Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-10-24

p \.
4 cuANcr OF L.OpGlaGs.

police, letters from interested leaders.
Many OF the latter We're quite Ger
tain that they could quickly solve the
mystery. but unfortunately private
business demanded their whole atteii-
ton; hile. the stupidity of The
detective force WAS Il disgrace TO tnc
city, let the guilty PARTIES be arrested
without furthci delay. whatever their
position. 1t was remarkable how few
accepted the simple theory which SIM
monds had propounded: all of them
ckose Ia discern something deeper,
more intricate. more mysterious. ana
| Miss Croydon Incurred much oblifiue
reference. This. for the most part. took
the form OF scathing. even hysteric;l
polemics against tho degeneration OF
American society. the greatest peril
threatening the health and prosperity
of the republic. At it was With Rome.
so would it be with America: luxury.
scnSuaiity. a moral code growing over
more lax, could have only onc re-
suit.
No doubt these vigorous correspon-
dents enjoyed themselves and imagined
that society quivcred in CONSERVATION
under the castisation. Certainly they
formed a ource of ~'luisitc amuse-
ment to the rcad,f OF he papers.
1t has long bee1 a y plt of mine,
when any particularly abstluse Grim
inaI mystery is before the public. to
pin my faith to the Record. Its Other
features l do not admire. bu | knew
that Jim Godfrey was its cNpert in
crime. and ever since my e%ncounte.
with him in tn. Holiday case. ] have
entertained the l~iveliest admiration of
his acumen and audacity. If II mystery
was possible of solution. ! believed that
he would solve 1t. so 1t Was To the
Record l turned row.. and read care
fully every word he wrote about the
tragedy.
1t is difHcult for me TO explain, even
to myself. the interest with which ]
followed the case. l suppose most
have "A fondress. more or less unread
lied. for the unique and mysterious.
against the commonplace OF every
day existence. We had been having
q protracted siege of unusually hard
work at the Office. and l was a little
run dow in consequence l felt that
l needed a tonic, Il distraction. and
| found il in THE Tragedy in Suite
H." as Godfrey had christened it.
I was sitting in MY room ON the
evening OF the second day after the
affair. smoking Il post-prandial pipe
and reading the Records stenographic
report of the %coroner's inquest whcl.
there came Il knock at my door and
my landlady entered. She held in her
hand n paner which had a formidable
legal appearance
Have you found another apartment.
yet, Mr.. LESTER she asked.
No. | haven't. Mrs. Fitch" I said.
I'm afraid Nv not been AZ diligent
in looking for one as l should have
been"
Well. I'VE just -. another no.
ticc.' and she sighed YEARLY. They're
going to begin tearing down the house
day. after tomorrow. / can't find An
other house, so I'm going to put my
furniture in storage. I've told the men
to come for III tomorrow"
All right" 1 said. III 7 can't find
an apartment to suit / will put my
stuff in storage. too. and stay at a
hotel for a while. I'll know by tomor-
row noon. Mrs. Fitch"
Very we'll. 1t does seem hard.
though" she added. pausing on the
threshold. that VIC should be the e
to suffer, when there's SO many other
blocks they might have taken"
The residents of any OF the other
same thing" pointed out. After all,
l suppose this block was better than
the others. or it wouldn't have been
chosen
She shifted skeptically. and went on
her way to notify her other dodgers
OF the imminent eviction.
We We're martyrs to the march OF
public improvement. The block had
been condemned by the usual legal
process. an armory was to be
erected on the site. So there was moth
ing left for US to do but move. l had
hoped that Mrs. Fitch would find an
other house somewhere In the neigh
borhOod and that l could stay with
her: now. it seemed. I must search
for other quarters. and at exceeding
~ short notice. TO find comfortable
ones, conveniently situated, and at the
same time within reach of my modest
income would. l knew, be 4 problem
not caSy of solution.
settled Jack in my chair and took
up my again. when a sudden
thought brought me bolt upright. Hero
was an apartment. two rooms and
moreover. so ituated that 1 should be
admirably placed for c~lose-at-hand
study of the tragedy. i glanced at
my watch-it was only halt past sew
en-and l hurried into my coat in a
sudden fever of Impotence lest some
one should get there before me.
Twenty minutes walk brought me
to the Marathon apartment house, and
as 1 stepped into the vestibule l saw
sitting by the elevator a red faced
man whom I recognized instantly as
Higgins. the janitor. He rose as
approached him.
"You have an apartment here to
rent. haven't you?" l asked.
mot Jest now. cir" he answered
There will be next week-if tn walk
in delegates leaves US alone. You
see. tn house Is bein' renodelcd."
"Oh." I said. more disappointed thar
I cared tn show. II thought perhaps
there was one I could move into n
once. Next week won't DO me amy
good"
He moistened his lips and scratched
his head. cycling me undoubtedly.
May l ask your name, sir" he said
at last.
1 handed him a card, which had also
the address of my firm. Graham a
Royce. He read 1t slowly.
We've got one apartment. SIR III
said. looking up when he had master
ed 1t; two rooms an bath-but Il
>AoA~ IT'LL -4lonnian Am 4 L