Arizona republican., 1911-02-25
THE BEAT OF THE YEAR
BY Robert Livingston Beecher.
Copyright, 1909, by the Pearson Pub
fishing Coz


forehead. II was nearly four o'clock
Even COnnors might expect him tC
snatch a bite of lunch about this time
so that could explain his absence II
the star man " should call up the
drug store in the interval.
Half an hour later, one of the sales
men of a large wholesale button house
in the dry goods section OF Broadway
was critically examining between fin.
ger and thumb a small white button
with black streaks. Yes, they made
that variety. Why. certainly. 1t was
one of their standard lines. Popular
with the western trade, but little used
In the East Had they sold any guam
tity in the greater city recently?
Really, he would have to ask the visi-
tor 20. his business card. A reporter?
Murder? He would have to refer him
TO one of his Fuperiors.
The head of rhe department listened
gTayely &C Bruce's story and then
turned TO filing cabinet and ran his
fingers swiftly over the cards in a
narrow drawer. All, yes. The house
had disposed OF only two lots in the
metropolitan district in the last two
years. One had gone to a firm in Ho-
bcken. The other had been sent TO a
large factory in Long Island City.
Would he care 20 give the address OF
the factory? In the circumstances, he
saw no reason why he should not
BY the zine Bruce arrived at the fac
tory al thought of returning to the
police station had vanished. All the
fever of the chase was in his blood.
Cover the station? Keep on that job?
Not If he knew it. His blood-his
cHt " bl0od-was up,
The factory superintendent inter
est increased perceptibly as Bruce
went over the ground from the begin
ming. but the sharp-faced manager
could throw no light on the appearance
Of that button on the victims clothing.
Bruce showed his keen disappoint-
ment. Then a new idea struck him
with the force OF a mental trip-ham-
mer.
You say these buttons" he began.
" are used only on undershirts which
are sold out West. Isn't It quite pos
sible that some OF the men employed
here take home buttons from the fac
tory and put them on their own cloth
lng?"
The superintendent smiled.
It's more than possible" he said.
. It's quite the usual thing. Petty
grating OF that kind goes on in all
establishments But what OF it?"
The younger mans eyes rosmed over
the walls of the Office until they rested
upon A large framed photograph. He
to- ha rfo
Your employees" he asked
The superintendent wheeled round in
his swivel chair.
Yes" he said. Taken about seven
months ago. Two hundred girls. a
hundred men. There's a key 70 the
group on the back OF the frame"
The reporter looked at the picture
curiousiy but did not rise from his
chair.
How many men OF your present
force" he said slowly. " did not report
for work this morning?
The superintendent looked grave.
Yes" said he. as il to himself, yes,
that's more like"
He touched a bell. gave an order,
and, in a few minutes. a slip of paper
was laid on the desk before him. He
scanned Il carefully and then turned
again TO his visitor.
I've have two absentees." he said.
One of them. Sam Leonard. has been
sick for three days with malaria. The
other. John Joyce. did not report this
morning He has not been in good
spirits for some months. the foreman
tells me. Probably sick. He's a
young man Of superior education. An
orphan, l believe"
Bruce went first 10 the home Of the
malaria victim. There was no ques-
ton about the young man being there
in the flesh. In fact. the caller saw,
the half-opened bedroom door,
the flushed face of the patient as he
explained his quest to the excited
mother in the hall OF the little frame
cottage.
A short walk from the cottage
brought Bruce 10 a brick flat-house
There Bruce made friends
with the garrulous janitress and was
admitted into a small fat on the top
floor at the rear.
John. the janitress said. had gone
out alone at seven o'clock the night
before. she had not seen him since
and she did not believe he had come
back. What made her think so? Why.
her own rooms were just across the
hall and she could hear his alarm
clock 20 of every morning at seven.
She was always up herself at that
hour and had never missed hearing
the alarm till that morning. At first
she had thought she would knock on
his door and wake him up. Then she
had thought the clock must have rung
and she had failed 10 hear it, Now
she felt sure Il had not rung and that
the young man had not slept there at
all
Bruce looked at the bed. It was in
disorder. but whether it had been slept
In the preceding night or not he could
not tell. The janitress thought not
No. Joyce had not said where he was
going. And he had carried nothing
but light rattan cane.
A thorough search OF the rooms re-
vealed nothing which seemed signifi-
can't TO Bruce except a cabinet photo
graph of an unusually handsome
young woman which occupied what
was evidently a place of honor on the
bureau. There was no name on the
picture but on the back was written