Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-06


little thing as that? lit can't be-
Who says it Of me?'
isn't this your hat?" says I. handin'
him the hail-proof kelly. ut u.s. EN-?
Then you're the one. Come on. now.
Right up to the house"
IT'S a foolishness." he protests. TN
Saginaw 1t couldn't be done"
All the way up the hill he mutters
and grumbles, but he keeps on going.
Not until he gets near enough to get
a glimpse OF all the people in the
drawin' room does he balk.
Matilda and ALL" says he. "Why
couldn't we go in by the back?"
"Nothin' doin'." says Ellery. flourish
ing his knife. You're goin' to face
the music. you are"
That's the way to talk to him,
Ellery," says I. But if you don't
of him from now on"
Sure thing" says Ellery. Hes
your prisoner"
Then in you 60 Jake" says I. "And
don't forget about keepin' the hands
up. Now"
Say, you should have seen that bunch
when our high tragedy trio marches
in; Ellery with his butcher knife on
one side: me on the other and leadin'
in the center Mr.. Jake Zosco, his
arms above his head. his dinner coat
all dusty and wrinkled and a two
days stubble Of whiskers decoratin'
his face.
1t was Mrs. Jake who got her breath
Ia
man with wild cries of "Oh, Jake!
My own Jakey at last" And in an
other second his head is all tangled
up with the pearl ropes.
Next Andres Zosco comes to. what
is 1t, hold up act?" he asks. "Ellery.
what you doing with that knife?
What's it all about. somebody"
That seems to be my cue, so I steps
to the front. Sorry. Mr. Zosco," says
I, but Ellery has discovered a deep
laid plot"
"Eh?" says Zosco, gawpin'.
ITO do away with you and your
wife," l goes on. He says your
brother Jake is in it and Mrs. Jake
and the butler, and maybe a lot of
others. Isn't that right, Ellery?"
Yep" says Ellery. They're all
crooks"
What COMPOUNDED tommyrot" says
Zosco. "Why-why. Jake wouldn't
hurt a fly"
Tell what you saw, Ellery,"
prompts.
II heard EN- plottin'," says El1ery.
anyway. l saw Jake and the butler
whisperin' on the sly. And they PLAN
ned to meet down at the lodge with
the others | think that Dago chauf-
feur was one. But l foiled EN-
followed Jake when he sneaked into
the lodge and locked him in Then
| wrote to the chief detective at head
quarters and they sent out this sleuth
to help me round EN- up He finishes
by wavin at me trumphantly.
And you might know that would get
a chuckle out of Mr.. Robert. "Oh,
yes" says he. detective Sergeant
Torchy!"
Meanwhile Andres zosco is starin'
scratchin his head puzzled. II can't
get a word of sense out of it ALL
says he. Not word. Jake, let's
hear from you. Where have you been
since night before last after din
ner?"
Jake prizes himself loose from the
billowy embrace and advances sheep
ish. "Why-why," says he, II was
locked in that fool lodge house"
You were, eh?" says Zosco But
how did that happen? What did you
go in there for?"
Jaw, If you must know, Andy, tit
was pinochle," he growls. ut amt a
crime. Is it, little game?"
What about the butler though, and
the others?' insists Zosco.
Why" says Jake. they was goin'
to be in it. too. Can't play pinochle
alone. can you? And in a place like
this where there's nothing goin' on
but silly billiards. or that bridge auc-
ton. feller's gotta find some amuse-
ment. amt he? Saginaw they comes
to the house most every night
Hoffmeyer and Raditz and"
Yes, l know" breaks in Zosco. 80
that was the plot, was it. Ellery?"
E1lery registers scorn. Huh" says
he. Don't let him put over any such
fish tale on you. Ask him about the
slow poison in Maggie's coffee and
stealth the jewels, and--and all the