Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-01

II
4 Turcotte ladder he for everything wou
all right. when it stubbornly refused h.
decided that he could be stubborn too he turned in
fire alarm.
When the firemen answered his summons they
of their made out answerabe in police court FOR
turning in false alarm All Of which added to Mr. I"f-
cotte's
AS he had done every morning for years. Mr. Trco,te
44-vear-od cweler went his office this day
started work was Saturday his second floor
window shoppers crowding nearby
The ieHeer opened the window shifted the bracng
rolled up his sleeves and TO work He whsted
old French nursery rhyme, Clair de Lune,' he
heated the small artisans at his work bench
he had often sung the eight little Trcotes with
which his good wife had presented him He was at peace
with the world.
took valuable gold dropped
into pot the stove, and watched it melt. Then he
put it the sill of the open window 10 cool
Suddenly the telephone rang. Mrs Turcotte
calling ask her Herve hurry into the market
door special sale food staples before the
other shoppers beat him the best selections Like
good husband Mr. Tlrcotte said he would put on his coat
and dashed down the When he got outside, he
looked at his office window automatically and stopped
dead his tracks. On the window sill. just y feet
above him, his pot Of gold, still cooling.
Gliding himself for such carelessness he rushed back
upstairs AS usual he had slipped the door catch before
he left locking it He reached his keys Then ne
membered. He had laid them his work bench
quick visit TO the building superintendent office
the ground floor revealed that he had left the day
taking the pass keys with him. The panicky Tur
cote tried to figure his step He could
into his office and the pot Of gold must not remain
guarded 1t too risky TO leave it while he went
not be seen from the street the odd shape OF the pot
limited that valuable especially
'jeweer lettered above the opened window
Cold chlls up and down Mr. Turcotte's spine at
the thought a good bit of his capital invested
that melted gold which TO be fashioned into
bracelets chains and Jewery settings increasingly
difficult And because of careless second
here he danger OF losing it all
Turcotte surveyed the front the building It
too smooth for him to climb He had wild thought OF
asking passing moJorist TO drive his up the
sidewalk the sill could be reached from the root Of
but he abandoned it almost Immediately Other cars,
parked bumper to bumper along the curb proved too for
mdable. The obvious solution was 10 get ladder and
climb up But finding modest 12-fQo one wasn't
simple it appeared when he frantically tried TO
borrow in nearby stores.
Then T'ucotc had inspiration The firehousc just
two blocks away had plenty OF ladders he
and breathessly asked he could borrow for
minutes remove pot of gold from his window sill
fire lieutenant calmly surveyed the excited jeweler.
"A pot Of gold indeed he said You pick a fine time
for practical Jokes"
The icyvcicr protested that he really had a pct of
gold danger of losing it.
said the fire lieutenant, mistaklng the wild
light nrcote's eyes I've got pot of gold too It's
right end of the rainbow and don't need ladder
O reach it. Now be- good lad and 20 out and play
He thinks I'm crazy, Turcotte said TO himself in
ASPIRATION Well if he couldn't 90 to get the ladder
maybe the ladder would come o Whcreupon he
to the and turned in fire alarm.
A later when the fire trucks raced to the
front building and began looking for the nonresident
fire the lieutenant recognized the je"eer and grabbed
him.
You again en- - he said Well don't say that
didn't you" and Turcotte handed summons for
turning "A false alarm.
Shortly thereafter his before Judge
Jules Desmarais the Sessions Court, the prosecutor
Bcliveau argued that Trcotte mad known mat
there was had caused the firemen to come
to establishment the belief that there was fire
His Honor had the opinion pointing out that
jeweer had tried to use the fire department Tor his
personal
Il find him guilty" said Judge Desmafais AS to
the sentence well the circumstances TO be con-
sidercd."
While the Judge considering these circumstances.
Turcotte got back his pot of gold