The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1918-05-30


more and craved to take part in the
dynamic activities of life At the sug-
gestion of Waldemar, owner of an i'm
portant and decent newspaper, he
opened offices in Astor court and went
In for following up queer advertise
ments and tracing down fraudulent ad-
vertisers. Business doomed
mot good enough,@ said Average
Jones.
"The ad. says different, SIR" Simp-
son raised the paper and read:
FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS - THE
aforesaid sum will be paid without ques-
tion to anyone furnishing information
which leads to the discovery of Roderick
Hoff, twenty-four years old. who left his
home in Toledo, O., on April IL. Commu-
nicate with DR.. Conrad Hoff Toledo.
Surely Doctor Hoff is good for the
amount"
"Oh, he's good for millions. The
point is, from what can discover, Mr..
Roderick Hoff isn't worth retrieving at
any price above one dime"
you wished in the telegram" asked
the confidential clerk.
Eyes; all l wanted. Have the Tole-
do reporter forward his bill"
Left to himself, Average Jones again
ran over the information as to the lost
Toledo youth. At twenty-four, it ap-
peared, Roderick Hoff had achieved
Etrpon ircr fro, ha
had taken postgraduate course in
the cigarette ward of polite retreat
for nervous wrecks, endured two
breach-of-promise suits, broken the
record for speed violation arrests, had
been buncoed and short-carded out of
varying sums, and now was the horror
of the pulpit and the delight of the
city press. Bets were even in the
Toledo clubs as to whether delirium
tremens or paresis would win the
event around young Mr.. Hoff's kite
shaped race track of brain.
With his tastes the income G. twen-
ty-fve thousand dollars per annum
which his father allowed him proved
sadly insufficient to his needs He
mentioned this fact to his father early
in April, only to be refused with some
acerbity.
ooh, very WELL" said he, 'I'll go and
make it myself"
To all intents and appearances, Rod
erick Hoff had dropped off the earth
on or about April twelfth. BY April
fifteenth the elder Hoffs five-thousand-
dollar anxiety became known through
the advertisement.
Simpsons face appeared at the door.
His blond forehead was wrinkled with
excitement.
Doctor Hoff is here, Mr.. Jones.
told him you"
Following the word, there burst into
Average Jones' private sanctum a
gross old man, silk-hatted and bedia-
monded, whose side-whiskers bristled
whitley with perturbed self-impor
lance. In his hand was patchy bum
die.
"They tried to stop mel" he sput-
tered. mel I'm worth ten million dol
lars, an q ten-dollar-a-week office toad
tries to hold me up when l come here
myself person'ly, from Toledo to see
you"
The Advisor said curtly: Il can't
take your case. Good-day."
mot take it! Did you read the re-
ward?"
Eyes. Get someone else to find your
hopeful"
at amt no case of findin' now. The
boys dead.' His strident voice qua
vered and broke, but rose again to a
snarl. And, by God, I'll spend mil
lion to get the dogs that murdered
him"
At the word murdered" Average
Jones' clean-cut, agreeable, but rather
stolidly neutral face became resolute.
forceful and quietly alert. The hest
tant drawl signified awakened inter-
est
How - do - you - know-he's-
dead?"
The other tore open the bundle he
carried, and spread before Average
Jones a white silk shirt stained with
ominous brown splotches.
"It's his shirt There's the initials.
Mailed to my house with the note that
come pinned to it. Here it is
He produced bit of coarse wrap
ping paper upou which was this mes
sage in rough capital letters:
TWO DAeoEs SHOT HIM DAssENT
SAY NO MORE
Average Jones examined the wrap
per. 1t was postmarked Cincinnati.
He next smoothed out the creased silk
and studied infinitely the blotches. APP
plying a cup sponge to one of the
spots, he rubbed the wetted portion
vigorously on sheet of paper which
lay near at hand. He scratched his
chin with slow movement.
81 don't see anything so far" he
observed, ito indicate that your son is
not alive and well at this moment.
Dried blood rubs off a faint buff color. "
He picked up the sheet of paper from
his desk. A deep brownish streak
showed where he had applied the
moistened cloth. Its the rawest kind
of a blind. Why, the idiot who sent