Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-16
he Mystery Happiness

that would embody something Of solace
But she only said:
Hello, joe"
Hello. Ann" he replied as prosaically
Then they were silent in wordless
communion: Ann Forsyth had raised 4
hand that she might clasp 1t over the
white one against the bars. At last:
Did that lawyer see you? The one
/ sent?"
Yes"
Cant he do something about bail?'
Il guess he could-if we're anybody
else. He thinks that, If he did get ball
for me, I'd be out of the country by
night" Suddenly Joe PRESCOTT dropped
his pose. Ann" he begged, Il didn't
take that money. wouldn't steal!
II know it. joe"
But that isn't the point, is it?" he
asked hopelessly.
She nodded.
"It's all so queer, joe"
"I.'s uncanny." he answered. why,
Ann, counted that money into the bag
put it into the box: it was only uLt
of my hands from the time l started
downtown until got to the cars, and
then it wasn't more than three feet
from me. Yet it disappeared"
Joe" said Ann Forsyth, have you
traced everything you did? You might
have mislaid It,"
How could I? There were three basH
of money. Two of them contained coin,
and one currency. 1 remember putting
! them in the box, especially because the
| coin bags were fuller than usual and I
| had to cramp the three of them little
| to get them in place. But, when I got
| to the show train, the bag containing
| the CURRENCY. about ten thousand dol
| lars. was gone"
But Joe, Ed Bloor goes with you at
night, doesn't he?"
Yes"
Then why should they arrest YOU
and not arrest him? At least. he ce"-
| tainly should be witness for you. The
| bags were in the box when you started.
| One of them was gone when YOU
/ reached the cars. He could testify THAI
you didn't take it.
That's the trouble. Ed Bloor can.
testify to anything"
But"
Maybe I'd better go over the whole
thing again. said the ex-treaSurcr.
You know how we've always gotten the
money to the train, after we've counted
up at night. We've had the big show
! car. with the name printed on it, right
beside the treasury wagon. and started
| it to the train in plain sight of every
body. Then we've had the old rattle
| trap pulled up behind the wagon, in the
shadows. It's got the box in the tom
! neau. YOU know, that Jackson uses TO
| pick up the press electrotypes from the
| newspapers. OF course. the box IS
| empty at night. so Ed Bloor and haze
always used that as the place to carry
the days receipts: nobody would motto?
| = 40 %I1nf xvyInn
one with guards riding the tenders. had
oone ahead. OF course. our car is pro-
tected Ed has his rifle strapped to his
arm. so that he can sweep the road. II
ANYBODY should stop u.s." Joe halted
and ran his hand across his forehead.
well. on the night of the-the robbery.
Ed was a little late. I waited until
saw his f1ashlight coming around the
side of the big top. Then. since Curtis
was waiting with his team to pun on.
the treasury wagon, went out TO the
car with the money. put the three sacks
in the box, and had the motor running
when Ed got there"
Nobody could have been hiding in
the tonneau of the carp"
mo. I sat in the back end while
was putting the sacks in the box mo-
body was there. When Ed arrived, ne
did what he always does-walked around
the car. and threw his flashlighs on the
back end in the tonneau-weve always
been afraid of somebody hiding there.
"He didn't look in the box?'
"No-he took my word for it."
But. Joe, If the sacks were there
when YOU left the lot, they should have
been there when you reached the train.
| One couldn't have bounced out?"
| 81 don't see how. The hasp and the
| bolt were in place"
"But there's some explanation"
I'm afraid there's only one thatll go
in court. They've set the trial for two
weeks from tomorrow"
"Ill be here for it."
Twill they let you OFF,"
Ann Forsyth shrugged her shoulders
They may not need to. My act'll be
off about that time. The same old
thing: new partner Dot Unanswered
me into letting her out of her contract
today
Gee. Ami" The man behind the
bars suddenly forgot his own troubles
I'm sorry. Can't you talk her out
of it?"
81 don't know-she's seemed-deter-
mined to quit for a week or SO. hadn't
paid much attention until today; guess
I've been too busy trying to figure out
where that money went. It's been 10
days now, hasn't 1t? Certainly, II 1t
had been misplaced. around the wagon,
or lost, there would have been some
trace of it, by this time"
Joe nodded
Yes. After all, 1 can't blame any,
body. The bonding company gave me