A noisemaker of the type used at parties! This type: http://steveandolivia.com/mexico/images/noisemaker.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by DigitalCrash
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A noisemaker of the type used at parties! This type: http://steveandolivia.com/mexico/images/noisemaker.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by DigitalCrash
In this story, The Shadow actually sends a client from himself to himself!
A Question of Art by Jonathan Blade
Two men in comfortable chairs facing a third, who sat behind a large desk in a somewhat shadowy office. A painting lay upon the desk with a lamp focused upon the details. The man behind the desk frowned at the painting through a powerful magnifying glass.
“Mr. Arnaud, this painting, I am convinced, would be a solid investment for me.” Colin Faringdale, whose art collection was often on loan to various museums beamed at Henry Arnaud, his personal financier. “The name of Pablo Picasso is on everyone’s lips these days. Soon everyone in the world of art will wish to own an original!”
Arnaud grunted. “Has the painting been authenticated?”
“Certainly, sir. I have the papers right here.” The other man, Alexander Openheimer passed a sheaf of papers to Henry Arnaud. “The painting is called “Variation on The Old Guitarist”, painted circa 1902. It was authenticated by Professor T. Johnstone McCullney, Empire State University Department of Art.”
“Your papers appear to be in order Mr. Openheimer. I don’t know The Professor except by reputation, but a friend of mine does.” Arnaud studied the gold and crimson painting another moment.
“ I’ll tell you what, Faringdale. It’s your money, of course, I’m just an advisor. But you take this painting to my friend, old Phineas Twambley, the curio collector, that friend of Professor McCullney. If he passes this painting, the papers will be ready when you get back. It won’t be much delay, and everything looks fine. Fair enough, Mr. Openheimer?”
“Certainly. You’ll have double the verification, Mr. Faringdale.” The young man said.
Arnaud shook hands with the men as they exited, then made a rapid exit of his own. Half an hour later, old Phineas Twambley was examining the painting with a jeweler’s loupe in his eye. “Hummm. Apparently a Pacisso original. You have the date of the painting, of course, young man?”
Openheimer proffered his papers. “Of course. “Variation on The Old Guitarist”, 1902.”
Phineas Twambley sat back in his chair with a gleam in his eye. “Clever. Very clever.” His shadow seemed to grow across the painting. “But this is either a very good forgery or not so old as you would have us believe. Which is it, Mr. Openheimer?”
WHAT TIPPED THE SHADOW OFF?
I wonder...dates of birth and death would be too easy...I suspect that the colors are the key.
Old Pablo died long after the Shadow stories timeframe, let me say that at least. :nod:
oh wow, I totally forgot about that... so... no... x) it's an easy one though... just think about it...Quote:
Originally Posted by Pendragon
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinHood3000
Still too obvious... knowing Pendragon's mysteries the answer is really hidden, and there are a lot of (unnecessary) clues that conceal the answer... hmm... maybe the answer lies within the magnifying glass... maybe, since it so old... it'll burn easily, and the fact that the curio collector didn't notice any burn marks. The magnifying glass isn't obvious at all and is taken little notice throughout the entire mystery.
I've another brain teaser (my great apologies for triple posting):
What can be deeper than the sea,
more intriguing than stars and space,
Simple as can be,
duller than an empty place,
as innocent as a gentle word,
and guilty like a vile jailbird?
perhaps there's better word rather than "vile"
Hee-hee. Yes, but Pendragon is also good at hiding things right out in the open... Let us say the colors were the clue, for the sake of arguement. Why would they be? :brow: http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/figuren/g030.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by DigitalCrash
The only thing I can think of is Jewler's loupe + gold...
Nope. The artist's name may help though.Quote:
Originally Posted by DigitalCrash
Hey Pen, is it because he was in his blue period at the time? 1902? He didn't start his
rose period until 1905?
Enjoyable story. :thumbs_up
Quite right, my dear! Many believe that at the time, he was so poor he could only afford one color. Even in the Rose period, he used no yellow. "The Old Guitarist" was painted during the blue period, and so far as I no, no variation on the painting was ever done. But a red and yellow version would deffiniatly been much later, probably past the timeframe of the Shadow stories. Well done! http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/figuren/c055.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by Riesa
Thoughts might do it............Quote:
Originally Posted by DigitalCrash
yup... it's thought, but can you figure the first one? :)
Might it be Hair?Quote:
Originally Posted by DigitalCrash
What is eviler than the devil, higher than GOD, needed by the rich, and lethal to eat?
mel gibson
Gold qualifies, I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mililalil XXIV
In this Shadow mystery, The Shadow appears as Henry Arnaud, a finincier. Police Commissioner Weston is on vacation, and Wainwright Barth, the pompous, bumbling acting Police Commisioner is in charge...
The Gargoyle House by Jonathan Blade
Pompous Acting Police Commissioner Wainwright Barth could not repress a shudder as he exited his official car in front of the crumbling mansion on 64th Street.
The Van Dyer dwelling was one of the oldest in Manhattan. The founder of the clan, one Jan Van Dyer, had been extremely superstitious. Gargoyles leered like hungry demons from strategic points on the roof.
“A moment please, Mr. Barth.” A voice called from behind the Acting Commissioner. “I’ll go with you, if you have no objections.”
Wainwright Barth winced at that voice. Henry Arnaud! Why couldn’t this busybody amateur just leave police business alone?
“Actually, Mr. Arnaud, there’s been a murder here—“
Arnaud cut him off : “Then why are we out here? Any one can see there’s no body out here!” Arnaud commented sharply, peering about.
Silently vowing to kill all amateurs, Barth lead the way to the top floor of the mansion. Ace Detective Joe Cardona met them at the door to a book-lined study.
“Well?” Barth snapped at him.
“Peter Van Dyer is dead, alright, Mr., ah, Commissioner. He was stabbed in the back, just like the warning he received last evening said. But I was outside that door all the time, and it’s the only way in!”
They entered the room. Van Dyer lay face down in the center of the floor, an ugly knife in the exact center of his back. Arnaud glanced at him, noting his position, and wandered over to a window. He opened it and looked out. A gargoyle grinned at him from a point about two feet above his head and to the right.
“What are you up to Arnaud?” Wainwright Barth blustered. “This is the top floor! Those windows are too far above the ground for entering or escaping. Joe says he was in here right after Van Dyer screamed. A man would break his fool neck diving out one of those windows!”
Arnaud slammed the window shut. “Well, Van Dyer didn’t stab himself in the back!” He retorted. He glanced at Cardona, and for a moment his shadow grew long.
“Not everyone who looks sees Joe. But you will. In time.” He chuckled sardonically as he exited the room, his shadow clinging to the wall after he was gone.
WHAT DID THE SHADOW MEAN?
Well, that might fit the last requirement, but....Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryduce
....give up?
By thinking simply it is simpler to get.
Nothing?
Based on the 'higher than God' clue and knowing how 'keen' you are on the subject...
I keep thinking that Cardona did it, but I'm probably missing something.
Cardona is always innocent. That is one thing that never changes. Even once in a novel written by the orignal author, Walter Gibson, AKA Maxwell Grant, entitled The Strange Disapperence of Joe Cardona when Joe looks guilty and even seems to have fled town, he's innocent. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinHood3000
I still think I'm right about Gold....
Well, that's awfully convenient for our friend Joe, ain't it? :p
Quite right, Scheherazade.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
True. But there's always someone who couldn't have done the crime. You don't suspect Batman, for example, or Mulder & Skully, even when they look guilty. All part of the drama. In this case, the problem is not who, but how. How could anyone have killed the man on the top floor with windows too high to climb to or jump from, and only the gaurded door to get through? The Shadow has not given Joe a clue to who but to how. :nod:Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinHood3000
Nothing is the answer? I can see the first two clues fine, OK. Using a Bible verse from Mark 16, I can even get past the one about eating. But the rich covet nothing? Am I missing something here? That doesn't quite scan. The rich always covet more. Perhaps it should have read "The rich do not lack it." :) :angel: :wave:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mililalil XXIV
I wonder if a dagger falling two-thirds of a meter would be falling fast enough to kill a man from behind. Doubt it--not even enough to puncture a foot, probably...the position of the gargoyle is intriguing, though...
Ah, The Archer begins to sight in the right direction! Keep that gargoyle in mind, Robin. Is there something a little convenient about its position? How would Daredevil have accomplished this murder, were he so inclined, and opened and closed the window as well? Hum? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinHood3000
I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about Pen! Looky again!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pendragon
http://www.literature-web.net/forums...805#post172805
:lol:
Sorry! I didn't get enough sleep, and did not perfectly write out that riddle that any one should be able to write out in their sleep!
Kind of like sleep-walking - only the other person gets nowhere faster!
:banana:
Yep!
Perhaps no differently than the Vigilante, after he left home the second time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pendragon
I did. You editted the post. The original is quoted in my post right below. Play fair, now, or don't play!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mililalil XXIV
It was the joke that counted, right?
And you are forgiven, mon ami. Rest easy, I am no ogre waiting to devour anyone. As it is written NOW, yes, Nothing is the answer. Even before, as I said, everything except "the rich covet it" fitted nothing well enough. But in this old world many find gold the highest power, for it commit the greatest evil, they covet it worse than anything, for is not "the LOVE of money the root of all evil.", as the scripture says? And gold can be harmful to ingest. Enough blather, however, my friend! Let's play Brain Teasers! ;) :wave: :nod:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mililalil XXIV
Has no one figured out The Gargoyle House yet? http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/sp...smiley-016.gif
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pendragon
Nope, it's not hair, sorry for the delay btw, it's spring break and I was sleeping over at a friend's house for the entire week.
reading the Nothing riddle I thought it went:
"What is greater than God,
eviler than the Devil,
the poor have it,
the rich don't,
and if you eat it you die"
then again... there are many versions of it
You aren't referring to the poorly rendered cherub in Chartres are you? You really have a lot of Gaul!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pendragon
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinHood3000
When I read it... my first guess was that the guy looked out the window and opening the window caused the dagger to slip and fall (remember the gargoyle was to the right, so if the dagger were to fall towards the window... with a guy looking out of it...) but that couldn't be though as the guy was in the center of the floor. Another question would be... if that was the case, what caused the dagger, knife, whatever... to fall.
LOL. I guess I'm missing something in your posts, mon ami, but no, I have no Gaul, my ancestry is British, German, and Native American (Cherokee). A Gaul is French n'est ce pas? :lol: :lol: :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mililalil XXIV
Anyway, about The Gargoyle House
This is what you are given:
#1 None of the three men mentioned investigating the case are guilty of anything, unless you count Wainwright's pompous stupidity.
#2 A man was stabbed to death in the back behind a closed, gaurded door. The only other entrences to the room are windows too high from the ground for a quick enterence and escape, and besides are closed.
#3 The Shadow looks out and notices a gargoyle just above and to the right of one of the windows.
#4 He then tells Inspector Cardona that if he looks he will figure it out.
So everything hinges on the view from that window. Let me now make a scientific statement: What goes up, must come down. Correct? Another statement: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Correct?
Can anyone now read between the lines or have I just made it more mysterious? :brow:
I've got it! It was # 3!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pendragon