Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-07-14

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the resort he unfairly loses $500 in
a golf bet with Ernest Vantine,
chief owner Of detective agency
"a coarse, boorish individual. Van
tine is engaged to a Miss Kerno-
chan, daughter of q wealthy retired
broker. As proof of his great
wealth, Kernochan shows Ainsley a
lring-an enormous ruby-which he
gave to his daughter upon her cit
Igagement to Vantine.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
He was not loath to do so, and |
learned that the jewel had a his
tory. It had been owned by a Rus
sian grand duke who had fled t.
EItaly when Kerenski came into pow
er. He had disposed Of it to an
! American millionaire by the name
of Adams, who had died shortly If
terward, leaving his affairs much
involved.
81 had a claim against his estate
and l took this stone in settlement
from his widow" said Kernochan.
l wondered, looking at his SNUG
face, with the pious sidewhisker.
and the mean, hard mouth, how
just had been his claim against The
estate. Idly, l questioned him =
yet not too idly, for the stone at
tracted me. I learned that Adams
had left a widow who now residec
I'm Boston and who was in rather
straitened circumstances. Think
ing Of how comfortably that widow
might live upon the proceeds of tho
sale of the ruby,I felt my distaste
for Kernochan increasing. | made
iup my mind that would have thai
ruby.
But next morning, starting fol
The second fairway, where the pro
fessional was awaiting me to cor
Irect a nasty slice that long absenc,
from the game had producted il
my drive, l came upon the Kerno
chans and Vantine in the lobby
! They were dressed for travel, ant
por9ers We're laden with bags.
stopped beside them
Yes, we're leaving" KernocnaI
told me in reply to my polite ques
Ition. g telegram late last night -
sudden death OF a former partne,
of mine; inconsiderate of him t,
die just new when / am enjoying
the golf, but it can't be helped
His callous brutality should no
have affected me, bVt l marked i
up against him. |, 700, felt thai
his partner was ineonsiderate;
wanted the ruby, and it was goin.
away. l murmured an snsincere
condolence. l turned to Vantine.
I'D hoped, with little practice
to take you on again." l told him.
"Well, there are other golf
courses, ne leefed.
81 live at Greenwich, Mr.. Aims
Iley," said Kernochan. I'm a few
weeks the courses around there viii
be in good condition. If you're II
New York"
Thank you very much" I toIc
him warmly.
And the next day |, too, left Pine
hurst. Two evenings later | was il
Boston; and twenty-four hours al
ter my arrival l had read and di
gested, in newspaper files, the life
and death of the Henry Adams
whose widow had surrendered the
great ruby to Benjamin Kernochan
For, you see, when make up my
mind, | am very much IN earnest.
had read of supercrooks; | ha(
met one in the flesh, and almost
under his eyes had distracted q
jewel for the possession of whicf
he had made his supercrook plans
| had told my self then that the so.
called supercrooks succeeded mere
| ly because Of the low intelligence,
of the police opposed to them. II
low cunning-which was all ny
supercrook possessed - could
achieve success, what would the
intelligence of gentleman achieve
had answered that question sat
isfactorily, By one bit of sleigit-
of-hand l had made more money
than honest drudgery would have
earned me in a lifetime. For | had
no profession. Born to expecta-
tons which had not been fulfilled,
found myself, at thirty, possessed
of an aristocratic birth, a cosnio-
politan education and-nothine
else. I was a living sermon of the