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Show Newest Grail Kennedy . Stories h""veff With the aid of wireless photography, photog-raphy, Craig Kcnnody solves the problem of the theft of a priceless diamond necklace and the disappearance disap-pearance of a wilful society girl. I The Social Gangster. 1M WO worried over Gloria, Prof? -nor Kennedy, that I hardly know what Tin doing." Mrs. Bradford Bracket t was one of those stunning women of baffling age of whom thfire neem to be ao many nowadays. Quo would scarcely have believed be-lieved that she could be old enough to have a daughter wlio would worry her very much. At the mention of the name of Gloria firackett, I saw that Craig was extremely interested, though ho did not betray It to Mrs. Rrackett. The Bracketts had lately been more or lens in the news of the day. ChokinK hack a liffle suppressed Hob In her throat, Mis. Hnukett took from a delicate nold memi ban and laid on the desk befort Kennedy a small clipping from the "Lost and Found" advertisements advertise-ments in the Star. It read: "REWARD OF 510,000 AND ABRO'LUTE-ly ABRO'LUTE-ly no quest ion a asked for the return of a diamond necklace of seventy -one stones, which disappeared from a house ft Willys flilla, Ixmc island, last Saturday or Sunday. LK 'III' K & CO., Jewelers. Fifth avenue" I recognized t ho advertisement as one that had oivaHioned a Kreat deal of comment com-ment on the Star, due to lis peculiar nature. na-ture. I knew also that the advertisement advertise-ment had created a Kreat furore of excitement ex-citement niid yosHip jit the fashionable North Shorn Hunt club, of which Bradford Brad-ford Brackett was master of fox hounds. "At first," explained Mrs. I'.rackett nervously, "l.n Hue & Co. were able to keep the secret. But as public interest In t he advert isement increased at last tiie secret leaked out at least that part of It whkh connected our names with the loss. That, however, seemed only to whot curtualtv. That's what we've "been trying to avoid that sort of publicity." For tho moment her indignation had Mot the better of her worry. Most opinions, opin-ions, I recalled, hnd been finally that the d i 8a p p e a r a n e e lva h m i ; e d up with some family affairs. At any rate, here was to be the real story at last. "You 6ce," she continued, now almost fobbing, "It Is renlly all, l tear, mv own fault. I didn't realize that Gloria was growing so fast and so far out of my life. I've let her be brought up by pov-ernessfs pov-ernessfs and .'ervanta. I've Kent her to the best schools I could find. I thought It wa-a all riqht. But now, too late, I realize that it Is all wrong". I haven't kept close enough to her. 1 didn't think Oloria was more than a child. But why, Mr. Kennedy, she's been point?. I find, to these afternoon dances in the citv and out at a place not far from Willys Hills." "What sort of places?" prompted Kennedy. Ken-nedy. "The Cabaret Roupre." answered Mrs. Brackett. flashing at us a look of defiance defi-ance that really masked fear of public opinion. I knew or the place. Tt had an extremely ex-tremely unsavory reputation. In fact, there were two places of the same name, one In the city and the other out on 1-onc Island. "I had hoped, oh. so dearlv," she went on a moment later, "that Gloria would marry a young man who. I know, is devoted to her, an Italian of fine famllv, P'limor Franeoni you must have heard of him the Inventor of a new system of wireless transmission of pictures. But with such a scandal how can we expect 1 1 ? Do you k now him ?" "Not personally, though I have heard : of him."' returned Kennedy briefly. Both Craig and myself had been interested inter-ested in repoits of hfs invention, which he called the "Franeoni Telephote," by which he claimed to be able to telegraph either over wires or bv wireless liht and dark points so rapidly and In such a manner as to deceive the eye and produce pro-duce nt the receiving end what amounted to a continuous reproduction of a picture at the transmitting end. "But the necklace." suggested Craig, after a moment, for the first time interrupting inter-rupting the rather rambling trend of Mrs. Brnckett's story, "what has this all to do with the necklace?'- She looked at him almost despairingly. "I don't really care for a thousand such necklaces," she cried. "It is my daughterher daugh-terher good name her her safetv!" "You see," she continued in a low "tone, almost as if she were confessing some fault of her own, "Gloria has been frequenting fre-quenting theeo recherche places without my knowledge, and there she has become Intimate with some of the fastest of the fast set. "You ask shout the necklace. T don't know, I must admit. Has some one of her friends taken adva ntaee of her to learn our habits and get into the house and get it? Or, have tbev put her up to getting it?" The last query was wrung from her as if by main force. She could not breathe it without a shudder. " When the necklace neck-lace was stolen," Mie added tremulously, "it must have been ph inside iob. as vou detectives call it. Mr. Brackett and T were away at the time at a week-end party. We supposed Gloria was visiting some friends in the city. But since then we have learned that she motored out with some of her dance-crazed acquaintances acquain-tances to the Cabaret Rouge, not far from Willys Hills. It must have been taken then by some of them." The recital to comparative sr rangers, even though they were to be trusted to right the wrong, was more than she could bear. Her despair and self -accusation would really have moved any one, much less were needed to enlist Kennedy. te said nothing, but his look of encouragement encour-agement seemed to nerve her up again to go on. "We put the advertisement that way because well, now you understand why," she resumed; then anticipating our question, ques-tion, added: "But there has been no response. re-sponse. Mr. Brackett has repeatedly ordered or-dered Gloria to give up her fast acquaintance!?. ac-quaintance!?. But she defies him. Kven to my pleadings she has turned a deaf ear." "Who are these rapid youngsters?" asked Craig gently. "I don't know all of them." she replied. re-plied. "There is young Rittenhouse Smith; he is one. The Rlttenhouse Smiths, you know, are a very fine family. But young 'Bitter, as the younser set call him. is wild. Another 'of them Is F.hinelander Brown. I don't think the Browns have much money, but It Is a good family. But the worst of it is that there are some professionals with whom they go a dancer. Res Du Mond. and a woman named Bern Ice Bent ley." 'Did Signer Franeoni ever so with them?" asked Craig. "Oh. mercy, no," she hastened. "And they can't seem to break the gang up," ruminated Craip. Sne sighed deeplv and wiped away an-other an-other tear. "I've done what I could with Gloria, I've cut her allowance, but it has done no good. I'm losing :ny hold on her altogether. You you will help me I mean, help Gloria?" she asked eagerly, leaning forward in an appeal which must have cost her a great deal, so common is til, repression of such feelings in women of her type. "Gladly." returned Kennedy heartily. "T will do anything In my rower." Proud t hmiyh she was, Mi-. Bracket t could scarcely murmur her thanks. "Where can I see Gloria'.'" asked Ken-jiedv Ken-jiedv finally. She is hook her head. "I can't sav. If you want to. yon may sew her tomorrow, 1 hough at the drair hunt of the club. Mv husband fays he is not poinst to take Gloria's actions without a protest. So he has peremptorily ordered her to attend the m'et of tho Hunt club. We thoucht It would get her away, at least for a time, from her associates, thounh I must say J can't be sure that she will otey." I thoiiL-ht I underytnod, partly, at least-Bracken's least-Bracken's election us M. 1". H. had been a. crowning distinction in his social ca-rt-f.r and he did n-'t purpose to have Gloria's escapades ppoil the ui't-t for him. Mrs. Brackett had risen, "How can I ever thank you?" she exciaimM. extending extend-ing her hand impulsively. "I know noih-mr noih-mr hn.s Iven changed yet. But already L feel hetU:i." "I Mia.il do what I can; depend on me," tvlrera.W'd Kennedy modestly. "If I can do nothing before, I shall be nut a' ilu-i ilu-i i :mt club tomorrow perhaps I shall be there anyhow." "This U a mo:it peculiar situation," 1 . remarked a few minutes later, as Mrs. I Bracken was whisked away from the laboratory door in her motor. "Indeed it is," returned Kennedy. He pulled out his watch. "Half -past four." he considered. "I'd like to have a look at that Caba ret Kongo here in town." If. Tt was a perfect autumn afternoon. "We strode along In the brnelng air until at last we turned Into Broadway at the upper up-per end of what might be called "Automobile, "Auto-mobile, row." Motor cars and taxicabg were buzzing along In an endless stream, most of them tilled with women, gowned and bonneted In the latest mode. Before the garish entrance of the Cabaret Caba-ret Kougo they seemed to pile up and discharge their feminine cargoes. We entered en-tered and were quickly engulfed in the tide of eager pleasure seekers. A handsome hand-some and judicious tip to the head waiter secured us a table at the far end of a sort of mezzanine gallery, from which we could look down over a railing at the various groups at the little white tables be low. Smooth and glittering on the surface, like Its little polished dancing floor in tho middle of the squares of tables down stairs, the Cabaret Rouge, one could see, had treacherous undercurrent s unsuspected unsus-pected until an Insight such as we had just had revealed them. The verv atmosphere seemed vibrant with laughter and music. A string band played sharp, staccato, highly accentuated accentu-ated music. All around us women were smoking cigarettes. Everywht-i e -y were sipping expensive drinks. Instinctively Instinct-ively one felt the undertow in the very atmosphere. "There she is," pointed out Kennedy finally. "I recognize her from the pictures pic-tures Tve seen." I followed the direction of his eyes. The music had stai led v nd out oi. floor, twisting In and out among the crowded couples, was one pair that seemed to attract more attention than the rest. They had come from a gay party seated in a little leather cozy corner cor-ner "like several about the room, evidently evi-dently reserved for them, for the cozy corners seemed to be much in demand. ' Gloria was well named. She was a striking girl, not much over nineteen, surely, tall, lissome, precisely the figure that the modern dances mi:-t have it especially designed to set off. T watched her attentively. In fact I could scarcely believe the impression I was gaining of her. I watched Gloria narrowly. Clearly here was an example of a girl attracted bv the glamor of the life and flattery of Its satellites. What the end of It all might be I preferred not to guess. Craig was looking about at the variegated varie-gated crowd. Suddenly lie jogged my elbow. There, just around the turn of the railing of the gallery, sat a young man, dark of hair and eyes, of a rather distinguished foreign appearance, his face set in a scowl as he looked down on the heads of the dancers. One could have followed the tortuous course of Gloria and her partner by his eyes, which the man never took off her, even following her back to the table in the corner when the encore of the dance was finished. The young man's face at least was familiar to me. though I had not met him. It was Slcnor Franeoni, quietly watching Gloria and her gay party. After a few moments Craig rose, paid his check, and moved over to the table where Franeoni was sitting alone. He introduced himself and Franeoni, with easy politeness invited us to join htm. I studied the man's face attentively. Sig'por Franeoni was still young, in spite , ! of the honors that had been showered on him for his many inventions. 7 had 1 wondered before why such a man would be Interested in a girl of Gloria's evident ; type. But as J studied him I fancied I understood. To his serious mind it ! was just the butterfly type that offered ; the greatest relief. An intellectual wo- I man would ha vo been merely carrying i Into another sphere the problems with j which he was more than capable of i wrestling. But there was no line of ap- j proval in his fine face of i he butterfly j and candle-sinseing process that was go- j Ing on hero. 1 must say I heartily liked him. "What are- j on working on now?" asked Kennedy hs a preliminary step to draw- j tnc him out. i A system of wireless transmission of pictures," he returned mechanically. "I think I have vastly Improved the svs-tem svs-tem of Dr. Korn. You aro familiar with tt. I pi trsume?" Kennedy nodded. "I have seen it work." he said simply. That bfdephotograph apparatus. I remembered, re-membered, depended on the ability of the element selenium to vary the strength of an electric current passing through It in proportion to t he brightness with which the selenium is illuminated. "That system." be resumed, speaking as though his mind wos not on the subject sub-ject particularly just now. "produces pictures at one end of the apparatus by the successive transmission of many small parts separately. J have harnessed the alternating eurrent In a brand-new way. I think. Instead or prolonging the operation, I do u all at once, projecting the itnaso on a sheet of tiny selenium cells. My work is dime. Now the th!n to do Is to convince the world of that." "Then you have the telephote in uctuu! operation?" "Yes." he replied. "I bm-p a little station sta-tion down on the shore of the south side of the island." He handed us a .aid on which tit; wrote tho address at South , Just around the turn of the railing sat a young man of distinguished dis-tinguished appearance, his faae set in a scowl as he looked down on the heads of the dancers. Side Beach. "That will admit you there i I at anv time, if I should not be about. I am testing it out here have several in- ' struments on trans-Atlantic liners. We ! think it mav be of use in war sending I plans, photographs of spiesand such things." He stopped suddenly. The music had started again and Gloria was again out j on the dancing floor. 1 "Kveryone seems to become easily ac- I quainted with everyone else here," remarked re-marked Craig, bending over the rail. , "I suppose one cannot dance without ; partners, returned j-ranconi ausenu . "Who are they all, do you suppose?" I queried. "All sorts and conditions," returned Kennedy. ""Wall street fellows whose pocket books have been thinned by dull times on the exchange; actors out of engagements, en-gagements, law clerks, some of them even college students. Xone of them have any monev. Thev don't get anything from, the owner of the cabaret, of course, except ex-cept perhaps the right to sign checks for a limited amount in the hope that they mav attract new business. It's grafting pure and simple. The women are their dupes; thev nay the bills and even now and then something for 'private lessons' in dancing In a 'studio.' ' Franeoni was dividing his attention between be-tween what Kennedy was saying and watching Gloria and her partner, who seemed to be a leader, tall and spare, as must be the successful dancing men ot i today, I "There'3 a fellow named Dti Mond," he i put in. j "Who is he?" asked Craig, as though j we bad never heard of him. "To borrow one of your Americanisms." American-isms." returned Franeoni, "I think he's i the man who puts the 'tang' in tango." Kennedy smiled, but immediately became be-came interested In a tall blond girl who had been talking to Du Mond just before the dancing began. I noticed that she was not dancing but stood in the back-giound back-giound mosr of 'fie time giving a subtle look of appraisal to the men who sat at tables and the girls who also sat alone. Now and then she would move from one table to another with that easy, graceful glide which showed she had been a dancer from girlhood. Always after such 1 an excursion we saw other couples who had been watching in lonely wist fulness j now made happy by a chance to join the throng. "Who is that woman?" I asked. 'I believe her name is Bernice Bent-lev," Bent-lev," replied Franeoni. "She's the well, they call her the official hostess a sort of introducer. That's the reason why, as vou observed, there is no lack of friendliness friend-liness and partners. She just arranges Introductions, very tactfully, of course, tor she's experienced." I regarded her with astonishment. I had never dreamed that such a thing was possible, even In cosmopolitan New York. What could these women be thinking of? Some of them looked more than capable of taking care of themselves, them-selves, but there must be many, like Gloria, who were not. What did they know of tho men, except their clothes and steps? As we watched we saw a slender, rather refined -locking eirl eome In and sit quietly quiet-ly at a ta hie in the rear. I wondered what the ot'iieial introducer would do about her. and waited. Sure enough, it was not long before Miss Bemley appeared ap-peared with one of the danclne men In tow. To my surprise I he "hostess" was coldly turned down. What it was that happened I did not know, hut It was evident evi-dent that a change had taken place. Un-otitruslvely Un-otitruslvely Bernice Bemley seemed to catch the roving eye of Du Mond while he was dancing and direct it toward the little table. I saw his face hush suddenly sudden-ly and a moment later he managed to work Gloria about to the opposite side of the dancing lloor, and, though the music had not stuped, on some pretext or other to join the party in the corner again. Almost before we knew it, it seemed that the little party had tired of the Cabaret Rouge. Of course we could hear nothing, but it seemed as If Du Mond were proposing something and had carried car-ried his point. Hit tie had been said by either Franeoni Fran-eoni or ourselves, but it was by a sort of instinct that we, too, paid our checks and moved down to the coat room ahead of them. In an angle we waited, until Gloria and her party appeared. Du Mond was not witli them. We looked out of the door. Before the cabaret stood a smart hired limousine which was evidently evi-dently Gloria's. She would not have dared use her own motor car on such an excursion. They drove off without seeing us and a moment later Du 'Mond and Bernice Bentley appeared. "Thank you for the tip," I heard him a. crowning distinction in bis social ca- yr. vN happened I did not know, hut It was evi- recr and he did not purpose to have f V'tCVi -0 l l f'cnL that a change had taken place. Un- Gloria's escapades f i joi I the LmM-t for him. ( y 0 y ' T" - ' ifLL obtrusively Bernice Bentley seemed to Mrs. Brackett had risen. 'How can I fTy. Pr'' JJ catch the roving eye of Du Mond while ever thank you?" she exciaimM. extend- ff-h 'ie was ,ianL"'n- an' direct it toward the lng her hand impulsively. "I know noth- y7r ' "3 httle table. 1 saw his face hush sudden- inr hH.H beep changed yet. But already IJ In ly and a moment later he managed to I feel hettet." !r'2S x: 1 work Gloria about to the opposite lde "I Miail do what I can; depend on me," J j'. ' 1 f tr)e dancing lloor, and, though the t-eir era.teii Kennedy modestly. "If I can c 4 J'-?-fff music had not stuped, on some pretext do nothing before, I shall be nut a' the S ' ' sj' Y' . "nr.-t i or other to join the party in the corner Hunt club tomorrow perhaps I shall be 3 ' '-f.'-'i1 - -J again. there anyhow." 3 X-Jy V't'1 Almost before we knew it, it seemed "This U a mo:it peculiar situation," 1 ! K' " yl ."w that the little party had tired of the .remarked a few minutes later, as Mrs. J U'xf ft S Cabaret Rouge. Of course we could hear I Brackett was whisked a way from the J h' J P :. -. nothing, but it seemed as If Du Mond Inborn tory door In her motor. VjJ (...;-. f. were proposing something and had car- "indeed it Is," returned Kennedy. He tV. wfl 'Vv j re P'nl-pulled P'nl-pulled out his watch. "Half-past four." rV: a :l Hi l tie had been said by either Fran-he Fran-he considered. "I'd like to have a look w C ''''-"-!' it cni or ourselves, but it was by a sort at that Cabaret Kongo here in town." r.fcvJCS ''s-r- of instinct that we, too, paid our checks jj fl j'',''-v'"' -'y. !'.' I and moved down to the coat room ahead Tt. was a perfect autumn afternoon. We cV i j , I of them. In an angle we waited until strode along In the bracing air until at h-rr r Glora a"d her party appeared Du Mond last we turned Into Broad wav at the up- j VtS&JX I )&s Vot with them We looked out of per end of what might be called "Auto- J 7' - t 1 3 I the rIoc!r: 1Be,I.ore the cabaret stood a mobile row." Motor - cars and taxicabg .L,'4i'' Tvxs S,"ia,t h,;,ed, ,limouJi!ne wch was evi-were evi-were buzzing along In an endless stream. i ' t denUy Glorias. She would not have most of them tiled with women, gowned :,V V A-T J dared uSe, her own motor car on such and bonneted In the latest mode. ' Nr 9 A an excursion. Before the garish entrance of the Caba- 1 ,y J -2 A Thoy (lr,ov1e,ff 'lthut tseelnJ 8 and ret Kougo thev seemed to pile up and ,7 W f?.H 'rty moment later Du Mond and Bernice discharge their feminine cargoes. We en- I fify V try J ' Bent ey appeared. vi terd and were quickly engulfed in the , f ' j to 'Thank you for the tip, I heard him tide of eager pleasure seekers. A hand- ' .:$ $ i'r' -'-' J (LX some and judicious tip to the head waiter I' C tv ( secured us a table at the far end of a I s$sl 4 l'-.!:.;Vl! 4 Af eiL 11 sort of mezzanine gallerv, from which we ; mr- ivV IrT) could look down over a railing at the lvf' -iSi'& v LTOr various groups at the little white tables ' "' Vsg? i. . raOYo below. NST V . 'g Smooth nnd Rlltterinc on the surface, hx-ry1, . !rx . " , . - V yp like lis little polished rliini'lne floor in tho ' - Tf Vi '?c5g5555S: Ml &3 middle of the squares of tables down- fe.vil.vi- (ljf:52 VK& stairs, the Cabaret Rouge, one could see J had treacherous undercurrents unsus- x AX f. I V JI.U A' d if f fl f'VWTtirf Pctert until an Insight such as we had U ( 1 tAfifl fcM fit V, It hi ISssSEf . . V j played sharp, staccato, hiehly accentu- IWAWWHIt tf 1 J1 B.i V were sipping expensive drinks. Instinct- ft t V ively one felt the undertow in the verj I ' W "There she is," pointed out Kennedy i-S&Z finally. "I recognize her from the pic- tures Tve seen." JSss whisper. "I thought the best thing was to get them away without me. I'll catch them in a taxi later. You're off at seven? Then we'll wait and all go out together. It's safer out there." Just what it all meant I could not say. Evidently the gay party was transferring transfer-ring the scene of their gayety to the country place of the Cabaret Rouge. But why? We parted at the door with Franeoni, who repeated his invitation to visit his shop down at the beach. I started to follow Franeoni out, but Kennedy drew me back. We retreated to (the angle. "I want to watch that little woman who came in pione," he said. We had not long to wait. Scarcely had Du Mond disappeared when she came out and stood in the entrance, while a boy summoned a laxicab for her. Kennedy improved the opportunity by calling another for us and by the time she was ready to drive off we were able to follow her. She drove to the Prince Henry hotel, where she dismissed the machine and entered. We did the same. J "By the way," asked Kennedv casually. sauntering up to the desk after she had : stopped to get her keys and a letter, "can you tell me who that woman wai?" The clerk ran his finger down the names ! on the register. At Mast he paused and turned the book around to' us. His finger j indicated : "Mrs. Katherine Du Mond, Chicago." Kennedy and I looked at each other in amazement. Du Mond was married and his wife was In town. She had not made a scene. She had merely watched. What could have been more evident than that she was seeking evidence and such evidence evi-dence could only have been for a court of law in a divorce suit? We left the hotel and Kennedy hurried down Broadway, turning' off at the office of a young detective, Chase, wihom he used often on matters of pure routine for which he had no time. "Chase," he instructed, when we were seated in the office, "you recall that advertisement ad-vertisement of the lost necklace in the Star by La Rue & Co.?" The young man nodded. Even' one knew it. "Well," resumed; Kennedy, "I want you to search the pawnshops, particularly par-ticularly those of the Tenderloin, 'or any trace you can find of iL" IIL 1 The next day was that of the hunt and we motored out to the North Shore Hunt club, where Mra. Brackett was waiting for us with horses from the Brackett stables. "I'm so glad you came," she greeted us aside. "Gloria is here under protest. That young man over there, talking to her, is RlUer Smith, 'Rhine' Brown, as they call him, was about a moment ago oh, yes, there he is, coming on that chestnut chest-nut mare to talk to them. I wanted you to see them here. After the hunt, If you care to, I think you might so over to the Cabaret Rouge out here. You might find out something." The Hunt club was a swagger organization, organiza-tion, even in these degenerate days when farmers will not tolerate broken fences and trampled crops, and when democratic demo-cratic Ideas interfere sadly with the follies fol-lies of the rich. In a cap with a big peak, a scarlet hunting coat and white breeches, with top boots, Brackett himself made a striking figure of M. F. H. There were thirty or forty in the field, the men in silk hats. For the most part one could not see that the men treated Gloria much differently. But it was evident evi-dent that the women did. In fact the coldness even extended to her mother, wfho would literally have been frozen out if it had not been for her quasi-official position. I could see now that it was also a fight for -Mrs. Brackett's social life. As we watched Gloria, we could see that Franeoni was hovering around, unsuccessfully un-successfully trying to get an opportunity to say a word to her alone. Just before we were off a telegram came to her, which she read and hastily stuffed Into a pocket of her riding habit. It was a keen, crisp day. Already a man had been over the field pulling along the ground a little bag of aniseed, and now the hunt was about to start. Noses down, sterns feathering zigzag over the ground, sniffing earth and leaves and grass, the hounds were brought up. One seemed to get a good whiff of the trail and lifted his uead with a half yelp; half whine, half pitched, frenzied, never- l to-be-forgotten. Others joined in the music. "Gone away!" sounded a huntsman, hunts-man, as if there were a real fox. We were off after them. Drag hounds, however, how-ever, for the most part run mute and verv fast, so that that picturesque feature was missing. But the light soil and rail fences of Long Island were ideal for drag hunting. We went for four or five miles. Then there was a check for the stragglers to come up. While we waited we saw that Mrs 1 Brackett was riding about quicklv. A moment she stopped to speak to her husband, hus-band, then galloped over to us. Her face was almost white. "Gloria hasn't come up with the rest I" she exclaimed ex-claimed breathlessly. Already Brackett had told those about him and all was confusion. It was only a moment when the members of the hunt were scouring the country over which we had passed, with something really definite to- find. Kennedy did not pause. "Come on. Walter," he shouted, striking out down the road, with me hard after him. We pulled up before a roadhouse of remarkable re-markable quaintness and luxurv of appointment, ap-pointment, one of the hundreds about New York, which tbe automobile has recreated. re-created. Before It swung the weathered sign : Cabaret Rouge. To our hurried inquiries the manager admitted that Du Mond had been there, but alone, and had left, also alone. Gloria had not come there. A moment later sounds of hoofs on the hard road Interrupted us and Ritter Smith dashed up. "Just overtook a farmer down the road." he panted. "Says he saw an automobile waiting at the stone bridge and later it passed him with a girl and a man in it. He couldn't recognize them. The top was up and they went so fast." Together we retraced the way to the stone bridge. Sure enough, there were marks where a car had pulled up, and as we searched Kennedy reached down and picked up something white spotted with fresh blood, as though someone had tried to stop a nose bleed. He looked at it more closely. Tn the corner was embroidered a little "G." Evidently there had been a struggle and a car had whizzed off. Gloria was gone. And with whom? An alarm was at once sent out and the police all over the country notified. There was nothing to do now but wait. Mrs. Brackett was frantic. But it was not now the scandal that worried. It was Gloria's safety. That night In the laboratory Kennedy took the handkerchief and with the blood on It made a most peculiar test before a strange looking little Instrument. It seemed to consist of a little cylinder of glass Immersed in water kept at the temperature of the body. Between two minute wire pincers or serres, in the cylinder, was a very small piece of some tissue. To the lower serre was attached a thread. The upper one was attached to a sort of lever ending in a pen that moved over a ruled card. "Every emotion," remarked Kennedy, as he watched the movement of the pen in fine zigzag lines over the card, "produces "pro-duces its physiological effect. Fear. rage, pain, hunger are primitive experiences, the most powerful that determine the actions ac-tions of man. I suppose you have heard of the recent studies of Dr. Walter Cannon, Can-non, of Harvard, at the group of remarkable remark-able alterations in bodily economy under emotion ?" I nodded and Kennedy resumed: "On the surface one may see the effect of blood vessels contracting, in pallor; one may see cold sweat, or the saliva stop when the tongue cleaves to the roof of the mouth, or one may see the pupils dilate, di-late, hairs raise, respiration become quick, or the beating of the heart, or tremhllng of the muscles, notably the lips. But one cannot see such 'evidences of emotion if he is not present at the time. How can we reconstruct them?" He paused a moment, then resumed. "There are organs hidden deep In the body which do not reveal so easily the emotions. There are special methods by which one can study the feellncs. That Is what I have been doing here." "But how can you?' I queried. "There Is what is called the sympathetic sympa-thetic nervous system," he explained. "Above the kidney there are also glands called the suprarenal, which excrete a suhstanee known as ad renin. In extraordinarily ex-traordinarily small amounts adrenin affects af-fects this sympathetic system. In emu- , i lions of various kinds a reflex action is I sent to the the suprarenal landa which; j causes a pouring into the blood of ad- ; renin. I "On the handkerchief of Gloria Brack- 1 ett I omaineu plenty of comparatively . fresh blood. Here m this machine 1 have bet .veen these two pincers a. minute seg-, 'merit of rabbit intestine." He withdrew the solution from the cylinder with a pipette, then introduced somu more of the dissolved blood from the handkerchief. The first effect was a strong contraction of the rabbit intestine, in-testine, then in a minute or so the contractions con-tractions became fairly oven with the base lme on tho card. '"Such tissue," he remarked, "Is noticeably notice-ably affected by even one part in over a million of adrenin. See. Here, by the writing lever, the rhythmical contractions contrac-tions ure recorded. Such a strip of tissue tis-sue will live lor hours, will contract and relax beautifully with a regular rhythm winch, as you see, can lie graphically recorded. re-corded. This is my adrenin test." Carefully he withdrew the ruled paper pa-per with its tracing. "It's a very simple test after all," he said, laying beside this tracing another which lie had mado previously. "There you see the difference between what I may call 'quiet blood' and 'excited blood.' " I looked at the two sets and tracings. "What do they show to an expert ?'' I asked, perplexed. ' "Fear." he answered laconically. "Gloria "Glo-ria Brackett did not go voluntarily. She did not elope. She was forced to go. Perhaps our original theory that her nose was bleeding may be correct. It might have started In the excitement, the anger an-ger and fear at what happened, whatever what-ever it was." Our telephone rnng Insistently and Kennedy answered It. "What was it?" I asked eagerly as ho hung up the receiver. "Chase has traced the necklace," he reported; "that is, he has discovered the separate stones, unset, pawned in several shops. The tickets were Issued to a girl whose description exactly fits Gloria Brackett." I could only stare at him. What we bad all feared had actually taken place. Gloria must have taken the necklace herself. her-self. "Why should she have taken it?" I considered. "For many possible reasons," returned re-turned Kennedy. "You saw the life she vas leading. Her own income probably went to keeping those harpies going. Besides, Be-sides, her mother had cut her allowance." allow-ance." "Perhaps they had run her Into debt," I agreed. "How about that other little woman we saw?" suggested Kennedy. "You remember how Gloria seemed to stand in fear of Du Mond? Who knows but that he made her get it to save her reputation?. reputa-tion?. A girl in Gloria's position might do many foolish things. But to be named as co-respondent, that would be fatal." Suddenly the door opened. Mrs. Brackett Brack-ett entered. Never have I seen a greater contrast in so short a time than that between be-tween the striking society matron who first called on us and the broken woman now before us. "Why, what's the matter?" asked Kennedy. "Have you heard anything new?" She did not answer directly, but silently handed him a yellow slip of paper. On a telegraph blank were written simply the words, "Don't try to follow me. I've gone to be a war nurse. When I make good I will let you know. Gloria." W'e looked at each other in blank amazement. Somehow I felt that the message did not tell tbe story. Where was Du Mond? Had he fled, too perhaps forced her to go with him when Mrs. Du Mond appeared? ap-peared? "Oh, Mr. Kennedy." pleaded Mrs. Brackett, all thought of her former pride , gone, "can't you find her can't you do i something?" "Have you a photograph of Gloria?" he asked hurriedly. "Yes," she cried teagerly, reaching Into her meshbag and drawing one out. "I cam' it with me always. Why?" "Come." exclaimed Kennedy, seizing it. "It occurs to me that It is now or never that this device of Franconi's must prove that it is some good. There's just a bare chance that the telephote has been Placed on some of these vessels that aro carrving munlt ions o broad. As fa-'t as Mrs. Brackett's chauffeur could drive us, we motored down to South Side Beach and bought out Franconi's little workshop. lie wr.s not there, but an assistant was. Kennedy showed him the card that Franeoni Fran-eoni had given us. "Show us how the machine works," he said. "Well," began the assistant, "this Is a screen of very minute and sensitive selenium sele-nium cells. Gradations of light, which are all thnt are necessary to produce the illusion of a picture, are far simpler than those of sound. Here, in this projector projec-tor " "That Is the transmitting part of the apparatus?" interrupted Kennedy brusquely. "That holder?" "Yes. You see there are hundreds of alternating conductors and insulators, all synchronized with hundreds of similar receivers re-ceivers at the " "Let me see you try this photograph," photo-graph," interrupted Kennedy again, handing hand-ing over the picture of Gloria which Mrs. Brackett had given him. "SIgnor Franeoni Fran-eoni told me he had the telephote on several sev-eral outgoing liners. Is there any way of sending a wireless message , from this place?" s- The assistant had shoved the phnfw graph into the holder from which eacliw section was projected on the selenium cell screen. ' "I have a fairly powerful plant here," he replied. Quicklv Kennedy wrote out a messag-e, briefly describing the reason why tho picture pic-ture was transmitted and asking that any station on shipboard that received It would have a careful search made of tho passengers for any young woman, no ma tter what name was assumed, who might resemble the photograph. While we waited, Mrs. Brackett was eating her heart out with anxiety. Kennedy Ken-nedy took the occasion to call up tho New York police on long distance. They had no clew of Gloria. Nor had they been able to find a trace of Du Mond. Mrs. I.m Mond also had disappeared. At the Cabaret Rouge, Bernice Bentley had been held and put through a third degree, without disclosing a thing. If Indeed she knew anything. We had almost given up hope, when suddenly a little buzzer on the telephote warned the operator that something was coming over it. "The Monfalcone," he remarked, interpreting inter-preting the source of the Impulses. We gathered breathlessly about the complicated instrument aa, on a receiving receiv-ing screen composed of innumerable pencils pen-cils of light polarized and acting on a set of mirrors, eaoh corresponding to the cells of the selenium screen and tuned to them, as it were, a thin film or veil seemed gradually to clear up, as the telephote tele-phote slowly got itself into equilibrium at both ends of the air line. Gradually ' the face of a girl appeared. "Gloria !" gasped Mrs. Brackett In a tone that sounded as If ten years had been added to her life. "Wait," cautioned the operator. "There is a written message to follow." On the same screen now came in letters: let-ters: "I couldn't help it. I was blackmailed black-mailed into taking the necklace. Even at the hunt I received another demand. I did not mean to go, but 1 was carried off by force before I could pay the second sec-ond demand. Now I'm glad of It. Forgive For-give ns. Gloria." - "Us?" repeated Mrs. Brackett, not cSSs prehending. "Look another picture," pointed Ken-nedy. Ken-nedy. j We bent over a a the face of a mart lp feemed to dissolve more clearly in place of the writing. "Thank God!" exclaimed Mra. BracT fervently, reading the face by a syrof Intuition before it cleared enough for us to recognize. "He has saved her from herself?" It was Franeoni! Slowly it faded and in its place appeared ap-peared another written message. "Recalled to Italy for war service. I took her with me by force. It was the only way. Civil ceremony In New York yesterday. Religious will follow at Rome." |