Evening Star Newspaper, August 21, 1921, Page 56

P S his activities enlarged, Mal- colm Sage's fame had in- creased, and he was over- whelmed with requests, for as- sistance. Clients bore down upon him from all parts of the country, some even crossing the channel, while from America and the colonies came a flood of letters giving long, rambling de- tails of mysteries, murders and disap- pearances, all of which he was ex- Ppected to solve. - as nothing to, those who called. They arrived in parious stages of excite- ment and-agitation, only to be met by his secretary, Miss Gladys Norman, with a stereotyped smile and the equally stereotyped information that Mr. Malcolm Sage 5aw no one except by appointment, which was mever made until the nature of the would-be client's business had. been stated In writing. - The Surrey cattlesmaiming affair, and the consequent publicity it gave to the name of Malcolm Sage. had resulted in something like a siege of the bureau's offices. “The obvious is the rorrect solution of most mysteries.” he had once re- marked to Sir James Walton, “but there is always the possibility of ex- ception.” = The Surrey cattle-maiming mystery had been a case in point. Even more so was the affair that came to be known as “The Gylston Slander.” In this case Malcolm Sage arrived at the truth by a refusal to accept what, on the face of it, appeared to be the ob- vious solutiop. It was through Roger Freynes. the eminent K. C., that he first became in- terested in the series of anonymous letters that had created comsiderable scandal in the little village of Gyls- n. o ucked away Tn the northwest gor- ner of Hampshire. Gylston was a vil- lage of some eight hundred inhabi- . The v Rev. John Crayne, had -held the living for some twent years. Aided by his wife and daugh- ter Muriel, a pretty and high-spirited girl of nineteen, he devoted himself to the parish, and in return enjoyed Teat popularity. 3 B e Tat the vicarage was an ideal of domestic happiness. Mr. and Mrs. Crayne were devoted to each other and to _their ghter. and she to them. Murlel Crayne had grown up among the villagers. devoting herself to parish work as soon as she was old enough to do so: ear previously a new curate had |mu hour Was occupied in Mr. Crayne TON S ‘ Another Engrossing Mystery Story of Malcol | Detective. BY HERBERT JENKINS. fortunately my fountain pen has given out.” . “There is pen®and ink in the vestr; said-the vicar, impressed by the fact that the stranger had chosen the finest brasstin the church, one that had been saved from Cromwel's Puritans by the ingenuity of the then incumbent, who héd caused it to be covered with cement. Then, as an afterthought, the vicar added, “I can get your pen filled at the vicarage. My daughter has some ink; she always uses a fountain pen.” Subsequently Malcolm Sage was in- vited to the vicarage, where another showing him his collection of books on | Those who wrote, however, were |, 5 e s on brasses. As Malcom Sage made a movement to depart, the vicar suddenly remembered Zo % 7 72 Z 724 il | i manifest regret that he watched Mat- colm Sage’'s car disappear round the curve in the road. E next morning, in response to a Murdy called on Malcolm Sage. “Well, Mr. Sage," shook hands, “going to have another try to teach us our job,” and his blue eyes twinkled good-humoredly. “Did you see Mr. Biade?" inquired Malcolm Sage. “Saw the w! the cheery reply. he cried, as he hole Dblessed lot,” was “It's all as clear as milk,” and he laughed. Blade| say?” in- and, pleading “not guilty,” had been committed for trial. . The incident that led up to this} had taken place on the day that Mal- colm Sage 'left London. Late that afternoon Miss Crayne had arrived at the vicarage in a state bordering on collapse. On becoming more collected, she stated that on returning from paying_a call, and when half way through a copse, known locally as “Gipsies’ Wood,"” Blade had sprung out upon her and violently protested his passion. He had gripped hold of her wrists—the mark of his fingers was to be seen on the delicate skin—and threatened to kill her and himself. She had been terrified, thinking he meant to kill her. The approach of a \ W NN Blade have in writing letters to va- rious people suggesting an intrigue between his vicar's daughter and him- self; yet these letters were clearly. written ‘'by the same hand that ad- dressed those to the girl, her father and her mother. “If Blade were in love with the girl, what was there to prevent him from pressing his suit along legitl® mate and accepted lines. Murdy frankly acknowledges that there has been nothing in Blade's outward de- meanor to suggest that Miss Crayne was to him anything more than the daughter of his vicar.” “What do you make of the story of the assaulty’ “As evidence it is worthles re- plied Malcolm Sage, “being without corroboration. The farmhand did not actually see Blade. g “Having convinced myself that Blade had mothing to do with the writing of the letters, I next tfied to discover if there were anything throwing suspicion on others in the neighborhood who were known t» use ‘Olympic Script’ as note paper. “The schoolmaster, John Gray, was one. He is an admirer of Miss Crayne, according to local gossip: but it was obvious from the first that he had nothing to do with the affair. One by one I eliminated all the others, until I came back opce more to Blade. “It was clear that the letters were written with a fountain pen, and Blade always uses oge. That, how- ever, i8 not evidence, as millions pf people use fguntain pens. By the way, what fa your line of defense?’ he ‘inquired. % “Smashing ' the handwriting ex- perts? was the reply. assault?” queried Malcolm “There I'm done.” said Freynes. “for although Miss Crayne's evidence is not proof, it will be sufficient for a jury. Besides, she's a very pretty and charming girl. 1 suppose,”, he added. "Blake must have made some sort of declaration, which she, in the light of th: anonymous letters,/en- tirely misunderstood.” “What does he sa i “Denies it absolutely, although he | admits being in the neighborhood of | the ‘G catching sight of Miss Crayne in the | distance; but he says he did not speak to her.” . | “Is he going into tha/witness box?" “Certainly:” then after a pause he added, “Kelton is prosecuting, anil peal to the jury as fathers of daugh- ters and brothers of sisters.” “1 have asked Murdy to come round,” said Malcolm Sage. “I think that was his ring.” \ “Good evening, Mr. Sage” cried Murdy cheerfully. “Congratulations on the Adair business. Good evening. sir’ he added, as he shook hands with Freynes. Tk “Well, what do you think of {t?’ he inquired, looking from Malcolm Sage BY STERLING HEILIG. PARIS, August 9, 1921. MAN carried the crown jewels of France in a shabby valise, through the streets of Paris. perts: behind “That- quietly, e 2% 2% to Freynes. “It's a clear case now, 1 think” “Yow mean it's Blade?” Mal . Sage. “WHo else?’ inquired the inspector. “That is the question -which volves your being here now, Murdy, satd Malcolm Sage dryly. “We've got three handwriting ex- us,” said the inspector. - precisely where should be,” retorted Malcolm Sage “In the biblical sense. e done as 1 suggested?” ere are all the letters received up- to a fortnight ago,” 'said the in- ector, holding out a bulky packet. ‘hose received since have each been sealed up separately by the vira, who is keeping half of them, have the other half: but really, Mr. Sage, I don't understand—-—" “Thank you, Murdy,” said Malcolm Sage, as he took the pacl i always a pleasure to worl land Yard. It is so thorough. Without a word Malcolm Sage left the room, taking the packet with him. kX VWHEN he returned he found them discusging the Dempsey against Carpentier. Handing back .the packet of letters to Inspector Murdy, resumed his-seat and proceeded to relight his pipe. “Spotted the culprit, Mr. Sage?” in- quired the inspector. “I think so, was the quiet reply. “You might meet me -at Gylston vicarage tomorrow at three. graph to Blade to be there, too. had better bring the schoolmaster also.” You mean spector. “Exactly,” said Malcolm Sage. past eleven, and we all.requ.lre !.leep." e e e The next afternoon the study of the vicar of Gylston presented a strange appearance. Seated- at Mr. table was Malcolm Sage, a small at- | tache case at his side, whilst before him . were several packets. Grouped about Inspector Murdy. 'Gipsies Wood,” and actually | Mr. Gray and the vicar. With ~quiet deliberation Sage opened the attache case and produced a spirit lighted. He then placed a metal plate upon a rest above the flame. | he imposed a thicker plate of a simi- he’s as moral as a swan. He'll ap- |lar metal that looked like steel; but it had a handle across the middle, rather resembling that of a tool used by plasterers. “I should like Miss Crayne to be present,” he said. As he spoke the door opened and the curate entered, his dark. hand- some face lined and careworn. was obvious that he had suffered. He bowed, and then looked about him, without any suggestion of embarrass- ment. ? Malcolm Sage rose and held out his hand; Freynes followed suit. said the vicar to the maid as she was | closing the door. entered, pale but self-possessed. She | closed the door behind her. Instinc- tively she turned her eyes toward | Malcolm Sage. | out raising his ey open two of those packets? *1 should | explain that each of these contains one of the most recent of the series of letters with which we are con- cerned. Each was sealed up by Mr.! Crayne immediately in accordance with Inspector Mur- dy's request. Therefore, only the writer, the recipient and the vicar have had access Lo these letters.” open the two top envelopes, un(n!dpd‘xwm(_“ it had been used. When I the sheets of paper thcy oontalned,| and handed them to Malcolm Sage. pecting something; vet without quite knowing what. Malcolm Sage lifted bluish-colored letters which had not been there when the paper was smoothed out upon the blotting-pad. appeared the words: from the letter, Malcolm Sage had drawn a sheet of plain sermon paper from the rack before him. This he subjected to the same treatment as the letter. When a few seconds later | he exposed it, there in the center appeared the same words: but on this sheef the number was 203. Muriel Crayne fell forward on the she cried, and the next moment she | was beating the floor with her hands in violent hysterics. “JoROM the first I suspected the ’hln Robert Freynes and Inspector | Murdy sat smoking in the car that Tims was taking back to London at its best pace. a somewhat similar case occurred in France, that of Mariesde Morel, when | an innocent man was sentenced to ten years' imp; served eight before the truth was dis- covered. This suspicion was strength- lened by the lengthy account of the | phical ointment of an emperor.” Ine | affair written by Miss Crayne, which | Murdy obtaiped from her. The punc- tuation, the phrasing, the inaccurate | “Ask Miss Mariel to come here, A few minutes later Miss Crayne “Inspector Murdy he said, with- ill you please | it reached him, | Meanwhile the inspector bad cnt Every one bent forward, eagerly ex- he metal plate from the letter. here in the center of the page, in Malcolm Sage. ! August 12th, 1919. No. 138, Immediately he had lifted the plate Maleolm Sage. ! August 12th, 1919. Suddenly there was a scream, and | father, father, forgive me!"! * % ¥ % truth.” remarked Malcolm Sage, as Eighty-five years ago sonment, %nd actually 9 RICELESS Gems Carried About in Shabby Valise—Now Kept in “Burglar- ] —_—,—— use of auxiliary verbs, were identical with that of the anonymous letters. “The difficuity. however, was 1o prove it. There was only one way: to substitute secretly marked paper for thet in use at the vicarage “I accordingly went down to G ston, and the vicar found me keenly interested in monumental brasses. his pet subject. and Norman architecture. He invited me to the vicarage. In his absence from his study 1 substituted a supply of marked Olympic script in place of that in his letter rack. and also in the drawer of his writing table. As a further precaution I ar- ranged for my fountain pen to run out of ink. He kindly supplied me with a bottle. obviously belonging to his daughter. 1 replenished my pen. which was full of a chemical that would enable me, if necessary, to identify any letter in the writing of placed my pen. which is a self-filler, in the ink, I forced this liquid into the bottle. It was then necessary to wait until the fnk in Miss Cray: pen had become exhausted, and she had to replenish her supply of paper from her father's study. After that iscovery was inevitable.” t suppose she had denied it?” questioned the inspector. “There was the ink which she alone used, and which I could identify,” was the reply. “Why did you ask Gray to be pres- ent?” inquired Freynes. “As his name had been assoclated with the scandal it seemed only fair.” remarked Malcolm Sage, then turning to Inspector Murdy he said, “I shall leave it to you, Murdy. to see that a proper confession is obtained. The case has had such publicity that Mr. Blade's innocence must be made equally public.” y trust me. Mr. Sage,” said the! tor. “But why did the curate refuse 1o say anything?" “Because he is a high-minded and w do you account for Miss Crayne writing such letters about herself?" inquired the inspecto) “I'm not a pathologist. Murd marked Malcolm Sage. dryly. when you try to suppress hysteria in a young girl by sternness, it's about as effectual as putting ointment on a plague spot. “When you are next in Great Rus- sell street, drop in at the British Museum and look at the bust of Faus. tina. You will see that her chin is imilar in modeling to that of Miss “rayne.” “But who was Faustina?” inquired the inspector. unable fo follow the drift of the conversation. “Faustina,” remarked Malcolm Sage, “was the domestic fly in the philoso. spector Murdy Jaughed; for, knowing nothing of the marriage or the medi- tations of Marcus Aurelius. it seemed 10 him the only thing to d Crown Jewels of France Stored In Country Bank During War lked a quartet of out-of-town visitors, olviously her relations. The stout man was showing off. “The crown jewels!” he whispered heavily. “They were safe in a coun- try bank. all through the war. But they are not safe here—a window of There was not a venicte to| | proof " Mechanical Showcase in the Louvre. | [they are not sate here=a window of Le had. All the taxis and auto busses Many Bcl;eve Those on Display Are Only i A school teacher came with a part; A arrived In the person of Rev. Charles Blade. His frank, straightforward personality, coupled with his good looks and masculine bearing, had caused him to be g;e:ltllytllkleld‘ :o: e : only by the vicar an s fam! u! St 4 3 C P gmadents and. witnou MORE THAN ORDINARILY ATTENTIVE TO HER. The enemy was thundering down upon Imitations of World's Bxggest Stones. - the capital. 2 A | ! theft and recovery of the Mona Suddenly and without wn‘;ninz !l}e eace of the vicarage was destroyed. & . . . ?)ne morning Mr. Crayne received by | .. novier of the ink, apologized for his | quired Malcolm Sage, looking keenly ‘The ‘UPOIn jewels must be taken OuUt|. . ne fn 1886 at a pricelinpt above So 1 went to photograph them. {0 o spe e i the SN RS post an anonymous lgtter, in which | (i Fatier of the T B B0 oR e . | across at the inspector. . - of Paris. $5660,000. Armed with a special permit the ! hours.” the names of his daughter and the |jng""fe" minutes later with a bottle ust that he had nothing to say.” | copse. h ol cuiis i el s it T 10t Branah setate e ot ey D o e e curate were linked together in a Way | of fountain-pen ink. Malcolm Sage drew {a exact words: Can’ you re- | This story was borne out by Joseph |flat. The director of national muscums | such a fragment of romantic France I were in the Gallery of Apoilo ok olemn youns ms that caused him both pain and anX-ffrom his pocket his pen and proceeded | member queried Maicolm | Higgins, the farm laborer in question. { handed it to the subsecretary of state | for any money? - |fore opening howrs.” The sun was v~ have suppressed fety. to replenisi the ink from the bottle. | Sage. He had arrived to find Miss Crayne |for Beaux Arts and took’ a receipt. Cardinal Mazarin, the poor boy who striking in the east w dows of that " he said, *“so that atchmen 7 A'man with a strong sense of honor | Finally he completed the transcriptio “Oh, yes” replied the _inspector, |in a state of great alarm and agita- |1hree days the shabby valise stayed in | became master of France. one of the | glorious long hall where sleepless | must stay awake all night himself, he cordially despised the|of the lettering of the brass from a|“He said, ‘Inspector Murdy, I have |tion. and he had walked with her as|the modest flat—until the Beaux Awts |dictators of Europe and secretlyCharles IX walked melancholy at! ‘Then how about the broken win- anonymous letter-writer, and his first | rubbing produced by the vicar. nothing to say’ and then he shut up | far as the vicarage gate. He did not,|man could get a train for X: (The | rnarrfed husband of the widowed|daybreak with his little dogs, wait- [dow?" inquired the grocers’ expert. railroads were packed with - Arriving | queen, was a grand collector. In his|ing for the court to wake and amuse| A weedy little father of three fine were ryshing soldiers to the batfle of » B lbleupien impossible for a thi de inside the Gallery of Apollo. is kept lighted all night and sinc W ih !tarm laborer had saved her, and the | curate had disappeared through the instinct had been to ignore that P like & real Whjtatable.” ~| however, actually see the curate. _ n 2 which he had just yeceived. .On sec- “He was away yesterday,” re-| On the strength of this statement |troops and fleeing Parisians.) id_age he wept over this peachblow |him. Now, a guardian of the repub- | girls joined the discussion. ond thoughts, h ©. ‘he Feasoned [ A S they crossed the hafl-dy fabr &irl| n,riceq Malcolm Sage, who then told | the police had applied for a warrant,| At X—— the Beaux Arts man took a | diamond: “Must I leave you lic_was doing it without dogs. “If 2 window has been broken,” he that the writer would be’ unlikely to suddenly rushed out fram & door on | the inspector of his visit. “How |and had subsequently arrested the cure céupfry bank., The wonderful stone had been found ‘To photograph the crown jewels!” |said authoritatively, “it's to make the rest content with a single letter; butf . o0 op ‘ing hysterically. | about John Gray, the schoolmaster?” |curate. Later he appeared before the |Its pro@endtieslly burglah vault | en the dead body of the Duke of|read the permit. {public think of an outside job. would, in all probability, make the |the right. She was crying hyste Y- | he queried. magistrates, had been remanded, and |sheltere® ‘the Zcrown jewels perfectly|Burgundy in the Swiss swamp af-i wrpen you believe thev're here?” ; Evervbody knows that they have same = calumnious statements to | Her hair was disordered, her deep violet | "“.ge TRIC 1 11e 151d me to go to|finally committed for trial, ‘bail being | throughout thé entire war—because no- | ter the battle of Granson, by a SWiss | pe gaig. “Those Parisians are crazy. |found a way to get into the palace . were so impressed by that coun- {from the cellars of the Rue de Rivoli. roughout the war they remained|eral times it was bought for the |y bank idea tnat they cannct get it out| “That's true” said a stout dame, allowed. body had an idea that they were there | sjidier. ~ After changing hands - |They hers. ye med with d, d her moist vil,” was i y. = othe eyes rimmed with red, an the devil," was the genial reply. In-|allowed =~ ke e rrer consulting with his wife. he|lips seemed to stand out strangely red | spector Murdy was accustomed to ad reluctantly questioned his daugh- rudeness; his profession invited it, ter. At first she was inclined to treat | 382inst the alabaster paleness of -her |\ G®4 % h N0 Zh and-ready form of the matter lightly: but on the grave | Skin. reasoning, rudeness meant innocence; nature of the accusations being point- politeness, guilt. &d out" to her. she had become greatly | ¢ the sight of a stranger the girl had nd yet the vicar would not hear embarrassed and assured him that the S inraialls curate had never been more than|Paused. then, as if realizing her tear- yajeolm Sage. turning the copper ordinarily attentive to her. stained face and disordered hair, she |ash-tray round with his restless The vicar decided to allow the mat- | turned and disappeared through the door } fingers. ter to rest there. and accordingly he | gi "\ hich she had rushed “Sheer good nature and kindness, made no mention of the letter to fa > Mr. Sage” he said. “He's Bs gentle Blade.’ “My 'daughter,” murmured the vicar, | as a woman." MA welek la rhm; dflm;(h!edr brought {a little sadly. Malcolm Sage thought. “‘l «lwm‘tg kne : mn‘l‘\i.“threlrnlart’e‘d m a letter she had found lying in |« 2 ;| Malcolm Sage. “who eaf at in the the vicarage grounds. - It contained| st and madonas he oiged SRl y the master-key 2 passionate declaration of love, and | considering some explanation necessary. eries, past, pres- ended with a threat of what might | “We have to be very stern with her on happen if the writer's passion were|such occasions. It is the only way to Rat ge.” not reciprocated. repress it.” inspector. “We haven't time for Although the letter was unsigned, | *You find it answers?” remarked Mal- | dreaming at _the yard" he added the vicar could not disguise from |colm Sage. good-temperedly, as he rose and himself the fact that there was a| “She has been much -better lately, [ fhook himself like a Newfoundland marked simildrity between the hand- |although she has been sorely tried. Per- | d0g: = writing of the two anonymous letters [ haps you have heard.” )} "I suppose it never struck you to and that of his cufite.” He decided, | Malcolm Sage nodded absently, as Me | look elsewhere than at the curate's| "“To hang a man because his ‘s’ re- | SIQUY of each GTLIREIR. W0 0 00 o0 oo therefore. to ask Blade if he could [azed intently at the thumhnail of hisjlodgings for the writer of the let-|sembles that of an Implicating docu- |, O% "% & TUOC 08 B T8 MRCech vg throw any light on the matter. right hand. A minute later he was|ters?’ inquired Malcolm Sage quleuy.‘mm_ Temarked Malcolm Sage, as he |lies on pale mauve eatin, the Regent's of the assault and the writing of the |there in the shabby valise—the most|King of Portugal. A hundred years i g v =i : e . letters; but two handwriting experts precious Jewels in the world by thelr |later. s French baron secured it_for L e e o e e L g e e ad testified to i associations. s king, the romantic Henri IV. Sent tibey o handwriting u‘f ';‘};ea:lomn;_l;‘:;i lbe(n!e':': The Regent's diamond—greatest of | by theg!mnd of a faithful servant, the The great glass case was empty. “":’,“h:,i ::e‘i;en:‘rfi:“n-saues =t with that of the curate. Furthermore, {jewels. ilatter was attacked on the road. He!lAlso. it had no top. The bell of St %% ® grocery man was clearly wor- £ U vaver dhac Biadeiused ""i The value of the world's great stones | Sath It was found, in his body. £0- |, . <aid. pointing to the floor. L perThe crown jewels are mot safe, Malcolm Sage had just started a |d0es not depend on their size and purity l yonted this novel burglar-proof vault | He began unlocking several locksNei€iine repeated. = = 1 new deal when the door opened and |alone, but on their history and adven-| (.s"de Sancy—by whose name the|With beautiful big keys. In a hol e e i SEe Rogers showed in Robert Freynes. |tures, and the personages who Wore|gjizmond has been often called: but it |Which opened he inserted a heavy !, “LheY'7e safe.” he whispered loud- “It's looking pretty ugly for{them. loved them. lost them, or com-|ceased to be the de Sancy diamond, |crank and he began to turn. It was '¥p, OBt TREyTE not heres” Blade,” remarked Freynes, recogniz-|Mitted crimes to win them. less, | 2fter some new adventures. heavy winch work. Inch by inch up| How? What? =Everrbody mobbed ing by the substitution of the briar| The Regent's diamond, nevertheless.} Tnese adventures give the stone its| rose the glass top of the empty case : ‘"Ll TO0K WA 5 for the meerschaum that Malcolm [Tanks also finest and most perfect | sgycy value in the eves of sentimental |from a trick trap in the fooring. The | " gic CFONT Jewels are in the Bank Sage was ready for conversation. Europe as a stone. 1t weighs 137 carats, | English people. It came into the pos- | entire inside case, in fact, was com- | 2% DTARSE he sal nd these are “Tell me.” and its only superior in mere size, the| o,ion of Charles T of England. He!ing up from a black hole—from the | **7¢! nitatlonu “It's those damned handwriting eg- | OTIOff, 194 carats, belonged to the Rus- {n e Stout 12dy mopped her perspir- & J 3 ho knows™ where it perts,” growled Freynes. ‘“They're|Sian crown. and wi = e = s § ERE RO g e “greatest. anomaly of our logal|Mow is? THhird. used to rank the Floren- . . I ‘Everybody knows it “When the kings of France lived here of the arrest of Blade,” murmured " smiled the she said. The Parrot Feather. ‘ HEARD near the old fountain in the sunken plaza at the morth front of the Treasury. “What is {t?" “Oh. system. The judge always warns the | tine, 133 carats, in the Austrian crown | ewels, and who knows where it Is?l jury of the danger of accepting their |3\ evidence; vet each side continues to|The Koh-I-noor of the Eitish sxown, produce ‘them. 1It's an insult to in-|fel8hs only 100 carets, o o and telligence and justice.” SEDAMS ARG St 0Ky . R - story of each of them. : o . At first the young man had ap- | %alking down the drive, his thoughts| “It ngver strikes me to look about| placed a red queen om a black knave, s b b it is something or other that grows. peared " bewildered: ~ then he hid | ocoupied With the pretty daughter of the | for sonfe onewhen I'm sitting on his | *is ‘about as sensible as to imprison | It came to Europe In the pocket of Lt : - - T 210 Ssiow s misvs, bk X S e pledged his word of honor. not only | Vicar, of Gylston. A ches! mgrhed Inspector Mur@y. = |him becaute he has the same accent | o€\ a8 5 FANANNE o Vcier) hie ob- 4 > gl . that he had not written the letters, |, At"the curate's lodgings he was told| “True” said Malcolm Sage. “BY|as a foolpad.” - e I o D oy o E 4TS 5 gotten it And so forth. but that there was no truth in the | st Mr. Blade was away, and would|the way. he "continued, “without| ‘They there's Blade's astonishing |on("Janielcnund. Hindoo merchant. for . The object of this line of talk is not return un late that night. ooking up, “in future can you let|apathy,” continued Freynes. “He Y ve Ou v - As he turned from the gate, Malcolm | me see every letter as it Is received? | seems $100,000. These detalls Pitt gave out in the‘ T:en xr;v:m M'-‘Xch most per. Sage encountered a pale-faced, narrow- | You might also keep careful record qeons/interestod fn _puch matters have shouldered man with a dark moustache | of how théy are delivered. |learned to call “parrot feather,” a and a hard, peevish mouth. “Certainly, Mr. Sage. Anything popular name suggested by the green plume-like masses of the plant. Tt was ten or twelve years ago that this To Malcom Sage's question to| that will ma#%ke you happy. which was the way to the inn, hel “Later I may get you to ask the Rodded in lheddlrefiloledfronlx“ which ! vicar to seal up any subsequent e had come and continued on his way. | anonymous letters that reach him | Malcolm Sage, imperturbably, “is too | money-burning French regent for 3 lant was set out i *x %% “A man who has failed in what he | without allowing any one to see the [concerned with the crossing of a ‘t,’ the | $650,000—at a period when money had ; ll:asln Col sreather l:'n:h:: f:um::,n dotting of an ‘i’ or the tail of a ‘g’ to|ten tirags its present purchasing e P - eliiesy St e give time and thought to the way in|value. Any price, today, would be a the gardener of the Treasury sets out which the writer uses, for instance, the | fancy price; but it would fetch a bit of the same species of plant each spring and by summer it has compound tenses of verbs. Blade was (7000000, were it concelvably for reached such a growth that most per- no more capable of writing those let- | 5.je and anybody dared to buy it. It a e |sons notice it. When parrot feather ters than our friend Murdy is of trans- | might have been pr:tentious. literating the Rosetta Stone.” When the French crown jewels s was planted in the Treasu CROWN JEWELS OF FRANCE. fountain this is what was written in “‘Yes; but can we prove it?' asked|ere sold at auction in 1886, four ding—the regent diamend, the great The Star about jt: Freynes, gloomily, as with the blade of . L peniife e ooeened the.totaceo tn certain objects were withheld from bid: the bowl of his pipe. ‘“Can we provel by ithe Mazarin diamond, and the “What was an old-fashioned fountain " he repeated and, snappi 2 g, assed it to his son before He was|cement chamber hidden in the ma- |, ;Wh o, ne're L sword hilt ofINdpoleontastoo preclous Deneaded and it was exactly “the sole | sonry below the fioor! Ircing (aSBHEEY Wt s el * 0k toihe B0ld, and pres % TTC | fewel remaining” which the wander-| And suddenly the sunlight pouring | ransmuted by the landscape gar- 1o:be bough ing Prince Charlie sold to_Mazarin |in the windows lit up glints of topaz, | dener. or landscape architect, as these to, he replaced it in his pocket. «LADE'S sermons,” Malcolm Sage * K * % for $25,000 at the Palace of Blois—in |amethyst, emerald, chrystoberyl, gentlemen prefer to be called, into a statements they contained. TWo evenings jJater, one of the churchwardens called at the vicar- age and produced from his pocket a letter he had received that morning, in which were repeated the scandal- ous statements contained in the first epistle. seems quite indifferent to the gravity |2 hi pamphlet to mitigate the odium of Nord. A ame might Ehink he Ruew | Other stories of the acquisition, summed the feal culprit and was trying to|po Jn FOPe's lines of the “Man of shield him,” and he sucked moodily Atleep and naked s the Indian at his pipe. An honest factor stole the gem away! “The handwriting expert,”” continued | Ppitt sold it _dirt-cheap the s set out to accomplish,”” was Malcolm JFROM then on the district was del- | Sage's mental diagnosis of John Gray, | Go enacs »ged with anonymous letters, all | the Gylston schoolmaster. O ihout doubt, if T ask him.” ‘sald referring to the alleged passion of [ It Was not long before Malcolm Sage | tne nspector, surprise in his eyes as the curate for the vicar' realized that the village of Gylston was |y jooked down upon the cone of bald- 2 e Iatrra e ecar's daughter. {intensely proud of ftself. It had seen In | nCyy “beneath him, realizing what a an e intrigue ey were carryin e ndon papers accounts of the mys- t reors | tertous scandal of which it was the cen. | handicap it is to talk to a man who Do you think he would . on together. Some of the letters S, keeps his eyes averted. ter. A Scotland Yard officer had been | K€SBS 1S ves AvertRd- oy ory iy “were frankly indelicate in their ex- |down, and had subjected many of the lace where no one can possibly, pression and, as the whole parish |inhabitants to a careful cross-examina- |2 P! g = tion. In consequence Gylston realized ODtain access to them. One thing i Seethed with the scandal, the vicar ! more,” continued Malcolm Sage; “will appealed to the police for aid. e a village to be reckoned | [0 Miss Crayne to write oyt the One pecularity of the letters was| The Tired Traveler was the center|full story of the letters as far a that all were written upon the ame (of all rumor and gossip. Here each she personally is acquainted with it? paper, known as “Olympic Script.”!night in the public_ bar, or in the| “Very well, Mr. Sage,” said the in- “This was supplied locally to a num- | private parlor, according to their so- | Spector, with the air of ome humor- ber of people in'the neighborhood, ; cial status, the inhabitants would for- | ing a child. “Now I'll be going.” He and others, the vicar, the curate, and | gather and discuss the problem of the | Walked toward the door. then sud- the schoolmaster. mysterious letters. Every sort of }den Soon the story began to find its|theory was advanced, and every sort ‘waey into the newspapers, and Blade's | of explanation offered. Whilst popu- |about the curate? tion one full of difculty |lar -epinion tended to the view that; “Ill tell you later.” was the reply. l “When' you find the master key?’ laughed the inspector, as he opened i e 5 ifice - thi mas decoration. It is the color of &s you have been able to collect, show Jewels? Twenty Years After. traordinary golden edifice that rose The king, you say, of course, biit]state; and her: l‘t is. “On the left the crown of Na-paUY EICEl T00 e M the top oF quently uses the colon and the semi-|yy let Mme. de Pompadour play that Txm great ruby has as grandlose | OF CEENETETC T By onis XV, but |feathery and plumey passes. This will . P continued, “and such letters of his WHO owns a kingdom's crown |fact as well as in Dumas’ romance of | goon and alexandrite ~from an ‘ex- strange device suggestive of a Christ- bequeathed it to the French | between two queer old crowns. emerald, or shamrock, or something that he adopted a very definite and pre- e 2qually green anf dear. It Is growing cise system of punctuation. He fre- | tney're not his to burn. King Louls % e e e i~ e ‘Paid 20n | the fountain and then falling in - ¢ i ! h “the - colon, and always in the right place. Injregent's gem was really hers, and associations for the French. HOW | robbed of its greatest jewels. In the :g:} e JL':"J." N:n{':;l'l""!;,ml b and embarrassment. He had. con-!the curate was the guilty party, thera. lted Robert Freynes. who had been were some who darkly shookc thelr 4 parenthetical clause preceded by the | parie Antolnette, being queen, knew [could they auction oft the marvelous|middle, the last glory of the old|{ {fngonc ‘of” the fountain and conjunction ‘and,’ he uses a comma French kings. It is the commemor- at Oxford with his father, and the|heads and muttered, “We shall see.” | the door. - e nd s ot that _the _glorious piece of ice|stone which King_ Francis I_made o Ly QEIMEMOr- | will hide the bubbling and dripping K. C» convinced of the young mans| DUring the half hour that Malcolm | <Yes, when I find the master key.” | rcom\as, S0l not before It as most | was hers to /wear: but both Dut it|the very foundation of the French |ative symbol of the peace Of Teschen. | water. Of course it is a marine plant. innocence, had sought Malcolm Sage's|Sage spent st he Tired Traveler |sata Maicolm Sage. quietly, ‘and as |2 'but ne without gxdprion usen a | back ‘honestiy. edch -time, in the|crown Jewels? B T msmrtcs At Thousands of persons passing the a eating a hurried meal, he heard ali | the door closed behind Inspector Mur- | semicolon. " The Word ‘oniy.’ he always | cTown jewels fireproof safe as safest| "Jt'glows red. hot, like a dull fire | ™230Ry d0ce France have it2” I ask- | Treasury have stopped and stared at ‘'You see, Sage,” Freynes had re-|there was to be heard about local he continued to finger the COpPer | puts in its correct place. In short, he | there. "One day, however, Louis XVI |yt ig the greatest ruby in the world.| .3 ".Tne war ‘of the Bavarian suc- w 2 marked, “I'm sure. the boy is straight | opinion. ash tray ag if it were the master Key. | is so academic as to savor somewhat of |'t00k a paltry $175,000 worth of small ' Although uncut, and merely as a g‘zmon as a scrap between all the | Many questions. and incapable of such conduct; but| The'landlord, a rubicund old fellow * % %k % the pomposity of the eighteenth century. | diamonds and rubies from the crown| aw stone, it would probably feteh [ Gérmans®™ When the questions first began to it's impossible to talk to that ass! Whose baldness extended'to his eye- ¢ s Turning to. the anonymous letters, it [JuUnk, to pay a certain debt of Marie| g 500,000 today; but it was worn by | iM% ch oy museum guard |come in nobody on duty at the Treas- Murdy, He has no more fmagination | 1ids, was bursting with information. MALCOLM SAGE was seated at a|must be admitted that the handwriting | Autolnette,oandl it started the French|Sclomon, they say, who recelved iif i gightened himself worthily. ury could answer them. So they sent ‘than a tin-linnet." By nature capable of making a mys- small green-covered table play- |i8 very similar; but there all likeliness | revolution” ‘rom the Queen of Sheba. It came to|® Ul n (™ o0 ™ adiator, for a plant-wise man from the Bo- Freynes' reference was to Chief|tery out of & sunbeam, he reveled | Tiekire Al vaizac s to Blade's sermons and correspondence| The, national assembly called it |gyrépe with the Moors of Granada: simply. “France received this token ;&nl_c ?tlrden o‘r ’:hetl:‘»;m;tmonxfl?c Inspector Murdy, of Scotland Yard,|In the scandal that hummed arouhd({ing sol 3 velvet smoking |ends, . Murdy has shown me. nearly all stealing, and ordered all crown jeW-|poter the Criel murdered one of their | 200 NG o " it qe. Blessed are the p;r;lc: buep Suh da s ,'—'} z:x ey 3 2 z d Is to be taken from the palace fire H 5 Who had been intrusted with the |him. ket -and & pair of ‘ wine-colored |the anonymous letters, and In the whole [els to be taken from the palace fre; | princes, to snatch it from his breast. | nCic mayers: DROpieTL Mhe omamy a ey inquiry, the local i After a quarter of an hour's con- P series there is not one instance of the d _thi rt of its story Alex- Droved” unogual to the prsblent 18 | versation, the landlord's conversation, | MIOrocco Blippers suggegted that the|iSils (e semicolon being used. The | Strong room—just a pretext to insuit the | AT SUNG this PERL Of, 118 T yigorT | | As he spoke the case, 1o longer|Then they had the plant-sharp write Although Malcolm Sage had prom- | Malcolm 'Sage found = himself pos- |day's work was done. punctuation is of the vaguest, consist- | king end to try their power. fcal romance—Batard de Mauleen. B o g flashes. biinding |1t out for them and they set down the fsed Robert Freynes that he would|Sessed of a bewlldering amount of | Patience, chess and the cinema were | ing largely of the dash, which, after all,| In the national strong room the| gy, "the great ruby began its newl{n The Ceve like heaped electric undertake the inquiry into the Gyl-|Rew material.. % his' unfailing sources 'of inspiration |18 & literary evasion. ) Jewels "‘Nu'“e-fl "h;‘- '1‘“"~ ‘};'e‘- caventares, ~ Through the reigning 18, e oo, WIS €200, Gy ston scandal, it was not until nearly ‘A young gal don't have them hon ] cagedl upon & Taors. Atiny In_these letters the word ‘but’ fre- | Quite nl*;m by"}‘x un-“ "'“"'Q:Ka y f . Foix—with whom it had ereen. orange, opalescent, shimmer- a week later that he found himselt | highsterics for nothin' 8 0 - quently appears without any punc-|were stole y the etto oob: | 3N kinds of adventure—it came to e and dancing, and beside them, at liberty to motor down into Hamp- marked darkly. “Has usually difficult case. He had once | tuation before it. At other times How . the king laughed, poor boob!| %, o 0f Brittany. And so, ldter, hav- oy eflul‘efice > pure fountai shire. every now and then ever since she |51q Sir James Walton that they clari- |it his & comms, a dash, or a full stop, |In the greatest police inguiry of the |ing j¢ by inheritance, Francis T made | 570 08 SRNECIC® 4 Piucocne™ the One afternodn the vicar of Gyl-|Was & flapper, sobbint and cryin’ fit|geq nis brain_and. co-ordinated his|, “Such phrases as ‘If only you-kn gboch, most of the stolen Jewele Were i’ ine foundation stone of the French | o€ EUUSTAg UERG, W TRt o0 ston, on ‘entering his_church, ‘found | {0 break ‘er heart, and the vicar that | tnoughts, the “cinema -in ‘particular. |L should have loved to have been. ‘dif- | fnally, recovered. (It has Pothing to 3 e started the|mMOSt Der 8 stranger on-his knees fn the chan- [ T8 W Ner, : t to| ThS fact: that in the surrunding |{Srn’ RN NIUCR COPERE 10, TGS 1811 €2 bt that her desire for & glorious | collgetion in 1530, The museum guard laughed happily. ‘cel. Notebook in-hand he was trans- t is considered the bes! darkness were hundreds - of other [ 57 WO g 0T BlaAe e, klace of he 8 rious|” The four precious and peculiar jew- ) . [The muscuty ERSTG LOSTRC hAE N ‘Scribing the Inscription of a monu- | jreat hysterical ‘pecple,” remarked [y qng,. vital and active, appeared to|Fossible 1o 8 man of Blage's meticulous | focklase o b Tenons . siane sluded €ls are now again in the Louvre Pal- | THSIC Fhev, (Fes o ‘mental" brass. aybe,” was the reply, “hut she's | Stimulate his own Imagination. ous Fastor I the Whole case 15 the way | search; and at last it was found, in exposed to public: view in the |See them: The great’ rby the As the “vicar approached, he ob-|oniy & gal, and D e oo fe | Nearly a month had elapsed since [ 295 10108, 0 (UE REO.C SHC0, 08 e, Ona | the hands of & wineshop keeper, who | Galiery of Apollo. They repose in a LNl “#5R" can ‘estimate the served. that the stranger was. vIgor- | Snisd |ocon ooy LY 0, 100,” he | 1o had agreed to take up the inquiry | was thro: fhtorin fiy<on: to, Missihad bought: it fro tranger for | sensational trick cade of steel and J TP RCRT Teomg hilt? It is & ously shaking & fountain pen, from | armen o the Lchoolmaster,” e |Into the authorship of the series of | Srayne's 1ap, she tella US, when She and | $10¢ o —. mEasstrang T [Diate giass, supposed fo_ be abso- |YAlue of that eword Witz It fs & which the ink had evidently been tinued, “'ates - the curate 'like |anonymous letters with which GYl- | her father were driving home after din- | In all probability both_this stone |lutely .burglarproaf, befause ‘the, "%y one to do Napoleon honor, austed. SoTson. ‘e, does. . Sheulan't be sur. |ston and the nelghborhood had been |ncr at the Hall, Another was discovered |and the koh-i-noor are portions of |'Whole business descends through the |l 7 cq afey years ago at $3,000,000, b1 b 4 m?rfl“‘,. i e '";" prised if it was him that done it. 'E's m’““{ yet still the matter remained |in the vicarage ‘?mn. A third was | the fabulous diamond belonging to the wmafi:‘fifi;gg‘; - ,:::;:":; g‘;‘"";l’; and today beyond kprlcegforl wl brasses?” inqu the vicar, as he b Bit tin that quar- |@ mystery. : thrown. through Miss Crayne'’s bedroom | grand mogul in 1526+ the greatest the | would dare to break up Napoleon’ entered the chancel, and the stranger ?el;v;{::mer;n has Mr. Gray. Got talked | For a fortnight Malcolm 'Sage had | window. e ize ada palace and not in any room at all! . A few of the earlier group |ever known, beauty. Its sword hilt? See it glitter! Do _you rose to his feet. ‘I am the vicar,”|about a good, deal one time, 'angin’|been on ‘the continent in connection | were ted in the neighboring town of | story went back, with the pageant of | - Yet, there is & queer rumor. doubt those stones? All right. Now, he explained. - There was a look of|about arter. Mids-Muriel,” added the|with the theft of the Adair diamonds. i ys that Blade | the Indes, 5,000 years, to the mines{ Have the French authorities :om& listen to the foolish Paris public!” eager interest in the pale gray. eyes|loquacious publican. Two days previously, after having re- | was certainiy not there. of Goleconda; and it had been worn rmfl confidence in their strong an x % & % that looked out from a placid, schol-| By the time Malcolm Sage had fin- | stored the famous jewelg to Lady| *That was going to be one of my|by Karna, hero oelebrated in the|ingenlous burglarproof device—a . érly face. e ished his meal, the landlord was well [ Adair,_he had returned to London, fo |strongest points,” remarked Freynes. of ara i nefl ‘box that is not in any room at THE first party to approach was led % “I was taking the liberty of copy-|in his stride - scandalous remi-[find-that ‘the Gylston affair had de- ““The letters alwa imply that}]{ Yet there. are men. who,. just to TN ruin:thera? by a stout and prosperous man, name in a big book in the office of the captain of the watch. When per- sons would ask the name of the cri- ous plant the book would be opened and the questioner would read this: “Myriophylum prosefinacordis.” That is the name of the plant. The firet word is easy. but the second is a sticker for anybody who is weak and lame in the classics. The phylum” part of it is easy. is from the Greek word meaning ten d, from which also comes Y] " “Phylum” is from “phyl- ' » the Greek for lgaf, just as the Latin “folia” means leaf. The wo.- “prosefinacordis” presents difficulties. Perhaps “pro-se” is an arrangemen of the words “pro” or forward and “sepere.” to creep, meaning to creep forward. “Fina”™ probably has some relation’ to “pinna” which means and whence ‘we gel * and *“pen.” “Cor. and . or fu rrowed) “ing the inscription om this,” replied | niscence. .It was with obvious re-|veloped a new. and dramatic phase.|there 'is some’ obstacle existing be-|have and wegr it, would gaur the 5 with & watch charm of the Gropers' ~Malcolm Sage,: indicating the time- | luctance that he allowed so admirable | The curate had been arrested for P the te: the girl he de- , called peach. iAccording-to Parislan rumor, the; ! worn, brass at hlle tcu:_"nnw & listener w'uw‘: and it was with ! threatening .to murder ' Miss' sires,* What . blowe altbough® valued, merely ap &' m'mru’fl. Elo=x \'. -~ #8yndical Chamber. With his wife i s