The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-04
By Frederic Reddale

late suppors did not argue absolute i'm
peccablity on the young mans part,
yet Finncy Valentine was too old Dir DIR
TO snap at mere probabilities. He mus mus,
have better proof but Ii certainly looked
| black for Felix Carnaby,
| Back at his desk again. his lirst inoV'
was to put IA careful member of the de-
tective squad on the job of shadoWIint SI,a,
routine cases demanded his attention for
the rest Of that day and late INTO ln'
night. But next morning a trcSh sur
| prise met him in the shape OF violently
! perfumed pink note from Miss Nlrsie
Hexam, dated the previous evening.
Dear Mr. Finney, it ran, sucA !
funny Thing happened, I've found my my
ushcrs at the Jbcater brought II round
II must have dropped under the seat,
| Won't YOU please come and get the one
you left and. believe me, yourNtrleno' v
Hexam,'
''That seems To let Master Felix out"
he unused with a quizzical smile as he
ate his, frugal breakfast But 1T Ger,
tanly thickcns the mystery. There must
be two pins exactly alike. Wonder VINO
owns the one that did the mischief"
on his way downtown he stopped az
the florists, TO interview Miss YiIrgie
HeXam- Mistaken? Not on your life
Course. the two heads was just alike.
but that was nothin'. Hatplns-even val,
out by hundreds. But 1t suttinly was
a, perfec' scream that two Of EN- should
a been los, tn same night And so so
made his escape. He had no further
use for Virgie Hexam in solving the mys-
terry attending Caleb Winnetts death.
Ever fertile in resource. Valentine con-
cluded to do little advertising on his
own account-a random shot, back
fire. as II were which might bag some
game. So next days Herald contained
this cunningly- wordeG advertisement:
stances. a gold and silver iiligree hat
pin, owner VIII do we'll TO call In person
upon Mr.. Atwater. Room 22O, Wcstover
save trouble 10 innocent persons
Both name and address were disguIses
which the inspector used and found use
iul upon occasion in the rnmlilcationS or
his work. The advertisement was mere
ly chance-but chances In the detec-
tive world sometimes prove better than
certaintIes. For he argued that the
guilty. person-rnan or woman-would he
behind, And the very fact that he had
suppressed all hint that crime
had been committed would be apt 10
strike terror to guilty soul-especally
should IL prove that the culprit was n
novice. Nor was his reasoning at fault.
Three days went by without n nibble, I
Then on tho fourth afternoon. ms the
Inspector sat in Room 22O I'm the West
'Ver building. his patience was rewarded. !
There was a sudden swish Of skirts
llong the tiled hallway, o Misunderstanding. |
lall -ocilant zap on Inc door, and 10 his
answering Come" there entered a |
'ichly gowned woman bordering on early
middle age whom the great detective, |
Who knew everybody In Gotham. immedi- |
ltely recognized as Mrs. Mason Marott /,
VIE of Il prominent corporation lawyer /
md herself n leader In one Of tho many
mart sets of the metropolis,
Finney Valentine rose to greet her.
'owed In silence. placed a chair and |
uletly locked the door. Instead Of seat
ns herself the woman faced him, de
handing hoarscly, her voice trembling
With terror and agitation:
You are Mr.. Atwater-the man who
who Inserted thls-this notice?" She
umbled in her sold-mesh handbag with
ervelcss fingers. producing n much
reaSed fragment Of newspaper.
Mr.. Atwatcr' bowed. "Be seated
frs. Marott," he commanded gently.