Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-02-06
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
The Mystery
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,


The side of your head doesn't
look Just natural. observed the real
estate man. 1T iolAs as tho some
body had III. staneA yoI loI a chop
ping block and used you accordingly
II you hear a sort OF bubbllng.
kissing sound you VIII know rs my
blood boiling said The horse doc
TOT "A man couldn't BE any more
indignant than am ami recover
from i. Last night ! was the VIC
tim OF a most unheagd Of and myS-
ferrous outrage.
Il had been sitting up with pa
tient, a sick mule belonging 20 Judge
BashweNer, and WIS walking home
along about midnight. As ! passed
+ The entrance TO an alley man leaned
from the shadows and punched my
head with great deXte.ity l tIauer
myself on being a difficult man 10
whip when the luck breaks even, but
in this case was so surprised that
my assailant had delivered several
haymakers before | could even hit
an attitude Then he vanished as
abruptly as he had appeared. He
simply faded away into the alley, and
.here was no use pursuing him there.
why did he scale my person IN
this manner? Why did he jump on
he like thousand Of brick without
word Of warming I'd give my fam
lily COW to know who he was and
what was his motive
whats the use OF such vulgar
curiosity" inquired the justice of the
peace. Man must forever know the
why of everything that happens, and
II seems absurd Whoever your as.
sailant was. he did workmanlike
lob. and that should be enough for
you to know.
Now that the affair is shrouded IN
mystery, it will be something to oc'
cupy your mind during leisure hours.
You can speculate over Il for days
together and have a good time mag
ming what you would DO 70 the mis-
creant If you had him in fence cor
ner You also have something lit
tie different, a little melodramatlc, 10
talk about People who are tired OF
hearing about the war and the con
servation Of things will be glad to
hear you spring your thrilling mar
rative II will be interesting just so
long as II remains a mystery. The
- t,ar ~
known and the identity and motive
of the villain revealed your story will
become tiresome.
IF somebody waited my dome in
such manner Ia consider myself
celebrity and govern myself accord
inggly, and I'd apply for an Injunction
against any sleuth who tried to I'M
ravel the mystery. But the years
have brought me wisdom, while you
are young and full of silly impulses.
IT'S a curious thing that man must
always know the why Of everything
that happens. We'd be a great deal
happier if we'd just take things as
they come, without wondering or in
curing. Last summer | went to the
hencoop one morning and found that
somebody had stolen a halfdozen OF
my best chickens.
Il casually mentioned the matter
to Potiphar, neighbor. that morn
ing. He supposed I'd call the police or
import a lot of sleuths from New
York. but | said | would't worry over
few chickens. Perhaps the man
who swiped them needed them for his
bedridden aunts. ! wasn't curious TO
know who he was or why he took
them. Potiphar dug up So and said
he wanted to pay for those chickens.
He had been stealing poultry for
years, he said, and | was the first
loser he ever knew who was a dead
game sport"