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Show Crazy Kennedy, Detective U U M U M Solves Knotty Problems By RING W. LARDNER. CHAPTER 1. 0T THE floor below Crazy Kennedy's Ken-nedy's laboratory was the office of-fice of "Madame Burke, Interior Decorator." I had noticed the sign frequently in going up tho stairs to my friend's room, but had never been particularly isterested in it. All my interior decorating had been done at the Acme buffet. But one day as I was passing Madame Burke's place of business I distinctly heard the sound of female fe-male weeping. I paused a moment, wonderincr whether I ought to go in and ascertain the reason for the lady's distress. I decided it were better to inform Kennedy of the matter. He would know what to do. "Crazy,'' I said, when we had shaken hands, "there's a woman crying on the floor below." "I venture to say," replied my friend, "that you passed the mall carrier on your way up." " Keallythis is too much!" I remonstrated, re-monstrated, for it was true that the postman and I had nearly collided on the stair. Kennedy chuckled diabolically. "It's very simple," said he, when he had recovered from his giggles. "The woman you heard i weeping does it several times a day, and always just after the mail car-i car-i rier has been here." ! "What do you make of it all?" I inquired. "I think probably," Crazy replied, re-plied, "that the letter that she One day. as I was passing Madam Burke's p'aro of busings?. T rfist inctiy heard the sound of femaie woppinp. longs for never comes. But if the oaj-e appeals to yon. let us run downstairs and aid Beauty in Distress." Dis-tress." '" HATTER. C. A FEW moments later wo were admitted to the interior der-orruing der-orruing ioirt. Mst'nme Burke was wiping tr.e briny from her redden-I redden-I in e cba!'.?. "You will pardon us for disturbing disturb-ing you," said Kennedy, "but it is really more than my friend and I canbear to hear you weeping every ev-ery time the mail carrier goes away. ' ' "Ah," sobbed the lady, "I wanted want-ed to keep my deep sorrow to myself. my-self. But now that I have been found out I believe it would relieve re-lieve me to tell all." "Go ahead," said Kennedy, "and make it snappy." ' Six weeks ago, s ' related M a-dame a-dame Burke, ' ' the man o my dreams left town. He told me to. write him a letter and he would 1 ! I have written him twenty, yea, a dozen letters, and no answer have I received. re-ceived. answer it. I have written him T wenty, yea, a dozen letters, and no answer have T received." " Who i. he n nd where is he at ? " inquired my friend. "His name is "George Johnson, and he is at -130 Ocean avenue, Omaha. " ' 1 Have your let f era been returned re-turned ? " aked K en nedy. ' No. '' ' was Madame Burke s guttural gut-tural reply. "Have you put return addrses on them?'-' "Yes." "No fhanee, then.' dednred Crazy, "that you addressed them wronc ' ' ' ''Positively no ehanc" said M adame Burke. ' ' Why ' posi tively ? ' ' ' q iierid Kennedy. "Because," said Madame Burke, "T have oried both trm regular addresH and the return address frorn a b'iok 1 havo w 'hit li v- , he rorre-'t form tor adlre--:;"i ltt'T". 'o-i fan see for yoi;re!f, fur I have (Ccntiuued on Following Pace.) M KEIED! lH JUUHZIN6 DETECTIVE (Continued From Preceding Page.) just finished another letter to him. S11K produced an addressed, unstamped un-stamped envelope. Kennedy took it and read ftloud: '.Mr. William Jones, 123 Third street, Boston, Mass.'' And in the upper left hand corner: cor-ner: "After five davs return to John Smith, Bangor, Me." "Surely, ' remarked Kennedy, "you didn't expect a letter so addressed ad-dressed to reach George .Johnson in Omaha, and so return addressed to come hack to you in Chicago. And without a stamp, too." "i certainly did." said Madame Burke sharply. "My book is right about every thinir else, and I trust it about this.' And mere is no stamp on the envelope shown in it; merely mere-ly a square with the word 'stamp' inscribed. And you'll notice I have inscribed it in a square on mine. ' 1 "Give me your letter," paid Kennedy, when he had stifled his guffaws. She handed it over and he, having hav-ing scratched out all the writing on the envelope, substituted tho following: fol-lowing: "Mr. George Johnson, -130 Ocean avenue, Omaha, Neb." And in the upper left hand corner: cor-ner: "Return in five davs to Madame Burke, Peanut Building, Chicago, 111." llo then produced a stamp book and placed a stamp in tho corner where Madame Burko had marked the square. "Now," said Kennedy, "T'll bet you a jitney that either'you'll-hear from George in two weeks or this letter will be returned to you." CIIAPTKK 3. Ho lost his bet. Goorgo was sick ef her.. |