Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-21
CHAPTER VIII.
Mr.. Max Tells Tale Of Suspicion.

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his favorite diversion. He seemed
to be quoting from addresses; MI
Magee pictured him on Chautauqu'
platform, the white water pitcher b.
his side.
AS he talked Mr.. Magee studied
that portion Of his delicate scholarl,
face that the beard left exposed to thu
world. What part had Thaddeus Bol
ton, holder of the Crandall' Chair o
Comparative Literature, in this net
work of odd alarms? Why was he
! Baldpate? And why was he so little
moved by the rapid changes in the
makeup Of the inn colony-change'
that left Mr.. Magee gasping? He
took them as calmly as he would take
bis grapefruit at the breakfast-table
Only that morning Mr.. Nagee. by way
: of experiment, had fastened upon hin
the suspicion Of murder. and the ole
man had not flickered an eyelish. Not
! the least strange Of all the strange fig
ures that f7oated about Baldpate, Mr.
Maeee reflected. was this man who
! fiddled now with Chaucer while, met
! aphorically. Rome burned. He could
not make it out.
Mr.. Max inserted a loud yawn into
the professors discourse.
"Once I played chess with a Ger
man." he said. land another time
went to lecture on purifying politics
but I never struck anything so monoto,
nous as this job I got now
$50 sorry" replied Magee, chat our
company bores you
mo offense.'' remarked the yellow
faced one. "I was Just thinking as !
set here how 1t all comes of peonle be-
ing suspicious Of one another. Now
I've always held that the world would
be a better place If there wasn't no
suspicion in It. Nine times out Of ten
the suspicion amt got leg to stand
on-if suspicion can be said to have
a leg"
Evidently Mr.. Max desired the
floor: graciously Professor Bolton con-
coded it to him.
"SDeaking of suspicion" continued
the drab little man on the threshold,
turning his cigar thoughtfully be-
tween his thin lips reminds me Of a
case told me by Pueblo Sam. few
funny. and in others it's sad as hell.
Pueblo Sam. was called in them terms
because he'd never been west of Sixth
Avenue. He was swell refined gen
tleman who lived by his wits, and he
had considerable"
"a confidence man. suggested Ma
gee.
"Scr-~ hing along that order ed
mitted r Max. but good sport
among his friends. you understand.
Well. this case of suspicion, Sam tells
mo about happened some hing like
this. One scorchine hot day in sum-
mer Sam gets aboard the Coney boat,
his idea being to put all business
cares away for an hour or two, and
lust float calm and peaceful down the
hay. and cool off. So he grabs out
camp chair and hustles thrc"eh the
crowd I'D to the top deck. beside the
pilots hangont. and sits down to get
acquainted with the breeze, if such
there was.
"well he'd been sitting there about
ten minutes. Sam tells me, when along
came about the easiest picking that
ever got loose from the old home
stead"
81 beg your pardon" protested
Professor Bolton.
"The ready money. the loosened
kale. the posies in the garden waiting
to he plucked," elucidated Mr.. Max.
'"This guy. Sam says. was such per-
feet rube he just naturally looked
past him to see If there was trail OF
hay on the floor. For while Sam sits
there with a crouch as he thought
how hard it was to put business aside
and get little rest now and then. and
deba ting whether, being on vacation,
as it was. he'd exert himself enough
to stretch forth his hand and take
whatever money the guy had. While
he was arguing the matter with him.
self, the jay settled the question by
coming over and sitting down near
him.
Hes in the city, he tells Sam, to
enjoy the moving pictures of the
and otherwise forget the trees
back home that grow the cherries in
the bottom of the cocktail glasses.
And believe me- he says to Sam,
there amt none Of those confidence
men going to get me. I'm too wise
he says.
"Ill bet money you are Sam tells
him laughing all over at the fish that
was fighting to get into the net.
eyes. Stree says the last of the
Mohicans, they can't fool me. l can
tell them as far away as I can see 'em,
and my eyesight's perfect. One OF
'em comes up to me in City Hall park
and tries to sell me some mining stock.
| guess he amt recovered yet from
what I said to him. tell you, they
can't fool Mark Dennen,' says the guy.
"Sam told me that at them words
he just leaned back in his seat and
stared at the jay and whistled under
his breath. Years ago, 1T seemed,
Sam had lived in the town Of Reads
boro, Vermont. and run up and down
the streets with one suspender and a
stone hrnise. and the kid that had run
with him was Mark Dennen. And
Sam says he looked at this guy from
the woods that was running round cry
ing to high heaven he needed a guard
ian and he sees that sure enough 1T
was the two-head Mark Dennen and
Sam told me-something seemed to
bust inside him, and he wanted to
stretch out his arms and hug this