The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1913-01-03


myself, and | noticed that, as soon as
they had finished their meal which
they only pecked at in their manifest
depression, they started out afoot.
after making some inquiries of the
hotel clerk.
II happened to be strolling their way
alter dinner; although | had no de sti-
nation. and they did have one. 1t was
a little, vacant, furnished, two-story
house OF crumbling yellow brick OH a
scpulchrally quiet narrow street, that
had its beginning at the west side of
the old cathedral. No doubt the hotel
clerk had told them about the house.
They looked through it, guided by the
crone who owned it, who lived next
door and knew enough of the United
States to get her price; and when
saw the Treasurer forking gold pieces
into her hand on the front steps, after
their inspection of the hose, | knew
that they had rented it. My affair in
Vera Cruz, OF course, was an electric
light concession; but, all the same, as
l swung through the quiet little street
and sensed the nature of that renting
transaction. felt like calling the tired
looking couple aside and sugge sting
to them that the air and scenery of a
town or hamlet in a non-extradition
country were what they were really
looking for. But didn't. Sometimes
l think that, among my multifold
talents, the most useful one in knack
OF knowing the right minute when to
do things.
"On the following day I saw the
Treasurer and his wife, both with
bowed heads, but the man with side
longshly observant eyes, strolling
aimlessly about in the shade of the
cathedral, the lachrymose-eyed rat of
two-pound hairless dog, chirking up
under the heat of his native climate,
tagging along barking at nothing. And
on the morning after | saw them rock
ing back and forth, still silent, on the
porch of the crumbling yellow brick
house.
Again ! was impelled to send to
the man a list of non-extradition coun-
tries, still remaining in the western
hemisphere; that list having then, as
now, contracted to one country, the
same being Honduras. But again
did not. 1t was safe to assume, l con-
sidered. that was the only hombre
in Vera Cruz who knew them-yet.
Somehow, though, l took on a new
diligence in watching the debarkation
OF passengers from the arriving steam
ers. The silent, moody, down-and-
out pair, so anonymously placed, had
gained a ctulch on what we'll call my
lawless side, if you like to smooth
things over that-a-away. 1t was De-
cember, near Christmas. l kenw they
had children and grandchildren. ]
was sorry they were not at home
thinking holly and tinsel and stuffed
stockings. And so watched the pas
sengers getting off the arriving steam
ers.
And that watchfulness proved to be
pretty fairish idea. On the third
morning after the arrival at Vera Cruz
of the Treasurer and his wife, a freigh-
ter dropped in from New Orleans. She
carried four passengers. One of them
was one of those star big-agency
sleuths. had known him in foul
countries between CAPRICORN and Can.
cer;' for the titbit trips after runaways
who streaked for the south generally
| fell to him. l could never tell why
His hat, / had always considred, rim.
med many pounds of inert ivory. But
he was big-agency sleuth, and there
he was, coming down the gangway.
"He hello-Turk'd me at the gang
ways foot, anS~roceeded sleuthily to
tell me all about what he was there
for. There wasn't the least need for
him to do that; but maybe you've
noticed that the. starrier the sleuth the
gassier he is. So he told me-State
Observation-Disclosures dog-fve
weeks gone-the whole narrative. as
if I'd been living near the main peak
of the Mountains of the Moon and
hadn't heard word of it. In New
Orleans, few days before, he'd been
tipped by cable from Havana that
the the packet bound for. Vera Cruz
had on board an elderly man whose
wife carried Mexican hairless dog.
And he smiled and petted his mus
tSche. No doubt they were his peo-
pie! Had sect them1
II took him to the Hotel Mexico
and poured into him all the mescal
and things that could be had while
reflected. My desire was to make
locomotion difficult, if not impossible,
ioi Hii tie tlHlc OelHS. II is nara TO
do that to big-agency star sleuth.
Absorption is the middle name of the
most of them. And so I could not
keep him from walking. The cathed-
raj was the big thing in sight.
wanted to show him the remains of
an old fortress, with funny brass
howitzers, in the other direction. But
he was for the cathedral. So had to
stroll in that direction with him. The
Treasurer and his wife and the hair
less dog. with his aged. muffled. wool
were strolling in the big cool shadow
Of the cathedral The sleuth saw them
and pctted his moustache again.
This" said he to me, "is like de-
tachng a penny from the loose mitt of
little girl under ether"
l asked him if they were his people.
His reply was to pull from his pocket
mate to the circular had in my
pocket.
ut is like" he went on, leaning up
against half-melted snow man in the
front yard and watching him topple."
"foo had,." said I. "Chisels you
out Of sure-enough trip, instead Of
this little one-port jump. You might
have got as far south as Lima if you
hadn't been too keen to spring your