The Washington herald., 1920-10-29

reason to hope IL Will
dent of the Republic Insurance Com
pany had skipped with about a tenth
of a million dollars in cash. The
directors wanted him back pretty
bad. but they wanted the money
worse. They said they needed II.
They had traced the old gents
movements TO where he boarded a
tramp fruit steamer bound for South
America that same morning with
his daughter and a big grip-sack-
all the family he had.
"One of the directors had his
steam yacht coaled and with steam
up, ready for the trip: and he turned
her over to me, cart blonGsh. In
four hours / was on board OF her,
and hot on the trail of the fruit tub.
had a pretty good idea where old
Wahrfeld-that was his name, J.
Churchill Wahrheld-would head
for. At that time we had a treaty
with about every foreign country
except Belgium and that banana re-
public, Anchuria. There wasn't a
photo OF old Wahrfield to be had in
Now York-he had been foxy there
but l had his description. And
besides, the lady with him would be
a dead give-away anywhere. She
was one OF the high-Gyers in So
ciety-not the kind that have their
pictures in the Sunday papers-but
the real sort that open Chrysanthe-
mum shows and christen battle
ships.
Well, sir. we never got a sight OF
that fruit tub on the road. The
ocean is a pretty big place; and l
guess we took different paths across
1t. But VIC kept going toward this
AnChuria, where the fruiIer was
bound for.
We struck the monkey coast one
afternoon about four. There was
ratty- looking steamer of shore TAX
ing on bananas. The monkeys were
loading her up with big barges. II
might be the one the old man had
taken, and it might not. went
ashore to look around. The scenery
was pretty good. never saw any
finer on the New York stage. I
struck an American on shore, a big,
cool chap, standing around with the
monkeys. He showed me the con-
sul's office. The consul was a nice
young fellow. He said the fruiter
"dS lllb hdElStlln- running gem
orally TO New Orleans. but took her
last cargo to New York. Then / was
sure my people were on board al
though everybody told me that no
passengers had landed. didn't
think they would until after dark.
for they might have been shy about
il on account OF seeing that yacht
Of mine hanging around. So, all J
had 10 do was to wait and nab
EN- when they came ashore. could
mt arrest old Wahrfcld without ex-
tradition papers. but my play was
to get tho cash. They generally
give up If you strike en- when
they're tried and ratified and short
on nerve.
After dark sat under a cocoa
nut tree on the beach for awhile,
and then I walked around and in
NestiCated that town some. and il
was enough to give You tho lions.
If a man could stay in New York
and be honest, he'd better do It
than to hit that monkey town with
n million.
"Dinky little mud houses: grass
over your shoe tops in tho streets;
llaGies in low neck and short
sleeves walking around smoking
cigars; tree frogs rattling like a
hose cart going to a ten blow; big
mountains dropping gravel in tho
back yards. and the sea licking the
paint of in front-no, sir-a man
had better be in Gods country liv-
ing on free lunch than there.
The main street ran along the
beach. and walked down it. and
then turned up a kind Of lane where
the houses were made of poles and
straw. I wanted to see what the
monkeys did when they weren't
climbing cocoanut trees. The very
first shack I looked in I saw my
people. They must have come
ashore while was promenading
A man fifty, smooth face, heavy
eyebrows, dressed in black broad
"loth, looking like he was just
about to say, Can any little boy in
'hc Sunday school, answer that
He was freezing on to a grip that
weighed like a dozen gold bricks,
and swell girl--a regular peach.
with Fifth Avenue cut-was sit
ting on a wooden chair. An old
black woman was fixing some coffee
and beans on n table. The light
they had came from a lantern hung
on a nail. I went and stood in the
door, and they looked at me, and
said:
Mr.. wahrfield, you are my pris-
oner. 7 hope for the lady's sake
you will take the matter sensibly.
You know why I want you.
Who are you?' says the old
gent
"o'Day,' says I. of the Columbia
Detective Agency. And now sir, let
me give you a piece of good advice.
You go back and take your medi-
cine like a man. Hand 'em back
the Doodle, and maybe they'll let
you off light. Go back easy and
I'll put in word for you. I'll give
you FIVE minutes to decide. I pulled
out my watch and waited.
Then the Young lady chippeds in.