and
remarks to Piddie solemn: "Even brilliant intellects have their dull
spots, you see. But wait. Presently this spasm of third rate comedy will
pass and he will evolve some apt conclusion. He will tell us who sent me
a Ha, ha! message on a golf ball, and why. Eh, Torchy?"

"Guess I'll have to sir," says I. "How much time off do I get, a couple
of hours?"

"The whole afternoon, if you'll solve the mystery," says he. "I am going
out to luncheon now. When I come back----"

"That ought to be time enough," says I.

Course nine-tenths of that was pure bluff. All I had mapped out then was
just a hunch for startin' to work. When they'd all left the private
office I wanders over for another look from the punctured window. The
lower sash had been pushed half-way up when the golf ball hit it, and the
shade had been pulled about two-thirds down. It was while I was runnin'
the shade clear to the top that I discovers this square of red cardboard
hung in the middle of the top sash.

"Hah!" says I. "Had the window marked, did he?"

Simple enough to see that a trick of that kind called for an inside
confederate. Who? Next minute I'm dashin' out to catch Tony, who runs
express elevator No. 3.

"Were the window washers at work on our floor this mornin'?" says I.

"Sure!" says Tony, "What you miss?"

"It was a case of direct hit," says I. "Where are they now?"

"On twenty-two," says Tony.

"I'll ride up with you," says I.

And three minutes later I've corralled a Greek glass polisher who's
eatin' his bread and sausage at the end of one of the corridors.

"You lobster!" says I. "Why didn't you hang that blue card in the right
window?"

"Red card!" he protests, sputterin' crumbs. "I hang him right, me."

"Oh, very well," says I, displayin' half a dollar temptin'. "Then you
got some more comin' to you, haven't you?"

He nods eager and holds out his hand.

"Just a minute," says I, "until I'm sure you're the right one. What was
the party's name who gave you the job?"

"No can say him name," says the Greek. "He just tell me hang card and
give me dollar."

"I see," says I. "A tall, thin man with red whiskers, eh?"

"No, no!" says he. "Short thick ol' guy, fat in middle, no whiskers."

"Correct so far," says I. "And if you can tell where he hangs out----"

"That's all," says the Greek. "Gimme half dollar."

"You win," says I, tossin' it to him.

But that's makin' fair progress for the first five minutes, eh? So far