The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-04-30

The train was on time and by half
past 8 O'Clock Billy and SanderSon
were breakfasting in a restaurant near
the station.
After breakfast they walked five
blocks to the Hotel Donovan, and there
the crowEin@ misfortune descended
upo0 Saudvrs0n, as he Thought, NOT
Knowing that much worse WAS III stor"
for him. His feet We're barely upon
the threshold Of the hotel when he SaW
directly in his path the stock form ana
from yiSage Of former acquaintance.
| Michael WortIey. formerly the chief
of detectives for the Maine Central
railroad and now attached to the IO
| tel Donovan in the same capacity.
There was no other man on earth that
| SanderSOn would not rather have seen.
WOrtley merely waved his hand.
There were guests within a yard of
| him who noticed nothing, but Sander
son saw and understood and vanished.
He evapOrated like a wisp of the vapcr
Of morning, so silently that even clever
Billy did not know that anything was
happening. Filled with rage and bitter
ness, at odds with the universe and
protesting against the injustice of the
COsmic law, SandersOn walked across
| to the Hotel Clifford, and it seemed to
him that he walked with a limp and
fpcbIy. He felt that he was growing
old.
ITO be done this way by a kid" he
groaned. land then to run fiat against
Mike Wortley! 1t amt right. I've got
no right to have such luck as that"
These expressions he repeated in his
room as he walked back and forth,
neryousIy chewing the end of a black
cigar. Surely for Mr.. Sanderson the
world had fallen into state of rank
decay. There was neither sweetness
nor promise in it any more.
Suddenly the door resounded to a
humping summons. Merely by instinct
SandersOn glanced to the window.
There was no fire escape.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
"Only me-" answered a serene voice.
"Just Billy"
Sanderson put his hand to his brow
for a moment. Then he flung open the
door. In strobe Billy and Mike Wort
ley.
It's in his grip" said Billy.
"What's in my grip?" cried Sander
son.
ooh, just few diamonds" respond
ed Billy; nothing much, as we figure
'em in New York"
"Wortley." exclaimed Sanderson,
this amt so. l never took anything
off this kid 1 give you my word for
that"
Keep cool, Harry" responded the
detective as he opened Sanderson's
travelling bag. rs this it," he added
to Billy, and put into the boys hands
cheap nickeled alarm clock.
With rapid but steady fingers Billy
unscrewed the clocks legs and the
other projections that held the thing
together. Then he pulled out the
works in the usual way, but the ma
chinery was in a sad state of disarray
In the midst of the wreck reposed the
diamond brooch.
you see, Mr.. SandersOn," said Billy,
Il knew what you were after just as
soon as you showed up. l don't want
to be diSresDectful, but-but you look
it, you know. There's an eager, hun
CRY eye in your head, Mr.. Sanderson.
I've seen lots like you. And then when
you stood all that CUFF about my aunt
of course l knew you must be cunning
for me.
And knew you'd get the goods too.
You're a clever man, that's what you
are, and the odds against me were too
big. / told you the straight truth
when l said that Id been losing sleep
for a week. There Was no mortal
chance that 1 could keep awake, and
if l didn't the diamonds were yours.
There was no use hiding 'em in any
ordinary way; there was nobody that
/ could give 'em to. l was hard pushed
But at last my peppers rested on that
clock in your grip, which / was over
hauling at the time-you being in the
smoker burning tobacco and having
golden dreams. Nobody uses an alarm
clock on a sleeper, says I, and this
! thing is broken anyhow. Moreover
Mr.. Sanderson will stick to me so long
as he hasn't found the diamonds-it
will be easier to rob him than to pre-.
vent him from robbing me.
$50 l dug the inwards out of the
clock and chucked them through the