The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-17

U1lC COuCluS1Ou WnlCn lSu luS
to think again of this stolid Moor, and
to declare that the case, against him
was singularly convincing. So strong, in
fact, were my suspicious that made it
my first care to go to the maitre of the
hotel and to demand satisfaction from
which fitted the case. When he heard
my tale, his face would have given
Rembrandt study. ~"
'How7" said he. "Monsieur is
robbed, and chezmoi7' y
repeated that I was, and told him
in ,twenty-four hours, consequences
would follow which would be dis
asked him frankly about the Moor Sid;
but he protested with tears in his eyes
that he would as soon accuse his own
in his house might know something
about it; and presently he had mar
shaded the whole of his servants in the
central court. addressing them with the
fierce accusation of iuge d instruction.
1t is superduous to add that we made
ton left me as far from the Jewels
had lost as l was at the beginning
of it.
From the hotel to the bureau Of the
ponce was an easy transition, but very
hopeless one: A number Of extremely
polite, and elaborately braided, officials
heard me with interest and pity; and
having covered some folios of paper
with notes declared that nothing could
be done. For themselves, their theory
was that the Moor Sid had been talk
Ing about my treasure, and that some
other domestic in the Hotel de Ia Re-
gence had opened my door while I slept
little risk. But that anyone should re-
cover the property was in their idea a
preposterous assumption.
cit is on it's way to Paris,' said one
of them as he closed his notebook with
a snap, "and there's an end Of it. We
of the hotel closely for some time, but
that should not encourage you. It is
possible that the man Mohammed, the
porter of the place, may know some
thing Of the affair. We shall have his
house searched today, but, my friend,
ne vous montez pas la tete, we are not
in Paris, and the upper town is worse
hope of seeing the thing again is
SMALL
I was afraid so, too; but being &C
customedto strange losses and to strange
recoveries, I determined to venture
something in the hazard, and to remain
The most difficult part of my work
lay in my Ignorance of the city and in
that matter Sid alone could help me.
Every day we went with measured and
expectant tread thru that labyrinth of
fantastic and half-dark streets, where
repulsive hays grin at the wickets be-
low, and dark eyes coquette at the graf
, booths and bazaars, we haggled with
the jewel sellers, we battered with the
goldworkers, but to no purpose. I had
come to think at last that the loss was
not worth further trouble, and had made
up my mind to return to London, when
l recollected with some selfreproach
that I had as yet neglected one of the
very simplest means to grapple with the
occasion--that | had, in fact, offered
no reward for the recovery of the jew
eled scimitar, and to this omission owed
l did not doubt, the utter absence of
clue or conviction.
! When | was yet angry with myself
at this absurd oversight I had a sec
ond thought which was even more use,
full, and one to which owed much be-
fore | had done with the matter. re-
membered that the French police had
set down my loss to the loud talk OF
Sldi amongst the others at the hotel
Why, then, / asked, should not this maj
also scatter the tidings that I would
the recovery of the scimitar7 No soon
err had I got the idea than I actei
upon it.
'"Sidi,' said I when he came to nj
on the next morning, "I have heart
much OF your cleverness, but you have
not yet found my property; now viii
give a thousand francs to the man WIZ
brings it here within week. -
To my utter. surprise he bowed hi
head with his old gravity and answered
, eff Allah wills, the jewel is found.'
This was amazing, no doubt, and il
! it's way triumph Of impudence. If h
could find it with that ease, then h
. must have known by whom it wa
stolen. I turned upon him at once witt
r gravity of granite and responded to al
, my threats with the simple greeting, a
. OF father to SON .,
"And upon you be peace"
5 To have argued with such rogu
Q would have ben as useful as a demon
: stration in theology before mollah; t.
o have accused him boldly of the thief
I not possessed such a wealth of test
mony in his favor. I sent him abou
}, his business, therefore, and went i
{, search of my friend Chassaigne. VIII
i had been away since ] lost the trinket
- but was then at the, arsenal agar
'. flying calmness, but assured me that
i had at last taken the only course whic
- was at all likely to result in success.
I "Our friend, the Moor said he, 81
I the most honorable of his kind in A
- giers, where all are rogues. I do nc
!. believe for moment that he stole tn
- Jewels, altho his father, his uncle, c
y his own brother may have done 81
= Your reward may tempt him to retur
l them If the police set up hue and cry
q q Put # ne suggests that you go up
o you will do nothing of the sor
2 There are far too many dark eyes an
h Paradise for every Frank he sticks.
n you. took the other course, and sougl
your money from this ,hotelkeeper, /
/, would bring hundred to swear tn;
1t you did not lose the stones in the hote
is and you would be where you are. It
y annoying to adopt laissez aller polio
e. but fear you can do nothing else.'
If thought that he was right, but N
20 habitual obstinancy was all upon m
1t and I found myself as much determine
q to recover the jewels I had lost as
It they had been worth ten thousar
le pounds. was quite sure that the p
le lice would do nothing, and save tn,
" they informed me in a cumbrous doc
a ment that they had searched the hou
G; of Mohammed the porter, and Of fl
Id others, my. surmlse proved a true on
le It was left. to Sidi, and for Sidi
re waited on the morning Of the ninth d.
ut with an expectancy which was unwa
IN rantably large. He came to me at b
as luSua1 hOur 'clonk and when ha h.