Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-09-28

"Yes. and I know where you got IT..
too" he Kissed back. You took 1t
from the closet of my room down at
J the factory a week ago, It's my suit"
''Braxton, you're wrong" | protest
ed. now thoroughly panic-stricken. III
you must know the truth. I rented TINS
suit from Solomon's today. But l 90
/ hope you'll be gentleman enough not
to say anything about it?
He laughed fiendishly. Likely
tale! Solomon doesn't buy stolen
suits. See here. Hanson, get your nat
and duck, If I catch you in the ball
room again. you thief. I'll tell Miss
Walker and all the others about you.
Duck. I say duckl You can explain
to me tomorrow"
You'd better take my advice" was
his parting shot to me as he disap-
peared inside the ballroom.
In utter despair I sank down on
chair. I would far rather have faced
the lannon's Iurid breath than Miss
walkers and Mr.. Cramps eyes after
this contemplate Braxton had said
six words to them.
And the worse of 1t was that he
might be right ! might have on his
suit 1t probably had been stolen
from his Office and sold to Solomon
left the hotel without bidding any
body good-by. The first thing was TO
get OFF the clothes | was wearing; my
flesh seemed to be burning under
their weight. rushed off to my
boarding house, and went upstairs.
But | didn't linger to ponder on my
feelings / went straight for Solo
mons. In FIVE minutes / had reached
that secondhand shop 1t was as
dark as Egypt inside.
rang the door-bell, then pounded
on the door There was no noise
within But / knew that the owner
was sleeping upstairs, and | contin-
ned to pound and make all the racket
I could without arouslng the neigh
borhood.
Just as my patience was about ex-
hausted. old Solomon In his night gar
ments. turned the knob and opened
the door a few inches.
what is it," he queried in a gruff,
frightened voice.
I'm the man you rented a dress
suit to today" I said. Its a stolen
suit and you've got to take 1t back! ="
Il want you to write me a state
ment. at once. saying that / renteS
the suit from you" / said in deter
mined tones THAT win square me
with the man who owns 1t. He is
the assistant e. Ter in the cloak
mandatory. Give me this statement,
and then you two can fight ii out"
"All right. I'll write It." he agreed.
leading the way back into one of the
rooms
He took out a piece of ruled paper
from his desk. and ! dictated while
he wrote line saying that I had
rented the suit from him, and that
he had bought It from young man
with red hair. When he signed tho
paper took 1t, thanked him. and hur-
ried out of the place.
My steps led up the street in the
direction Of the factory As
walked also racked my brain
to think of some young man
with red hair who might have stolen
the suit. There were three or four
hundred men in the place, and the
task of settling on the thief was like
looking for a wheat grain in a sack
of oats.
As the factory was close, deter
mined to go to It and telephone to the
arrogant Braxton that Solomon had
given me a written statement exon
Grating me from blame. | dared not
20 back to the hotel in my sack suit
for fear OF causing comment and pos
slble exposure.
It was dark. but did not turn up
the lights in going upstairs I made
my way over to the desk and in ST.
lence sat down to ponder few mo-
ments over the words l would use in
'phoning and in writing to Braxton.
Finally. I decided inst what to say
to him and was on the point of get
ting UP to go over to the telephone,
when something don't know what
caused me to hesitate.
A strange feeling of the presence
of another person in the room sud.
denly came over me. Silently I
peered into the darkness. my cares
alert for the slightest sound.
Them saw llght-a round
bright light, fash out across the han
through the open door Was II the
night Waterman? | listened.
Distinctly | heard soft footballs not
twenty feet away from me. The light
appeared again-this time holding a
second longer than before. Now |
discerned dimly the figure of a man
crouching in the corridor.
Then it all flashed over me-the
man was close to the big safe that
was set on heavy timbers in the hall.
way. That safe often contained sew
eral thousand dollars In cash.
For the fourth time the light an
peared. and now it was reflected on
the metal knob of the safe. | saw
the hands and wrists of the man who
held it. but l could discern nothing.
| knew. however, that he was kneenng
in front of the safe.
lnstinctiyely, | held my breath for
I feared that even my chest expansion
might reach his alert ears Outside
heard footballs on the pavement but
inside all was as quiet as the tomb
saw the steel wheel turn as clear.
/ ~ as If had hean manipulating ii
I myself All at once tho Iisht ed