Show XII THE HE PURSUIT OF I BY FRANK THE LOVELL SILVER NELSON SKULL THE T H E MAN t 1 WITH THE MASTER MIND M IND Carlton Solver Being Clarke Cla of ke the Criminal Chronicles Mysteries of i t Were Vcr It not for tor the consciousness of ut having alluded to the recovery of or tip th sliver silver skull hi Iiii II these there thc narratives I doubt doubt If Ie I could bring myself to the telling of or the tale talc It holds still poignant nant memories that I would gladly let slum ber bel Even Een yet although six years CarR have passed I start out of ot troubled dreams at night and hear har Carlton Clarks wild fry cry as for tor once his master ml r mind gave guve jU way wn Y I see gee staring eyes look looking ing Into mine I see fee lovely toxin form stark starl In the semblance of ot death Hut But I have set ct my m hand to tu telling and the promise pronh that has been written mitten shall be kept And thus It happened Clarke and I were In our ur apartments one ono morning late lute In June I J was Idling Id II nf the last bit pf pC work worl turned oft off the thi thelast last Jast batch of or proofs corrected and und re returned returned turned d to tie tiro printers Clark was deep In a thick volume of ot Hindu my How I like to revisit that wonderful land of oC India said nl l Clarke looking up suddenly from Crom his book bool M M Why h were you ou ever oer in India I In Yes I spent three years there up lip in the old Decan country It was wn time wafted for or I was vas then too Immature to grasp or to explain by 1 the rules rule of or cold old science all the wonders that I saw Well Vell go there together some day da daS Sexton S Just then th n there was WAil an Impatient nt ring at our hell and I 1 opened the door to admit a II tall scholarly looking man with a pointed beard and place pince nez v who ho eagerly inquired for tor or Mr 11 Carlton Canton Clarke larke I have often oCten heard of or you Mr 11 Clarke larke began be n the till visitor extending lints hand and I have hat always promised myself that should the need arise arille I would consult you OU I 1 am an Professor Pro I Tomlinson on curator of ot the time Marshall Museum You will pardon me If IC f I ad admit admit admit mit Its It Is With et curiosity I 1 come to you I Inthe heard of or your work worl and I wonder If Ir you vou can tell me methe mEth methe the th object of ot my visit I will now con lon concentrate concentrate l my m mind upon it Clarke sat for tor a test few tl minutes and looked locked fixedly at the professor who half haIr closed his eyes and assumed a u alook alook look of or deep concentration And you ou say Sa this signet I net ring dis disappeared disappeared appeared from Its it ease case 81 which was In broad brond daylight and it Is h im impossible impossible possible any uny of the guards should have ha had a hand In It ns as you OU alone carried the key But then there are such lIuch things s a keys Ites and lock picks Wonderful exclaimed Professor excitedly Mr Ir Clarke I never again dispute that telepathy is ia a 11 proved provEll tact fact You your yourself self d cN not know what a n remarkable thing you y have done No one but my elf knows km kl wS of oC the loss to the museum for tor T had a replica of ot the signet t which I Immediately Imme substituted for fir the th original original nal and ant the guard themselves do not know of ot th the change In the ease case asE of ot s of r great groat value we often oCten display replicas 8 but unfortunately In this in instance stance e It tv s tine the t e original or which was In the case Moreover f rover no n one ole but my mys m mU s lf U Ime w the value of ot the signet sl nf t But perhaps you oU can tell me m more answered an erel Clarke But I 1 we wt shall arrive at a It con conc c mor kiL it if we ye dispense wish wl h mysticism U J and an J you tell me the whole s sTory pr r Perhaps ill be ht the he the better way said ald the tJI professor pr p ro sor The ring then as you sh know was one on I procure personally ll In India T r had It from a fakir who claimed to have been beena a thug and a leader In th tiro great groot rebellion rf It attracted me at once as a arr rr most ost curious curious bit of or workmanship It was formed of a tt head set st with n t magnificent ma diamond The Th head stead was hinged ct and operating 11 h hv by a hidden n spring it opened disclosing the seal underneath ft must mut have been bet n the seal or r some ome great ruler of oC the rajah days clays but the fakir akl claimed to have been Although I have haw asked dozens of o Hindus all aU that I ever fiver get bet out of them was waR that there are t f some m things not good for a th tb know ow Here Is the rep replica replica lica liea I had made by h the most expert ex expert expert pert of ot Paris The ht professor took from his hIli pocket a little ci case me e and opening it displayed a It massive ring formed d as ns he hI had said Id of oC ofa oCa ofa a tigers head and set s t with a diamond of at least three carats not genuine hope as art t he had admitted Clarke examined the ring with great greet interest st It did not take him long to find the hidden spring and pressing It the tigers rs head hend flew back disclosing the theale fa fare ale e 0 a of Qt peculiar design Clarke studied it In wonder and Tind sur stir surprise prise J t You say sa professor prore or ol that you ou alone aloner r knew the value of ot the original orl of or this tit ring tl j 1 doubt very el much if Ir you know I Its value i I shaU be delighted If Ir you can tell teU teUt tellIna t m Ina for tor I have delayed making a no re no report res s port to the trustees and amI accounting for forthe forthe forthe the enormous sum It cost ost me nw until I could Rive glee them an exact Idea of oC Its worth orth worth Unless I am am greatly mistaken an answered Clarke this Is the signet 81 of Nana ana Sahib the great leader of ot the th for tor whose head heat the British gov government gO government would gladly have paid 10 OM I have hac often orten seen representations 1 of oC the device The TJ original of ot this ring ringwould J would lead lend a t rebellion in India today toda Pol But Rut tell me what you know of or Its Us dis disappearance appearance J There Is very ry little to tell It was two weeks ago last Sunday S nd There were d C r very f ry few persons In the museum I had just walked through the aisle past Jl st IL the case ease and I am inn positive the ring was there 1 walked tI to the end of the aisle and back again a and I know no noard guard hard ard was near car It lt nor any of the pub public public public lic yet et the ring was wu gone I said nothing but substituted the replica and watched the guards carefully be believing lievin lieving if the matter were kept k pt quiet the th guilty person might give himself 0 away awa I mow believe 1 I took the wrong course 0 U II I should have hae come to you OU at once Do you vou remember to have noticed In Inthe Inthe the Ute museum m seum that day a tall dark fel tel fellow tello felIon low Ion lo dressed in white A black moustached fellow ellow You would scarcely take tak him for r r a Hindu lUndu yet et the man I refer reter to is of that race Yes Ye now no that you speak of ot It I J believe be believe lieve J Ii see such a man map just before I entered the aisle Then Th n professor profesor Mr AIr 11 Sexton and I Ican Ian Ican can an recover your ring At least I know k where to look forIt but It will require x a n India Hum I 1 doubt If Ie tha th trustees will agree such an expense I already will have difficulty explaining to them ahem w ra the cost of the ring Ot Of course It if you 5 were sure sure of recovering it tJ Do Donot not let the expense e g concern concern you youw w J returned Clarke Mtv Mr Sexton and I t If art f hart just about wade made un our minds to toSi toc c Si take ak ml trip r D to India anyway I will willII II Took look up up this affair of yours while there t 3 HIM and if ve w are aWe alik jl to any thing thin thingS S to ti r y gi lt matter of cx Jr JI iTt 2 p pe ne ae can c be be arranged when lye t e c re 10 ib p n f I nr r J Jo t o 1 t tu to u Sr o v I 1 certainly c could not ask for a fairer proposition than th n that answered Pro ProCessor Professor fessor Cessor Tomlinson as he prepared to leave eave rather dazed by the ease and dis dispatch dispatch dispatch patch with which his rose ease had been dismissed But Clarke I Y objected as n soon son as our visitor had departed you Jou know IJ r I cannot so Eq to India I know of oC no reason why you cant Weve ree both been making more money than Is good for us lately You confess c you have finished all an your work rk aid arld addo do lo not net wish to begin more during the summer Why should we not take a along along long ong vacation Hut But what business have we In In India India dia dla Surely Surel we will be on a wild goose chase looking for this signet signet Well for one thing I am um rather loath to give up that silver skull which you OU remember stole from me two years ago Is there and where he Is the th skull Is And then Thalda is there thore What Thalda halda there I exclaimed all my objections to the trip swept to the four tour winds I thinks thInk Clarke must have noted my change hange in attitude for a troubled look passed Missed pas ed over his face tace as he ho replied rather indifferently Yes I had hall a short note from her hera a few Cew weeks ago Like ourselves she Is s overburdened with riches and she announced her Intention of oC traveling for Cor a n year ear or so with a woman companion com companion companion panion She should be In Bombay about the time we reach there And Anti so 10 In the swift mutation of time lime and ind space pace made possible by b modern modes of oC travel we were three weeks from that June day da pacing the deck of oC a P 0 O liner steaming out of the Back bay past the frowning guns guns of oC the fort tort and into the Inner harbor of ot the ancient Island city of or Bombay Bomba It was all new and strange to me methe methe methe the city the busy bus wharves the dazzling esplanade with Its gay ga coated soldiers and then the busy ba bazaars bazaars bazaars swarming with businesslike busi businesslike businesslike Parsees Parsee swarthy Hindus Hindu white turbaned with a n plentiful sprinkling of naked children I 1 had little time however to feast my eyes for tor an event happened to put all else out of ot our minds and und to make our visit to India one of oC feverish haste and killing anxiety Our first move was wag to call at the American consulate to find trace tra e of Thalda Thaida Yes she was In Bombay and at the Grand hotel with her compan ion a Miss Erskine AVe We went there thre thereat threat at once sent up our cards and were shown to their room where In place of oC meeting smiling face tace In welcome we were received by a wild faced young woman who seemed set med on the verge erge of oC hysterics O a you are Mr Clarke and Mr Ir Sex ton she cried Thank God you have hae come Now No something can be done donI I Ican Ican can get no help from front these stupid Eng En lish Ush nor the treacherous natives O 0 Mr Clarke Thalda Is gone Thalda gone we both echoed Yes gone and Miss Erskine fell Into a passionate fit of oC weeping and could tell no more By degrees degree tine we calmed her and got ot the th story stor The day before the they had gone one together to ether to the Black Town north of the European city where Thalda Thaida de desired desired sired d to get some Ivory miniatures she he had don a previous visit They The were returning g and mid Thaida Thalda was several yards in advance of ot Miss Erskine win wh had stopped at the plaintive wall wail one I hears on every eer side In India a beg beggars beggars I gars ars prayers for a meal meat of oC rice when she looked up and am saw caw Thaida Thalda stagger sll slightly put her hands to her head and suddenly turn the corner corne She rushed to the corner orner and found It to be the entrance to a blind alley coming to an abrupt end about forty fort feet teet in and flanked on oft three sides by b the bare walls wall of the native houses from rom which the only openings were the he high latticed windows Thalda was nowhere In sight Miss lIss Erskine ran wildly about questioning nil all the natives she saw sass to be 00 answered only with stupid stares tarell At last wild from anxiety she returned to the Eu European European European city and put the matter In the hands of the Bombay police who lazily assured her everything possible would be done to find the missing one o e When we Came tame she was just about to go to the Hie consulate And have he you no clew whatever Inquired d Clarke anxiously anxious There Is III one thing but It may ma have been my m own nervousness nervousness When we wt walked across aros the esplanade I had the thes sensation s n atlon of ot being followed I looked back bak and und saw salt a tall native nathe a n few yards behind us Then I concluded he was not a native although he wore ore a turban tur turban ban hall for tor although he hj was t I dark his features te ture were distinctly European He was a fine looking fellow ellow with a black mustache I Ilia saw him again in the ba basa sa but as he lie paid pall no attention to tous tous tous us I chided myself for being foolishly afraid Then we Ire will find her berg said Clarke with a look of or angry determination in his hi eyes Our fir nr first t move mo was to notify the con consul consul sul ul and then to find out what If any anything an anything thing the police pollee had discovered The latter had not been heen Idle A woman wom woman woman an answering the description Miss Er Erkine kine had given had boarded the Bom train the day before beCore The officials nt ot the nearest Junction point had Immediately been heen wired u to La Intercept her They found her heron heron heron on the train rain with a Hindu who protested the woman was WIl his hi sister Ister and she on being ques questioned questioned admitted she was Consequent Consequently ly Iv no further action had been taken although h the description of oC the woman answered that of Thaida even to the minor points point of or dress Clarke clark cursed cUr ed their stupidity but his resolution was yas as Immediately taken We Ve would follow folio leaving Miss Erskine at Bombay Bomba to urge lr f on the th police and to advise us should we prove proe to be he on the wrung WI trail Within the hour we ve were aboard the train and und speeding In the direction of at the junction of oC the sacred rivers rind and nd Ganges Gang s Just Jut as we Wf were rushing for tor the train Clarke ClarkI al almost trost most stumbled over oer a tf particularly dirty mendicant who ho walled the eternal cry CO cryn COn n a be bes rs prayers for a meal of or rice Clarke tossed him a piece oe He turned It over In his hl palm spat upon It and threw It upon the ground Then rising he h laid his hand upon larkes Clarkes arm and amid The Sahib Clarke seeks three things He will find CInd them thump together but death lies dies ut dt the lh end of the toad road The Thi train was vas as already starting and Clarke shook him off ott and we made mado a U rush for tor It ft Three things murmured Clarke That Is ti Thalda the ring rim of Nana Sahib and the sliver silver skull skulk Ver Verily fly ily 11 we weare are In the tho land of QC mysteries At Alla we found that Miss Er had riot been be n Idle Through her r the police pf pC Bomb y j had wired o n arrest the woman and the Hindu HI du Yee Yes they were were on the train c No action had been taken t ken The wom worm woman woman worman an may have hae been hypnotized as ns we e urged ur cd but not even eyen the august power of the British government dared to ar arrest arrest arrest rest a Hindu on such flim flimsy sy y evidence But the couple had gone gO on to |