Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-06-21

more cudgeied my brains over II the
more benumbed they became. until
at last picked up my hat and rushed
out Of the house. Having but little
idea that l would learn anything By
so doing. ! nevertheless Immediately
boarded q car and going to the shop
Of my tailor threw the note on the
counter before him. What do you
know about that note, Johnson" de-
handed
He picked 1t up. adjusted his eye
glasses and read It with a slowly
forming and negative pursuing of his
mouth. Then he held II forth
Nothing at all. What is there about
it?" I took the card from him and
replaced it carefully in my pockst a.
| made my reply.
only this-that 1t is a forgery. And
while l did not for a moment think
that you had any information about
it. went to the pains of coming here
to ask you. Neither do suppose you
know anything concerning the where
about of the clothes mentioned" His
answer furnished me the second sur
prise Of the day.
"Oh. yes, | do. The suit is here
all right. 1t was brought in yester-
day by a strange men Who said you
wished me to press 1t for you. have
done so and it Is now in perfect condf
tion." / looked at him with the in
credulity with which one faces a per
1 h. In -
ment with a straight face and under
the guise of seriousness.
Let me see the suit" ordered.
He did so, and inspected it critic
ally. ! could discover NOT hing amiss
with it externally. and searching the
pockets found they were eiupty. How
ever. that was to be expected. as
could remember having oothing in
them when / had hung X away. GER
tally nothing of any va'ue to any
body but myself. I had orly succeed
ed in thickening the mystery which
enveloped this extraordinary transso-
ton, and puzzled beyond expression,
arranged with the tailor that in the
future he should allow pone of my
clothes which he happered to have
in his possession to leave his hands
upon an order ostensibly written by
! me unless the order contained q
secret mark which we then and there
agreed upon. Then instructing him
that If any one called for the suit In
question and presented an order for
the same not bearing the minute
token of it's genuinen~ss which we
had just invented. that he was to do
tain him until he could summon an
officer and have him arrested. I do
parted. What possible object any
person could have had In wishing u
secure possession OF suit OF nj
clothes which contained nothing o.
the slightest worth. and who having
secured possession of It should 90 u
the trouble of conveying 1t from m,
house to the tailor shop was utteri,
beyond my comprehension. The for
ger had not injured the clothes, a
some petty-minded enemy might hav'
done out Of a spirit of spite. and al
together l could conceive Of no pos
sible benefit or satisfaction any on
could have derived from such al
elaborate and criminal subterfuge. Ui
terly bafned, determined to sal
nothing more about 1t for the time
quietly awaiting any new develop
ments that might arise.
The next morning another strang
thing had happened. was dressin
for the day at my customary hour 70
arising when suddenly the house
keepers knuckles fell upon the doc
in a ser les of nervous taps. She q
most never came to the upper moo
before the breakfast hour. and there
fore searched her face with some CT
riosity as I told her that she nigh
enter She Immediately burst forth 4
All excited volley.
burglarized again in the night. VIVA
on earth are we coming to with sue
people prowling all around In Ia
darkness? / never was so frightene
u my life. ! declare I nearly fell l
faint when l discoversS It. Pleas
come with me and l win show you.
Rdmfoundedly, and with my neckti
still dangling frora my hand. I 70
lowed her squat figure as she climbe
down the front stairs. waddle
through the dining room and htche
and then one foot at time descend
ed the steep stairs that led to tn
basement. There was only one doc
entering from the outside into Ties
lower regions and that was neve
used-in fact. had been bolted eve
since my occupancy of the premises
The aperture in the side Of the hous
through which the coal supply wa
; dumped from the drive into the bi
was protected by an iron gratin
which was always carefully locke
after such an operation. and the io'
. windows which admitted light to tn
furnace room had fixed iron bars o
|, the outside. The police, LeDuc an
! myself had gone over this regio
! thoroughly in our search and ha
found that the locks had not bee
tempered with MGR the gratings dii
, turbed; the dust and the rust ha
! proven that beyond contention Mo-
I, to my amazement | saw that To
. door had been forced by some powel
full instrument that had torn the II
. ceiving socket for the bolt bodil
from its fastenings. My hair aros
with q cold tfnRling OF my seal