Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1910-02-04
CHAPTER VII.

Frankel and Sothern went down the
hall from Betty Lancey's room after
the clerk and his companion, who was
so excitedly seeking the papers that
had blown out of the window and a
couple of bell boys.
We'll go right down through the
bar, it's the quickest" they overheard
the clerk say as the couple passed to
await the elevator. The two newspa-
per men ran down to the next floor,
caught the car at the second landing
and rode to the first floor with the
clerk and his plainly excited compan-
ion.
The bar was closed and while one
clerk procured the keys for entrance
Frankel covertly watched the man,
and Sothern nonchalantly strolled over
to the clerk behind the desk.
who is that MANI" he queried. Il
don't mean the little Jew, but the dark,
handsome fellow there? He has such
a beautiful wife, looks like a woman I
knew in Paris once"
"So?" asked the clerk. They have
been here at frequent intervals this
last year or two. Don't know much
about them. except that his name is
Harcourt-Harold eHarcourt-and they
always register from India. They've
got cash to burn"
Whats the matter with him now?"
questioned Sothern. The clerk laugh
ed
"Oh. I don't know" he answered.
He came busting down here awhile
ago shouting about some documents
that had blown out of his window and
lit on the fire escape opposite. He
wanted somebody to go up and help
him get out on the fire escape. Tore
around as If he was afire.'
"He was crazy, too" supplemented
one of the bell boys. "Old lady in E23
where he went to get out of the Win
dow wouldn't unlock the door to let us
ar the fire escape. Don't blame her.
hit her hubby made her come to the
scratch and let us in, and she was the
tickledest when the papers were gone.
Tbev's going down in the court now, to
hunt them up"
Frankel by now had Joined the
clerk at the door of the bar and was
ortovine that functionary's attempts
to make the key yield in the lock.
whats on?" he asked, carelessly, "a
riot or rdio
Nothing at all. sir, private bust
ness. private business only" interrupt
"A Harcourt, with the air of giving
Frankel his congo.
Frarkel, however, refused to accept
such a gratuity and followed the two
men. and the several bell boys. one
wifi, q pocket light and the others
with various boxes of matches through
the darkened barroom. The glasses
and mirrors and decanters cleaned
dullv In the half-hght and the uled
floors were slippery with recent SCRUB
hing. The door that opened upon the
court was heavily chained, barred ana
hoI+ed but it swung wide at last and
IIorcorrt clutching the pocket light
frono the grasp of its bearer fared 1t
go every corner and crevice of the
clean cemented rectangle.
..Nothtng here. sir, nothing here,
or,nented the clerk What was the
nature of the papers, if you please?"
rIorcourt's face was livid He rum
,Iod his thick hair nervously with his
iong white fingers, oblivious of all his
.,,rroundtngs. At the third repetition
- the Interrogation he reused from
his stupor and remarked:
"a picture of my wife, very valu-
.h,a handmade print, one prize for
a.. .ssociet,ons as much as for its in
trinsic worth. and some extremely I'M
nortant passports. would not nave
ios+ them for half a million dollars"
The bell boys poked around IN a de-
49,, fashion into imaginary crew
So nat did not exist. The clerk led
~ wav back to the office and Har-
n,,rt absently met the claims OF the
buttons upon his pockets
Excuse me, Mr.. Harcourt' salo