The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-09-06
CHAPTER XVII.

81 thought" said Solano, as the un
happy adventures walked mournfullJ
through the Chicago streets, that you
had your messages, your money, anC
everything else of any special value in
a leather belt that you wore next tc
your skin?"
81 certainly did, sighed Brockett
despondently, but the belt had chafed
my skin. I took it off last night while
I gave myself a rundown, and when |
went to bed | 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 | suppose | might as
well try to locate a position of some
kind here in Chicago. | haven't the
nerve to go back to Washington after
this. The chief might not even say a
word about it, but I'd be set down as
a rank failure in his mind forever"
why give up so soon?" the Cuban
said encouragingly. Let's 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"
"Tll do anything that you suggest"
Brockett acquiesced, but the chances
are about million to one against us.
What course would offer any possibil-
ities?"
1--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
brown hand That was about all
saw of him. It might have been either
Yazimoto or Aguilar, or a 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 aimIessly
along, killing time till the morning
was almost gone. Three times they
passed japanese gentlemen, dressy.
smiling, bland of face and innocent in
Each of these sons Of
Nippon must have wondered, after
ward, why the young white devils
)eered so sharply almost savagely,
nto their countenances, but tho quick
brought no comfort-none
If them had the least likeness to Mr..
lazimoto. Pacing onward in this de-
ultoTy, fruitless fashion, the bafIled
turned into Chicago's
chinatown and hurried out Of it again.
III Chinatowns are twinlike in their
sounds and odors, and the
lemory Of recent experiences in
)oyers street did not give the boys
ny special desire to linger in the Chi.
ago colony.
Towards noon they found them
elves in a district as intensely black
| population as Hayd or Mashonaland /
"a region that might have been inter- I
sting to them under ordinary circum- l
ances, but which was now anything T
Ut attractive to the heartsick adven- [
Irers. They walked wearily along, G
cared, as they thought, the bound
les Of the black belt, and entered b
unpretentious restaurant where D
ey could at least talk over their s.
pheasant situation. They had be- h
IN half-hearted lunch before they v
'ticed that the other patrons of the 81
ace We're all brunettes, of various e.
AIDES between lampblack and light el
ddle-color, but the discovery did not N
'rry them. In their state of mind pl
ey would hardly have raised objec- 81