The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-11-18
CHAPTER l
THE FALLING STAR

during the past 10 days, there had been
the heat, unprecedented fo9 June, with
the thermometer climbing higher and
higher and breaking n new record every
day.
AS I threw off coat and hat and
dropped into the chair before my desk,
l could see the eat-waves quivering
up past the open windows from the
merry street below. l turned away and
closed my eyes and tried to evoke a
vision of white surf falling upon the
beach, Of tail trees swaying in the
breeze, of a brook dropping gently be-
tween green banks.
Fountains that frisk and sprinkle
The moss they overSpill:
Pools that the breeZes crinkle," {.
and then l stopped, for the door had
opened. l Enclosed my eyes TO see the
office boy gazing at me in astonish-
ment. He was q we'll trained boy, and
recovered himself in an instant.
Your mail. sir" he said, laid 1t at
my elbow, and went out.
/ turned to the letters with an in
terest the reverse Of lively. The words
of Henley's ballad were still running
through my head
''Vale-lily and periwinkle;
Wet stone crop on the sill;
The look Of leaves a-twinkle
With windlets,'
Again stopped for again the door
opened. and again the office boy ap-
peared.
Mr.. Godfrey, sir" he said, and close
upon the words, Jim Godfrey entered,
looking as fresh and cool and invigor-
ating as the fountains and brooks and
pools l had been thinking of.
How do you do 1t, Godfrey" l
asked. as he sat down.
DO what?"
Keep so fit"
by getting a good sleep every night.
Do yOu?"
1 groaned as l thought of the in
fernO | called my bedroom.
Il haven't really slept for a week"
l said.
We'll, you're going to sleep tonight
That's the reason I'm here. l saw you
In court this afternoon-one glance was
enough"
Yes" 1 assented: "one glance would
be. But what's the proposition"
I'm staying at a little place I've
leased for the summer up on the far
edge of the Bronx. I'm going to take
you up with me tonight and I'm going
to keep you there till Monday. That
will give you five nights sleep and four
days rest. Don't you think you de-
serve it?"
Yes" l agreed with conviction, Il
do" and l cast my mind rapidly over
the affairs or the office. With the
MInturn case ended, there was really
no reason why should not take a few
days off.
who had been following my thought.
Don't be afraid" he added. seeing
that still hesitated. You won't find
it dull"
looked at him, for he was smiling
Slightly and his eyes were very bright.
Won't II"
certain phenomena in the neighborhood
which l think will interest YOU
When Godfrey spoke In that tone, he
could mean only one thing. and my
last vestige of hesitation vanished.
"All right" l said; III come"
Good. I'll call for you at the Mara
thon about 1890. That's the earliest
can get away" and in another moment
he was gone.
So was my fatigue, and turned with
q zest to my letters and to the arrange
ments necessary for a three days
absence. Then l went up to my rooms,
put a few things into a suit case, got
into fresh clothes, mounted to the
Astor roof garden for dinner, and a
Marathon. I had Higgins bring my
luggage down and sat down in the
entrance porch to wait for Godfrey.
Just across the street cleaned the
lights of the police station where he
and had had more than one adventure.
For Godfrey was the principal police
reporter of the Record; II was to him
that journal owed those brilliant and
glowing columns in which the latest
mystery was described and dissected in
a way which was a Toy alike to the in
tellect and to the artistic instinct. For
the editorial policy Of the Record, for
its attitude toward politics, Wall street.
sion and disgust; but whenever the
town was shaken with a great criminal
mystery, never missed an issue.
Godfrey and I had been thrown to-
eether first in the Holiday case, and
that was the beginning Of friend
ship which had sirens shened with the
years, Then came. his brilliant work
In Solving the Marathon mystery, In
which l had also become involved. l
had appealed to him for help in con-
nection with that affair at Elizabeth;
and he had cleared up the remarkable
circumstances surrounding the death
of my friend, Philip Vantine, in the
affair of the Boule cabinet. So had
Come to turn to him instinctively
whenever l found myself confronting
one of those intricate problems which
every lawyer mas sometimes 70 un :
tangle.
Reciorocally. Godfrey sometimes
sought my assistance: but. Of course,
II was only with a very few OF his
cases that had any personal con-
nection. The others ! had to be con-
tent to follow. as the general public did,
I'm the columns OF the Record. certain
that II would be the first to reach the
goal Godfrey had a peculiar advan-
tage over tho other police reporters in
that he had himself years before, been
a member OF the detective force. and
had very carefully fostered and ex-
tended the friendships made at that
time, He was looked on rather as an
insider. and he was always scrupu :
Iously careful to give the members OF
the force every bit of credit they de-
served-sometlmes considerably more
than they deserved. In consequence,
he had the entree at times when other
reporters were vigorously barred.
il was nearly IL O'Clock before God
frey arrived that evening. but l was
neither surprised nor impatient.
knew how many and unexpected We're
| the demands upon his time: and al
ways found O lively interest in watch
ing the comings and goings at the
station across the way--where. alas
the entrances far exceeded the exits!
- -. HF,pa. M q from the