Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-06

One OF jack keys lIttSu eiiS NV
Inside he found single flight OF
stairs ending on a dark landing with
another door. This door was not
locked. Opening 1t he found himself
in the sitting room OF the suite. a
small room with two windows lcok-
ing out on the street he had just
left.
1t was typical hotel room. furn-
ished by contract expensively but
without taste. An amusingly incon
gruous note was furnished by the
oil heater in the center of the rug,
| and the cheap lamp on the table. The,
naked llgliness OF the latter object
was not even mitisated by shade
There was nothing to suggest that
the room had been a mans home for
several years, no personal belongings
of any description.
Yet it was neat enough, and Jack
guessed that Silas Gyde's arrange
ment with the hotel must have in
cluded maid service. FROM the bed
room there was a door to the hotel
corridor, thru which servants might
have entered. This bedroom and a
bathroom. both almost entirely with
out light AZ air. completed the suite.
Jack had no difficulty lin believing
that it was one OF the beast desirable
apartments in the hotel.
Jacks first glance around revealed.
nothing out of the common. The only
signs Of human occupancy were
few cheap toilet articles on the bur
eau. But there were several closets
That in the bedroom was locked.
Opening it with one of his keys. Jack
was faced by his first SURPRISE
modern and highly efficient steel
vault door,
An alluring picture of heaped coin,
greenbacks, securities, stored inside.
| arose before him, but the door was
| locked of course, and he had no in
structions as to the combination. He
wondered, not without chagrin, if
Silas Clyde had been a practical
Joker. Why had be been instructed
to proceed there alone merely for the
pleasure of looking at locked vault.
He went thru the rooms more
carefully. In the sitting-room there
| was q little fancy desk. He had a
key to this, and upon it's being
opened, one of the pigeon holes
| yielded up packet of dusty, faded
papers He went over thor, one by
one; advertisements, ~, Important
business letters, receipts for small
amounts; not until>he reached the
last envelope of all was he rewarded.
| This was sealed, and on it was
| = Z -, Il r
tremulous hand:
For my heir
1t was like voice from beyond the
grave.
But the contents were matter of
fact enough: no more than this:
"You~are to go to James RenfreW
120 Broadway. who will hand you
communication from me-
This simple sentence revived the
lure of mystery and another taxi
! cab was soon bearing Jack down
town. Since the old mans note had
been written, the famous office
building at 100 Broadway had burned
down, and had risen again to five
times it's former height. The firm
of Renfrew, Bates and Meldrum, the
eminent lawyers, still had their Of
fees there, and Jack succeeded in
seeing the senior member without
too much delay.
This testy old gentleman with a
snort of scorn for what he termed
"Gyde's foolishness" put Jack thru
a cross examination similar to that
he had undergone from Delamare
earlier in the day. Jacks answers
being satisfactory. he received an
other note in Silas Gyde's cramped
hand.
This contained a row Of cabalistic
figures, and further instructions for
him to go to Nathan Harris, the
we'll known banker. At this office
the performance was exactly repeat
ed with the exception that Mn Har-
ris evinced a good deal of curiosity
on his own account. But since II
was no part of Jacks instructions
to take him into his confidence, he
confined himself to polite and non
committal answers.
The note he received here, besides
giving him more figures sent him tc
the office OF Sanford Gair. another
eminent lawyer. AT this stage Jack
was brought to a stand by the in
formation that Mr. Gair had been
dead for year. But Jacks blood
was UP now: persistent uuestionine
finally ELECTED the fact that Mr.
Gair's son and executor did indeed
have n note for him.
This contained another line o:
figures followed by the word: Com
plete." Underneath was written.