Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-06
BRUNO DUKE
Solver of Business Problems
By Harold Whitehead
Author Of "The Business Career OF
Peter Flint" etc.
(Copyright)
THE PROBLEM OF THE
SMUGGLED JEWELS
Staatburg and Peter Clash

Staatburg and Peter Clash
NOR moment I stood dazed and non
l. plused had seen Staa tburg
(alias Stevenson) at the Buffalo rail
way station get into the hotel bus with
his small brown leather handbag. |
got to the International Hotel by taxi
Just ahead of the bus-and in that brief
trip Stevenson had vanished.
/ quickly gathered my wits and hur-
ried TO the street The driver of the
bus was passing out the last lot of bag
gage. Carefully l noted it all, but no
leather bag of the peculiar shape OF
Stevenson His bag had vanished With
him.
Going to the driver asked casually ::
''where did you drop my friend?-a
clean shaven, middle aged man. got a
big nose and scar on his cheek
The driver looked sulkily at me and
then grumbled:
81 amt seen nobody not like that. It
takes all my time to drive without
watchin' who gets in or out"
''What hotels do you pass on your
way from the station?'
''We go past the Harrod House, but
we don't take nobody 'cept they come
here. This is a private hotel bus!' He
turned away after this speech and be-
gan wiping the windshield of the bus.
1t was a drizzling night, which made
1t difficult to see far ahead.
As his answers were so unsatisfac
tory, I next approached the baggage
man who rides on the bus. To my query
about Stevenson he scratched his head
and remarked:
"Say. mister. dang it all. that's got
me goin' for fair. | remember him
he's got big beak. hadn't he?-ycp
I'm on to him now--but I amt no idee
where he hoped off. He sat by the
door an ] set inside as we'll cause OF
the wet. ] was checkin' up some
baggage checks. an when I looked up
behold his seat was empty. l fancy
sir, he got off just afore we got tC
Frontier street.
There was nothing to do but go bacl
over the ground and try to locate him
felt a dismal failure-here was ], in
trusted by Bruno Duke with an i'm
portant mission, and which | tizzle 81
stupidity.
With an increasing eXaspcratioI
against Stevenson, | tramped alOnl
Frontier street with head well down, thu
better to meet the drizzle and the wind
In few minutes | came to the Harrot
House and casually entered. The big
old fashioned lobby was almost desert
ed. A few travelling statesmen were sit
ting at the writing table. or else swap
ping yarns by the big cheering log fire
No sign of Stevenson, though.
1 was about to leave to try my lucl
3 elsewhere, when, hanging on the ha
rack at the entrance to the dining room
spied the brown leather bag.
For half an hour / sat with my eye
glued to that bag. Then Stevenson
came sauntering into the dining room
He picked up his bag and. after glancini
curiously around the lobby, strolled t
the desk, got key from the night clerI
and departed in the elevator.
promptly went to the desk AM
swung the register around. The las
name on the register was Stetson. A
no Stevenson had registered. I concluded
he preferred to use this new name-bu
why--if his purpose was legitimate!
The clerk looked suspiciously at IN
as mutually read--J. J. Stetson, rOor
GIG. Then / strolled out of the hote
and back to the International and bed
BY z o'clock the next morning i ha
Transferred to the Harrod House, 81
as TO be nearer TO Stevenson.
II was then that ] had bit of luck
A boy came up to the desk and left
card for Stetson, room GIG, and tn
room clerk put it into my room mum
Der. which was 516.
Hardly had the boy left than aske
III there was anything for me?'' A car
was passed over to me on which note
The following.
10--5~-i6--D Q, s, 10. II.
z. 4. o. B, 20, 25, usual.
nut these Iiicroslyphies on tpe bac