New-York tribune., 1921-01-23
0YOURE completely
statmaped, ser, and so Is
your friemdw shouted Major
flagstaff

II 1lUyStEU
small newspaper cutting which he
offered to Harley.
"Read that, Mr.. Harley" he di.
rected.. "Read it aloud"
Harley obeyed and read as fol.
lows:
Before Mr.. Smith at Marlbor.
ough Street Police Court John Ed.
ward Bampton was charged with as
saulting a we'll known clubman in
Bond Street on Wednesday evening.
1t was proved by the constable who
made the arrest that robbery had
not been the motive of the assault
and hampton confessed that he bore
no grudge against the assailed man;
indeed, that he had never seen him
before. He pleaded intoxication,
and the police surgeon testified that,
although not actually intoxicated,
his breath had smelled strongly of
liquor at the time of his arrest.
Bampton's employers testified to a
hitherto blameless character, and as
the charge was not pressed the man
was dismissed with caution"
Having read the paragraph, Har-
ley glanced at the major with a
puzzled expression.
"The point of this quite escapes
me-" he confessed.
''Is that so?" said Major Ragstaff.
"1s that so, sir? Perhaps you will
be good enough to read this
From his wallet he took second
newspaper cutting, smaller than the
first, and guInmed to a sheet of club
notepaper. Harley took it and read
as follows:
"Mr. De Lana, well known men,
Der Of the Stock Exchange, who met
with a serious accident recently, is
still in a precarious condition"
=
THE puzzled look on Harley's face
grew more acute, and the
major watched him with an express
sion which / can only describe as
one Of fierce enjoyment. you're
thinking Pm a damned old fool
amt you?" he shouted suddenly.
Scarcely that" said Harley,
smiling slightly, "but the significance
of these paragraphs is not apparent,
/ must confess. The man hampton
would not appear TO be an inter
esting character, and since no great
damage has been done his drunken
frolic hardly comes within my
sphere. Of Mr.. De Lana Of the
Stock Exchange ! never heard, un-
less he happens to be member of
the firm of De Lana & Day?"
"He's not a member of that firm,
sir" o,ted the major. "He was,
up to 6 clock this evenin'."
"What do you mean exactly?"
inquired Harley, and the tone of
his voice suggested that he was be.
ginning b entertain doubts Of the
majors sanity or sobriety
He's deadw declared the major.
"Dead as the Begun of Bangalore
He died at o'clock. I've just
spoken to his widow on the tele-
phone"
| suppose l must have been staring
very hard at the speaker, and GER
tainly Harley was doing so, for he
suddenly directed his fierce gaze
toward me. you're completely
stumped, sir, and SOS your friend!"
shouted Major Ragstaff.
II confess it," replied Harley
quietly; "and since my time is of
some little value l would suggest,
without disrespect, that you explain
the connection, if any, between your
self, the drunken Bampton, and Mr..
De Lana, of the Stock Exchange,
who died, you inform us, at 6 o'clock
this evening as the result, presum-
ably, of injuries received in an ac-
cident."
THAT'S what I'm here for!" cried
Major Ragstaff. "In the first place,
then, j am the party, although l saw
to it that my name was kept out of
print, whom the drunken lunatic as
>gaulted."
Harley, pipe in hand, stared at
the speaker perplexedly.
Understand me-" continued the
major, II am the person--I, Jack
RagstaR --- he assaulted. I was
walking down from my quarters in
Maddox Street, on my way to dine
at the club, same as ! do every night
O. my life, when this flamin' idiot
sprang upon me, grabbed my hat
he took up his white hat to illus
trate what had occurred--"not this