The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-12-18

peared.
''Well, well!' exclaimed Martin Nc
Gee, rising as though 10 some great
parsonage, back again! Say, you
just couldn't keep out of big doings,
could you? And how pretty you look
-prettier and prettier all the time!
What hauled you into the Hanska
case?"
Il amt in the Hanska' case at all,
responded Rosalie lie Grange, answer
ing his second question first, "at least
not deep, Martin MCGEE" She flashed
upon him her dimples, snapped at
him her great gray eyes.
Nearly everybody that's lived long
enough in New York has had murder
or burglary or something in the
same block. II was bound to happen
to me in time. 1t happened; and in
stead of minding my own business like
the rest, l butted straight in. When
the reasons for a thing get too tangled
up for you and me to follow, we stick
a label on it an call it luck. But
there" she checked herself this is
just one of my platform inspirational
talks like | used to give the sitters in
nay test seances. Only then l laid it
to the spirits. Now lay it to Resale
LIE Grange
Used to-" echoed Inspector MCGEE.
Does that mean you've cut it out?"
well, do these clothes and this five
| doIlaran-hour massage on my poor old
| face look like | got 'em from sitters
at. two dollars throw?" inquired Ros-
allie LIE Grange, Say, ask me about
| it, please I'm dying to- tell.''
| All right; I've asked, responded
Martin MCGEE, a kind of dull fire illu
minating his clean-shayen jowly police
| countenance.
Now" said Rosalie LIE Grange, I'm
going to astonish you, Marty McGee.
| | got it from Robert H. Norcross-the
railroad king
McGee's FACE fell. This mascot of
his. this curious good fairy who had
| skipped in and out Of his career, scat
tering golden successes, was kind
of an ideal That she should work"
| O. doddefing millionaire-as Norcross
had been in his last yearsA-for. the
tainted coin Of aged folly, was blow
| to what idealism an Inspector of de-
| tectives may hope still to cherish.
Rosaiie. skilled from youth to catch
and interpret the unconsidered ex-
pFession' OF the human countenartce,
| read his emotion at once.
NOW, don't mean at all what you
mean, Martin McGee,'' she said List
en-. 1t don't matter what | did, or how
| | did it-but / saved this Robert H.
/ NorcroSs from maxim about the big
gest kind of fool out of himself. Do
you remember" she asked suddenly,
that they probated the Norcross will
secret? Nobody ever knew exactly
what he did with his money, except
his nephew got most of it."
81 remember" said Inspector Nc
Gee. And then, on sudden burst of
laughter, Gee! Wouldn't the news
papers give heap to get this story
you're going to tell"
"They would" responded Rosalie LIE
J Grange, land that's why you'll never
breathe a word to a soul. But there!
| | always knew who l could tristan
you're one Of e1h. The reason was
codicil or whatever you call it. He
| left me-'in token of service and
! friendship" it said-an old house he
owned over by North River, an
stocks-well six thousand a year to
make one bite of it,"
Good Lord! He did," cried Mar
tin MCGEE.
Rosaiie nodded solemnly, but her
eyes shone.
Now 1 played tha+ medium game
on the square. you understand" she
said, again and again. I passed up
as Norcross. My rule was always
straight sitting at two dollars a head,
an no extras. l faxed 'em, of course.
But heartened 'em up. handed 'em
| good advice. I kept silly fool girls
from goin' to the bad. l gave weepy
old widows the only real recreation
they ever had. An here, right at the
end, comes an honest piece of money
so big that could have played crook
ed all my life, an never even got a
chance at anythin' like It. An last
March I come into my money. / closed
up shop an sold my test books an
stopped this medium business, an
started to be lady. Six thousand a
year amt too much to do that job in
New York, even when you don't have
to pay house rent.
There was six months income wait
ing for me when the lawyers settled
everything up, an I put that into
things that l wanted all my life.
''It wasn't till last week that /
looked myself over an found I wasn't
happy To make. no bones of it, bein'
a real lady-which I'd wanted to be all
my life-jest bored me to death. Well,
advertising whom" questioned his
/ 70 fhar