Evening star., 1923-04-16

~ HOLD that no normal man
who has reached the age OF
thirty has escaped a heart
ENHANCEMENT of some kind.
said the manager of the jewelry
house of Tiffany. 5th avenue, New
York, addressing a salesman as he
started for the door To close up for
the day My theory is" he con-
Iinued---
The senence was never finished
the key was not turned.
At that moment n taxi came to
sudden stop before the door. \ slen-
der. we'll built young man jumped
out. cleared the pavement in three
PAGES, rushed precipitately into the
store.
The statesmen behind the counters.
who had just begun their tasks OF
Ienuding the showcases OF their GIT
tering wealth. paused. eyelns the
stranger atteutivcly.
I'm not here TO buy, hating sud-
denly, his quick glance taking in the
attitude OF the clerks. The naH-
ager, please.
Mr.. Hale stepped forward. AT the
first Instantaneous glance he noted
the man was we'll garhcd. and that
his right hand. which WAS unSloVed,
bore very small scar upon the little
nnger. Otherwise it was white and
shapely.
The strangers glance. from beneath
a motor cap pulled we'll down over
his forehead. was equally keen,
though his black eyes were restless.
Il should like a few words with
you, Mr.. Manager. l VIII not detain
You very long.
Manager Hale hesitated. 1t, was
late TO comply. yet he did not know
how to refuse such request. Turn
ing TO the right. he moti"ncd the
Young man to enter Il rallied Enclosure
devoid OF furnishings except two un-
usually heavy and cumbersome arm
chairs aud IA small round rug placed
diagonally arroSS the highly polished
floor. He Indicated the nearest scat.
which the stranger TOOK. Hale seated
himself in the other one. Wairh he
ihyaria bly, occupied. his foot covering
small brass projection underneath
tho rug. which some critical expert
cnce had taught him to use.
The piercing eyes that held his own
gaze appeared to be measuring him
carefully. Hale frowned under the
scrutiny, wondering what contre-
temps was in store for him. He was
not a superStitious man. but in that
moment he could not help but recall
his wife's words as he left home that
morning, 81 wish you would not go to
the store today, James. Don't laugh
unusual is about 10 happen-your
watch stopped for the first time in
!ears. l found the tire porcelain vase
N the library, shattered. lying in
fragments on the floor. though not
one OF us had been in the room. We
card the crash. anG--
lie remembered that he had laughed
heartily at her fears. given her an
.Xtra kiss, ard hurried away. He
missed the first dow ntown train by
ifalf n minute. The second one, an
express, rushed past the station with
cut stopping, situation which had
never happened before.
He found his eyeglasses in their
case, but how it had happened he
could not for the life Of him explain.
In reaching in his pocket for the key
10 his desk he discovered that 1t had
slipped from the ring and was miss
ing. In his haste to atfix his sigma
ture to an important letter he had
dipped his pen in the glue pot instead
of the inkwell, with the result that
the letter had to be rewritten, miss
ing the mail which should have car
ed it. which meant Il slight loss to
iC IirEl.
During tAe entire day things had
-unc awry. OF course. IL just hap
i,ncd that way. Stii. tr could not
Ak. off thu "cmemo oran"c oi his