Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1917-11-22


Black Hand would?' asked Mr.. Gubb
eagerly.
"Cognomen or not" said Miss
Scroggs, that's what | call him Dr. her
or whoever 1t is. Anonymous Is n
thing and wiggle is another thing, and
when a letter Is signed with a wiggle
and nothing else | maintain I'm within
my rights in calling the signer an An
nonymous Wiggle. Now, here she
said, opening her black hand bag. SIS
letter No. l. Read it."
Philo Gubb pulled the letter from the
envelope and read 1t. 1t was in the
same disguised hand as the address.
1t ran thus:
Petunia-open any book at page IA and
read the first complete sentence at the top
of the page Go thou and do likewise.
For signature there was nothing but
a waved line, drawn with a pen. In
some respects it resembled an angle
worm. Philo Gubb frowned as he read
the letter.
The advice of the inditer that wrote
this letter seemingly appears to be sort
Of %unexact," he said. Most every
book that was ever wrote Is apt to
have a different lot of words at the top
Of page IL"
Just so," said Miss Scroggs. You
may well say that. And say it to my
self ! did until | started to open a
book. I says to myself, II you are
going to be fool enough. Petunia
Scroggs, to pay any attention to a let
ter writer that signs no name but a
wiggle be on the safe side and look In
the Bible So | looked in the Bible"
"As the writer beyond no doubt
thought you would" said p. Gubb.
81 don't know what he thought or
what he didn't think" said Miss
Scroggs. but when l opened my Bible
and turned to page II there wasn't
any page IA in It. So I took up another
book. | took up Emerson's Essays.
Volume 2, Volume / Of the same being
l don't know where"
"And what did you readT" asked
Philo Gubb.
Nothing" said Miss Scroggs, DE
cause l couldn't. Page IA was tore
out Of the book, whole and complete.
So ] went through all pas books, and
every page IA was tore out Of every
book. There was only one book in
the house that had a page Ia left In It.
So ! hunted up page IA In that book
and read the first full sentence ut the
top of the page"
And what did that sayp" asked Mr..
Gubb.
ut said" said Miss Petunia, "sTo
one quart of -four add a cupfui Of wa
ter. beat well and add the beaten
whites OF two eggs"
Il don't just see where there is q
clew II It," said Mr.. Gubb, but III
think 1t over. You wouldn't cali 1t
threatening at the first look"
NO. said Miss Petunia, land 1t
didn't worry me much. 1t didn't worry
me at all, although | had wasted N
siderable time trying to find out what
the Anonymous Wiggle was up to.
And then / got this letter No. 2"
She handed the second letter to Mr..
Gubb, and he opened 1t and read II.
IL ran thus:
+ Scroggs-A complete study of the his
tory and antiquities of Diocese Of Ossory"
fails to reveal the presence of a single In
dividual bearing the name of Scroggs from
the year 1885 to date
Like the first letter this was signed
with a waved line. Mr.. Cub studied
1t carefully. turned 1t over and owe
sighed and placed 1t beside the first
, letter on his desk.
II don't see no sign of a threat In
that" he said.
Not unless you should say 1t was
. belittling me to tell me to my face that
, no Scroggs ever lived wherever that
says they didn't live" said Miss Petu-
, MIA. Now, here's the next letter"
Mr.. Gubb took and read II. 1t ran thus
Miss Petunia-For tomorrow: Rising
!, temperature, accompanied by falling ba.
: rometer, followed by heavy showers
] Lower temperature viii follow In ths
o north central states and northern Mis-
, souri,.
81 shouldn't call that exactly sour
4 rflous. neither, said Mr.. Gubb.
ut amt" said Miss Petnnia, and
. unless you can call a mention of threat
o ening weather a threat | wouldn't cal
p It a threatening letter. 1t didn't bother
n me much. | went right ahead with In,
q Homework the same as usual. Ane
= then | got this letter"
a She handed Mr.. Gubb the fourth let
ter, and he read il. Ii ran:
y Petunia Scroggs-Trout are rising freei.
: In the Maine waters. The Parmachsen
I Belle is one of the best flies TO use.
a Mr.. Gubb, having read this letter
D shook his head and placed the letter OF
Is top OF those he had previously read
y 1t was signed with the wiggle like tn
others.
speaking as a deteckative," he said
al don't see anything into these letter
e yet that would fetch the writer into tn
grasp of the law. Are they all like this?
:" "If you mean do they say they ar