The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-09-04
BY WILLIAM JOHNSTON

-
! and the families who live in the house.
We've got the circle pretty well COW
cred, haven't WEI"
More and more l had begun to ap-
preciate how valuable the services of
an experienced detective would be
likely to be in helping to solve the
mystery.
Look here, GOrman," l said, why
can't you take charge of this case for
|us?"
whats in it," he asked.
My face fell, and my enthusiasm
/ died a sudden death. Once more l
was confronted by the specter Of my
poverty. Of what use my talking
to high-priced investigator like Cor
man when all the money had in the
world was less than two hundred dol
lars, out Of which | had to live until l
found employment. Yet | must serve
Barbara Bradford.
''If you clear up this case" l an
nounced "Pll give you every cent I've
got in the world" g
He shook his head.
st amt enough. If take this case,
it won't be for the money that's in 1t,
For that matter 1 can get all / want
from old Castor for getting his pearls
back. That'll be enough"
"Then you will take the case" /
cried jubiIantly.
"On one condition. That you'll prom
Use to keep everything away from the
police"
"Pll promise that for myself and
Miss Bradford. too. That was the
one reason she advanced against my
telling you about things. She was
afraid you'd call in the police"
Never fear about that There's
nothing I'd like better than to put it
over that bunch Of young reformers
they've got down in Center street. This
hotel work don't suit me, anyhow. I've
been thinking Of opening up an office
of my own. The recovery of the Gas
ton pearls would be a nice feather in
my cap to start with"
81 see," l replied, ''but you'll need
money for expenses and that sort of
thing, won't you? I have"
Leave that part of it to me-" he
retorted with a quizzical smile,
"After all the years l was on the po-
lice force l amt exactly broke by a
long shot. ALI you've got to do is to
keep your eyes open and let me know
all that goes on in the apartment
house. III attend to the rest. Don't
do anything, though, without consult.
ing me first"
"Tll gladly promise that"
Good enough. We'd better arrange
then to meet here every day at three
sharp. It's as good a place as any,"
"Pll be here"
"And look out you're not trailed
They may try shadOwing you again.
"WhO do you mean by they?"
asked eagerly.
"Them that trailed you yesterday
replied German with a grin. IF yOr
don't know, I don't know either-yet.
From his manner 1 was cOnfden
that he already had shrewd suspi
cion as to the identity of some of tht
miscreants. The maze in the Cente1
of which he had placed Miss Bradford
and myself meant far more to him
! undoubtedly, than it did to me. Nor
J. than likely his vast knowledge of tn
7 methods of criminals and his acquaint
anceship with others like Lefty Moor
had given him clues enough as t
a where to look for the plOtters. / real
5 lied that it would be useless to queS
d tion him further. He would admi
+ suspecting no one until he was sur
n of their guilt, a quality | admire
f greatly.
/ "You can count on me-" repeated
: "Ill be here at three tomorrow"
t Yet how foolish it was for any @
n rs TO predict what we will be doing 0
V where we will be twenty-four hour
i from now. Seldom do things nappe
in the routine of our lives as we ha
" anticipated. was not there the mex
day at the time appointed. BY no pos
h sihilfty could / have been there, how
Q ever much might have wished t
Many things had happened In quic
n succession.
: How it came about that my prOmis
= to meet German went unfulfilled ca
$ hest be explained by narrating tn
- events of the evening after returne
g 70 the Granddeck. 1t was nearly fiy
IS when | left the detective. | strolle
IS leisurely down town and had dinner
! the cafe where on one occasion ha
], seen the scar-faced man. I lingere
% there for a long time over my coffe
7 hoping in vain that he might appea
g I even ventured to cautiously questiC
$ the waiter and head waiter, describir
n the man as best | could, but both
- them insisted that they never had see
It any such person. As | walked hon
+ kept a wary eye out TO make SUI
O. was not being followed but appa
N emily no one was now shadowing m
,e 1t was ninethirty when | reacht
" home. It had been arranged that Ba
bara about ten would signal me tn
/ we might have a chat from our r
is spective windows. AS | sat in n
room waiting for the time to come,
Dt was reviewing the case in all its a
lg poets. Indeed there was hardly wa
d ing moment that / was not thinking