New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-23
BY PAUL WEST

Ortiz the receipt, which she handed to her niece.
About ten O'Clock the next morning the ladies
came down dressed for going away Previously
their trunks had gone, and Sonora ORTIZ had sent
for her bill She had breakfast, and then came
to the office, where she paid her bill and asked
for her necklace, with some little pleasantly about
supposing that we would be glad 10 get rid Of her
and her nuisance Of a baubc.
"The same clerk who had taken the case from
her on the previous day was on duty, and the
same cashier who had locked it in the safe As
Sonora Ortiz passed her receipt TO the clerk she
let crumpcd bill drop into his hand 1t was
hundred-dollar note.
For you, Senior, for your Kindness in caring
for my necklace she said.
Thanking her. the clerk turned to the cashier
who had already taken the case from the safe
and passed it to Sonora ORTIZ.
"Will YOU open it. please she asked him. 1
think ! shall wear the necklace.
"The clerk did as asked. Then he gasped
Sonora Ortiz screamed, not loudly but with
suppressed. unbelieving terror The Heckidoe .tGS
not IN the bor!'
MANAGER HILLEGAS delivered the finish
ing words Of his story with intense dramatic
force and fixed his eyes on the listener to note
their effect. But the other man could scarcely
have been less excited, apparently, ii he had been
listening to the story Of Jack and Jill The man
ager wondered what sort Of dumb-wit this other
man was, this insignificant little creature, sent
to him by the leading investigation bureau OF the
city as its best man The little man merely sat
silent putting at his cigarette with his small, gray
eyes half closed. The hotel manager continued
unaSkcd.
The rest is short" ne said. "Skilfully and
quietly the aStoundcl lady was escorted to my
office here and sank into a chair halt taintlng
while the clerk told me the story Immediately
sent for Mr.. lIabcrmann, the proprietor. and,
after he had learned the facts as told by the house
staff, backed up by such corroboration as could
give. he directed me to pay Sonora Ortiz twenty
thousand dollars Immediately, which did. |
gave her a check. licnncSSy escorted her 10 the
bank. and thence She hurried away in a taxi 10
the steamer, still only half awake, apparently, to
what had occurred
The other man con'rIl 81 mt; but there was
peculiar retrospective look in his eyes. as though
he was searching himself rather than Manager
Hillcgas for information on several points Hill
lcgas misunderstood that gaze for he went on
Alphabetically:
ourselves IN paying the money without nycstiCa-
ton You won't when Won understand. There
are two hotels IN this city between which the
rivalry IS deadly. the M,i4s and tie ST. Mammon
The s.. Mammon Is liiii, the newer. and natu-
rally has taken away some 81 Our cXolusiyc patron
aye: bat wc are holding our own through Our past
record II Is nip and tuck between u.. but the
least little accident nigh, turn the tide away from
the Midas. The S.. Mammon watches every
chance 20 prove Us superiority anil gain any adj
vantage Il $50 had hcsitatci about paving Sonora
Ortiz the money. she would have been delayed
from her trip. She would, Of course. have notified
the police. There couldn't have been any way Of
keeping 'hc scandal out # the papers and the
publicity department Of the 81. Mammon would
have made al' that was possible out Of the affair.
.c had the story through our rivals IN is worst
cen ruinoue. Attention would have been drawn
De ST. Mammon had never been robbed. Guests