, 1919-03-27
13ie
Goat Degree
By AUGUSTUS WHITFIELD
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L entered SdflOCk b apartments anu
found him swinging in a hammock.
He gave m a quick glance and
heaved a deep sigh.
why so melancholy" l inquired.
my dear Watchem," he answered,
Il had hopes that your afternoon
would be at my disposal, but, of
course, since you are going to the ball
game with Emmons, / cannot ook for
you to assist me in the mysterious
case of o. B. c, Osofat."
"Who told you I am going to the
ball gamer" 1 asked.
"Why, Watchem." he answered., "the
truth is self-evident. You are wear
Ing your somber garments on a week
day. You can have put them on only
for the purpose of lending color to
the yarn you told your chief that your
grandmother is to be buried this aft
ernoon.
"As she has died at least a dozen
times to my knowledge, I can deduce
but one thing. and that is that the
lnterment will be at the usual place."
"Carlock," 1 commented, you are
right. But what gets me is that you
know I am going with Emmons."
Easiest thing out" replied Car
lock. "Emmons came in and tried to
borrow a dollar from me. Said he
was going to the ball game. Ergo,
he must be going with you or he
wouldn't have to borrow the money"
"Carlock," I said in amazement,
you're a wonder. But tell me, why
are you swinging In a hammock?"
Because I enjoy the suspense, he
replied. Suspense stimulates the
mental faculties, and, besides, a ham
mock affords free sway to the imag-
nation"
Have you discovered any clew to
the mysterious disappearance of the
case of F~at-Reducio which was con-
signed to o. B. c. Osofat, and which
was lost while in transit on the Pole
to-Pole railway" I asked.
Before answering your query" re-
piled Carlock, 81 wish to refresh our
memory on the subject. You remem-
Der 1t was while I was engaged on
the famous case of the Gold Coupler
that o. B. @. Osofat came to me with
the astounding Information that a
case of Fat-Reducio had disappeared
in transit on the Pole-to-Pole railway.
"Mr. Osofat had ordered the prep
aration with the idea Of reducing his
excessive weight, and, in anticipation
of the results which had been guar
anteed by the manufacturers, he had
donated most of his clothing to the
home for obese o~ctogenarians, and had
ordered a liberal supply Of new ones
to fit a man weighing a hundred
pounds less, or n hundred and sew
enty-six pounds.
1.-The preparation had been con-
signed to him by the manufacturers
at Phantasmania, and was receipted
for in good order by the Pole-to-pele'
at Patrickgonia. Somewhere between
that point and this city it disap-
peared completely. The of
the road have been exhausted, and as
a last resort my marvellous powers
have been enlisted in an effort to
solve the mystery.
mn. Osofat is one of the largest
stockholders of the road, and, conse-
q%uently, the directors are especially
anxious to please him, as they realize
that heavy stockholders are not to be
made light Of"
Carlock paused, and, opening his
medicine chest, he handed me a pep
sin tablet.
what is this for?" l asked.
Take it." he replied. st will help
you to digest the evidence"
i did as he directed, and he con-
tinued.
when / took hold of the case there
was absolutely nothing to work on.
After infinite pains / discovered that
the baggage car of the train that re-
ceived the case at Patrickgonia was
in charge of Pud Judson, one of the
heavyweight baggage smashers of the
road. I looked up his antecedepts and
found that he had lots Of first-ciass
records, which he used on his phono-
graph. He was credited with being as
straight as a string, but considerably
thicker,
II also discovered that, after reach
ing New York on that trip, Pud had
disappeared and was missing for four
weeks. When he finally reported for
duty he had grown considerably thin
ner. The cause of his falling off in
weight has never been explained"
AS the case now stands. I re-
marked, what do you make of it?'
BY logical deduction, l arrive at the
conclusion that Pud Judson is respon-
slble for the disappearance of the case
of Fat-Reducio, and I propose to
fasten the crime on him."
Precisely at three-thirty, the indi-
Gator on the wall announced that Pud
Judson had entered the building, and
was even then OF his way to Carlock's
apartments. In a minute or so the
elevator stopped. and hen there was
a knock at the door. Carlock opened