Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1912-09-20

suade him to have a bath and lie
down. But / don't know"
He shook his head gloomily, then
turned to me.
IF you will come with me, SIR
Then he added, and 1t seemed a ques
ton: you must have made a quick
run. sir. Seems like only a few min
utes since we got Mr.. Jacks phone
message. His voice dropped: From
the station house, you know"
"Eh-what's that?" l paused with
my foot On the first tread of the
stairway. Jacks phone message
from the station house?" l repeated
blankly. What are o talking
about?"
Wilkes coughed re~proachfully.
! being arrested In front OF the Kahoka
Apartments. He mentioned that it
was about-h'm!" He stole q furtive
backward glance at the trump, but
she was enjoying herself berating q
fat girl she addressed as Flora" He
looked at me e%loquently and whis-
pered: About misunderstanding
some black silk pajamas."
My monocle dropped. and l almost
did myself.
by Jove!" l gasped feebly.
YES, sir" Wilkes looked up at
the paneled ceiling and stroked his
chin. H mentioned that they found
them-or thought they found them in
the bag he had with him."
But he's got them on, and they are
his own" / managed to get out.
Wilkes face lightened understand
ingly. "Oh-h; I see, SIR" he said. nod
ding with his jolly chin hanging; so
that's how o got him off, was a
wondering!" He looked at me, his
fishy old eyes twinkling admiration.
Very neat. II l may say, sir-making,
as 1t were, a Sort of alibi-very neat.
indeed! or course. when they puts
EN- on him. they see for themselves
they are his'n, n not any lady's
what had been stolen oh, l see!"
Dash me. II / did! The only thing
I saw was that 1t must have been
Jenkins that had telephoned and the
message had been twisted. What he
had said, OF course, was that Billings
had almost been arrested. But the
police finding the pajamas in his bag
II did not like that, Could it be that,
after all, Billings had found his sis
ter's pajamas in the guest-room and
had quietly confiscated them? It
looked devilishly, ominously like 1T!
Or perhaps he. himself, had eco
cred them from Foxy Grandpa, and
with more delicacy than l thought aim
capable Of, had kept the whole mat
tor to himself. One thing only was
certain: the sleuth hounds of the law,
stimulated by the extravagant reward
/ had offered over The telephone. had
down ana recovered her paJamas.
It was q relief that they were out OF
his hands, anyhow could get them
again. but he couldn't. BY Jove!
Alone in my room, l stood before
tho mirror. hands In pockets and
rocking IN m toes-kind Of smiling.
you know-and thinking what q dare
devil, reckless thing it had been
clever, too, dash tin getting them
away from old Jack, and right under
his lose. BY Jove. I felt a bit proud
about it--sort Of exultation. don't you
know-and I had just got on a wink
at myself, when Wilkes appeared
again.
Pardon, sir, for disturbing you, but
MI. Billings Is acting 10 queer. we
are afraid to cross, him; and he Just
insisted l, take his message to you at
once"
Messenger" 1 repeated. SOLDERING.
YES. sir-something about some
pajamasr
"Pajamas?" I faltered. and / drop
ped into . chair. "Oh!"
Wilkes looked grave. "PaJamas
seem to be the thing with him this
time. sir-it's the queerest go! That's
. new one. that Isl" He shifted con
templatively. The last time it wal
lizards and the time before blue
adachshunds, but his main standby. so
to speak, II piebald rattlesnakes-
them we're used to: but this new turn,
paiamas, gets mel" He shook his
head obviously. "And he won't take
his on-you can't get him to; he Just
gets kinder ,peevish and goes Oh on
the queerest streak of freak talk you
ever heard. Perkins tried to coax him
to take a bath. but he said he never
had taken a bath in his life-and he
called Perkins something awful
some name about a yard long. 1t
squelched Perkins SO that he"
But tho messenger" I suggested
nervously.
was just a-coming to that, Sir.
He asks me II ! knew whether you
were still on the place: and when
said you were, he says to me kinder
excited and impressive like: Well.
you go to him at once-at once-and
tell him I'm on the trail of the mys-
tory of those pajamas. and I'll soon
know a. much about 'em as he does.
Just tell him that-heW know what l
mean"
"Ohi" I gasped shortly. !
Yes. sir" Wilkes nodded. but that
Amt quite all. He says: Tell Mr..
Lightnut that whom l flrst saw those
pajamas In his rooms" Wilkes
paused inquiringly. did you say some
thing. sirf"
had mott had only groaned!
He went on. repeating a. by .rote:
when 1 found and took them away,
l was curious and amused. but skep-
tical-nrmly skeptical-of there be-
ing any dark mystery about them. But
now 1 know i. let myself ~ deceived