Gresham outlook., August 21, 1914, Page 18, Image 18

H
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION'
' blade, now covered with a sticky sub*
stance, was the unmistakable one of th s
[>oppy.
DETECTIVE STORY
almost reeled with the shock
RUSSELL E. SMITH of Bronson
finding his suspicions verified, but
soon recovered his usual coolness of
USTOMS INSUECTOB B BO W N I Ing about the yards and grounds of the
That evening, seated in a corner of action. He must be sure, and the only
slammed down the lid of his desk I big ranch nouso.
the common house assigned to the labor way to be sure was to get hold of one
,
at
San Barco custom house
Here, bright and early next morning, ers on the ranch, Bronson overheard
of the new golf balls that Carsoa
building and rattled the windows of his he saw Carson start off on his morning
snatch of conversation that set him carried to the links each morning. The
Oinee, as well as the nerves of Inveati- golfing tour with his caddy, an old thinking—puzzled him somewhat. And other ball be did not cut open, bat
gator Bronson, who stood up as his Mexican who did not look as though ho
when Bronson was puzzled he usually slipped it where he could reach it easily,
Chief turned to him and snapped:
would be able to travel very far with-
got busy and ferreted out that which for he already had a plan.
“ Excuses don’t gol You’ve been out carrying, his face a perfect match caused his puzzlement.
The next day he clumsily allowed hi«
after those opium smugglers operating in color and texture with the golf bag
rake to fall against the shins of Car-
“
What
the
boss
spends
for
his
bloom­
around here for months, and you he carried.
son as that gentleman hastened to hi*
haven’t got a line on a single one. You
Under Carson's arm was snngly en- in ’ golf balls he loses every day would links and his favorite morning exer­
bloomin'
well
pay
us
better
wages,
’
’
•uspected that Carson feller, but you sconced a new box of golf balls,
cise. The rake tripped him, and the
haven’t got anything on him, have
“ Always he lost so many," remarked growled a young Englishman, assistant box of golf balls fell and rolled all over
to
the
chef,
who
had
drifted
south
of
Z ou l”
| the gardener under whom Bronson was
the gTeen.
the line in search of work.
“ But, Chief,” protested Bronson, his at work rakinE the leaves and twigs
Hastening, with many abject apol­
“
I
ah
!”
snapped
a
Mexican.
“
He
tanned face reddening as he spoke, I ^rom the carefully kept lawn on one
ogies, Bronson picked them all up with
“ you know as well as I do that we are end of which was raised a tee, from not even cares, and will not let Alessan
the assistance of Carson and put them
morally certain that he is responsible which Bronson *s golf links stretched dro go hunt for them.”
all
back in the box—all but one, which
“
Why
don’t
you
go
hunt
them
up
for the carrying into this country, and ] away. “ Ah, Santa Maria! And they
he palmed and for which he exchanged
through this very place, a small but cost almost uno peso each! Such waste some night and sell 'em !” queried the
one of the balls he had picked up across
Certain amount of opium every day, of money!” sighed the old man, who Englishman. “ My word! There must
the line. That night found him back in
bo
lots
of
them
over
there
across
the
made
less
than
that
every
day
he
Jfi'o've seen him with tho Chinks, and
line— the bloomin’ ground must look San Barco and at the home of his chief.
at tho places we found some ot the worked.
“ Well, Bronson— found another job
stuff cached, and
Bronson was watching Carson nar like snow from ’em l”
The young Mexican grinned.
y e t i ” heavily joked his chief, surprised
The Chief spoke hastily and irritably k ° wIy frora un'Jer hig Uttered "Uaw
* ‘ No—one night I go look, and what at
Bronson’s
sudden
appearance,
as ho reached for his coat and started *ia*’ a u n °t reply. A red flag flut-
out the door, followed by bis sub tered aB'8y of# to the east- and the you think! A Chinaman farmer over ‘ ‘ Where have you been the last few
Ordinato.
links ran, green and undulating, broken near there he get them all—every one! d ays!”
One night I see him with large basket.”
“ Collecting golf balls,” replied his
Ri.t
v . __ .
-
here and there by bunkers and spaces of
in d W n h
, 7 nn‘,cted
rough hillocks right by the Bid«; of the And he groaned as he thought of the young assistant, as he smiled back.
ind Washington is raising hell
J
rich mine of golf balls plundered by
The Chief stared.
»bout it! He's the man wo want,
w a n t, a
ll I
Brongon watfhed> hi, lipg CTr,;ng „ fhe unknown, wily Celestial.
all
“
W ell,” he snapped, “ find any­
tight, and it s up to you to hang it on
Bronson, as he listened, found his
he saw Carson tee his first ball and
him and to find out how he does it. So
thing! ”
mind
following
strange
channels
of
with a long sweeping blow send the
long! ”
Bronson pulled two golf balls out of
white globule careening across the thought. A mine of golf balls gathered
And sa y ” —he turned back an in greensward and bunkers. But the driver by a Chink In the dead of nightl And his pocket and placed them both on the
stant—“ I suppose you know that if in the hands of Carson side swiped the they all came from—('arson 1
table before him.
you don’t get this feller y ou ’ll be
Bronson lost no time. Yawning, be
“ Where'd you get those things!” the
ball and instead of sailing toward the
ering want ads one of these days, first hole flag, just in sight over the slowly passed out into the evening quiet chief asked.
don't yo u !’’
“ This one,” said Bronson, cutting it
near by hills, it soared to one aide and and slipped around a eorner of the bouse
1 hen be hurried off, leaving Bronson in u long curving parabola, swung out and set out across the fields toward the open, “ I found across the line from
Carson’s golf links. Sm ell!” And he
standing on the curb with an anxioui of sight across tho barren hillsides out boundary line.
After a rather long tramp he eame poked his knife blade under the snub
look in his eye. He had never failed side the links, and across the interna
to the line, silently slipped across, and nose of the chief, who nearly fainted
to mako good before, and it was hard I tional boundary.
to be made to realize that this time he
The ancient caddie gazed after it in soon after spied a tiny light flashing as he recognized the odor.
“ Good Lord!” he breathed.
had failed, and that the department despair as though in fear lest he should along the ground.
“ Our Chinese friend, no doubt,” he
Bronson was holding up another ease.
would let him go, as they did all fail- have to stir his superannuated stumps
thonght, “ out picking golf balls for
“ That one I got out of Carson’s box
nrci
in a search for the lost ball.
of new golf balls this morning,” he
But soon his eyes hardended and
But Carson gruffly called, “ Never market! '*
Sneaking qnietly along he got very calmly announced, while the ch ief’s
glinted, nnd his mouth took on a firmer! ’"‘nil! I^et it g o !” and colled another
close to the Chinaman, who carried a eyes almost popped out of his bead, as
line, as he gritted to himself:
from the box that Bronson noted
large basket along on his back and
‘I ’ll get him or—quit, I guess,” he did not allow the aged Mexican
he got a w hiff of it into his trembling
added, and swung off, turning over to carry, and set it upon the remade tee tiny lantern in one hand, while he nostril*.
swept the ground carefully from side
“ My boy,” he said, reaching for hi*
himself plans whereby ho might “ get
and proceeded to “ slice the ball
subordinate’* hand, “ i t ’s the best yet
the goods" on Carson.
once more, and off it sailed out of to side.
Bn, nson watched him a long time and —but how— ”
The latter was n mysterious person sight on the barren hills across the
saw that he worked along in a regular
ago of he city who dealt ostensibly in ! line.
‘ ‘ He drove them across the line with
fruit, but who for a long time had been | Thrice and again and still again did line, up and down the hill systematical­ his dinky golf elubs, right under my
sus]M>cted of smuggling opium into the Carson repeat the performance, while ly, every now and again stooping to nose,” said Bronson calmly.
U>.‘ed States from across the Mexican Brenson, watching as he raked, grew pick up an object from the ground,
“ Can you beat itl Can you tie him l”
line.
disgusted with the apparent poor work which he stowed away in a capacious was all the chief could utter in hi*
But shadowings innumerable had of the golfer, who appeared nowise pocket of his blouse.
amazement
Bronson pressed forward and stepped
failed to show any proof of it. Several disheartened at his failure to send the
Carson 'a golfing soon eame to an end,
times a sloop had been seen to glide bv ball where it should go, but kept on on something hard and round which and the next time he came over the
rolled under his weight and almost pre line to attend to his business Bronson
tho cove at the international boundary, trying.
met him on the street, and stepping up
but though the line was guarded, every
Finally he hit it right, and away sped cipitated him to the earth.
He reached down and found a white to him, calmly asked:
foot of it. nothing was ever seen to get the ball in a graceful flight, this time
“ Want to "buy any golf b a lls!”
without a thorough search, a search toward the first hole, and Carson strode golf ball! Next it laid another, which
he pocketed. When he looked up again
Carson stopped and suspiciously
that so far had resulted in absolutely away on his tour.
■o trace of any contraband goods.
“ Always the same,” muttered the the midnight prowler with the light peered at Bronson.
“ Well, I m ight W hy!”
(a rso n had been shadowed a thousand old gardener by his side, “ always the was gone, frightened away no donbt
“ Just thought I might sell you soma,
times, but nothing auspicious had ever same. Ever’ morning he lose one—two by the noise made as Bronson stumbled.
Huh!” the investigator mumbled. that’s all,” said Bronson. “ I found a
been discovered except his foregather —f r e e ball—all the time. Such waste
ing with certain Chinese merchants.
of good money!” He groaned as he ‘ He got away terribly sudden. Won lot of pretty good ones just across from
your ranch the other night Wanter
Though this might be explained by thought of all the mescal and frijoles der what— ”
He left his question unnttered and b u y !” He opened his coat just suffi­
his fruit busii ess dealings, ltronson and that he saw go flying across the hill
retraced his steps back to the ranch, ciently to show a gold custom Inspec­
his chief suspected other deals, but no every day in the form of golf balls,
proof was forthcoming and the opium
“ An’ he does not worry—not him,” his booty tucked away in his clothing. tor's badge on the inside of i t
Hiding in a stall of the horse barn he
kept coming in from somewhere.
he dolefully went on to Bronson, who,
Carton's face grew gTeen, and he al­
‘ And I'm going to find out where, wondering how he could ever hope to examined one of his finds with care and most dropped, but he calmly followed
to o '" g ru n te d B ronson
“ G m M I'll discover anything here, still listened found that it seemed just like any other Bronson to the custom house, where he
take a look at Carson’s place over the with half an ear. “ Much money has golf ball, although in truth he had never was soon persuaded that golfing, even
line again.''
on one’s own grounds, and losing golf
he got—so he don't even go look for handled any before at all.
Poising it in his hand, he mused over balls freighted with opium, on Uncle
Carson, it seemed, owned a large them. Hundreds has he lost, and he
rancho just cross the boundary in Mex does never seem to play any better. it, weighing it carefully, and idly start Sam's domain, was a dangerous and ex­
lco, and while Bronson had snooped Even I, Yegoine, could play the silly ed cutting a bit out of it. His knife pensive pastime.
cut hard at frst, but soon sank easily
• round several times in the guise of a game better! ”
But it took Canon several years in
laborer seeking work on the ranch, te
the federal penitentiary, along with his
And off he puttered about his work, into a soft mass in its center.
Pulling out the blade, he put the Chinese confederates, to discover how
had seen nothing unusual about Carson while Bronson continued raking in a
except that he seemed to be a golf desultory fashion, his mind always upon sticky blade to his nose— and almost expensive it was.
maniac.
his problem, driving it toward a possible yelled out loud iu his joy.
Bronson doesn't need to look at th*
The smell that arose from the keen want columns any more now.
Bronson then lost all respect for Car solutior. of the mystery.
•on, for he considered golf a game that
The next day, and the next after
ranked with croquet and bean bags. that, Bronson worked in the yard, and
Surely a man who would waste his time each time he saw Carson stroll languid
d riv in g a foolish little ball about with ly out to the tee and proceed to drive
a still more foolishly shaped steel club ball after ball, slicing every one with
could not be much of an adversary.
his driver, and causing it to sail far off
But be still had a “ hunch” that the to one side of the green links.
•eerct of the smugglia* lay in the keep
With or W ithout Buzz Saw Attachment
“ Well, if I couldn't play any better,
V ill saw 2 0 to 4 0 cords ol wood per day at a coat of
Ing of Carson, and determined not to than that,” thought Bronson, “ I'd
» 1 .0 0 .
P U L L S IT S E L F up the steepest H I L L and
lose sight of that gentleman until the quit) Why, he loses enough balls to
over the roughest ground. Costs less than other I
■beret was olved and his job in the more than pay my salary! ”
O n e man writes he taw ed 5 6 neks in 10 hours.
•erviee safe once more.
And his face rank as he thought that i
A nother sawed 4 0 cords in 9 hours.
There's
Careful inquiry revealed tho fact that maybe he wonldn't get any more salary
more you ought to know . M 'nte (or F R E E cat­
Carson was out at this ranch again, and from the government i t he didn't make
alog containing fu ll description with
late the next afternoon a ragged, no good this time.
horn enthusiastic users. WRITE
kempt young man appeared at the
“ I know that stuff comes from this
rancho and asked for work.
side of the line," he said to himself. I
It was Bronson, and the customs man
and 111 bet Carson is in on it—but |
Was lucky enough to secure a yob help how iu Tephct can I prove i t f ”
From The Putting Green &
C
a
82
E
C
week
arning apacity
KING OF THE W 0 0 0 S '' DRAG SAW
F