The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1923-10-19
CHAPTER XVII

A week passed Moody longing tc
to see IsabeD still waited in vain
for news from France. He has just
decided to delay his visit to South
Morden no longer, when the errand
boy employed by Sharon brought
MIN this message: "The old 'un's
at home, and waitin' to see yer"
Sharon's news was not of an en-
couraging character He had met
with serious difficulties, and had
spent the last farthing of Moody's
money in attempting to overcome
them
One discovery of Importance he
had certainly made. He had secured
horse in France at the high re-
served price of twelve thousand
francs = being four hundred and
eighty pounds in English money
and he had paid with an English
bank-note. The seller Ca French
horse dealer resident in Brussels)
had returned to Belgium Immediately
on completing the negotiation Shar-
on had ascertained his address, and
had written to him at Brussels, en-
closing the number of the lost bank
note. In two days he had received
an answer informing him that the
householder had been called to Eng
land by the illness of a relative, and
that he had hitherto failed to send
any address to which his letters
could be forwarded Hearing this, !
and having exhausted his funds, |
Sharon had returned to London. 1t
now rested with Moody to decide |
whether the course of the inquiry
should follow the householder next.
There was the cash account, showing |
how the money had been spent. And |
there was Sharon, with his pipe in
his mouth and his dog on his lap,
waiting for orders.
Moody wisely took time to con-
slider before he committed himself
to a decision. In the meanwhile he
ventured to recommend a new course
of proceeding which Sharon's report
had suggested to his mind.
1T seems to me-" he said, that
we have taken the roundabout way
of getting to our end in view, when
the straight road lay before us. If
Mr. Hardyman has passed the stolen
note, you know as well as 1 do that
he has passed it innocently. Instead
of wasting time and money in try
ing to trace a stranger, why not
tell Mr.. Hardyman what has hap
IL. 10 erinn tho
number of the note? You can't think
of everything, l know, but it does
seem strange that this idea didn't
occur to you before you went to
France"
"Mr. Moody said Old Sharon, 81
shall have to cut your acquaintance
You are a man without faith; don't
like you. AS if l hadn't thought OF
Hardyman weeks since!" he ex-
claimed contemptuously. Are you
really soft enough to suppose that
a gentleman in his position would
talk about his money affairs to me?
You know mighty little of him II
YOU do. A fortnight since sent
one of my men (most respectfully
dressed) to hang about his farm, ana
see what information he could PICK
up. My man became painfully ac-
ouainted with the toe of boot. IL
was thick, sir; and it was Hardy
mans"
81 will run the risk of the boot,
Moody replied, in his quiet way
"And put the question to Hardy
MANI"
eyes"
sVery good" said Sharon. eff you
get your answer from his tongue
instead of his boot, the case is at
an end-unless l have tmade com
plete mess of it. Look here, Moody!
If you want to do me a good turn
tell the lawyer that the guinea opln-
ion was the right one. Let him know
that he was the fool, not you, when
he buttoned up his pockets and re-
fused to trust me. And, l say!
pursued Old Sharon, relapsing into