet seen. IL was the fox after
ALL The professor Chad tracked him
down this time. II not to his den. at
least to the trap in which the animal
was struggling.
Certcs, he was pretty severely punished
for his fox-hunting propensitics! Foxc;
don't usually attack until driven to the
last extremity, and the professor must
have forced thcOanimal to the furthest
point it could go with the trap on its
fore paw ere he made that sudden dive
which was so disastrous for him. Had
it not been that the learned mans hand
was most terribly bitten we should have
been struck with the absurdity of the
scene. Mrs. Cargill had had great
fright; the professor was in u towering
rage, not merely at the injury done to
his hand, but that he should after all
have again tracked down his fox; so
Harold and / alone were in any con-
dition for action. The professor sworc
he must kill the fox that had so bitten
him, and so great was his wrath and
haste that he would scarcely wait till
we had stanched his wound with a hand
kerchicf.
took Mrs. Cargill to some little dis
tance, and when l returned the fox was
well-nigh demolished by the aid of q
stout stick, with which the professor
had promptly avenged himself. He
was calmer now, and rs we were talk
| ing over the little excitement of the mo-
mcnt he gave it rs his decided opinion
that either Mrs. Cargill must, unknown
to herself, have been wearing the dia-
mond all the time, or the fox must have
swallowed it. The last idea seemed to
have something IN it, and he was so i'm
pressed with it that the only course to
convince him for we had begun to
doubt his sanity) seemed to be to dis
sect the animal there and then. / left
them to inform Mrs. Cargill of our last
resolve, when shout of Joy from the
professor and of surprise from Harold
made me hastily turn to rejoin them.
Mrs. Cargill, hearing the shout, was
with us in trice.
The diamond had been found! The
fox had not swallowed it; but tied tight
ly round its neck, roughly sewn up in q
piece of brown leather, was the missing
stone! The professor was exultant; his
wound was forgotten; he had been right
after all! But who was the thief Some
one must have committed the diamond
to the fOx's care Was it true that the
animal had slipped its collar, or had the
culprit freed it for greater safety in the
belief it would return for its meals:
Only the gardener could tell us, and he
would probably not miss his fox till w,
saw him in the morning. Excited n.
we were we talked it all over in thu
wood, and were considerably later th al
usual in getting home, where we partet
at once silently, retiring to our severa
chambers to take the rest we had so wei
earned, after mutual compliments al
round.
We had decided that the gardener
alone could be the thief, and that w,
would confront him with the charge il
the morning-but we had reckoned with
out our host! When we assembled TO
breakfast, the professor with his han'
wrapped up in most ungainly fashion
Mrs. Cargill met us with blank face
A note, which the servant had found il
the silver chest some minutes since. eX
planned all. 1t was II filthy piece o
workmanship, but still legible, and tn
contents, alas! too plainly spoke tn
truth. 1t ran us follows:
MIssUs-i seen you and the gintiemen to
mites waukin about the woods iookid for III
fox. You kant find him cny more than m
so ime Off ! hop you may ketch my fox
kant so me and mi pals TUX II few spunes in
steu.
Your obedian sirvent,
Tom BLAK.
ps-thenks for levin the door opin.
The professor was the only one VIII
made Il hearty breakfast. He had prove,
the power of thought reading; it wa
our fault. not his, that the gardener ha
been too sharp for ms. Now. of course
we had the detectives down; but W
never caught Mr. Black. 'Tuk fe,
spunes instedr' l should rather thin
hc had; there was not piece of plat
left in the house!-Jfacmilan's MagO
zine,