Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-07-07

ClcuIarly concerned ABOUT any matter
Was he troubled in mind?"
"He had that appearance" returpe
Hatsu cautiously, after long thought.
"In what way?" asked Day sharply
HE talked much to himself, and b
was usually silent man." said Hats
thoughtfully. Zone day, the very da
he passed out into the hands Of tn
gods, I found him wandering about th
rooms, looking into hole and corner
and he was muttering words"
What words?''
Il could not make for sure, honor
able" returned the man after anothe
interval Of thought, ''but It seemed tina
he wished to hide something, for b
said over and over that he must con
ceal 1t, yet 1t must be found Hide.
and found, hidden and found thos
were his words.
Il was alarmed at his behavior, ant
l ran out for help When returned
he was stretched on the door Of thi
room senseless, and 1t was later in th'
day that he died without q word
"And you found nothing In the room
the thing that he might have triet
to concealw questioned Day.
Nothing, excellency," returned Hat
su.
Day dismissed him, and later in the
evening when all the servants had re
tired to their quarters John Day made
an exhaustive search Of the house. he
left the library till the last, and II
was long after midnight wher he turn.
ed into that dimly lighted room.
He looked around.
Where would he conceal a large dia-
mond as big as a hazel nut IL he had
been minded to conceal such a gem?
Under the rugs? Within the vases2
In a niche of the carving? Within that
grinning idol?
There were score of places to
choose from.
He began with the rugs, cropping
carefully over every inch of their sur.
face for the missing stone.
The rugs refused to divulge the Sc.
cret.
Then the innumerabIe curios. The
grinning idol when shaken gave back
a dust Of sandalwood and a smell of
joss sticks. The ivory elephant re.
fused to offer any hiding place.
The Kokuro vase on the mantel-
piece
John Day looked at its graceful out
lines. There was gray surface traced
with delicate cherry boughs and fly
ing birds. The neck was very small.
He took it down and examined 1t. The
missing diamond would never have en-
tered that tiny orifice. yet it must be
Suddenly in the silent house there
came sound.
John Day extinguished the light, re.
placed the vase and stepped behind a
carved screen.
Into the darkened room came a bent
form holding a lighted lantern. The
S lss}s,ss 1Ass, B: ess. IS -
He looked furtively around. and
then his feet led him swiftly to the
where be took down the
Kokuro vase. He glanced over his
shoulder into the dusky corners, turn
ed the vase upside down and shook it
vigorously: Just g. he replaced It
there came the sound of another step |
in the room, and there was the evil !
,ogptenance Of the gardener peering in.
Hatsu turned, saw him, and instant
Y the two men leaped for each others
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .s-.- pug
hroat: e ..,.l441ss, - .-.a.-s !
They wrestIed silently, each one
for death hold. John
Day, standing there behind the screen,
narveled at the deadly struggle.
What was it that each one desired
he Kokuro vase?
He stepped forward, removed the
,ase from it's place and slipped it in
his pocket. Then as the forms remain.
ID silent on the floor he glanced once
It them. and. convinced that they
would fight it out between them. he
went upstairs to his own bedroom and
ocked every door and window.
He wrapped the vase in cloth and
hen shattered it against the edge Of
lis trunk. When he unwrapped the
broken pieces there fell into his hands
IN envelope rolled into tube. In one |
md was something round and hard.
rhe envelope was sealed with Bur-
ticks private seal. and on the outside |
I was addressed to the firm of jewel |
us in New York of which John Day |
vas now member
He slipped the sealed envelope into |
lis inner pocket, and then, his search |
ended. he went to the library to dis
over that the fighting servants had |
vanished. He never saw either of |
hem again.
John Days trip around the world
ended there and then. He took the |
lext steamer for San Francisco, and |
tx weeks later he stepped into the |
private office Of his firm with Henry
3urdick's confession and the missing