Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-12-30

o. my business. You amt detec-
tive, or nothin' like that, are yerY"
Nothing at all like that" West
laughed, although interested. "Why?
Did you think the police might be
after him?"
Not for enything / know about.
only he skipped out mighty sudden.
Paid me a months rent, and only
stayed there three days. That looks
sorter queer. Then Sunday that fellar
what committed suicide out soulful
read about 1t in the papers-came to
see him in car. / got boy workin' in
his factory. that's how / come to know
who the guy was. The next night
Hobart, an them with him, just natur-
ally skipped out"
"Who did he have with him here-a
family?"
"A woman bout his age, I should
say, an younger one l didn't see
'em only from the window; didn't get
no sight O. the girls face at all, but
could tell the way she walked she
was young. They didn't have nothin
with EN-; that's all my stuff in the
house there"
Feeling the uselessness Of trying to
learn anything more, West thanked
him. and returned to the taxi.
Back to the club, he ordered brief
ly, and settled into his seat to think.
The information thus gained had
been small enough, yet sufficient to
stimulate his belief that he was at
least upon the right trqI The sudden
departure of this man Hobart, and the
fact that no young children were in
the family, were important items to
consider Coolidge, then, had not
visited this cottage to aid widow
and orphans There had been some
other object in his call, The girl must
have known and understood the real
purpose; that was why they both ac-
guessed so readily to his remaining
outside in the car. 1t was part of
their mutual plan to thus leave him
in ignorance. Yet they had made
mistake in taking him along at ALL
This error alone gave him now an OPP
pOrtunity to unravel the riddle But
did IT? What did he know? Merely
that Coolidge had not gone to this
house on an errand of charity; that
the occupant called himself, tenn
porarily, perhaps, Jim Hobart; that
his family consisted Of two women
undescribed except as to age; and
that all three had mysteriously dis
appeared together. He might take 1t
for granted that this disappearance
was caused by the death of Coolidge
but they had left no trail, no inkling
as to where they had gone. He might
suspect this sudden vanishing had di-
rect connection with the crime he was
endeavoring to solve, but he pos
sessed absolutely no proof and, ap-
parently, any further movement on
his part was completely blocked
More puzzled than ever, although
now fully convinced that murder had
been committed, West could do nothing
but wait the temperance Of Sexton.
The latter arrived promptly on time.
and West told his story. His listener
seemed to sense the situation clearly
1T wasn't no mistake, your goin
out there, SIR" he said confidently
"What we know now gives US some
thing to work on anyhow, an its just
what l thought-that trip Sunday led
up to this KILN, an something hap
pened while they was In there to stir
Miss Natalie all up Now we got to
find this fellow--what did you say his
name was sirY'
"Hobart-Jim Hobart; that is, he
was known by that name there"
"And did you say he has simply
dropped out o sight?"
That's true; never left a clue be-
hind him"
"Well, sir. I'm not quite so sure
about that You listen to me, sir.
This afternoon I walked out to Fair
lawn from the car line. an come in
across the fields TO the house. I didn't
have no good excuse for goin' back
there, st., an was sorter afraid to
meet up with Miss Natalie. She might
have thought l was just spyin round.
BUl / didn't have no need for being
afraid, for it seems she'd driven into
town about noon, an hadn't got back.
There wasn't nobody but the servant
around the place, sir. Do you remem-
Der Lizzie, the second maid-sorter
full face. an light hair?
West nodded. wondering what ali
this might be leading TO-
well. she an I always hit it of
together, an I talked with her quite
bit. She told me- sir. that Miss Natalie
had a telephone call this morning that
took her into the city. Lizzie she
went to the phone when Il rang. an
it was q mans voice. He wouldn't
leave no message, but insisted on
speaking to Miss Natalie. Lizzie had
to call her down from upstairs
"Did the girl oyerhear the converse
tionT
mot 50 as to make much out Of IT,
sir. She was sorter interested, the
mans voice being strange. and hung
around in the hail listening but about
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