The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1900-12-13
The Mystery Of the Aztec Jug
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BY DAVID ARTHUR CARSON.

v
have sworn that wicked leer lurked
about the stony eyes.
Laughing nervously at his own fool
ishness Bailey took up the Jug from
its resting place among the idols and
the gods and bore it away into his
bedroom. He placed it on a bamboo
table, intending to look it up with
some other banished curios, but just
then Dick Shaw burst into the outer
room.
Dick was an artist with impression
istic tendencies, and next to his work
and Lillian Bell he cared more for
Bailey than anything else in the
world. Lillian, a tall, dark beauty,
happened to be his fiancee. Bailey,
who always declared himself to be an
unregenerate bachelor, because he
had never seen the woman he could
love, had taken a brotherly interest
in the match.
Dick was rafting off some expert
ence of the day, at the same time
helping himself to the conten.s of
decanter on the buffet, when there
was a crash in the bedroom.
What the deuce is that?" exclaim-
ed Dick, pausing with the glass half
way to his mouth. 81 say, old chap,
you haven't got anybody concealed in
there have ynr on
Bailey, with the air of a man who
knows what he is going to see, walked
into the bedroom and beheld his
choicest copy of Remembrance trans
fixed on one of the posts of gilded
chair. The cord had mysteriously
parted and the picture, toppling for.
ward, had struck the chair directly
beneath it, the sharp top of the gild-
ed back piercing the canvas and COM
pletely running the picture.
On the table near by sat the Aztec
jug, and Bailey was sure he could de-
tect sardonic grin lurking about the
three hideous faces. Dick condoled
with Bailey over the accident, but a
moment later the jug caught his eye,
and. while Bailey was ruefully exam
lining the ruined picture, the artist
exclaimed:
"By Jove, old man, that's a tidy bit
of pottery you've got there. I need
just such piece as that for a study
I'm at work on now. Let me sketch
it, will you 2"
Take it away with you, Dick, y
groaned Bailey. ''But see here, old
man, think the things possessed of
the devil. I've had just such luck as
this ever since I bought it,
Bailey related his lamentable ex-
periences with the jug, but Dick only
laughed and said: "I'll run the risk. "
Bailey breathed sigh of relief
when the jug left the house in Dicks
overcoat pocket. Two days later he
received a note from Dick which read:
"DEAR JACK Am laid up with a
broken arm. Come and see me.
"DICK."
Bailey hurried away to Dicks rooms
and found him propped up before the
fire with one arm in splints and band
ages.
"Hello, Jack" he said weakly.
Thought yo'd come. I've had pref
ty tough time of it since I left you.
Tried to put up some hangings-bat-
tie axes and things-in the studio, but
the damned stepladder broke and this
is the result
He held up his bandaged arm. "But
that isn't all, though" continued
Dick. TROUBLES never come singly,
you know. Lillian came down here
with her mother to see me yesterday.
Brought me these violets. They start
ed home in hanson, but the beastly
horse hadn't gone two blocks before it
ran away. Lillian became excited
and jumped. Sprained her ankle and
got such shaking up that she is
really i'll. And here l am laid up
with this-where are you going jack"
Bailey had darted into the studio.
A second later he reappeared.
"Dick," he exclaimed, where is that
jug ?"
What jug ~ demanded Dick irri-
tably. "Mean that one | brought
from your rooms? I've got it safe
enough, you needn't worry. l haven't
even unwrapped the thing. It's there
on the able"
Bailey snatched a small package off
the table and unwrappedit, disclosing
handsome Sevres vase. 'Why, this
isn't the Jug" he exclaimed. "Surely
the ugly Aztec thing can't have trans
formed Itself !"
"That's Eillian's," cried Dick.
"Why, she's taken your Aztec pottery
by mistake. She brought that vase
here with her yesterday and laid it
on the table. She must have picked
up the jug instead in going out. 1t
had the same kind of wrapper"
"Dick,' said Bailey solmenly, "that
jug is responsible for all these acci-
dents"
"Oh, don't be fool, Bailey !" an
swered Dick, petulantly. "but if you
think so, for heavens sake go and get
the thing from Lillian and smash it
before it does any more damage"
D.; L. L