The evening world. Newspaper, December 24, 1914, Page 9

oN ee a RTE SIAN LST TN SE a I 'y The Evening World Daily Magazine. Thursday, December 24; 1914 us MOU 66 sa?? (Convriaye, 191 ry | SteENNNNNNNN HMRONNNNDIENN CE HR Un | | Gi‘A Message to Garcia” xt: By Robert Minor|® Britz of Headquarters?’ g Next Weel's Complete Novel in The Evening Wor A New York Detective Story Sea (Copyright, 1010, Moffat, Yard Co. apt OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS, That Is “Different” | By Marcin Barber E take the desperate chance of spriug- ing from his perch and trying to strike the cobra with his heels, or, failing that, seizing it Lee nec! Yar to throttlo it. je instinct of self-preservation, however, stronger than rage. Brits was will 2 lie eas ing enough to risk his life in the ful- 7s 4 5 vl stolen them, fra a cite smatsiny te Hlntons Cy Work ° ! Taere Hrite an re ate cobra. CHAPTER XI. (Continued) MEER HEN began a motion of the head like that of a water- spout to a point at least knee-high of a tall man. The head bent forward slightly, and the neck on both sides distended slowly until the loose flesh formed a sort of hood behind and Slightly above both sides of the nar- row, wicked forehead of the serpent. “Look!” cried Fitch. “That is the unmistakable sign of a cobra, the deadiy hooded snake of India. It is dike no other member of the serpent family, When you see that head commence to come out—don't walt to see the rest.” “About how long do you think it will stay there, doctor?” asked tho detective. ‘ntl it either gets us or forgets us,” answered the physician, “The distension of the skin about the neck in that way means that the beast is angry. Ouce it is thoroughly aroused it never gives up until it strikes its victim or is killed—unless something more startling happens to distract its @teention.” * futher looks as if we were trapped,” aiite sald. “Somewhat,” rejoined Fitch. “We're here to stay unless that reptile goes.’ "Can wo kill it, do you think?” asked the detective. “We might if we had a machine gun—have you got a pistol?” The detective drew his automatic, “Guess there's nothing accidental about this little sunshine being In tho room,” said Hritz musingly. “Those Oriental stropgari@ers probably figured it out that one or both of us would come here, and so they ar- ranged this ploasing little surprise party. I think it is worthy a place in the society columns as one of the successes of tho season.” Brits in a moment or two realized Soraks isa bad target. That swaying, tral-tinted body was no easy mark the most practiced marksman, first shot went wide, The bullet imbedded itself in a leg of the table with a rasping sound that only in- ‘urlated the cobra the more. Britz, his nerve slightly shaken by the miss, fired again quickly, shivered the bowl of the narghileh and caused the snake Yo oscillate more and more violently, It became apparent he would gain nothing by aiming at Its head, ‘Til have a try at him 'midships,” he said. Only three loaded cartridges re- mained in the revolver, and as Britz found no extra ones in any of his pockets he knew he must make the most of those he had. A third time the pistol cracked, The bullet grazed the serpent’s flesh, but did not injure the spine. Quickly the upraised part of the body sank upon the coil, but it reared itscif again !n an instant and the furious darting of the tongue re- vealed that the reptile was more en- raged than before. “Want to take a crack at it, doc?” esked the detective, handing the weapon to the physician. Fitch had no poor idea of himself as a fancy shot, but he found his muscular control too sadly shaken by his narrow escape from the cobra to shoot straight. His shot—the fourth —was der miss than any of the detective's had been. He handed the pistol back to the Headquarters man and shook his head. “You're the man to stay on the firing line,” he said. Britz eyed the revolver grimly, In ‘its blue-steel chamber were four empty cartridges and only one that held the potentiality of release from their dangerously uncertain refuge on the chiffonier, Crooking his left arm, he used the angle made by his elbow as @ rest and levelled the long blue barrel of the big-calibred weapon steadily, Pausing until the swaying of the serpent diminished as much as it apparently was going to do, he fired. A writhing, twisting snarl was the result, The cobra coiled and un- coiled with electric rapidity, trav- elling in circles all over the space between the chiffonier and the table whence Britz had lassoed the pistol. Plainly the reptile was hit-—-mortally wounded, he thought, but os he start- ed to descend impatiently Fitch seized Am and literally flung him back on the chiffonier's smooth top. “Not. yet," said the doctor, ner- vously, “Let's wait a minute.” It was. profitable patienc after probably a minute of te Mtrugging the cobra returned to tt: coll and once more reared its he: The gray body throbbed flercely, but loser scrutiny showed the man the snake had not been hit with fatal re- Sault, Suddenty the physician seized Britz’s arm in a nervous grasp, “By Jupiter!” he exclaimed, "You've shot out its tongue! True ugh, The fifth bullet had passed between the gaping jaws of the reptile and taken off the greater part of that darting scarlet thread as neatly as a sharp instrument coald snuff a candle, While the wound Joubtiess caused agony to the snake, it did not lessen its anger, The pot- son-charged fangs remained in its Mouth, and the cutting off of ita tongue swelled its fury to the ult mate degy ‘Brita dropped the pistol on the Miffonier and thrust beth hands in Nis pockets, tree for " he said, “Noth- ping in the artillery line.” 8 your lust cartridge?" his head affirmatively. An expression of slow wrath gath- ered tn the Headquar: man's face, an he stared at the ying serpent euch a t distance below. One he was ungry enough to re. filling of his duty, so tong as the risk meant a fighting chance to win. ie was too sensible absolutely to throw his life away, and something told him that in spite of all the cou ¢ in the world, no man would ha an appreciable percent of oppor- tunity in a battle at close quarters with so venomous a serpent. Yet he must get out of that house. He felt he was the only man on the police force who could be sure of heading off the Orientals. In that very mo- ment they might be beyond the city’s mits, bearing the booty he hed pur- sued so many weeks. It was more than self-poise could stand. He ave rein to his anger, and for the rst time 11) all the doctor's acquaint- ance with him he swore hard and fast and Ieag. His flow of profanity stopped as suddenly as it had com- menced. He drew one hand from his pocket, and slowly, as if he hardiy dare to! trust his sense, held his. fingers | and looked at what they clasped. Then | he held the object out triumphantly for the physician to see. It was a loaded cartridge forgotten when last ho emptied his pockets of thelr supply of extra ammunition! “We'll make no mias with this one,” said the sleuth. “Don't you think you can use it better, doc?” “No,” said Fitch, “I aim not in your class when it comes snufting out serpents’ tongues. You may fire when you aro ready, Heutenant.” Britz grinned, shook the empty shells out of the revolver, slipped the full cartridge into one of the chambers, and twirled it until it paralleled the barrel. , once more using his arm as st, he took careful aim, and was about to pull the trigger when the door was flung open and the uni- formed policeman stood on the thresh. | old. “Well,” said the bluccoat, “excuse me for butting In, but I thought some- thing might have"—— Fiteh checked him with an upraised hand, and the patrolman’s eyes almost burst in their sockets as, lowering his gaze, he saw the up-reaching death covered by the Headquarters man's pistol. For a second’s space nono of the three men moved. Then a metallic click broke the suspense, only to leave it in another instant more taut than ever as all three realized the cart- ridge had missed fire. The bluecoat's hand reached for his club, Panic- stricken though he had been at first sight of the cobra, he had the pluck ‘ommon to the humblest member of ‘the finest,” and he plainly meditated taking the serpent from the rear. He would not trust to his revolver lest his aim, spoiled by the intensity of the situation, should fly high and hit one of the two refugees atop the chiffonier, But Britz saved the patrol- man from what would undoubtedly have been a foolhardy act of courage. Hastily breaking his revolver open, he made a swift examination of the cartridge, saw that its rim was not dented by the hammer, and, conclud- ing an accident for which the shell was not to blame had prevented an explosion, set the chamber once more, nd tired again. * This time a crack followed. The great cobra shot into the air, and then fell squirming to the floor, Its coils its death agony. Britz leaped to th far side of the table, seized a heavy: book and hurled it on the serpent’ head. That soon ended the reptile’ struggles; but the doctor, brave enough under ordinary conditions, was not content until with a dagger-like paper cutter he snatched from a table ho severed the snake's head from its wisting body. ‘ Brit. Fitch and the patrolman took deep breaths as they stood on the porch. The detective lost little time in recuperating, though, and after hir- ried instructions to the bluccoat, he and the doctor jumped into the coupe. The uniformed patrolman climbed to the box, turning the rso'a head westward, He drove the weary brute at high speed to a taxicab stand, where the detective and the physician entered a horseless vehicle in which they were whirled to Headquarters, where Britz had a short but important conference with the Chief. ry CHAPTER Xl. Mrs. Missioner’s Visitor. RS. MISSIONER, after a ball, took in the fag-end of « bridge party and stayed so late that when she returned to her home the east was striped with dawn, and the maid who had waited up for her was sleeping soundly in a chatr, Scarce had Mrs, Missioner entered her room when a footman knocked, The Swami was downstairs and craved an audience. Wondering, she consented to s.> him. With a deep bow he sald: “Madam, my intrusion is excused by the fact that I can restore your Jewels.” “Is it possible!” she exclaimed. It is more than possible, It is a fact accomplished,” he answered. ‘Taking from an inner pocket a pack- age of silk tissue, he extended it toward her with the words; “You will find in this parcel madam, all the diamonds of your necklace, with the exception of the largest—the Marahanee “Not the Maharanee!” she asked breathleasly. “Not the Maharanee,” said the sage. “You will, | trust, pardon my neces- sary firmness in telling you that you will never see that jewel again.” Mrs. Missioner did not know whether to be more surprised at the return of the other gems, or at the calm assurance with which her vis: itor conveyed to her the information that the star of the whole Maharanee necklace-—the flower of all her jewels ~-had passed forever beyond her ken. | “How did you recover these? Where did you find them?" she aske: “Questions [ cannot answer,” he said gravely. “You will find, how: ever, they are the genuino stones, 1 will add it is my conviction you never would have regained them had it not been for me. I trust you will not hold guilty of over-assurance at that pont I know whereof I speak. It will be a favor if you will content A nonchalantly. “Ob, I haven't eaid it Brits solemnly, “are funny. They are it the funniest things in this Even Fitoh, though he had worked little old world of ours—particularly intimately with the sleuth in the lat- ter part of the huat for the jewe Manning conceal uppose you've got the goods on him—or her?” “I have and I your phase of civilization would call murder if it becomes at all necessary Mind defense of the stone.’ f with so muchas an explan- 4 was @ be” “But the big diamond of the wholo necklace—the Maharaneo!” cried Mrs. “How did you find theso and not find that?” “I bave not said that I. did not re- said the Swami. contrary, I confess to you that [ gained possession of the Maharanee at the time when I got these; but it must not, cannot, be restored to you.” “I am grateful for what you have done,” the widow sald gently; ‘ am unable to understand your attl- tude in regard to the missing stone. Why should I not hav when it comes to jewels and gow: ithe Jeweln leading by a city Fitch, in his capacity as a lover, be- came restive under cynical summing uy relieved himsalf wit “If women are any funnier than men, T'd Uke you to show me h Y experience is all very well, but I've seen them in their Ii cots in hospital ind: have secn them on the operatt: and I can tell you the woman has yet to be born that can do as many fool stunts as the average man this burst of romance-born frankness “my colleague is admi: There are more of us' in Now York than you can well Imagine. the most daring in support of the— colleague, should it come to a combat would be, madame, your own vant, Ali.’ ‘Ali! cried the widow. “Why, he is devoted to me.” The Swami's eyebrows went “He js devoted to you, madam, in all other respects; but in every- thing connected with tho restoration of the jewel, you will find him de- I have owned his de: votion, Mrs, Missioner, since infancy.” bly supported. the dotective's of the sex, and the romarkh: son stole the diamonds, a whole troop of potential thieves They've been work. ing at cross-purposes, with the nas tural result that they played uncon- sclously into the hands of the one all of them trusted. Fitch and Mannin; after the stones. that, too? It eyed each other had worked har and had succeeded when wished to indulge in matical preamble, surely it was not asking too much to humor him. Britz gnawed a black cigar, un- lighted, and whirled about two or three times before he took up the thread of his recital again, “It's a longish story,” he resumed, “It took a lot of plecin:, to put it together, but it's as plain now as a picture puzzlo when all the cut-outs the first piace, planned to get the jewels a long time ago—a couple of years, I fancy. content himself with mere planning. He did a lot of work while he was walting for his opportunity. 3 He knew the value of the Miasioner especially the anee diamond eturned the Oriental, “it is not yours “But it was given to me—given to me by my huaban voted to—me. Well, we won't qu said Britz, “though | must say I don't like to bear you getting off these suffragette sontiments. assume Mrs. didn’t let Curtis Griswold have time to ,, drape that necklace of here on an art model when he started in to sketch It. jade those drawings by fits and starts, and it must rs. ee om a weeks to finish them. SE end drew the necklace from ested Manning. punds, t00 Oasy," Brite re- “He'd bave to have a imem- ory like @ daylight film to carry all he different sizes and shapes of those jowels in his mind--to say nothing of The fact is, the drawings were not only accurate to degree of outlini Mrs. Missioner had it since be- slightly enig- tore his death,” “True,” the sage replied, “I am thor- aware that the diamond was placed in your posses- sion by Mr, Missioner. 1 know you ac- cepted it from your husband in tho belief that it was given to you—that it was his to give, but it was not.” “What do you mean?” “I mean that the person from whom he got it had no right to pass title tu him—had, in fact, no title to the dia- mond whatsoever. The renegade who sold that jewel to your husband did not buy it from « Maharanee. not buy it from any one, He stole it!” “Stole it!” the widow cried, with a little wail in her voice, » once More, madam, is so far from being impossible that. it is the strict truth, theft the only crime of which the man was guilty, In stealing that jewel he committed a dreadful sacrilege, stole it from a shrine.” “How does this affect you?" “Why should you be at such pains to find and restore the dia- ot? Feturn these other “I will come for your decision at noon,” said the Swami. safest time for me to pass through the streets, as they are then at their ‘Think well upon my request, if you please, madam. sacred stone go buck to its shrine with Western blood upon it.” CHAPTER X11. Britz Shows His Hand. OLLOWING a talk between Britz and Manning In the oMce of the tectives, the lieutenant has- it's safe to Let not the the «sm a, the lustre of every have been reproduced with skill that guessing at the 1 tell you, Cur- Us Griswold is ap artist in more ways value of the big Ma’ that was Its central atone, as I can make out his scheme, he hoped to steal the collarette and dis pose of it months before it should be missed by Mrs, Missioner, way to do that, of course, wa! substitute an imitation for the gen- Naturally, too, the im!- tation had to be made without Mrs, Missioner’s knowledge, and the man he meant to have make it had to have either the original as a copy or a very accurate drawing. that Griswold could get the necklace into his posses sion long enough to have a bogus oo! larette made, where Fitch was awaiting him. excused himself to the physician and entered a telephone booth at the far end of the office in which he was ac- customed to conduct his more private conversationy. emerged, and said briefly: Nor was the Pausing a little, Brits went on: “And that's what he did; be made the drawings at first hand, and pr ably colored them in th ‘Then he took them over to Paris farmed out the contract among ae' eral tirms, taking care to Presently b@ ying article, stones to mi You will need no further explana- tion, madam,” said the scholar, with utmost courtesy, " priests who lie in an astern prison for the crime of negli the stone with sufficient Manning looked up with an air of et. jewels might know they Logan traced wy Paree, an Here they are. Vo just been talking to Had him out all day on a Turns out to be the right lead. We know where the sec- ond batch of thi after the next hou Where are they?” asked Manning ing to guard all the drawings in went them to mo, Ho took several small sheets of card- from an inner spread them on his desk, “There'e something missing from Manning commented when he had pleced the slips together. “This is a picture of @ necklac 4 holo in the middie,” Britz smiled, said, “that’s where the diamond was, Griswold waa too foxy to have an imi- tation of that celebrated stone made must have noticed the Oriental who Me knew there butted In during the search for the spite of her + special trail. “But bow is tt you are not among women Of wealth, guarded her jewals he may intruat her Govern. ment bonds and othor negotiable se- curities to attorneys or banks, but wels under her own us Knows just how much #he thought of ¢ the chances are that, even if ahe had been engaged to him, she wouldn't have let him have possession of the Maharanee necklace for My experience in that these New Yorkers don't wink temptation in one another's Special dispensation mercy on the part of the Maharajal “When five years, you count them, had flown and still the diamond was missing—when all tho other servants of the kingdom had searched India, the rest of the and even Eur Majesty relented far enough to dire the centre,” he answered, sho keeps her “I'll take you to them, Chief, “If you don’t mind I'll ask you to walt @ little while until 1 can Meanwhile let's gather up the “Do you mean you have solved the Anywhere in Europe, wasn't a man on the Continent identi- fied in any way with the trade wouldn't recognize a drawing of that diamond on sight. mond i# not public, It's as familiar to cler in Europe as t Hope or any trembling slightly what the answer might m woman of his heart, it of the stone, the youngest of the priesthood, was selected for the task.” “What is it, then, you wish Brits responded ‘our powers of deduction are truly Though the dia- ‘wen any in my mind for sev- “The matter is now in the hands of You can say truthfully to the Swami! replied, “that ¢ ond# have been returned to tistied with the disappearance accompanied thelr restoration, and that you wish all further activity part of the authorities to augh, in which ‘d a faint note of . let's don't do any kidding, f," Brita rejoined with id in his voice. of those great could he have gone, then, to Tals te 8 prey big atone reproduced?” waked serious case, and I've been up a few nights without any too much sleep. I'm not on the witness stand now, rec- ollect, and I don't feel an it I'd got out my words when There was the said the lieutenant, est to catch, 1 call them the second bateh of thieves because they are the feHows who stole Jewels long after stolen from her.’ ‘And who may ning persisted, “They are the dark men—the Hin- dua whose connec omplicated it much more than was and who gave proof of their inconsiderate disposi- tions by making the doctor here and me so uncomfortable just before we came back to Headquarters.” “You mean they are the men wh robbed Mrs, Missioner of her jewels “No, the men who stole Mrs, Mis- ewels after she was robbed ‘hief. “Ask the doctor there. the detective I think he is he knows aa well as T do, the stones were “I will consider it. “I trust your consideration will not cover many hours,” said the Swami, “If you come to @ decision quickly and a favorable one, you will strong possibility of talking to friends.” least Uttle lift of his eyebrows as he uttered the last word. Manning laughed again—apologetic- the Neutenant, ro unruffled, continued: id to make sketches of the widow's neck- that couldn't have been um.’ » for I guess he had to use his pencil when Mrs, Missioner wasn't in isn’t Iikely she gave fi opportunities of being face became gr: of what all surged back on him, he sald to Manning, “Lieut. Hrits has concluded the false Maharanee diamond was made by uo harmless lunatic we traced to the asy- ion with the avert a very Minsioner started. the Maharanee diamond, as you 8 in the keeping of my col- the Swami continued, detective from Hea: quarters, who has been most active in the hunt for your necklace, is clowa It is impossible for my comrade to escape from the city unleas you express a desire to have the police cordon now surrounding us He will not give up the Jewel while he retains the slightest spark of life with which to fight for And neither will be stop at waat “Right you are, “You guessed it the very Little old Mr, Martin was He did that fob of work for Mr. Griswold, and from all I've heard a fine Job he made of it, ue, man Brits, th the gentleman upon his heels. above all the others in her collection, You see, when her husband gave her that necklace and told her about the Maharanee diamond, he made up a pretty little fairy story that probably much greater value in her eyes than if ehe'd really known the “They robbed the thieves, then? thieves—thief,” ‘rasy, is he?” asked Manning. “There was only one artist tu the ‘Mad as they inake ‘em,” Britz re- ‘but, as the doctor says, harm- idn't have made #o good an imitation had he not believed he was manufacturing @ genuine stone. it b “What's his name?’ the Chief quea- tioned again. “His name?" returned the detective a | | | That's his delusion, you understand— thinka he's making diamonds.” “Well,” said the Chief after another pause, “How did Griswold turn the trick when it came to @ showdown?” A faint smile flickered an instant about Brits’s lips, then disappeared. “He never got a chance to turn the trick,” the detective repli more than a year now he's been ing covetous eyes on the same paste stones be had manufactured.” By a tremendous effort Fitch auc~ Ing hia excitement, locking his hands behind his ho waited with what patience for the rest of the dotec- ‘s story, Manning seemed to turn "Griswold has boen tn bad finan- clally for over two years,” Brits con- tinued. “He's been doing at 6 with the books of the Iroquois Trust ¢ y. At my request, the directors Rave ad experts on the books for jeoun! of weeks, and they t as pretty @ case against Mr. Griswold an over you sow. Ile wanted that necklace in order to get enough money to square his accounts. “Now comes the strangest part of the case.” ‘Tho detective smiled as he made ready to fire the verbal bomb “The most surprised man in the world ina Brits watched the effect of his words on his hearers. ‘They shifted nervously in their seats as if impa- tlent of the detective's pause. “When did the Hindoos steal the fewols and where did they find them?” asked Manning. “About one hour, or a little more, before I made a try for thom myself,” ald Brits. “They nabbed them in the artment of Mrs. Millicent Dela- roche, in the Hotel Renaissance. “And who, if you don't mind taking me into your confidence, is Mrs, Milli- cent Delaroche?” tho Chief inquired. “Mra, Millicent Delaroche,” said the detective crisply, inks she is the future Mra. Curtis Griswold. But as far as Mr, Griswokl is concerned, sho may remain Mrs. Delaroche for the rest of her natural life. In other words, Griswold promised to marry her, and then got very busy in an at- tempt to marry Mrs. Missioner. He doesn't know yet, of course, that it will be a very long time before he hax a chance to marry anybody, Neither does Mra. Delaroche know how sh hi been fooled by the clubman, When she does know-—which T think it will be some time to-day—! think you'll see some fur fly.” Fitch, to get the upper hand of his nervousness, tapped his eyeglasses with a medical-looking lead pencil, and listened very closely to the de- teotive’s story. Monsing, too, was absorbed in what Britz had to tell. Hoth of his hearers, therefore, were momentarily disappointed when Brits instead of going ahead with his story aaked that Donnelly and Carson be pried apart long enough for one of them to arrest Griswold, and the oth- bring Mrs, Delaroche to Head- ere. ‘I don't want to make things too unpleasant for these bright men,” Brits said sarcastically; 1 do want to give If tho satis- faction of having them nab the two rixoners they should have arrested fn less than a week after the theft of Mrs, Missioner's Jewels was dis- covered.” Manning felt he had no choice save to comply, He waxn't exactly pleased 1 from od an orway, ' donnelly a to him In the leu! once, “Right he Britz proceeded, “is where an interesting aide feature of the myst comes in, Griswold would have probably been more alert if he had known that men ten times as adroit as hi and a hundred times ulous, had journeyed halt world to get one of those y gems he was preparing to steal from the woman ho hoped to marry 1 don't know exactly what's at the hottom of the interest those Hindoos have in the «reat Mah dia mond; but 1 do know the to go. pretty close to the electric chair to get it, [understand it was not really bought from the wife of on Indian prince, as Missioner told his wife it was, “My best information is that it came from a Hindoo temple, You know those savages set great store by their idols. At any rate, from @ half-dozen to a dozen Indians of various degrees from Calcutta some time on the trail of the came were on t effort to Ket the stone wh of this organization happen in the box next to Mrs, Mis the Metropolitan Opera House on the night when the necklace turned out to be @ fake, He then learned that the original diamonds were not in the widow's keeping any longer “Griswold also was in the Missioner box that night, as you know, and he diamonds.” “These Hindoos worked about as fast as I did. They must have made up their minds pretty early in the kame that Miss Holcomb knew noth- bout the neck! < nobody would enough to suspect little M Gur dark friends from t centrated their attention on wold and Sands, Por a long Ali had been tn Mra. Misstonet of empl wasn't, however, Misvioner'’s employee in the true se of the word. He was there us of the subordinates of this Swami chap, along with the other Ortental fellows, one of whom calls Kananda, In fact, job from the day he Mrs. Missioner's himself Pri Ali was on t became a memt household. “He waa sent there for the precisa purpose of piping off the place, and either getting the big diamond him self, or tipping the Swami and all the rest of (hem when It would be sate for them to make a t at stands to reason Mrs, Missioner watehed her jewels pretty closely, and that her safe was a jim-dandy, since that necklace in all those long months could not be lifted by the Hindoo vant. He would have been perfe Willing to throttle her in order to get d he felt re@ponably sure of a Ser tn Te EERO OR The Gun Runner By Arthur Stringer Station. throug! for it was. there, guess, found this note from Mi to ‘Curtis dear,’ and it was thle gots that gave me a line on how brethe: aeons ato i was in the tel, but 1 didn’t know whom the Wént a Mme. sance, That looked good enpugh to me. I went there that ware Right, with the doctor on the sidewalls, the lookout, 1 did a little burglary stunt that would have fat Jewels If the Hindoos there # sone “gaye other, tho: fequaintance between Griswi and end the Delaroche lady about the same time T did, or perhaps a, little said, “how Griswold contriy, id to smuggle the small diam Holcomb's room.’ ont Toe ae had the visiting Sands," have to make e mond inte Miss Holeomb's: room, That litte trick was pulled off by All, Ite wns the only one wha eoujd tu Ket the necklaci to make a sure way, he figured, if the jewels shoul@ be iniased before he Was able to_ get them out of thi hiv chances of esxeap bicion thrown on the secretary,” The dininond that Was found among-her th Ketaway as easily after a murder as after @ robbery.” “You must have been reading about All Haba and the Forty Thieves, Hritz." sald Manning with another harsh laugh. “This sounds alts r too much like the Arabian NI to be the gooda.” “Well, there weren't as many as forty of the thieves, and the All in this case wasn't an honest I'm giving it to you straigh' Net. { haven't worked day and night on this it find it nd if Proposition for nothing. Yor Just as I'm telling it to you, you'll suspend judgment until I get through, [ll deliver the goods all right. “L think,” remarked Fitch to Man- ning, “we @hall find that Lieut. Brita comes pretty near knowing what he * ty talking about. I've seen Bim work on this case, and I know something of the facts he has discovered. If you have ever studied the ways of Orient- als you'll be surprised at nothing they do. They look at life from alte gother a different angie, Life is the cheapest thing in life to “Very good,” said Manning... “Im willing to be eonvi but it Reems hard to believe that a woman worts + hundred miliions could live months with death hanging over te head in her own household and i know nothing about it. What's the use of being a multi-millionaire,y if you're no safer than in an cixhteen- Har flat? For my parts I don't take much stock in your Hindus.” “You'll take a lot of stock in thém before the morning is over, Chief, if uy stay with us," Britz ‘retorted. m going to show you not onlp-the Hindus in the act of attempting to get away, but I'll turn us the gooda in thelr possession. ‘They have the diamond now, but I'll have both tem and the diamond in a very few hours!" “I believe you,” “You see, he explaingd ‘to Manning, leutenant of* rs has made tho capture of the Hindus more or less of @ personal ern A choppy laugh from the de interrupted the physician, hs ad “Yes,” ho agreed, “t don’t mind telling you that I'm almost as eage: to get those fellows as = cover tho widow's jewels, my t Junta little bit too may their own good.” He flushed iy as he recalled how utterly he had been at the mercy of the Hindus when he lay like a holiday turtey en the fivor of that bare room in the ep. Fitch chimed! tn. occupied uptown aj “The Hindoos,” said rita, “went through the apartments of Sands Gris di old with what Sam Weller Would calla double-million-magnity- ing microscope, They didn't leave a postage stump unsearched. They looked into every hole aad corner, ransacked every drawer and turned every pl 1 caught ‘em it—two them” anyway — in Sands's room, anyway—and ‘° now in the West Thirtteth Street They must have Griswold’s apartment fret, t they er with the’ el Renaissance, 1 Knew Cicsowsta It of visiting hat Bo- there to seo, I felt pretty in when I got the note that’ it ie from somebody in the Renaiseanes, and TL got Rawson to send the bunch out on the hunt so that I could " ke certain I'd made no mi ne of the men reported Delaroche at the. Hemate- ‘ad of me. Tn some way or follows learned about, the ariier, One of them got into her Apartment by the fire enc 4nd sneaked the jewels trom, under her pillow. What's more, he eon- tented himself with the diamonds thomselves ahd didn't even take the casket they were in, The jewel ease Was still under her pillow when I got there, and it wasn't until after the Y, under the impression the gems n the case, gave herself away » or lows, that 1 found the ttle was empty. When I looked out ho tire excape 1 saw the handker- the dark skinned cracksman bad in his hurry, ‘That sent us wted to the Swami's house, n Brite had sketched the tory of the Missioner ¢ Mannin, mid Fitch looked at ht ‘admiring Both his % were thoughtful for a minute « two. Then the Chief, though he realized Brits had solved the mystery, could not refrain from picking flaws “You have not explained full ho “Nor how t) old curiosity dealer ard of Bruxton Suggested the doctor he='- have you worked out an of the fact that it was a _Who gave the order to tha Vreneh flems for the manufac. of the false diamonds, and that cave the name of Elinor Hol- mb," Manning — pursued, 1 don't quite understand wh the ~ kidnapped you, lieutenant’? 1 Fitch tentatively, al Hritz smiled, ve “Mere details," Britz voplied. “Find Griswold did hot snuggle the dior his reason for want- to throw suspicion on the young an is plain, He was in the houge nd he ulso wanted Therefore, hous it would help to have’ aux. s did uot belong to the collar- te, But its siae and lustre matehed any one of a doxen of the stones:tn that magnificent setting, so that @ll of us took it for granted it was Mra Misstoner's property.” ney (To Be Gontinued.) "ey * -