Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1918-06-07

| affair and become fnvolved IN tho
series of rapid events which reyolved
about the strange little Aztec idol Of
Quetzal as about a pivot. But ! am
sure that not even Semi himself sus-
pected at the time that he was once
more to be called upon to apply his
peculiar gifts to the solution Of q
problem of human passions when he
made the suggestion.
In fact. IL he had I am sure there
would be far different story to tell
about the whole affair.
We left Goldfield and went by
roundabout way to reach the great
tourist hotel on the lip Of the gorge
the restless Colorado has dug for Its
way to the sea.
Wholly like other sightseers. we
arrived and registered and were
shown to a suite of three rooms. with
a common sitting-room between two
bedrooms. And like others, we went
out the next day and viewed the won
derful works OF nature and came back.
| We dined and sat for time on the
| veranda of the hotel and then Connie
said she felt like retiring, and Dual
said he would take her to the suite.
| Commonplace enough In all con-
science surely. with no hint OF what
was to come.
Laredo lifted his cue.
The four sought refuge In a pocket
as though tied to an elastic string.
He smiled slightly and took the five
with equal ease from an exceeding
ly poor position.
You live up to your motto" OBJ
served. IL had decided that you were
from Mexico. but you remind me
more of the Castilian type"
He nodded. Il believe we have
kept 1t pretty pure-the blood. A
slight Aztec admixture. / am told;
but long ago, senor-long ago."
lone learns to Judge of type in
my line" threw out.
"Ah!" He squinted at his next
shot. "And that, senor?"
Detection" l said.
He missed his ball, shrugged, and
put down his cue with an apologize
smile, as II seemed. 1--WE all study
mankind. senor," he returned. "You
in the living example. the Senior Win
garde in those who have died and left
but their bones and their records.
Some one has said truly that the chief
study of mankind Is man. Myself,
am more In the English senors line.
IL have travelled and studied some
what myself, but mainly am l inter
ested In the ancient races OF our own
Mexico. There was a wonderful civ
ilization, senior wonderful indeed.
Save that my ancestors conquered
that people, who can tell to what they
might not have arisen?"
shook my head. II don't know
much about It," told him. "You ought
to meet my friend Dual. He's up on
all that sort of thing"
"Dual?" he repeated. "Ah, you
mean the large man l have seen with
you about the hotel? He Is of stri-
king appearance. So what you call
composed. One feels him man OF
power at a glance"
HE Is" l said, and made my
shot. Hes helped me with more than
one of my cases. In fact, he's cleared
them up when all the rest of US fail
ed"
els he also a detective, then?"
questioned Laredo.
mot in the ordinary sense" l re-
turned. l went on and gave him
more or less rapid account of Semi's
methods, to the accompaniment Of the
clicking Of the balls. as he swiftly &C
complished my defeat. But perhaps,
like many others, you do not believe
In such things" made an ending.
Laredo frowned as the last ball
dropped slowly into the pocket. I'm
afraid, senior, that the admixture Of
Indian blood in my veins has carried
a proportion of superstition with It,"
he said. "Or should we call 1t super
stition? All races of man so far as
we can learn have had their belief In
such things, have they not?
where all have believed, is 1t not
perhaps true that there Is some
ground for that belief? Myself, think
that in every age of man there are
some who are able to sense things
more acutely than others. No. ! con-
fess you interest me YER much In this
friend OF yours.
take astrology, for instance.
When we are learning each day OF so
many wonderful things in~science -
the wireless, the X-ray, and such
things-why should we refuse to be-
lieve in the influence OF equally In
visible but none the less poten. eff
fects OF the magnetic emanations from
the stars? Myself / do not know. l
have always depen' on my own intelli-
gence, as you say; but because / know
not Is no reason to laugh"
I was rather surprised at his re-
Spouse. More, his dark face had
taken on a sort of interpretive ex-
preston. In a moment he shrugged
and flashed his teeth as though
throwing the subject aside. shall
-a bava apothar oama7O ho SupPpst.