New Ulm review., 1912-10-09
CHAPTER XVII.

| through the Chicago streets, that you
had your messages, your money, and
everything else of any special value in
q leather belt that you wore next to
your skim"
II certainly did," sighed Brockett,
despondently, "but the belt had chafed
my skin. I took it of last night while
I gave myself rundown, and when
went to bed l tucked it into the in
side pocket of my coat. Just forced it
on the thief, as you might say. He's
got the goods; his government will
have them as quickly as he can turn
them overland I suppose might as
well try to locate position of some
kind here in Chicago. l haven't the
nerve to go back to Washington after
this. The chief might not even say
word about it, but I'd be set down as
rank failure in his mind forever"
"Why give up so soon?" the Cuban
said encouragingly. Lets make one
last effort to get back the letters. Luck
has broken wonderfully well for us so
far along the road-it might stick by
US now"
"I'll do anything that you suggest"
Brockett acquiesced, "but the chances
are about million to one against us.
What course would offer any POSSIBLE
ities?"
"We might report the theft to police
headquarters, simply stating that you
had lost leather money-belt, naming
the amount of currency, and saying
nothing as to the papers or letters"
description of thief" dolefully re-
marked Brockett, "a man who had a
brown hand. That was about all I
saw of him. 1t might have been either
Yazimoto or Aguilar, or q countryman
of either one. Can We have every
Jap and Filipino in Chicago rounded
up?"
Debating and discussing various
ideas, none of them seeming to offer
much hope, the boys walked aimlessly
along, killing time till the morning
was almost gone. Three times they
passed Japanese gentlemen, dressy,
smiling, bland of face and innocent in
personality. Each of these sons of
Nippon must have wondered, after
ward, why the young white devils
peered so sharply, almost savagely,
into their countenances, but the quick
inspections brought no comfort-none
of them had the least likeness to Mr..
Yazimoto. Pacing onward in this de-
sultory, fruitless fashion, the baftled
messengers turned into Chicago's
Chinatown, and hurried out of it again.
All Chinatowns are twinlike in their
buildings, sounds and odors, and the
memory of recent experiences In
Doyers street did not give the boys
any special desire to linger in the Chi
cago colony.
Towards noon they found them.
selves in a district as intensely black
in population as Hayti or Mashonaland
"a region that might have been inter-
esting to them under ordinary circum-
stances, but which was now anything
but attractive to the heartsick adven-
turers. They walked wearily along,
cleared, as they thought, the bound
aries of the black belt, and entered
an unpretentious restaurant where
they could at least talk over their
unpleasant situation. They had be-
gun half-hearted lunch before they
noticed that the other patrons of the
place were all brunettes, of various
shades between lampblack and light
saddle-color, but the discovery did not
worry them. In their state of mind
they would hardly have raised objec.
tons If they had been seated at the
same table with a band of gorillas.
At the next table sat bulky black
woman, whose billowy figure was
rainbow, and who Tended off the In.
Quiries of the dusky waiter by explain
Ing that she was "waitin' TO- gen.
tleman." The "gentleman" came in q
moment later, and proved to be a
colored man of gigantic stature-such
magnitude Of person that the large
negress herself was dwarfed before
him. This mammoth Zulu settled
himself comfortably, grinned delight
edly at the woman, and summoned
the waiter with lordly wave of his
broad black hand.
'That fellow is q twin to the one
who handed US the message in De-
troit." whispered Brockett. III he
were only uniformed in the same sort
Of giddy costume, you couldn't tell
them apart"
Il wouldn't have believed" Solano
returned, that there could be two
black men as big as those, but here's
the evidence before US. What's the use
Of raising white hopes If the black
ones grow as large as this monster?"
The great black man spoke chuck
lngly to his lady friend" and his
words were, waited to the astounded
ears of the boys five feet away.
"Ah say, hon." began the big fel.
low, "Ah'e suah got 'sprise TO- 20.
When All come in from Detroit yes
tehday"-the listeners almost toppled