The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-11-24
By James KneIland Shawvan

hbAG 80 "NoNNhA AASAAs
! thought of early b~oyhood's days
and skating on one foot, as the sole of
n shoe struck a fiat piece of banana
peel, and 1 went sliding irreslstibly to-
ward a wooden crate cover set over a
manhole In the sidewalk.
Bangl My feet met 1t, sending 1t
spinning halfway around on the I'M
fastened pivot and down 1 shot through
he half-moon aperture.
Thumpi. l landed ten feet down
amid utter darkness across an up
turned tub, knocking out its bottom,
and bringing hoops and slaves about
me In flying sections.
The shock was brief, my bruises tri-
vial. Then I congratulated myself.
If the under-sidewalk space into
which l had been p~recipitated connect
ed with the main cellar of the struc-
ture abutting upon 1t 1 would hail my
mlsadventure as a stroke of genuine
good luck. That grim old time-shat-
tered three-story building had been a
center of considerable interest to me
during the past week. 1 had haunted
its vicinity p~ersistently. 1t was to lit
tie purpose, however. Its rear was a
blank brick wall. Its sides were
guarded by heavy iron shutters. The
front had but M entrance, a double
doorway, and beyond it was a store
space shallow and narrow, more Of a
hall entrance than q room, barred
closely nights, and in the daytime,
seated behind a bench hammering
away at various pieces Of metal, was
a low-browed, keen-eyed man, evident
ly the guardian Of the place.
1 was on a still hunt for a missing
friend, and had been for ove a month.
That was how I came to be interested
in what had vertically become to me a
house of mystery.
Acton Meserve had been a fellow
worker and close friend for something
like two years. We were both of us
expert engravers and earned good
q in the service of a leading bank
note engraving concern. 1t was just
after he had married and was gone
on his honeymoon that trouble began.
You must know that the working
economy of a confidential and impor-
tant business such as we were engaged
In calls for strict integrity on the part
of those employed. 1t was about a
week after my friend Meserve had left
on his memorable vacation when a dis
covery was made that some govern
ment paper, some denomination dies
and a kit of fine engraving tools were
missing from the vault. When a
search was made in the Office there
was found in Meserve's desk some of
the paper. The company awaited the
return of Meserve to charge him with
Irregularities, possibly theft. But
neither he nor his wife returned to the
city at the end of two weeks, nor four,
nor six. In fact, although u detective
was employed to seek to gain a trace
of their whereabouts, Acton Meserve
and his wife had disappeared as effec-
tually as though the earth had swal-
lowed them up.
One day l vas summoned to the pri'
vate Office of the president of the com
pany. l knew that my close compan'
ionship with Meserve had aroused sus'
picion in the mind of the detective as
to a possible knowledge on my part as
to what had become of Meserve. The
disappearance of the Well-guardeC
property of the company pointed to g
probable scheme to do some outside
plate work. This surmise was empha
sized by the strange absence of Me
serve.
"We shall require your services NJ
longer, Mr.. nlsley," spoke my superior
definitely and with ~sternness.
II am sorry" 1 said simply. II will
not ask you the reason of this unwar
rantable discharge, for I car guess
You are wrong in attributing what YOU
imagine to as good a man as Actor
Meserve. 1 shall make it my business
to prove it to you soon."
81 hope So" coldly remarked the OF
fetal, land I further hope you vii
take care of yourself"
There was Significance, almost in
suit, in this last remark, and 1 did no
resent 1t In, words. l had made up m,
mind that I would find Acton Meserv
1. 1t took all / had saved up and
year of my life to accomplish it. Their
was something wrong, not only at tn
engraving plant, but as regarded Me
serve.
There was a dense mystery SUI
rounding the abstraction Of the prof.
erty of the company and the inexplics
BILE vanishment of Meserve and hi
wife. 1 started to solve the enigmi
firm In my faith in my tried and tru
comrade.
found his relatives and friends an
ious and grieved over his absence
None of them had seen or heard frol
him since the day they had seen hill
started on his wedding journey.
went over his presumable honeymoo
trip, to lose all trace of him utterly.
returned to the city, more In the dar
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