The Key West citizen., 1940-12-16

of them. | took down one after
another. ruffiing the pages in the
hope that some promising slip of
paper might drop out.
do you suppose" asked Alice.
that some title or the name OF
some author might give clue7"
That's a thought" | agreed
at may be that Aunt Maggie
only found key" But how to get
anywhere without key. My eyes
ran up and down the shelves.
Shakespeare. Balzac. Dante. The
WaverlY novels. Dickens. Poe.
Plutarch's LiDeS. Darn that
cat He probably knew who the
murderer was Whoever opened
that door to the Office.
Kirk came IN and joined US
IN the search and. few moments
later. so did Bob and Claire. Bill,
| knew. was making his private
search for the secret room. why
all this sudden ven for literature
and high thinking?" Bob wanted
to know.
Speaking of high thinking"
said Kirk. look at this"
He had discovered that he could
raise the top of a Sheraton read
ing table which stands in corner
of the room. Inside the table was
disclosed a folding ladder. Kirk
and Bob together soon had the
ladder set up. so that one end
rested upon the floor and the
other extended upward supported
by two stout uprights. Unfolding
above this upper half was a rack
upon which a book might be
placed. Bob was quite fascinated
with it and Immediately climbed
up to take a look around.
Come on down." Alice told
him. You aren't a bit Of help"
wait a minute" he answered
debonairly. Here is something
that makes sense. Use and Abuse
of Liquors by DR.. Carpenter. Does
that suggest anything to any
body?"
IF you mean you want a
drink" said Alice tartly, Il think
It is still a little early in the
morning"
A Cache OF Gold
4 S BOB climbed down, we all
a looked toward the clock or at
wrist watches. as people always
seem TO do when the time is men,
toned. It was a quarter of eleven
The day was certainly moving
along. and so far as I could see
absolutely nothing had been ac-
complished.
"All very we'll" Bob told Alice.
"but | need a pickup"
"a little of the hair of the dog
that bit you?" Kirk suggested.
Exactly" Bob replied, opening
the door to the dining room. Join
me?"
"A fraction early yet" Kirk an
swered. but Alice surprised us all
by following Bob into the dining
room and closing the door behind
her
Claire raised here eyebrows.
~ think she's still upset" said
Kirk. Spot of brandy may help
her" But we all knew it was not
a drink for herself that had car
ried Alice into the dining room.
What about this old secre-
tary?" Claire asked. Might find
something there. Weren't they all
supposed to have secret drawers
and things? Mind if / look?"
Wish you would" / said as ]
took down from the shelves the
book which Alice had replaced so
hastily.
II was volume of Shakespeare
and the marker was placed be-
tween the pages of Venus and
Adonis. The lines my eyes fell
upon were:
affection is a coal chat
must be cooled,
Else suffered. it will set the
heart on fire;
The sea hath bounds, but
deep desire hath none"
understood now why Alice
had bluShed and also that the evi-
dence suppressed was not what
might be called ge-mane to the
case.
There was more desultory talk.
Bob and Alice came back into the
room. think everybody was be-
ginning to be pretty tired of the
whole thing when there was a
sharp exclamation from Claire
and we all rushed over and
crowded about her. ---..-z...-..-
She had found a secret drawer
and it was full of tarnished gold
coins. Examination showed them
to be money coined at Dahlonega,
Georgia. when the government
maintained a mint at that point
back in the days before the rush
OF the forty-niners made every
body forget gold had ever been
discovered in North Georgia.
We picked up the old coins and
let them fall through our fingers.
Question might be-" observed
Kirk. whether you will have to
turn this in 10 the government"
But nobody answered. for in the
bottom of the drawer we had dis
covered a tiny scrap of paper.
think we all wanted to grab for
it You look at il, Sally" said
Claire.
The writing was so dim that
could barely make it out at first
There were only two words:
"Jarman. Wills"
There isn't any such book" !
said dejectedly. after another 1--WE
minutes or so of this fruitless
search.
But this sounds hot" said
Kirk. standing on the ladder and
reading aloud. Looks like il
might be the right neighborhood.
American Military LaIU. Brights
Husband and Wife. Smiths Mas
/ "a I'D Co-..n-,f H., IL.