The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1916-04-27

SOIL. LII iSA. sA>OSAAA6 "SoAN
do but that should chase over to see
the Owl building bunch. At that, may
be her bunch was right. It's brought
me up against you. Perhaps you can
help me. What are you? A sort Of
detective?'
only on the side" Average Jones
drew card from his pocket, and ten
dered it.:
A. JONES'. ADVISOR
Advice Upon All Matters Connected With
Advertising.
Astor Court Temple. 2 to P. M.
"Ad-Visor, eh?' repeated the other.
"Well, there's going to be an adver-
tisement in the Evening Truth today,
by me. Here's proof Of it,
Average Jones took the slip and
read it.
LOsT-NECKLACE OF CURIOUS BLUE
stones from Hotel Denton. night Of Au-
gust s. Reward greater than value OF
stones for return to hotel. No questions
asked
Reward greater than value of
stones" commented Average Jones'
There's sentimental interest, them"
"Will you take the case?" returned
Kirby abruptly.
AT least I'll look into it," replied
Average Jones.
Across lunchecn table, at the quiet,
old-fashioned Hotel Denton, Kirby I'M
burdened himself.
"You know all that's necessary
about me. The-the other party in
the matter is Mrs. Hale. She's a
young widow. We've been engaged
for six months; were to be married
in a fortnight. Now she insists on
postponement. That's where I want
your help"
Average Jones moved uneasily in
his chair. Really, Mr.. Kirby, lovers
quarrels aren't in my line"
There's been no quarrel. It's only
her superstition that's caused this
trouble. One can't blame her; her
father and mother were both killed in
an accident after some sort Of ghost
ly warming The first thing I gave
her, after our engagement, was neck
lace of these stones"-he tapped his
scarfpin-"that I'd selected, one by
one, myself. They're beautiful, as you
see, but they're not particularly valu-
able; only semi-precious. The devil
Of it is that they're the subject of an
Indian legend. The Indians and Mex
leans call them blue fires and say
they have the power to bind and loose
in love. Edna has been out in that
country, and she fairly soaked in all
that nonsense. To make it worse,
when 1 sent them to her l wrote that
that" dull red surged up under
the tan skin-"that as long as the fire
in the stones burned blue for her my
heart would be all hers. Now the
necklace is gone. You can imagine
the effect on a woman Of that tempera-
ment And you can see the result
He pointed with face Of misery to
the solitaire on his watch chain.
Details" said Average Jones
crisply.
She's here at this hotel. Has
small suite on the third floor Came
down from her home in central New
York to meet my mother, whom she
had never seen. Mothers here, too,
on the same floor. Night before last
Mrs. Hale thought she heard noise
in her outer room. She made look
see, but found nothing. In the morn
ing when she got up, about ten (she's
a late riser), the necklace was gone
from the stand in her sitting room."
"Anvthjnp else taken?"
That's the strange part of it. Her
purse, with over a hundred dollars in
it, which lay under the necklace,
wasn't touched"
ANY other thefts in the hotel?"
mot that, can discover. But one
of the guests on the same floor with
Mrs. Hale saw a fellow acting queerly
that same night. There he sits. yon-
der, at that table. I'll ask him to
come over"
The guest, an elderly man, already
interested in the case, was willing
enough to tell all he knew.
IT was awakened by some one fum-
bling at my door and making clink-
ing noise," he explained. II opened
my door. A man was fussing at the
keyhole of the room opposite. He
was very clumsy. I said: Is that your
room?' He didn't even look at me.
In a moment he started down the hall
way. He walked very fast, and l
could hear him muttering to himself.
He seemed to be carrying something
in front Of him with both hands. It
was his keys, I suppose. Anyway I
could hear it clink. At the end of the
hall he stopped, turned to the door at
the left and fumbled at the keyhole
for quite while. I could hear his
keys clink again. This time, I sup
pose, he had the right room, for he
unlocked it and went in. listened
for fifteen or twenty minutes There
was nothing further
Average Jones locked at Kirby with
lifted brows of inquiry. Kirby nodded,
indicating that the end room was Mrs.
Hales'
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