The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1912-04-02
OPEN TRAIL.
Continued Fom Yesterday

Was one among the many uisttnCt-
ions of the modest little club In
Gramercy Park, that it's member
ship pretty well comprised the
range OF available information on
any topic. Under the favored APP
plications clause" person whose
knowledge of any particular sub
ject was unique and authoritative,
whether the topic were Esperanto
or fistisna, went to the head of
the waiting list automatically and
had his initiation fee RENTED.
Hence. Average Jones was conf
dent of a helpful reply to his mes
sage of inquiry. which summed up
his conclusions and surmises thus
far:
"CoSMIC CLUB, NEW YORK:
Refer following to geographic
cal expert: Where is large, shall
low, unmapped body of salt water
in United States. or near border,
surrounded by hot, snake-infested
reputed to contain gold Spanish
associations indicated. Wire de-
tails and name of best guide, II
obtainsble. A. JONES"
The reply was disappointing:
Cyrus G. Allen absent from
town. Will forward your wire.
"COSMIC CLUB"
Well poised as Average Jones
normally was, he chafed over the
ensuing delay of four days. each
of which gave the colonel's expe-
~, OF orf q
unknown course. The only relief
was call from the Spanish in
|structor who answered Jones' adj
vertisement He was the same
who had served young Hoff. As
the Advisor surmised, his former
employment had been merely the
translation of a letter. The letter.
was in base Spanish, he said. He
didn't remember much of 1t, but
there was something about lost
gold mine. Yes; there was refer
enoe to a map. No; no geograph-
ical names were mentioned. but
in several places the capital let
ters B. G. seemed to indicate a To-
cality. He hadn't noted the date
or the signature. That was all he
could tell. go
Doctor Hoff, who had been
ramping with impotence over the
mans lack of definite memory,
now rushed to the atlas and began
to study the maps.
"You needn't trouble" said Az
erage Jones coolly. you won't
find 1t there"
"I'll find that B. c. If have to
60 over every map in the geogra-
ply"
"Then you'll have to get Span
ish edition. For guess, B. G.
is Baja California, the Mexican
peninsula of California.
Jones sent supplementary
wire to this effect to Cyrus G.
Allen, of the Cosmic Club, and
within few hours received a re-
ply from that eminent cartograph-
er, who had been located in re-
mote part of Connecticut:
Probably Laguna Salada, not
on map. Seventy miles long; four
to eight wide. Between Cocopah
and Sierra Gigantica ranges. Coun-
try very wild and arid. Can be
reached by water from Yuma, or
pack train from Calexico. White,
who has hunted there, says Cap
tain Funcke, Calexico. best guide:
ALLEN"
Average Jones tossed this over
to the father.
"As l figure IT," he said, "your
sons two friends had this all map
ped out beforehand for him. One
went west direct. He was the i'm
beetle who stopped in Cincinnati
and mailed you the bloody shirt to
throw you off the scent. Meantime
the colonel took Roderick around
by a sea route, probably New
York and New Orleans"
"That'd explain the steamer
rug and the seasickness, admit
ted Doctor Hoff: "but 1 don't
know what he'd want to go that
long way for"
Simple enough, when you
reckon with this colonel person as
having brains In his head. He
would forsee a hue and cry as
soon as the young man disappear
ed. So he cooks up this trip to-
keep his prey out of touch with
the newspapers for the few days
when the news of the disappear
ance would be fresh enough to be
spread abroad in the Associated
Press dispatches. From New
Orleans they'd go ON west by
train"
What 1 don't see is how they
caught Roddy on such an old
game. He's easy, but l didn't
suppose he was that easy"
ITO do him Justice, he isn't
quite. They put it up on him
rather cleverly. In the period of
waiting to hear from the geo.
graphical expert I've put in some
fairly hard work, going over your
sons effects. And in the room +,
over Silent Charley's bar, l found
a newspaper with this In it.
He handed to Doctor Hoff al
thin clipping. marked Daily Saw,
March 29":
LosT-spanish letter and map. OIL
no value except to owner. Return
IN No 16 this office. and received