The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-07-17
CHAPTER 20
ACCORDING TO o


Sixty mine is getting on for much
Of this sort Of thing and / am glad 1t
is over. Mrs. Motif has just been in
brooding over me with q hot lemon
ade and a dish Of warm olive oil. But
now she has gone, and In my old car
pet slippers. Polyandria at my feet,
I am browsing over my book and alb.
sorbing the pleasant heat from the
cracking eucalyptus log in the crate.
am fearfully alone tonight. An
drew gone and Lucy going-not really
going, and I am gaining something
unusual in nephews, she tries to as
sure me, as II I didn't know-leaves
me desolate Of spirit.
My browsing eyes fell on a calen-
dar hung on the wall. It Is an old
calendar and there are many pencil
ings on the curled and yellow top
date sheet which records the days
Of the month Of july, 1896. The cal
endar advertises Brewers Whisky
and its mount pictures q voluptuous
lady. Lucy says 1t Is inartistic, Mrs.
Moffit says 1t Is sinful, and both Of
them say I should burn it. Well. I'll
take 1t down after I've had my little
joke on Lucy.
Sitting up with 4 start, ! saw that
Lucy and Jerry had come in. They
have been making love most Of the
day and I have had hardly q word
with them.
"Oh. you were asleep, Uncle john"
Lucy cried distressfully.
Nothing Of the sort!" I snapped. Il
was reading"
Lucy laughed and kissed me and
Jerry grinned and dropped his arm
over my shoulder: both Of them then
perched upon the arms Of my chair.
/ love to have them near me. Their
bounding youthfulness warns my
cooling blood. Jerry picked up my
book, which had somehow slid behind
my back.
Poe" Lucy shifted, as she caught
sight Of the volume. Lucy reads Wells
and Shaw and Mencken. you'll have
nightmare, Uncle John"
mo-" I said with q little secret
smile. II was only reading The Pur-
Joined Letter. I had been thinking
of your wedding present"
what has The Purloined Letter
got to do with u wedding PRESENT."
Lucy demanded. greatly ~astonished.
Not your real wedding present, my
DEAR" I said banteringly. "Just a.
temporary gift. A real wedding
present requires prayerful meditation.
For an elderly bachelor you are
wonderfully WISE" Lucy informed me.
Butt insist. What has The Pur-
Letter got to do with our tenn
porary wedding present."
Dear mel" I exclaimed. Don't you
the story Of The Purloined
Listen, then:
"A minister Of France has stolen an
letter and hidden it In his
Its recovery is imperative and
the highly trained services Of the
French police are enlisted. At various
times during the minister's absence
the police examine his house with
characteristic thoroughness. They
examine every square inch Of his
rooms and furniture. And-they fail.
They fail because they are mathema-
without imagination-and be-
cause the minister is a poet as well as
! mathematician. Poe'S detective is
called in. He reasons that the minis
ter, knowing the conventional thor
oughness Of the French police, Is too
clever to conceal the letter In the
conventional way: he reasons that the
minister will leave 1t where it is SO
apparent to the eye that It will be
Poe's detective is right-and
the letter is found In an old envelope
stuck carelessly In q pasteboard card
rack hung on the wall"
But ! still don't see what you