The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-07-22
The Mystery Of
theSilverDagger

'Waldron sent me a cable in Eng
land about month ago" he explained
briefly. "He didn't make the thing
very clear, only that he had big deal
on and wanted me in on it. l had
made enough 10 get back on. and took
I "A second-claSs passage on the Vulcan.
It was not a big boat, and. 10 escape
close inspection, I went aboard nj
4 Queenstown. At that time / had no
more notion what was up than blind
rat. I was just desperate enough to
take a chance"
He paused and relit his stub, with
/ an oath at finding It again useless.
Then things begun to happen.
was roommate with a bird named
Horner. who claimed TO live in De
/ troit. He must have cottoned TO me,
f for we got a bit chummy. and in that
+ way l picked odds and ends out Of him
which set me thinking He was quite
a foxy biTd-one Of these tall, raw
/ bOned, secretiVe cuSSeS. who talk n
lot. but never say nothing and he
came near getting my goat. l went
through his baggage, of course, but
that was just ordinary Stuff-he only
had one grip, which he left unlocked /;
bur l did get onto "A pocket belt the
fellow wore around his waist. He
never let that get away from him
night or day. I studied every d-n
way I could think up to get peep at
it, but nothing gave me Il chance.
came near going bugs over the thing"
He laughed. exhibiting a row Of
rather ugly teeth behind his thi" lips.
Then the devil must have helped
me. one might've days out, for we
were q slow bOat-we ran into a Ill
Of a storm. We both of us tumbled
out, and began hustling on our buds.
He was trying to get d shoe on, and
went plunging head-On into the side Of
the ship. l reckon II nearly Drained
him, but to make things sure 1 hand
ed him one TO the jaw before ne got
his senses, and he went out for the
count Then, believe me. l didn't lose
no time in frisi1ing the guy-and, say,
what do you think l found?'
I shook my head, unwilling TO inter
rupt. fascinated with his description.
The fellow was a revolutionary
agent. I didn't get onto all of it then
u didn't have time, but l found 4 let
ter OF credit for a million dollars, and
a memoranda of how ii was To be de-
livered. The d-n thing wasn't any
good to met was to be paid to this
fellow by a banker in New York
named Krantz-but it sure made my
mouth water just to see it-a million
dollars, good old L. S. currency Can
you beat it,"
Looked easy-you had it, and you
didn't have It,"
You said it. DAILY. I didn't dare
keep the thing, and II wouldn't have
done me any good If / had there was
no way Of my cashing the paper. What
the HI could I do? If I denounced
him. the game was all off; if I held
on to the stuff he'd report his loss
soon as ne landed in New York, and
that letter of credit wouldn't be worth
the paper it was written on . Say,
was in some boat; but, believe me,
I had no notion of giving up that mil
lion-it looked darned good"
~ should say yes" and I leaned for
ward TO show my interest. "And from
what I know of you, Harris. that guy
had no show OH earth. Did you croak
him?'
He grinned, evidently pleased at the
note of admiration in my voice, and
tossed down another drink
THAT never amt been in my line.
OF course l was tempted tO-a cool
million would tempt any guy. But l
just showed everything back exactly
where it come from, and fetched the
steward. Between us we hoisted Hor-
ner back into the bunk and dOused
him with water till he came to. First
thing he did was to feel for that belt
and he never got wise that it had
ever been touched Anyhow, he never
let on to no suspicion"