The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-23

It was a beautiful a'itumn day with the | dust unsprinkled and trash flying in every l direction. Store keepers were busy dust ing off the choicest of their advertised
 bargains. stopping ever and anon, prin- | cipally anon, to mutter incoherent, but spice trimmed, sentiments on the insur-
 ance rates.
 It was October and everybody had l moved.
 In little room situated in the north west corner cl a building known as the l city hall of Birmingham were seated two men. One a handsome, robust man of an indefinite age and partially bald, looked l every inch a ruler of d mighty people. He
 was. Leaning forward in his chair he
 was endeavorins to make clear something
 which the other was slow to grasp. This
 man was the mayor of Birmingham. That he was worried was evident. Opposite the mayor sat a younger man with his gaze intently fastened on an object held in the hand of the mayor. His | lynx like eye would betray him in a
 moment to the reader as Ola Keen Nose. ] the reporter detective. l The mayor hao sent for Old Keen Nose | to unrave a mystery that had baft1ed the most experienced detectives. The un- raveler was now trying to get at the l bottom of the case. 1 The facts as developed by his searching inquiries were these: Several months ago l Mir. Drennen was the recipient of a pres l ent which came from a person unknown 1 to him and wnose indentity has never since been successfully established. Enrolling the package at that time the l mayor, who had expected to come across
 an internal machine. found therein a 1 beautifully colored plaster group of fig | ures of the Floradora sextette The girls
 were In the act of gracefully lifting their l skirts preparatory to warbling Are l There Any More at Home Like Your l The mayor. wreathed in smiles of ap- preciation was fondly looking at the present, when to his horror he discovered | that the head of the fourth girl was mis- sing. Searching the wrappings of the package carefully he could find no trace 1 of the missing head | Since that eventful day the mayor has 1 grown gray with worry and has great
 difficulty in sleeping at night. l Notwithstanding a heavy expenditure 1 of money he has never been able to get 1 the slightest clew as to who sent the package or why one of the girls was de- l capitated.
 Now this Is why I sent for you,' he said to Old Keen Nose. "Unravel the | mystery and any office at my command l is yours. I am going out of the mayor I office but I may not retire from politics. " Before l take up this case" calmly
 replied Old Keen Nose, you must be l perfectly candid with me, MT. Drennen, 1 and answer my questions. Uraess you 1 tell me all l can do nothing.
 You shall know all' said his honor. Are you married, Mr. Drennen"' "No. I have never contemplated such
 condition since | took leading part | in a Shakespearan play when l was quite | young
 Are you a woman hater or are you | fond of women?'
 ''No. no; far be it from that I am
 very fond of the company of ladies' but
 when it comes to marrying I am as far 1 from it as the noted Greek Musgrove and | Judge Charles Ferguson" Now. do you have reason to believe l that any of your young lady acquain-
 tances could have sent you this present?"
 asked the detective as he gave the may or a searching look. | NO; I have investigatd that thorough | ly and none of them sent it." replied the
 mayor as he sorrowfully shook his head. l q am positive of that" "Calm yourself" said Old Keen Nose
 'I will be through in a few minutes. but
 you must submit to a few more ques- 1 tions"
 "Go onl Go onr exclaimed the mayor. 1 'I leave all with you" "Have you any acquaintance among chorus girls or theatre people Of any
 kind?
 MY acquaintance in that line is very l limited" shyly responded the mayor.
 "Do you attend the theatre regularly
 and are you fond of it?'
 "Yes, I attend quite often and l am
 particularly Iond of comic opera and 1 farce comedies
 At that a new light shone In the eyes 1 of Old Keen Nose Hal he struck a | cl.e?
 1 The mayor went on to tell of his fond
 ness for the stage and it developed that
 he had acquired 1t years ago. His mind l however, had drifted from Shakespeare to farce comedy. It further developed l that he usual. gets up close and can
 without his glasses have clear view Of l the chorus.
 The mayors favorite whistling tune iS
 '"relI Me Pretty Maiden" and Old Keen
 Nose was beginning to see daylight ahead.
 Now. tell me something about politics, MT. Drennen-Have you any enemiesY Not since l announced lEdl was hoe | running for office" Did you ever tell anybody that you
 might run for a fourth term?' q can't say that l did. That was my
 secret and I kept 1t locked In my breast.
 have heard several stage jokes to that l effect"
 Do you believe in the gold standard I or free slver?
 Well, I have never worried about that.
 Either of them will be accepted at our
 department store; and by the way we
 have great mill end sale going on there
 and you can ,uy-" Never mind about that" interrupted | Old Keen Nose" Do you believe in free
 trade or protective tariff? Do you be- l lieve in the iniation and referendum? Dc | you believe in reciprocity and what dc
 you think ought to be done with the in-
 habitants of the Philippines?"
 The mayor staggered under this and began to show evidence of not having 1 been as candid as he had promised. He l was withholding a secret l Those matters have never been brought up in the First and Ninth wards, and as 1 those wards form my worst battlefield, l have never worried about the questions