The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-12-24
George Caruthers'
Luck
By EUhacE BLAKE

George C%aruthers was one of those
Young men whose lives begin at the
wrong end George was born with O
silver spoon in his mouth, and it re.
manned there till he was TWENTY-FIVE
years old. Then ii gave place to a
pewter one. What | mean by this is
that he lived a life of luxury until he
was a man. then was turned out to
scratch for himself. To be still more
explicit, he was the son of o rich man
who died insolvent.
George tried every way he could
think of to make a living and failed in
all N day while hunting for a job
ne stumbled into a detective office.
When told what kind of place he had
struck he turned to depart A man sit
ing at a desk called to him.
1oung man, You are a gentleman
down on your luck. I've got a Job for
such a person. and I'll pay you wen
while you're on it whether you sue.
ceed or not A client of mine, Abner
hirke, is missing jewelry, or, rather, his
wife and daughters are. l need some
one tn go into his family as a friend
or. at any rate, an equal in refinement,
who will keep his eyes and ears open
with a view to spotting the thief. How
would you like that job?n
George being college bred and there
being no good schools in the vicinity of
Mt hirke's place, it was decided that
he should enter the family as tutor
Within a few days he was duly INSTALL
ed n was teaching the girls. espe-
ciaily the Oldest one. Luella, to conju
gate he Latin verb m q love-.
lh1s story being q detective and a
love tale combined and there not be-
ing room for both. one will need to
give way to the other. The love story
being Of the ordinary kind, l will give
the principal part to the other. And
yet but for sheer luck there would
nave been no detective story. for George
fell SO desperately in love with Lucia
and Luella fell so desperately / n love
with George that there was no place
whatever in his mind for the work in
hand.
1t happened that repairs were In
progress in the Kirke homestead and
several of the bedrooms being torn M
George was put into q room adjoining
the servants quarters and on this &C
Dun seldom used. On the very first
night that he slept in this room lust
as be laid his head on the pillow he
heard family a distant chime. He had
been in the house long enough to know
that there was no church with chime
oetls In the vicinity. He naturally,
therefore, wondered. Not being espe.
ciaily sleepy, he lay awake trying to
assign a for the sounds he had
heard.
While thus engaged he heard the
chimes again. This time he noted that
there were eleven strokes, then an in
terval. followed by three. An idea &C.
CURED to him. Turning on an cleo
trio light near his bed, he looked at
his watch, The time was II O'Clock
n forty-fve minutes. Then he knew
that he had heard a watch give eleven
strokes for the hour and a stroke for
each of the quarter hours.
remaining awake, he waited for the
next strokes, which would indicate
midnight He was sitting up in bed
when his watch indicated u. but heard
nothing. 1t occurred to him that when
he had heard the strokes the sounds
had been led to his ear through sub.
stances. His bed was a diyan with
headboard. and his pillow rested
against the wall, When a quarter past
II Ga me- rnT1n6 no ha5 h5o ~, .,.---S
against the wall. de then heard the
strokes far more distinctly than be-
fore. He was now satisfied that what
be heard was a striking watch in the
next room. and, his curiosity being al
he turned over and went to
sleep.
The next day be received a check
from the detective agency for services
with a note asking what success he
was having. In the afternoon he call
ed at the Office and reported that he
had found no clew. While chatting
with the chief he incidentally mention
the striking watch The listener
looked at him %curiousiy for a lei
then burst into a laugh.
My dear boy" he said, you'll new.
er make a detective. You say your
room Is next the servants quarters.
Do servants have striking watches? |
must send a mar at once to follow
up
George interrupted him to beg for a
to finish the job, and the chief,
being convinced that introducing any
one else n the Kirke family would
put the thief on his guard, consented
hat he should do SO.
George went back to the house and
at once entered the room next the one
N which he had slept A bureau stood
the wall, and the divan In
which George had slept stood against
hat part Of the wall that the bureau
covered. In a bag suspended to the
Of the bureau was a lot of jewel
y, including q valuable striking watch