The Forrest City times., 1912-07-12
CHAPTER XXI.
4 Message and Warning.

Cu' al lcdSt, nope sO. IeFhlHS ls with him-we've been trying to per suade him to have 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 it seemed a ques- ton: You must have made quick run. sir. Seems like only few min utes since We got Mir Jacks phone message His voice dropped: From the station house you know" "Eh-what's that?" I paused with my foot on the first tread of the stairway. Jacks phone message from the station house?" I repeated blankly. What are you talking about?"
 Wilkes coughed reproachfully. Why, you know, sir, he told about being arrested in front of the Kahoka Apartments. He mentioned that it was about-h'mi" He stole a furtive backward glance at the trump, but she was enjoying herself berating a fat girl she addressed as Flora" He looked at me eloquently and whis- pered: About his-h'm-stealing some black silk pajamas."
 My monocle dropped, and l almost did myself.
 By Jove!" I gasped feebly.
 Yes. sir Wilkes looked up at the paneled ceiling and stroked his chin. He 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" l managed to get out
 Wilkes face frightened understand ingly. "Oh-h. l see, sir" he said, nod ding with his jolly chin hanging; 50 that's how you got him off was a. wondering!" He looked at me, his iishy old eyes twinkling admiration. Very neat. if may say, sir-making, as it were, sort of alibi-very neat, indeed! Of course, when they puts 'em on him. they see for themselves they are his'n. and not any lady's what had been stolen Oh. see!"
 Dash me, If I did. The only thing saw was that it must have been l 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 -I did not like that. Could 1t be that, after all. Billings had found his sis ters pajamas in the guest-room and had quietly contiscated them? It looked devilishly. ominously like 1t! Or perhaps he, himself. had reeev- cred them from Foxy Grandpa, and with more delicacy than thought him capable Of, had kept the whole mat ter 10 himself. One thing only was certain: the sleuth hounds of the law, stimulated by the extravagant reward l had offered over the telephone. had run down and recovered her paJamas. It was a relief that they were out of his hands, anyhow-I could get them again. but he couldn't By love,
 Alone in my room. stood before the mirror, hands in pockets and rocking on my toes-kind of smiling, you know-and thinking what dare devil reckless thing it had been clever, too. dash it-in getting them away from old Jack. and right under his nose. By love. felt bit proud about it-sort of exultation don't you know-and l had just got off wink at myself, when Wilkes appeared again
 Pardon. sir. for disturbing you, but Mr Billings is acting so queer, we are afraid to cross him. and he just insisted l take his message to you at once"
 "Message?" l repeated. sobering.
 Yes, sir-something about some pajamas-"
 "Pajamas?" l faltered. and I 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 is!" He shifted con templatively. The last time it was lizards and the time before blue dachshunds, but his main standby. so to speak, is piebald rattiesnakes- them we're used to; but this new turn. pajamas. gets mel" He shook his head dubiously. And he won't take his off-you can't get him to: he just gets kinder peevish and goes off on the queerest streak of freak talk you ever heard. Perkins tried to coax him to take 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. It squelched Perkins so that he"
 But the message." suggested 1 nervously.
 'T was just a-coming to that, sir. 1 He asks me if l knew whether you