Sparkling Stars #14

This 1946 fact-checker's feature debunks a common misconception about Napoleon's time at Elba, clarifying the historical record of his title and compensation during his exile.

Detective Click Hunt tracks a pattern of high-society jewel thefts back to Murdo, a notorious criminal he believed was behind bars—but when a valuable necklace disappears from Mrs. Chadderox's home during a sculptor's session, Hunt's investigation into the maid and the artist yields no obvious culprit. As Hunt closes in on Murdo's jewelry shop, the case takes a colorful turn that reveals the mastermind's cunning method.

"Wild Life" traces the tragic decimation of the American buffalo herds after the Civil War, when settlers armed with rifles hunted the great plains herds not for survival but for profit, driving the species toward extinction and devastating Native American tribes dependent on them for food. The story then shifts to show how government conservation efforts—from protecting buffalo herds to scientifically breeding and transplanting fish and establishing winter shelters for deer—represent a turning tide in how America approaches its wildlife. It's a sobering look at environmental recklessness followed by the slow work of restoration.