Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-01
The Bobbs-Merr;n Company

not so pleasant, Oh D0lH8 AOuAO w 49,
pavement by some passer-by. with g
small punctuation mark ending my
sentence OF life. even remember won
dering humorously II should overtake
him and press the cold end Of my sill
yer mounted fountain pen into the
back of his neck, II he would throw
up his hands and surrender. had read
somewhere Of burglar held up IN q
similar way with shoe-hOrn.
Our pace was easy. Once the man
Just ahead stopped and lighted a cigar
cite, and the odor of q very fair Tur-
kiSh tobacco came back to me. He
glanced back over his shoulder at me
and went on without quickening his
pace. We met no policemen, and after
perhaps Ave minutes walking, when
the strain was growing tense, my gen
tleman of the rubber-soled shoes swung
abruptly to the left, and-entered the
police station!
Ihad occasion to see Davidson many
times after that, during the strange
development of the Fleming case; l
had the peculiar experience later OF
having him follow me as l had trailed
him that night, and had occasion once
to test the strength of his long arms
when he helped to thrust me through
the transom at the White Cat, but
never met him without recurrence OF
the sheepish feeling with which |
watched him swagger up to the night
sergeant and fall into easy converse
ton with the man behind the desk.
Standing in the glare from the open
window, had much the lost pride and
self contempt of wet cat sitting IN
the sun.
Two or three roundsmen were sit
ting against the wall lazily, helmets
off and coats open against the warmth
of the early spring night. In q back
room others were playing checkers
and disputing noisily Davidson's
voice came distinctly through the open
windows.
'''The house is closed" he reported.
But one of the basement windows
isn't suffered and the lock is bad. /
couldn't find Shields. He'd better keep
an eye on it, He stopped and fished in
his pockets with grin. "This was
tied to the knob of the kitchen door,"
he said. raising his voice for the benz
fit Of the room. and holding aloft
piece of paper For Shields!" he ex-
planned, "and signed Della"
The men gathered around him, even
the sergeant got up and leaned for
ward, his elbows on the desk.
"Read It," he said lazily. Shields
hn4s got a wife, and her name amt
DELE" 80 sf s7
'.Dear Tom" Davidson read in 4
mincing faIsetto, I'VE are closing up
unexpectedly. so won't be here to-
night. am going to Mamie Brennan's
and If you want to talk to me you can
ret me by calling up Apderson's drug
store. The clerk IS a gentleman friend
OF mine Mr. Carter, the butler told
me before he left he would get mo a
place as parlor maid. so I'll have an.
ether situation accn Della"
The sergeant scowled. I'm goin' to
talk to Tom he said, reaching out for
the note. Hes got nice family and
things like that're bad for the force"
lighted the cigar. which had been
my excuse for lettering on the pave
ment. and went on. It sounded In
viewed fer novice. but IL could find
Anderson drug store could find Ma
ME Brennan: through Mamie Brennan
would get Della; and through Della
J might find Carter. was vague from
that point, but what Miss Fleming had
snid of Carter had made me suspicious
Of him. Under an arc light l made the
first note Of my new business of man
hunter and it was something like this:
Ar'erson's drug store.
Ash, Cor Mamie r, ennaI.
& Find Della.
Advise Delta that policeman with
4 family is lad ret.
Locate Carter.
u was late vixen reached the COR
rcr If Chestnil- and Union streets,
where Fred had said Allan Flemins
had come to grief In a cab. But the
corner-man had gone, and the night
man on the beat knew nothing, Of
course. of any particular collision.
There's plinty Of EN- every day at
this corner" he said cheerfully. "The
department sinds wagon here every
night to gather up the pieces, autymO-
lilies mainly. That trolley pole over
there has been sliced off clean three
times in the last month. They say
fellow amt o. graduate Of the autymo-
bile school till he. can go around 1t on
the sidewalk without hittin' it!'
I left him looking reminiscently at
the pole and went home to bed. l had
made no Roadway, had lost conceit
with myself and day and evening at
the office. and I had gained the GER
tainty that Margery Fleming was safe
in Bellwood and the uncertain address
of a servant who might know some
thing about Mr.. Fleming.
was still awake at one o'clock and
/ got up impatiently and consulted the
telephone directory. There were
twelve Andersons in the, city who con-
Quoted drug stores.
When / finally went to sleep, /
dreamed that was driving Margery
Fleming along street in a broken
taxicab, and that all the buildings
were pharmacies and numbered eleven
twenty-five.
CHAPTER III
After such night, slept late. Edith
still kept her honeymoon promise OF
no breakfast hour and she had gone
ont with Fred when came downstairs.
/ have a great admiration for Edith,
for her tolerance with my uncertain
hours. for her CHEEKY breakfast-roo
= - 49,. Nf$ u "a eYrxyS