The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-27
ELLIS PARKER BUTLER

valuable information: Anatomy, ladies
and gents. is so called from the Latin
words atom and anatom the two kinds
OF atoms that make up the human body
the atoms being the good atoms and
the anatoms being the bad atoms
which cause disea Sc m the human
frame. Shagbark Oil, ladies and gents,
contains ninety per cent of atoms, the
little soldiers of health that enter the
blood and chaw. the wicked anatoms
OF sickness to death. We will now offer
Tor sale Z few bottles OF Shagbark Oil
at one dollar per bottle-five dollars
for six bottles-after which I will solve
the mystery that is worrying this here
town OF Meotock''
The sale of Shagbark Oil was prompt
and satisfactory.
And now friends and fellow
zens." he said when the sale had reach
ed satisfactory proportions. ''remem-
Der that the full Grand Musical Enter
tainment and Anatomical Lecture will
be given here every afternoon and eve
ming for the rest of this week And
we now come to the mystery that is
bothering everybody In this town. Is
Mr.. Hinjin or Mr.. Horth in the audi
ence?"
Both here some on shouted.
Well" said Shagbark. I'm a little
amt safe. and Mr.. HMM and Mr..
Horth can tell you whether I'm right
| or not. There was a burglary here
| lately, and the burglar got away. Some
| Of you here seem to think 1t was a sort
| of mystery where this here Sims Tudd
went to when he jumped down of the
road. Seems like he dissolved himself
into thin air and noated away Or
lando. fetch out Acknowledgement No.
Two
| Orlando brought out the battered
chart and held it up before the crowd.
The trouble with you folks" said
Shagbark. 'is that you go pokin' around
and lookin' around and don't come to
| Shagbark Jones and ask him to consult
the stars when you want to find out
| things Now, here's Venus sort of say
| in 'Howdy!' to Mars. That means
somebody disappeared. And here Is
Mercury at right-angled triangles to
| Uranus. That means somebody paint
ed picture of a short fat man and a
tall slim man on a piece of tin and
| tackled 1t on a tree. And what's this :?
Neptune and the Great Dipper right in
| cahoots together. That means a Jug
of water"
Some one laughed. Then they sill
| laughed.
And here's the Milky Way" grated
| SIldSDdfk- mat means ABOUT HV6
| thousand folks in Meotock who don't
know when they've been told what Is
| what"
Shagbark stopped
Go on!" some one cried. Tell US
where Sims Tudd isl"
Tell you, dod wink it? I have told
you'll" shouted the Mystery Man. He
| shook his head sadly. Some folks has
| to be told and told!" he mourned. L
said Sims Tudd had disappeared.
didn't I? I said there was a jug CT
say any more? You amt that stupid,
are you? Tin sign-jug Of water
Sims Tuddl"
The faces Of the crowd, lighted by
the gasoline-fiares. were like a thou
sand eager interrogations. They waited
breathlessly.
over there across the river" said
| Shagbark this here astrology- chart
tells me there is a tin sign tellin' about
| E1injtn Horth havin a jewelry store.
It's nailed onto a tree right where This
here Sims Judd disappeared. It's Zig
| sign-big enough to cover up a sort Of
| door a man could saw in the side Of a
hollow tree with a sharp pointed saw,
| once he started a hole with a brace
and bit. A man like Sims Tudd could
| take jug Of water and some food and
hide in that tree with a bag of loot
and stay there until folks got tired
watching the place, and nobody would
ever think of suspecting the tree, be-
cause they had seen that sign on It FOR
| years"
| Orlando leaped down from the deck.
Come on folks" he squealed in his
shrill treble, and more than half the
crowd ran after him. shouting and
| laughing. as he made for the foot CT
| the bridge that spanned the river.
Whilst we are waitin' for the re-
| turn of the posse. fetchin Sims Tudd
back to his loving friends" said Shay
bark, I'VE will proceed to sell a few
bottles of Shagbark Oil"
| How about When Is safe not
| safe?' q" some one shouted.
| Why when Hinjin & Horth Forget
| to lock it." answered Shagbark. when
| Hinjin thinks Horth has locked 1t, and
Horth thinks Hinjin has locked II. and
| they see the joke is on them. A safe -
not safe. ladies and gents, when 1t is
| ajar, like the door you may have heard
| Of"
This. It proved. was indeed the an
| swer to Hin5in & Horth's famous CO.
nundrum, for 1t was discovered. when
| Murphy and Black Pete led the leg
cramped Sims Tudd into the light Ct
the gasoline-h flares, after having OPEN
ed his tin door in the tree and walked
him across the bridge at the head of
the crowd, that he had not sandpaper-
ed his f1nFers like the renowned Jimmy
Valentine. He had to his amazement,
| found the safe door ajar.
| And I'm sort of sorry I had to toll
where he was hidin'." said Shagbark to
Alice that night 1T was dod-whixed
| clever of him to think of hidin' in
| tree right before everybody's eyes. as
you might say. 1t wasn't fair to spoil
| it by settin' Shagbaik Jones onto the
| mystery. l feel sort Of sorry for him.
| the poor dod-whillixed tree nymph."
! The title of the next rtory in this
| series is: