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Show Crazy Kennedy, Detective HE " ja H H Solves Knotty Problems By RING W. LARDNER. CHAPTER 1. T ORRISOX," said Crazy VfA. Kennedy one morning, "we are going today to be honored by a visit from Mrs. Vera Rich, perhaps the wealthiest -woman in the city and an unquestioned social leader. ' ' "What of it," I inquired non-ehantly. non-ehantly. for I was practicing a new card trick to spring that evening at choir practice. ''You arc most blase this morn-inc morn-inc commented my friend. 'Mr;. Rich does not spend much of her time culling on common people like I and you. You should display more interest. ' ' ' ' Crar.y, ' " T said, ' ' T object to your branding us common people. I was born a Democrat, and 1 cannot can-not but think I am a-s good as Mrs, Rich, despite her great wealth.'' 1 Nevertheless. ' ) said Kennedy, "Mrs. Rich would never deign to visit ns were she not in trouble.'' "What is her trouble?7' I queried quer-ied just as a knock on our door was heard. "We will let her tell us herself," replied Kennedv, and admitted lo our presence tbe city's most elegant ele-gant female millionaire. CHAPTER 2. MRS. . RICH was dressed in an elephant fur coat over blue and white gingham. "What ails you, Mrs. fiich!" murmured Kennedy after several kisses had been exchanged. "O," she came hack nt him, " a ni almost frant k: about m v son, Wallie. He has acted so strange lately that I can't make nothing out of him. ' 1 "Tell us the details," commanded command-ed my friend, showing her to a eat in the waste basket. CHAPTER 3. "It began last Fridav, ' said the client. ' That was his birtbdav, and I had invited several of his little friends to a party. At dinner din-ner I gave them cake infested with twenty-nine caudles, one for each year of his age. When I put it on the table WalKe "s face turned (Continued on Following Page.) CRAZY KENEDY 15 BIG DETECT! (Continued from Freceding Page.) ! flesh color and he rose anerily from his chair. 'Mother,' he cried, 'why the twenty-nine candle??' 'Because.' 'Be-cause.' X replied, 'you are 29 years old. 5 'You lie!' he shouted. 'I am 31. ' ' Don 't kid your own mother! ' said I. 'I guess I know your age. You were born in IS?.' 'No such a thing! ' he flared up. 'I was bom in '86, and you can't prove different.' Then one of his pirl friends butted in. "Why, Wallie. she said, 'you don't look even 20. 1 'd swear you wasn 't mor than 2ri or 27. With that he sprang up. overturned his chair, and ran from the house. VI THEN he came back, long T after midnight, he was so changed T hardly knew him. He had had all his teeth removed, deep wrinkles painted all over his face, and his hair dyed whi'e. ' vVhy, Wallie!' I ejaculated, 'what have you done to yourself ? ' 'I have done nothing,' he answered. 4 Nature Na-ture has taken her course. I nm feeling my age.' Since that time he has absolutely reiused to shave, has grown a Ion a:, straggly beard, and walks all stooped over. I tear he has gone (Mazy.'' Kennedy, to rny astonishment, 1 laughed immoderately. ,rXo, Vera."' he eaid boldly, "your son has not gone crazy. He has merely caught t ue epidemic of sudden sge which is prevalent all over the conntrv. There have bepn more thirty-first birthdays in the last month than in ten years previous. pre-vious. Hundreds of my boy friends who were 2S or 29 a year ao have all at once attained the ae of 31. And there will he a million more thirty-first birthdays between now. and June 5. ' ' "But 1 don't understand you," said Mrs. Rich. 'I knew you wouldn't,'' replied mv friend, scratching his rye with a gold handled lead pencil. |