The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-11-19
F RIA r d, S

/ stared at the bit of pasteboard,
fascinated How the deuce had this
got into my apartments? A Blue
Domino? Ha. l had it, Old Friard
had accidentally done up the ticket
with my mask. A Blue Domino; evi-
IDENTIFY wasn't the only person who
was going to masquerade Without
doubt this fair domoiselle was about
to join the festivities of some shop
girls masquerade, where money and
| pedigree are inconsequent things, and
where everybody is either 'loidy" or
gent" Persons who went to my
kind OF masquerade did not rent their
costumes; they laid out extravagant
sums to the fashionable modiste and
tailor, and had them made to order
A Blue Domino: humph!
1t was too late to take the ticket
back to Friards; so / determined to
mail 1t to him in the morning.
1t was now high time for me to be
off. l got into my coat and took down
my opera hat. Outside the storm was
still active; but the snow had a prom
Using softness, and there were patches
of stars to be seen here and there in
the sky. BY midnight there would
be a full moon. 1 got to Jersey City
without mishap; and when / took my
seat in the smoker, l found l had ten
minutes to spare. / bought a news
| paper and settled down to read the
days news. 1t was fully half an hour
between Jersey City and Blankshire;
in that time l could begin and finish
the paper.
There never was newspaper those
days that hadn't a war map in some
one of its columns; and when l had
digested the latest phases of the war
in the far east, / quite naturally
turned to the sporting page to learn
what was going on among the other
professional fighters. (Have I men
toned to you the fact that l was all
through the Spanish war, the mix-up
in China, and that l had resigned my
commission to accept the post of trav-
cling salesman for a famous motor car
company? If I have not, pardon me-
You will now readily accept my reck-
lessness of spirit as a matter of
course) l turned over another page;
from this I learned that the fair sex
was going back to puf-sleeves again.
Many an old sleeve was going to be
turned upside down.
Fudge! The train was rafting
through the yards Another page
cracked. Ha! Here was that I'M
known gentleman-thief again, up to
his old tricks. 1t is remarkable how
difficult it is to catch thief who has
good looks and shrewd brains. I had
already written him down as a quasi
swell For months the police had
been finding clues, but they had never
laid eyes on the rascal. The famous
Haggerty of the New York detective
force.-a man whom not dozen New
York policemen knew by sight and no
criminals save those behind bars.
earthly and eternal-was now giving
his whole attention to the affair
Some gaily dressed lady at a ball
would suddenly find she had lost some
valuable gems and that would be the
end OF the affair, for none ever re-
covered her gems.
The gentleman-thief was still at
large. and had gathered to his &C
count a comfortable fortune: that is,
If he were not already rich and simply
a kleptomaniac No doubt he owned
one of my racing cars, and was clear
Of the delinquent lists at his clubs.
dismissed all thought of him, threw
aside the paper, and mentally figured
out my commissions on sales during
the past month. 1t was a handsome
figure. large enough for two. This
pastime, too. soon failed to interest
me. / gazed out OF the window and
watched the dark shapes as they sped
past.
l saw the girls face from time tc
time What fool I had been not te
ask her name, She could easily have
refused. and yet as easily have grant
ed the request At any rate, I haC
permitted the chance to slip out o
nay reach, which was exceedingl,
careless on my part. Perhaps they
she and her uncle-frequently dineC
! at Mouquin's; / determined to haun