Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-08-05
CHAPTER I!l.-continued.

I dined in little restaurant in one
of the side streets and walked home.
Immediately on entering the apart
ment / decided to put my money in
the wall safe. There would be less
temptation for me to spend it If
carried only little in my pocket.
AS l opened the safe by means of
the combination l made the astound-
ing discovery that one of the jewel
cases had disappeared.
And now l stood hesitating at the
telephone. Self-protection babe me
notify neither the superintendent nor
the police. Yet must do something.
The jewels entrusted to my care had
been stolen. The thief must be found
and the pearls recovered.
Why should not 7 myself play the
detective? l had abundant leisure
now. My great-uncle had informed
me that there was something wrong
in the house and had charged me to
discover what 1t was. Here was the
opportunity for me to fulfill the trust
he had imposed on me.
The thought flashed across my mind,
too, that perhaps the crafty old gen
tleman had deliberately planned the
disappearance of the gems. Perhaps
he had devised an elaborate test to
see If l was honest, if l was of the
right caliber to be his heir. Maybe he
and his wife had not gone to Maine
at all. They might even be quartered
in another apartment in this very
house, surreptitiOusly entering when
they knew 1 was absent. There real
ly had been no necessity for them to
give me the combination of the safe.
They need not have told me anything
about the pearls. I wondered If they
themselves might not have taken away
the jewel box just to see if l would
discover the loss and to ascertain
what l would do about 1t.
Another theory suggested itself. My
aunt evidently priced her jewels high
Iy. After they had started she might !
have repented having left them behind |
and have sent the old colored butler
back to get them. He Of course
would have a key to admit him., and
they would have supplied him with
the safe combination, as they had me.
Probably he had been told to leave
some message for me and had forgot
ten to do So More than likely in a
day or two l would receive a letter
from old Rufus that would explain
everything.
was glad now I had not notified
the superintendent nor the police. My
second theory surely was far more log
ferrous that they would risk hundreds
of thousands of dollars worth Of gems
Just to test my honesty.
Still, / determined to make thor
ough investigation. IF they had been
stolen, l would set about in scien-
tifc way to discover the method of !
the theft and to bring about restora-
lion. 1 would keep my investigation :
secret, and II 1t turned out that the
pearls were safe, no one would know
If my fright about the matter. / be-
ran outlining my work as a detective.
First, would examine the safe
mob for possible finger prints. {
Second, l would interrogate Mrs.
Burke. would watch her carefully
or any appearance of guilt. I would I
ry, without arousing her suspicious, +
o ascertain If she had let her key I
nut of her possession. i
Third, l would insert an advertise t
nent offering a reward for the return
4 the Jewels, so worded that only the v
hief and myself would understand. 4
Fourth, would try to locate the II
iastons and would question the hail Il
oys and telephone girl ms to whether
hey had surreptitlously returned. II
Fifth, l must try and discover what &
,aa In tho nnvatprious letter that Ind | ~