Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-01-01
=Opp0rtunitD-
By EDGAR FRANKLIN
Copyright Frank Munsey West Fortsth Street.
New York City.
BY EDGAR FRANKLIN

--@
could even have inspected the meals
that went to Anthony's table. Still
more, they we're in the old wing OF
the Lasande, where the rooms are
larger but where the fioors-laij
long before the days of sound-proof
concrete filling-permit the unduly in
quisitive to hear much of what goes
on above and below.
According to his own reasoning.
Hitchin had struck upon the investi'
cation Of his whole lifetime. Surely
as he wore spectacles, murder has
been done in the fiat of the impec-
cable Anthony Fry.
What the motive could possibly be,
Hobart Hitchin could only guess, as
he had already guessed; but it was a
fact that he had been suspicious ever
since Anthony's appearance last night
with the slim boy of the heavy storm
coat and the down-pulled cap. These
failing to harmonic with anything
that went in and out of the Lasande
ordinarily, had twanged every respon.
sive string in Hitchin's consciousness,
and not by any manner of means had
the strings ceased twanging after his
unusual interview with Anthony.
Hence, having returned to his own
fat, he waited tense and expectant
With straining ears he heard the conf
ing Of Beatrice Boiler and the subse-
guent excitement. and to him her pc
culiar cries singified another friend Of
David Prentiss' who had come sud
denly upon the grisly thing that had
once been the young boy.
And now those. processes of deduc.
tive reasoning which are used so sue
cessfully in fiction and so infreuuently
in real life, informed Hobart Hitchin
that the crimes next step was at
wise an intelligent man like Anthony
Fry would risk no more of these dis
turbances; whatever his original plans
he would seek very shortly to get the
body out of the Lasande-hardly in
grips. Hitchin fancied, probably in a
packing case, rather in that reliable
actor in so many sensational murders
q trunk.
Here, on the floor above him. some
one moved and bumped what was I'M
Questionably hollow, empty trunk!
AS the veteran fireman responds to
the gong, so did the brain of Hobart
Hitchin respond to that bump! FIJI
teen seconds and he had visualized
the whole of the next step; the trunk
TO the freight elevator, thence to- the
street, theme to the doubtless waiting
motor express wagon, thence
Again after a time, came the bump
indicating the trunk was in the living
room now-and then, absolutely true
to the hypothesis, Anthony's door
opened and the bumps went to the
hall, while the freight elevator came
up the shaft!
The brief-case containing the trous-
ers of David Prentiss had not left
Hobart Hitchin's cold hand. It did not
leave now as, snatching hat -he sped
down the back stairs of the Lasande
"a proceeding likely to save five
seconds at least when one considered
the slow response Of the elevators
cut through the second floor and came
down to the side entrance. just be-
yond the office and the desk.
There was taxicab as usual at the
curb just here. Without leaving the
vestibule. Hobart Hitchin lsignaled It
10 wait for him; and then, ever 50
charity, he thrust forward his eagle
ayes and directed their merciless
beam through the side panel of glass.
Hobart Hitchin all but lost his self
control and laughed excitedly for
here, just down the block, Anthony's
personal servant was Juggling a ward
robe trunk to the curb.
All! And he planned to use the safer
apparently. rather than the
truck; and it seemed to Hobart Hitch
in that the driver knew his fell errand
and demanded his share in advance,
because Wilkins handed him money.
After that, apparently without effort,
wilkins took his CHASTITY burden into
he back of the cab and drove away.
But Hobart Hitchin, the relentless,
was just twenty yards behind and his
driver spurred by a ten dollar bill,
bent forward and watched every turn
If the wheels as he followed. Thus
hey left the region Of the Lasande-
and since we all have our personal
lreams, it was right enough for Ho-
bart Hitchin to sit back and indulge
lis own.
, AS a millionaire now and then
makes himself part and parcel Of the
ocal fire department, following faith.
July to every blaze, answering every
alarm, so Hobart Hitchin, with pat.
rimony that rendered real work s5-
surd. dreamed of Che day when ne
should be recognized as the most emf.
aent eyrert in crime these great
United States ever held.
Mistily, he had been able time and
ime again to yisua4.z1 hist .
.acIes and all, surrounded by per.
,urbed policemen who had come to
he end of their rope in crime detec.
ion, who listened respectfully while
he expounded the elements Of the
particular case in hand. But the r1ists
we're almost gone now; this brilliant
morning. for the very first time, 10.
cart Hitchin had picked off live one.
Yes and it grew more live every
second for instead Of heading down
own. and trving--as Hobart Hitchiyl
rad fully expected-to ship the trunk
Dv EXPRESS to sorro out of town point.