Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-11
Ny Strangest Case
BY GUY BOOTHBY.
Author Of " DIR. NlKoLA," 1.-THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE DEVIL"
"PHARoS, THE EGYPTIAN Etc.
copyrighted, 1901, by Ward. Lock & Col
BY GUY BOOTHBY.

is, who shall get it for you? Let me
explain matters a little more clearly.
In the first place l have 40 desire to Of
fend you, but how am l to know that
the story you tell me is a true one?"
81 have already told you that you
will have to take our word for that"
he said. cit will be a great disappoint-
ment to us if you cannot take the mat
ter up, but we must bear it as we have
borne our other misfortunes. When
we realized the way you managed
those bank people we said to each
other: That's the man for us! If any
one can catch Hayle he's that person.
1t naturally comes to US as a disap-
pointment to find that you are not
willing to take up the case"
81 have not said that | am not will
ing" l answered.; Il only said hat I
am not going to commit myself until
1 have given the matter due considera-
ton. If you will call here at -four
o'clock tomorrow afternoon, 1 shall
be able to give you a definite answer"
II suppose we must be content with
that,"said Kitwater, lugubriously.
They thereupon thanked me and
rose to go.
by the way" I said, "does this mar
Hayle know that you are in England?"
The blind man shook his head.
"He thinks we are lying dead in the
Jungle" he said, 'and it is not his
fault that we are not. Did he suspect
for a moment that we were alive and
in the same country as himself, he'd
be out of it like a rat driven by a fer
ret from his hole. But if you will give
us your assistance, sir, we will make
him aware of u presence before very
long"
Though he tried to speak unconcern-
eddy, there was an expression upon the
mans face hat startled me. ! felt
that, blind though he was, l should not
care to be in Mr.. Hayle's place when
they should meet.
After they had left me l lit a cigar
and began to think the matter over.
i had had a number of strange cases
presented to me in my time, but never
one that had opened in such a fashion
as this. A man robs his friends in the
center of China; the latter are tor
tured and manned for life, and come to
me in London to seek out their be-
trayer for them, in whatever part of
the globe he might be. The whole
thing seemed SO preposterous as to be
scarcely worth consideration, and yet,
try how | would to put it out of my
mind, [ found myself thinking of i,
continually. The recollection of the
blind mans face and hat of his dumb
companion haunted me awake ant
asleep. More than once I determined
to have nothing to do with them, onl,
later to change my mind, and VOW tina
1 would see the matter through at an,
cost to myself.
Next morning, however, saner coun
sells prevailed. An exceedingly re
munerative offer was made me by
prominent trust company, which a
any other time / should have had n,
hesitation in Immediately accepting
Fate, however, which is general,
more responsible for these matters
than most folk imagine, had still
card to pla.y upon Messrs. Kitwate
and Codd's behalf, and it was destine
to overthrow all my scruples, and wha
was to ultimately revolutioniz
the conduct of my whole life.