The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-11-18
CHAPTER
THE STAR

SoAhPiOte DIS L Ldu nOpGu 1t WOulQ De.
Besides, there was the heat: always,
during the past 10 days. there had been
the neat, unprecedented foi June, with
the thermometer climbing higher and
higher and breaking a new record every
day.
AS I threw off coat and hat and
dropped into the chair before my desk,
l cou.d see the neat-waves quivering |
up past the open windows from h
fiery street below. | turned away and
closed my eyes and tried to evoke a
vision of white surf falling upon the
beach, Of tan trees swaying in the
breeze, of a brook dropping gently be-
tween green banks.
"Fountains that frisk md sprinkle
The moss they ovecspill;
Pools that the breezes crinkle,'
and then ! stopped, for the door had
opened. L Enclosed my eyes to see the
Office boy gazing at me in astonish-
ment. He was a well trained boy, and
recovered himself. in an instant.
Your mail, sir" he said, laid it at
my elbow, and went out.
i 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 .p~eriwinkle;
Wet stone-crop on the sill;
The look of leaves a-twinkle
With windlets,"
Again I stopped, for again the door
opened, and again the office boy APP
peared.
Mr.. Godfrey, sir" he said, and close
upon the words, Jim Godfrey entered,
ating as the fountains and brooks and
pools l had been thinking of.
How do you do it, Godfrey" l
asked, as he sat down.
DO WHAT"
Keep so fit"
by getting a good sleep every night.
Do your"
1 groaned as 1 thought of the in
ferno l called my bedroom.
Il haven really slept for a week."
I said.
We'll, you're going to sleep tonight.
That's the reason I'm here. ] saw you
in court this afternoon-one glance was
enough"
Yes" I 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 civ. you five nights sleep and four
days rest. Don't you think you de-
serve it?"
Yes" I agreed with conviction, 81
do" and l cast my mind rapidly over
the affairs of the office. With the
Mlnturn case ended. there was really
no reason why l should not take a few
days off.
You'll come, them" said Godfrey.
who had been following my thought.
Don't be afraid" he added, seeing
that I still hesitated. You won't find
it dull"
1 looked at him, for he was smiling
slightly and his eyes We're very bright.
Won't II"
NO" he said, for I've discovered
certain phenomena in the neighborhood
which l think will interest you"
When Godfrey spoke in that tone, he
could mean only n thing, and my
last vestige of hesitation vanished.
A right I said; I'll come"
Good. I'll call for you at the Mara
| thon about 1913 80. That's the earliest 1
can get away and In another
he was gone.
So was my fatigue, and l 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
Astor roof garden for dinner. and a
little after 10 was back again at the
Marathon. 1 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; it was to him
that journal owed those brilliant and
glowing columns in which the latest
mystery was described n diSsected in
a way which was a Joy alike to the in
tellect and to the artistic instinct. Fol-
the editorial policy of the Record, fol
it's attitude toward politics. Wall street
the trusts. society" l had only aver
sion and disgust; but whenever the
town was shaken with a great crimina
mystery, I never missed an issue.
Godfrey and I had been thrown to.
gether first in the Holiday case, ant
that was the beginning of a friend,
ship which had strengthened with thu
years. Then came his brilliant worl
in solving the Marathon mystery, IL
which l had also become involved.
had appealed to him for help in con
nection with that affair at Elizabeth
and he had cleared up the r~e7narkabl,
circumstances surrounding the dealt
OF my friend, Philip Vantine. in TIL
affair of the Boule cabinet. So / hat
come to turn to him il1stinctivel.
whenever l found myself confronting
one OF those intricate problems which
every lawyer has sometimes to ln
tangle.
sought my assistance; but, of course
it was only with a very few of hi
cases that | had any personal con
nectlon. The others I had to be con
tent to follow, as the general public die
In the columns OF the Record. certai!
that it would be the first to reach III
goal. Godfrey had a peculiar adyan
tage over tho other police reporters i
thai he had himself, years before. bee
a member OF the detective force. an
had very carefully fostered and ex
tended the friendships made at the
time. He war looked on rather as a
insldcr. and he vas always scrupu
l~lously careful to give the mber c
the force every bit Of credit they de
served-sometimes considerably NOR
than they deserved. In consequence
EShe had the entree at times when othe
reporters were vigorously barred.
II was nearly II o'clock before God
frey arrived hat evening. but l wa
neither surprised nor impatient.
knew how many and unexpected wer
the demands upon his time; and l a
ways found a lively interest in watch
ing the comings and goings at I'll
station across the way-where. ala
49, $50. far npooa1a6 tho ayifs