Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-01-06

As a natter of fact, in certain spe-
cial lines of work this uncommonly
pretty, self-reliant girl was one of the
most capable operatives the COM
pany ever had in its employ, Although
Felix Hazards lean. hawklike visage
was too we'll schooled to betray any
hint of his deeper feelings, neverthe-
less sometimes while looking at her
his dark eyes took on an intense
glow that shook the girls poise. She
was wont to chide herself because
this look had the power of agitating
her, and she would discourage it in
different representatives by treat
ing Hazard with cool reserve, another
time by poking fun at him, or, most
effective of all. by making some
abrupt, unexpected appeal to his
friendship. They never quarreled;
they were much too good pals for
that.
So on a certain June morning-the
first, to be defnlte-when Hazard
found c note upon his desk in her
handwriting, which was as familiar
to him as his own, he forgot every
thing else until he had read it some
half-dozen times.
AS he tore open the envelope and
spread out the single sheet therein
contained, two objects fell out and
lluttered to the floor. He picked them
up. They were in the corners of
two playing-cards, the knave of dia-
monds and the queen of spades.
These he laid carefully aside and
read:
My dear Felix:
Take me to luncheon today and I'll
tell you about the enclosed relics.-H,
For possibly a minute he gravely
|speculated upon the card fragments;
but they only leased his curiosity
The ragged torn edges exactly
matched, demonstrating the two cor
ners had been held tightly together
when the balance of the cards were
torn away: this was the sole infer
ence he was able to draw from the
<'relics."
Promptly at half-past twelve Helen
Bertel's animated face appeared at
Hazards doorway. She was a tall,
graceful girl. fond Of tennis and of
being both on and in the water, for
besides being an ardent %conoeist she
wal also an expert swimmer
choice of pastimes than which no 9th
rers are better adapted to mold the
figure in perfect lines and give health
and strength and beauty and the pan
Uterine litheness that characterized
her every movement.
She called tt him brightly from
the threshold:
Ready"
and waiting" he returned, grab
bling his hat and following her to the
elevator.
1t was not until the waiter had
poured Hazards demi-tasse and held
a lighted match to his cigarette that
Miss Bertel, propping her elbows up
on the table and resting one cheek
upon her clasped hands, referred to
the subject that was uppermost in her
mind.
Felix, l have a neighbor who needs
your help-a poor widow with a
s~eapegrace brother. Their uncle was
murdered day before yesterday, and
the two are entitled to his money"
Hazard darted a sharp glance at
her.
"Murdered?" he repeated inquiring-
ly. who was he?"
Henry Paradis."
For some moments the man scru-
tinized the pretty face opposite his.
According to the newspapers that
was an accidental DEATH" said he.
Il don't know much about 1t, though"
I'll tell you about it. For my
neighbor's sake ! interested myself in
the case; I've gone as far with it as
/ can without a mans assistance.
You're to be the man"
What she recounted may be briefly
sketched.
On the morning of May 31st the
~lifeless body Of Henry Paradis had
been found. under peculiar circum-
stances, at his North Halsted street
residence. In the middle Of the room
used by the old bachelor as a library
stood a table-desk, and lying on a
rug in front of this and underneath a
protruding drawer the body had been
discovered by the households sole
servant, a middle-aged negro named
Sam Webb.
There were numerous factors that
tended to veil the fatality In mystery.
On the surface these factors sug-
Igested that Henry Paradis had
opened a drawer Of his desk and i'm.
lmediately fallen dead from a bullet
wound inflicted by his own revolver
BY way of mute testimony, there
was the partially open drawer half
full Of neatly tied packages OF let.
tiers, together with papers and docu.
lments Of various sorts, upon top OF
which lay the weapon. Its cylinder
contained five loaded cartridges and
one freshly exploded shell. The re
volyer was of a well-known make, 49,
caliber, and Just below the dead
mans heart was a small purplist
puncture which a few minutes prob
ing demonstrated to have been made
by a bullet Of the same size. Powder
marks on the left breast OF his shabby
old housejacket showed that ths
muzzIe had been close when the
weapon wal fired.
From these details the police ant
reporters. and next the coroner's Jury
drew their conclusion that the Ole
man had accidentally been oyertakel
by death, withal In q most extraordi
nary manner.
However added Miss Bertel, I'll