The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-11-01
Chapter 39 MISSING TEETk

M R-h' ho hau io9e 'H0 AiNS'
 " he gained anything? He had seen the mans back for a moment as he ran across the platform. The light was poor, and he certainly hadn't seen anything that he could be sure of recognizing-medium height-medium build-some sort of cap on the head-a suit, not an over coat.
 He thought there was something odd about the mans right shoulder as he ran-his shoulder. or his sleeve. He remembered his own left hand grip, that last wrench when the man bit him and pulled free, and the sound of tearing cloth.
 He passed between the posts and took the path across the fields again. He was angry and tired. he had a bump on his head. and bitten wrist. He had had the emeralds in his grasp and had lost them.
 A torn coat and Ledlington train were all he had to go upon. They did not provide him with very much en- couragement.
 He came back to Hale Place dog tired, missing Caroline by bare five minutes. He had left the door wide open, and he found it closed. So Car oline had come. He thought she might be there still. He called her name When there was no reply, he went forward into the kitchen and groped for and lit another of the can lies she had brought him. He wanted to wash the blood from his face, and to bathe his bitten wrist.
 At the scullery sink he let the tap run and put his head under it. Then he took look at his wrist. It was a good deal bruised, but the skin was only broken in one place. As he held it under the tap and the smear of blood ran off, he gave start and caught up the candle in his other hand.
 The mark of the bite showed plain on both sides of the wrist. On the under side were six indentations. all close together. But on the top of the wrist there were only four-two on one side and two on the other, and a widish gap between.
 Here at last was a real clue. The man who had bitten him had lost the two front teeth in the middle of his upper jaw.
 IF YOU cannot go back or go for, l ward, you must just make the best of it and go whatever way you can.
 Jim walked back across the fields In the early hours of the morning and took the milk train into Ledling- ton. It reached Ledlington at ten minutes to seven, which is a cold, uncomfortable hour to arrive any. where, but especially when you have no fixed destination and very little money.
 He had a cup of tea and sand. wich, and put in time in the waiting room until he could buy a paper. He chose one of the more dramatic dailies, and was immediately con- fronted by a large picture of Pack. ham Hall and a photograph, de- scribed as unique, of Susie Van Berg with the emeralds all across the front of her dress.
 It wasn't very good photograph of Susie, but it was speaking like ness of the emeralds. Jim wondered whether the burglar would see it, and what he would do if he did see it. If he had grain of sense. he'd chuck the chain away into the near. est ditch and make himself scarce.
 That was assuming that he didn't already know what he had got. But didn't he? What had brought him to Hale Place twice? Would he have come back second time, and come back to a room which appeared to contain nothing stealable if he hadn't got wind of the emeralds The emeralds would provide the mo tive. A room containing nothing but panelling, two china candlesticks and an immovable four-post bed frankly would not. It became most urgently necessary to find the bur glar.
 Jim had a pleasant picture of him self asking the forty thousand odd adult inhabitants of Ledlington tC show him their front teeth. There didn't seem to be any other way ol identifying the burglar.