Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-04-22
CHAPTER III.

own eyes. l lighted a match and peer,
ed into the steel-lined recess. 1t was
empty. On the table beside mt was
one Of the two jewel boxes 1t had
contained. the II filed with worth
less trinkets. The other. which had
contained the priceless Castor pearls
and the other rich treasure, had van
Ished.
Today was Saturday. Six days he
fore | had arrived in the apartment.
There had been two jewel cases then.
With my own hands | had put them
both back safe in their hiding place.
| recalled having tested the knob tn
make sure that the combination had
set. Yet since that time someone had
opened the safe. Someone had re-
moved the jewels. Who could II have
been?
To the hest az my knowledge there
had been hut two persons in the
rooms, old Mrs. Burke, my auut'S
trusted laundresS. and myself. Ger
taiuly | had not taken the Jewels. and
II seemed absurd 10 suspect Mrs.
Burke. who had been in Mrs. GaStou's
employ for wears and had long been
entrance. Yet who else was there TO
suspect.
Recovering a little from my hewil-
derment | FASTENED to the telephone.
7 ,,,N. ,,,Ft.N. .l,, q - " "a h,.,lab. np.l
also the police that the apartment had
been robbed. | decided. too. that |
Sho"ld wire my grrat-uucle Rufus of
the robbery. and then II dawncd on
me for the first time that | did not
know the old couples address. They
merely had said that they We're going
TO Maine. Never mind, there was
nothing that they could do in their
absence. Probably | could get their
address from the superintendent. or
from Mr.. Gaston'S bankers. The first
thing to do was to notify the super
i%ntendent.
But wait. With my hand on the
telephone. I stopped short. 1t dawn
ed on me that in all likelihood | would
be the one most under suspicion.
If detectives were called in, | could
see that their first move would be to
lay the theft to my door. They would
investigate everything about me, and
l remembered with distress that I.
Spalding Nelson, just now WAS out Of
a ioh-and far worse. stool discredit-
ed at the only place of employment l
had had in New York.
My discharge had come that very
morning like a thunderbolt out Of a
clear sky. The reason for my per-
emptory dismissal | had not been able
to fathOm. In some mysterious fash
ion my employers wrath had been
reused toward me. Why. | could not
Imagine. Certainly my life. especially
since my two comrades had gone
away. had been circumspect enough.
Even though l was living in a seven
thousand dollar apartment | was I'M
employed, all but penniless. just re-
Gently dismissed for some unexplained
reason, and now more than likely TO
be accused or at least suspected Of
theft.
Yet only this very morning I had
been taking an optimistic view of life.
Delighted at having cut my living ex-
penses in two, | had decided to take
twenty dollars of the thirty-five I
drew that day and add it to the n
hundred and eighty dollars l had in
the savings bank. l would mail a reg
istered letter to my mother and re-
duce my Indebtedness to her. On my
way to business l stopped at the bank
and drew out every penny had there.
1t was my intention to go to the post
Office at lunch time to register the
letter. Just before twelve, Mr.. Wood,
the head of the firm, had sent for me.
"Mr. Nelson" he had said wrath
fully, the minute l entered his office,
"here is, your weeks salary. You will
leave our employ at once"
Stunned both by his manner and his
words, | gasped out something about
not understanding what he meant. /
knew of no reason that would war
rant my discharge.
81 can't put it in any palmer Eng
lish, can IT he roared at me. "Get
out"
/ held my ground.
"Surely l am entitled to some ex-
planation," l protested. "If there's
been anything wrong with my work"
"Your works all right" he bel
lowed. "It's this" he cried, waving
at me n letter that had been lying
on his desk. "This letter Is enough.
1t exposes you for what you are"
Dumfounded at his amazing state
ment, I demanded to see the accusing
document. Angrily he refused.
you know as well as l what's In
It,"
In vain I protested. Every word
I uttered only seemed to add to his
wrath. In the end he almost hustled
me out of his office. Bllndly ! found
my way to the street, still clutching
in my hand the weeks pay he had
rudely thrust on me.
That letter to which he referred
who could have written it7 What
could have been In It that had so In
famed my employer against me? I
rackcd my brains in vain. puzzling
to account for it. | had not been
aware that | had an enemy In the
world, yet who but an enemy could
have written n letter that would have
such dire cffcctf
The mystery Of my dismissal was
too great for me to solve. The one
thing l felt thankful for was that 1t
haD come before | had sent off my