Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-07-22

ment.
When Mr.. Hayvers had gone, Nor
ton touched his bell, and his clerk,
Smith, came in. Then Mr.. Morton
did what may seem an indiscreet
thing.
''Smith," he said, "you are going
to be suspected of having stolen an
opal"
Certainly, sir" said Smith.
"That will be oil at present."
Smith could not write shorthand or
work a typewriter. He spoke no Ian.
guage but his own, and of that he was
remarkably economical. Perhaps it
was for this economy, coupled with
one or two other qualities, that Nor.
ton valued him. He must have val.
ned him, for he paid him salary OF
f200 year.
The electrician came, examined and
exhausted himself in his efforts to
make Smith talk. He received one
piece Of information--that Smith was
going to the Earl's Court Exhibition
that night.
At the exhibition fair.haired
stranger got into conversation with
Smith. The stranger did most OF the
conversation, while Smith drank wits.
key and soda at the stranger expense.
In burst of confidence the stranger
owned that he was collector OF pre-.
cious stones. had just bought couple
and would like Smith to look at them.
Smith looked and said Good night"
and incontinently went up the Great
Wheel.
On the following day, while Smith
was at Morton's Office, fair-haired
stranger called at Smiths lodgings
to correct the gas meter. "'E did
a deal of pokin' about" said the land.
lady. "Ahl" said Smith.
Then week elapsed, during which
the workings of Mr.. Roynal's agents
were wrapped in darkness. At the
end Of that time Mr.. Hayvers called
for list OF Morton's customers ladies
especially who were in the habit OF
buying opals.
"You have q clew2" asked Morton.
"We are drawing the nets closer.
Patience for day or two." and Mr..
Hayvers, who seemed very busy, left
hurriedly.
Mr.. Morton exercised patience for
day or two. A month passed without
any news Of the green opal. Ones
patience cannot last forever, and Nor.
ton wrote short, sharp letter to Roy.
nal, ordering him to relinquish the
case, saying that he would hand IL on
to the police and greatly regretting
that he had not done so at first. The
letter promptly produced an apologize
reply. The case had suddenly devel-
oped features of exceptional difficulty,
but Mr.. Roynal was now giving IL his
personal attention, and IL had so far
progressed that satisfactory termina-
ton could be guaranteed in "a hours.
Early on the following morning
Morton received telegram, "Opal
recovered. Please call at your con.
venience. Roynal" Morton found
ii convenient to call at once aud was
shown into Roynal's private room.
"Your case was the most difficult I
have had to deal with for three
years, said Mr.. Roynal, Though the
difficulty did not lie in the direction !
you imagined. You cannot prosecute,
and 1 will not give you the name Of
the thief. But You wanted your
opal-and here IL is.
''If you don't tell me how you got :
IL, Il don't see how I'm to be quite sure
it's mine"
at answers your description, and
but wait q minute" Roynal wrote
hastily on a sheet Of notepaper and
handed il TO Morton. "There is my
guarantee that il your legal claim to
that stone is disputed will pay you
ESQ. Is that satisfactory"
Morton put the opal in his waist
coat pocket with the guarantee.
'Tt is very kind Of you," he said.
81 have had your bill made out"
Roynal went on, land have also had
it receipted. / take this as test case
and make no charge"
ut is, indeed, good Of you" said
Gall ashland expects that you
will employ us regularly in the fu.
ture."
And then over Morton's fat and
usually solemn face there came an un.
holy grin.
II shall never employ you again, Mr..
Roynal, because you have failed in
this case. The story that I told your
Mr.. Hayvers was fabrication from
beginning to end. I have never had
an opal stolen. The whole thing was
m effort OF the imagination, test for
you. And you have failed"
~ could never have believed" said
Mr.. Roynal, warmly. "that you could
have acted in such bad faith" |,
"Mr. Roynal. OF what use to me
would private detective be who failed
II |