Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-12-16

Hilda unlocked the door Of her little |
apartment and hurried to the front
window "Another ones gone!" she
said in bewilderment. Zone goldfish
disappeared yesterday, another today.
It's certainly mystery. What kind OF
place, wonder, have moved into?,'
Outside the window was small iron
balcony. Hilda stepped over the bow
windowsill and found herself on the
tiny shelf, from which she had splen-
did view of the street. She looked
down. Below her for several stories
were little iron balconies similar to
her own, few of them gay with green
things that the owners had put out
doors to get the first warm rays of
the spring sun.
On the balcony directly beneath, be-
tween two Boston ferns, was an I'M
provised aquarium and In the water
two goldfish were swimming.
Good gracious!" exclaimed Hilda.
"How In the world could they dive
down there? They couldn't that's all
there Is to it. Some one has helped
himself to my pets. But why should
he take one at time, why not all, and
why take any? Three ways and can
not answer any of them. And how
could he get up on to the balcony? |
can't answer that, either, because he
would have to do it In daylight when
I'm away and some one would see
from the street. Well, I'm hungry. I'll
Investigate after dinner
After her solitary meal Hilda put on
wrap, lifted chair cautiously out
to the balcony and established watch
The plants and the goldfish were gone
from the balcony below, but the win
dow was open and Hilda could hear
mans voice talking. $50 there are
two of them!" she thought. II suppose
the other is his wife. That simplities
things. TIL talk to her tomorrow"
She reached in for pillow from the
window seat, settled her head against
the rail and before she knew 1t she
was asleep. When she awoke there
was another goldfish gone from the
glass tank on the sill!
"The ideal" she exclaimed indig-
nantly. 1T Is the most uncanny thing
| ever heard Of She shivered. I'll
double lock everything tonight. To
morrow morning I'll go downstairs and
see IL T can clear up the mystery
That night she slept without fresh
air from the outside, leaving only the
| transom open for ventilation. And In
the morning another fish was gone!
Some one or something had been in
| her room in the night! Then her foot
struck something. She picked it up.
| It was a mans cuff link with single
diamond inset. $50 it Is person. l
| thought it might possibly have been an
animal of some sort" She counted her
money, the spoons and felt of her few
bits Of iewelry and her watch. All
! there! "A queer theft truly! L should
certainly like to know the joke. II 1t
1 happens again shall move out"
She locked the aquarium in the bath
room and went to her daily work In
the city library.
That afternoon. while she was
handing out books to a cosmopolitan
public, young man approached the
desk. evil. you tell me where can
| find some books on zoology, please? Z"
HiIda looked at him with interest.
The types Of men who customarily
asked for this kind OF information
we're usually middle aged professors OF
thoughtful mien and students from the
high school. This man was neither:
Athletic of build. good looking, and
fashtonably dressed, he had the air OF
a man who might be asking for the
sis on Sanskrit. or of anything he
knew nothing at all about.
"What kind of animals?' she inqufr-
ed Manuals, the carnivora -"
ooh, something about fish" he an
swered vaguely.
Htlda's interest deepened. "Any spe.
cial kind?"
Goldfish! I've got some I don't
know how to feed
"They should have told you at the
store They sell special kind OF food
you know"
'sWhy, never thought of that, but
I really didn't buy the fish, you see =
the fact is, don't want them at all,
They were sort of thrust upon me, and
now that I have them I can't let them
starve."
"No - you can't; that's true. And
they require lots Of care = they die
so easily. Your friend had no right to
inf1iot thano lIpOn a man"