The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-04-22

The Mystery
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"The side of your head doesn't
look just natural" observed the real
estate man. ut looks as tho some
body had mistaken you for chop
ping block and used you accordingly"
'If you hear a sort of bubbling,
kissing sound you will know it's my
blood boiling" said the horse doc
tor. "a man couldn't be any more
indignant than / am and recover
from it. Last night was the VIC
tim of a most unheard of and mys-
terious outrage.
Il had been sitting up with pa
tent, sick mule belonging to Judge
Bashwelter, and was walking home
along about midnight. AS / passed
the entrance to an alley man leaned
from the shadows and punched my
head with great dexterity. flatter
myself on being a difficult man to
whip when the luck breaks even, but
in this case l was so surprised that
my assailant had delivered several
lawmakers before l could even hit
an attitude. Then he vanished as
abruptly as he had appeared. He
simply faded away into the alley, and
there was no use pursuing him there.
''Why did he scale my person in
this manner? Why did he jump on
me like a thousand of brick without
a word of waFning2 I'd give my fam
lily COW to know who he was and
what was his motive"
aWhats the use OF such vulgar
curiosityg" inquired the justice OF the
peace. Man must forever know the
why of everything that happens, and
it seems absurd Whoever your as
sailant was, he did q Workmanlike
job, and that should be enough for
you to know.
'Now that the affair is shrouded IN
mystery, it will be something to oc-
cupy your mind during leisure hours.
You can speculate over it for days
together and have good time mag
lining what you would do to the mis-
creant if you had him in fence cor
ner. You also have something lit
tie different, a little melodramatic, to
talk about, Peeple wh9 are tired 81
hearing about the war and tbs ppn-
seTyatioa of things will be glad to
hear you spring your thrilling mar
ratiye, It will ha interesting just 80
long as 1t remaips a mystery, The
minute the narrowing facts are
known and the identity and motive
of the villain revealed your story Will
become tiresome.
III somebody swatted my dome in
such manner I'd consider myself a
celebrity and govern myself accord
inggly, and I'd apply for an injunction
against any slenth WHO tried to I'M
PayaI the mystery, But the years
have brought me wisdom, while you
are young and full OF silly impulses.
'It's curious thing that man must
always know the why OF everything
that happens. We'd be great deal
happier If we'd just take things as
they come, without wondering or in
curing. Last summer | went to the
heneoop one morning and found that
somebody had stolen a half-dozen OF
my best chickens,
Il casually mentioned the mattsr
to Potiphar. neighbor, that morn
ing. He supposed I'd call the police or
import lot of sleuths from New
York, but / said would't worry over
a few chickens. Perhaps the man
who swiped them needed them for his
/ bedriddep aunts, 7 wasn't curious to
know who he was ey why he took
them. Potiphar dug up 50 and said
he wanted to pay for those chickens.
He had been stealing poultry for
years, he said, and ] was the first
loser he eyer knew who was a dead
eos.aa oporf u