Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-06-14

K2fZA ing to read them only to
Lk63(P1& huri them back with so
WN)kN much unnecessary noise
that said to him:
See here, Brod. several OF your
humble fellow-members are trying TO
read. What is wrong with you? What
has upset you? II you won't tell me-
at least stop your rumpus."
He turned on me sharply.
ct Is the sight Of you or rather the
remembrance Of what you stand for
that keeps me from forgetting what
is on my ruind. Hang It! ] may as
well tell you" :.
A dozen other men about pricked
up their ears.
you and your partner Rand are
professional investigators Of the prob
lens and puzzles of this troubled hui
man life. He IL the cleverest man
alive and you-well, you know how 10
look wise. I am tormented by a de-
sire to tell you. or somebody who can
think It out, a perfectly foolish. en-
tirely absurd set Of circumstances
which has come under my notice.
They amount to nothing at all ana
yet they are arousing my curiosity.
The whole room was listening.
curiosity is the broom OF the MIND.
An unexplained fact passed over Is
the beginning of mental untidiness,"
said Lawrence Rand's quiet, distinct
voice from the doorway behind US
go on, Broderick, perhaps the trivial
win lead to the important"
well, viii. on one condition. You
two are not in this business for the
entertainment you derive from 1t and
suppose you know that am not Ike
" to embarrass myself when I asl
you to undertake this case on a gen
erous retainer and pursue 1t to nm
fish at my cost"
Every WELL" said Rand. The listen
ing members, seeing badinage turning
into business, turned away and sever
al were about to leave the room.
mo, no. Don't 60, you fellows.
want everybody to hear this, oni
don't laugh at me. Last night Jus
before ak o'clock went into Lant
stadter's stationery store on Sixt
avenue Just south of, Herald squar
and asked for dozen paper nal
kins. I wanted Just that sort OF papt
ON which to lay some damp specimen
TO dry. and it occurred to me that p
per napkins we're quite what wante
A pretty little black-eyed woman b
hind the counter spoke up when
stated my requirements.
"T am sorry she said, but We ha'
Just sold every one We had
aeNonsense, there are nine gro
down in that third drawer. said
man behind the counter.
"rNo. they are all gone correct'
the woman; even the broken lots
young man came In here In rui
Just before lunch today and asked 4
all the paper napkins had. He
fourteen hundred and ten.'
"Tf you win wait just a minu'
air. said the mamie may have be
the proprietor Of the place, tudgi
from his manner-T will send aero
the street and get some
81 waited while the boy went o
He was gone an numerically 10
time and at last arrived on the n
out of breath, clutching the two-d
lar bill he had taken to pay for
purchase.
"pey amt none In no place aroul
been clean over to Ate Av'noo. 1
says some guys bought EN- all
today
"we all laughed and I walked Q
but It suddenly struck me as extrer
" queer that any man who rea
wanted q large quantity Of paper n
kins should not telephone a wholes
house. He would have saved til
money and trouble. There was
excuse such as the wholesale sto
being closed, for 1t was Tuesday
the middle Of the day that he was D
ing and everything was wide open
ali New York. On my way hom'
passed two places that might sell
per napkins and went in. Both "
sold out. Both had sold to ha
some young man. The last place
on Broadway close to Fifty-seye
street, more than mile from La
stadter's. Now, Lawrence Ra
Prince of Pryers-tell me what
fellow wanted with all those bro
lots Of paper napkins!"
There was q little nervous laugi
among the assembled men, but 1t
plain to me that the simple prob
had sunk deep into their minds.
It adds nothing to the main thr
of this story to say that inside OF
hour every man In the club had ne
the premises and that the most IN
esting evening We have ever had