The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-06-29
Stories Of an Inland State.

OlOIlSS OF dn tUidiiO 0lolos
Jacob Herman ran the Ohio house al
| Stogs Center and although he had been IL
active management for several years. he
had no recollection Of having spent such a
| day In its history a. he had this day.
It all came about IN this way. The night
clerk had on retiring for the day told him
| that TWO suspicious-looking strangers had
arrived at midnight and both had refused
to register.
| Were they together?" Jacob had asked.
$50 far a. could see. they were not, !"
| the clerk had answered
| Where did you put emf" Jacob had
| asked.
| "One In number q and the other In 26. -
| the clerk had answered, land they both paid
| day in advance and they both ordered
| their meals 70 be taken to their rooms"
| Bitten" CALCULATED Jacob. did you
| tell him was twenty-five cents q meal
extra already?
Yes, and both paid for three meals"
tn rot have 'em N my house" cried
Jacob growing very red in the face ana
Shaking his fist a, the trembling clerk.
| ''Tu not harbor thieves No sir. They
must co.
Then the clerk had proposed with a
trhe of fun in his eyes. Shall / return
them their money!
''Retlrn them their money! Child! Are
you going crazy! They ought 20 be thank
| full to have me let them so away without
calling in the police, The thieves?'
But you have no evidence that they are
thieves
Jacob laid one finger up against his nose
ard reflected. Upon the whole the clerk
vas right. Jacob climbed the stairs and
gazed suspicIously at the two doors of num-
Der Is and rs. He concluded to take up
the meals himself and did. He raped at
the door OF number Is. The door was
opened stea.thfully and two hands came
out for the tray. Jacob could detect only
one thing-the pair OF hands were fat-an
Old mans. At number % a pair Of hands
came out and they were slim, but a mans
hands.
He had the same experience when he
handed In their dinners, and in the evening.
their suppers.
Jacob felt dimly that he should notify the
police. Still he was held back from this
action by the thought that that would
hardly be fair to his guests. Where did
hospitality end and the obedience to the
law begin?
There was an illegal bar in Jacob Her
mans hotel. but sufficiently concealed TO
make the policeman's excuse for not seeing
1t. valid, and TO this place Jacob under the
pressure of being unable to determine his
true duty repaired often in the day.
He met his friend Henry Zenff, the cloth
Ter there, and he said to Henry:
Henry. Let me put you question. Is
1t a mans duty to give up thief when he
catches one?"
Jake" said Henry, I'm no lawyer"
But what do you think?"
well who is the theft"
Jacob detected shrewd endeavor In this
to worm his secret from him and ne closed
one eye and said:
'Slow there now. Henry. What do you
meanT'
Suppose the thief was your brother al
ready?"
''Yes?'
would you give him upT'
''Nein."
Neither would I. But you would be-
come an accomplice them
"And equally guilty In the eyes Of the
law, eh?'
yes"
81 could tell you something" said Jacob
cooking one eye.
What Is 1t, Jacob?''
mot now" whispered Jacob closing one
eye violently. mot now"
Jacob went up stairs and sat in the hall
hoping that perhaps one OF his strange
guests would appear. But he waited until
evening and saw nothing. He felt that he
could not very well order these men out Of
his house (even knowing they were thieves)
until he had earned the fare they had given
his clerk in advance. When they had ex-
hausted that
Look out" said Jacob to himself Look
out"
Night came and the guests still remained
in their rooms while Jacob resolved TO stay
up the night through. He felt that they
were preparing TO go through the hotel
that Is, he induced himself to feel this so
that he might have some legitimate ex-
cuse for his curiosity as to their move
ments.
The clerk below knew that Jacob was
sitting in dark corner of the hall watch
ing. so at half-past nine o'clock when one
of the suspicious guests, the slender one,
with a tall silk hat walked through the
Office, the clerk rushed up stairs TO find
food for his curiosity. He found JACOB
and Jacob awoke with a snort.
1.-THE tall ones gone." he whispered.
What, Where!' cried poor Jacob.
The lean one is gone-just now-out the
front door,
Jacob jumped to his feet and tumbled
down the stairs and up the street. He
overlook the guest and grasped him rough
iy by the shoulders
'Ah, ha.' cried Jacob as the william In
the play. II have your
Let CO." cried the stranger. "Wha.
do you WANT"
WANT Wantl I want your
The stranger Strengthened to a posture Of
ind. gnation and said:
WHO are your
''who am 7? Who am t. cried Jacob
and then remembering that the man really
did not know he said: II run the hotel"
What OF thatT'
What of that? What Of that7'
That was my question"
81 will call the police" cried Jacob be-
side himself and knowing not what 10 say.
Didn't you and the other one come into
my house and hide al day today?"
The other one?''
"Yes.yes; the other ono All. You can't
fool me-
But Jacob was fooled for ne suddenly be-
came aware OF the fact that he vas look
ing on a s,int:ng spot in the night which |
upon closer inspection grew into a re-
yolver.
Back CUT" said the man slowly.
Back Jacob went, white with fear There |
was collision. he had backed into some
body and two heavy bodies rolled on the |