The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-12-31

Colburn could remember the place at all,
surrounded by Mexican and Alaskan
curiOs. :flanked on one side by missal
said once to have belonged to Father Juni-
pero Sierra. and on the other an old-fash-
Toned. rusty barreed pistol that had be-
= longed to some famous border ruffian OF
: tie days of 40. Just above it hung bat
tered violin. with a curious carved head,
labeled "a Genuine Amati." Dick aid
: not know:so much as the meaning Of the
term. he could not have told the missal
! from Hoyle's games without stopping 20
read the title. and he had never even no.
p: ticed the old pistol, but he did know that
the chess set occupying the middle space
was a genuine Staunton, and ever since he
had .discovered1t he had felt great long
:. I'M to p0Ss ess it: - = ~
j He had: notlced; it. almost The first morn
ing he :tlad- begJln:his daily walk down
Clay: street: to*the Wholesale house where
lie was .earpipg a. very: small salary as
entry clerk. He had once. yentpred= into
the shop*ald asked the price. "%pnirty
d0llars,0- the*pTopfJetor told: him. .'and
cheap that. .: Dick knew j Z was cheap:
He: knew that: originally the massive,
carved ivory linen. must: have cost several
times that amount. .but.S30 ItInight as
well have been thirty thousands, for all
Dick could SPARE: such*a :sum:then, or for:
many a IongdaY TO .eo me II rs :: : =:
Dick was "a S tranger. on the COAST He.
had left: bis: New. Eng land: home. SIX
months before, X NOW in 2: that the outlook.
in his native village afforded no Chance
for an. lam b3tIons young man.. With Just;
enough money: TO: bIlng il i'm to. Sab Fran:
cisco, and :: Knowing Il OF a. soul ON :the.
whole 0aS /; he: had been *fortnn ate enough.
the pOShion:uf zen try Gle TX in "a wholesale
fruitSt0re* on. a small salary. with il PROM
lseo fsQIilet hing he tier sou ia Ire give sat-:
isfaction.< He@had gwen: Satlsf actIon. but
the season had not, and his shall salary
stjllEeilained small. r. II: Fl :: -. ::
;: He: had no tfced 4 tile chesSmen daily.fof
several mouth s; W her. a s. he. hurried down
tow n early ron e: Monday; his attenu 0h@was
attracted to- a: card that had been placed
beslde*the:bUa There WAS a new az.
rangemtn tot THE IN EN-, tQo-zIlTast0f ;=the1i
lad been removed TO: one side. and on the
card waspri nte dthe legend ::;~: =. -.
wniteto an d n1ate'i II four mo YES: +:
"a problem y he:.exclainfeli. as he. at
once set 10 work. 70: anatyZe the*situati0n.
Dick Was q chess: enthusiast, and the.
problems n. jQues ton" had pot nf fore been
brought TO MS :atttn Il on: He. studied lit.
eagerl i, uuIi Ia Ian ee. at Ills: %atch*re-
minded. him. hat i was time / Q be:llI owing
ofiiteWard. : He: kept fl ltlIfIill vat his work;
although dceasiGn&1lE . I'll e CD eSsbea I'd W tn
It's arE&n cement: o fir ed and w hite. men
would obtEuGe tself betsve en- his eyes. and
the.pages OF 81 IS: entry s0 ok = T.: 81:
-. i. Iuk I'll e. VIII lie L ni GIFTS position Ms
the: key 10: lhe Isl 1tlGt in; = he, f6flecteu:
Eli run up tiiere.a ftfI lJIlc he on and take
lunche Oh, Dfck found: lriiiIS elf once: more:
in#front@0f HE. uiIigY *5SElndo W The. white
knight, gain ata:lll crQta h1y,Eefilsed
abs0hiielN:t6 y.leId. the SECRET that Dick:
suspected: WAS IN. his >keeUlHg. Mentally.
the Young. 1el W., RIO we'd him 10 every
square " iib iii rarre5. int from no position:
did he. obtait sntffei mt Com nj and over the.
Teu forces: to: IHak the: Remaining three
moves, amin eyIta able ma ts.:.:
al pretty pTob1eIii,aH' nIuttered Dick
take;t ]0O k t it .tij-rrtg 1T. ! But IN
fortunately DICK, w as ID etalned thatfevefl-
Zig. a=wllen me fIallY got AWAY 1T was
too dark to- see: tile men and q he. VI lnd0w Of
the Shop was not y iii 8 ."::
-. Next InOr MN q; Ito WeYer, lie put in Ira H
an llour=bef0Te tile WIN dow. studying the;
pToblenI.: He: was: SIRE he.had* the cew
when, 10o klr1g at his watcb, @he ;iiered that.
hehad barely thine 10 -Teaclf the office be-:
fore e:Innn ent :Wh en- lie Was:eXpecte1 to;
be at: his deS ~:
= II his won't de5.' The reelected: 81 won't.
stop aga n. y the I'M Tning,i but Fl come
back at no On s -: r.; -.
8. He kept: his: word: raligi0usiy, for Dick
was a. cQnscIen ti0us fellow who attended
faithfully to, hrs. dniies ,*but he cut sh ort
the time lie; III aily#allow TO his midday
meal: and: furEied.: UP Clay street to the
wlndoW=H here THE 70 bject of his interest
was I0cated.@::::.: + ::
Villa &: an sae usiYe pro blem it was, to be
tn ne ..l-y
checked and "a s:be1ore the impor tant-look-
lns Will e: knight seemed just the piece for
the wnrk: =. Dick was sure that his was the
strategic *position; but bow to plan his at
: faek.lhere from was the problem:. 1T all
hinges upon that piece, he said to him.
self as he walked back TO the office.
=: He*had"a hard fight to keep the white
). knight out OF This mind during business
hours, nd::saif::that evening with pencil
and PAPER he. worked atthe problem on a
roughly: skefehed chess-ground.: Relip-
J: lousy u e.: avoided the window ne xt morn
F. Ing. bnt coming at noon he found that In
J: his memory he: had reversed the positions
OF the=white king aud queen, and all his
. labor Ot Intervening previous had been in
!, VAIN III: took him some time TO readjust
his mind 10 the correct Positions; and he
had: made np headway when his neon hour
was: up: =. +:*::.:s
" Day=after day passed and still the clew
:: 10 the. problem evaded Dicks grasp.
Each day. after luncheon, lie took Up his
;statlon=in front Of the window in the
effort TO: solve the mystery of the knights
move The proprietor got TO notice him,
"and came out to stand and gaze with him
Can: you work t2" Dick asked.
ron. no," was the reply. Il not know
chess 1t vas set by a sailor fellow who
came along; aud he disappeared inside
TO attend To- customer
S. Attic end of fortnight Dick was no
nearer a solution of the problem than ever
He had planned an attack on the req king
with every piece on the board; he had en-
deayored TO forget the problem, and one
night he had not gone to bed al all, so de-
5termined was he to conquer the secret
which he was sure The white knight held.
= IVY net puy some cheap men and move
dem round to work it ouI?" the proprietor
asked one day. and Dick looked a, him in
scOrn. what, move piece in working
chess problem? Never!'' and in his despair
he stayed away from the window for two
whole days.
= The next time he went it was Thanks
giving day: Dicks New England con-
science kept him pretty straight and he
hadTeligiously conquered all temptation
to visit tn e problem on Sundays, but surely
Id INr , f,o