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Show Hie Latest Lraig Kennedy Detective 5 cones " w- u VIII. The Vital Principle. (Copyright. 1 r 1 7. hy The McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) f HAT'S the handwriting: of a 44' I woman a jealous wc:n;in." re-1 re-1 marked Kennedy, handing to me I a dainty note on plain paper which had come in the morning mail. Tou don't know me Cthe note road), but I know of your work of scientific scien-tific Investigation. Let me inform you of something that oucht to interest you. In the Forum a pa rtments you will find that there is some stranpo disease dis-ease affecting the Ward law family. H is a queer disease of the nerves. One is dead. Others are dvinir. Ixok into it. A KIU L'ND. "It's that peculiar. vertical, angular hand affected by many women," Craie commented, half to himse'f. "Even at a prlance you can eee that it's written hastily, as if under the stress of excitement and sudden resolution. You'll notice how those capitals " The laboratory la-boratory door opened. Interrupting him. "Hello, Kennedy." greeted Doctor Leslie, Les-lie, our friend the coroner's physician, who had been recently appointed health commissioner of the city. It was the first time we had seen him ei nee the appointment and we hastened to congrratiil.-iie him. lie thanked us absently, ab-sently, and it was evident that there was something1 on his mind. "Do you know, Kennedy," he said at length, turning in his chair and facing us, "I believe we have found one of the strangest cases in the history f tre depart de-part ment." The commissioner paused, then went on nuickly. "It looks as if it were nothing noth-ing less than an epidemic of beriberi. In the family of a Doctor Wardiaw, uptown up-town lien?, in the Forum '' Kennedy had already shoved "over the letter he had just received. Ieslie did not finish the sentence, but read the note In amazement. "What are the symptoms?" Inquired Craig. "What makes you think It Is beriberi, beri-beri, of all things?" Because they show symptoms of beriberi." beri-beri." persisted Leslie, doggedly. "You know what they are Like. If you care to go into the matter I think I can convince con-vince you." ' "How did you first hear of it" prompted prompt-ed Kennedy. Leslie answered frankly. "It came to the attention of the department as the result of a reform I have inaugurated. When I went in office 1 found that many of the death certificates were faulty, and in the course of our Investigations we ran across one that seemed to be most vaguely worded. It started an inquiry. 7 can't say that I am thoroughly satisfied with the amended certificate of the physician phy-sician who attended Mrs. Marbury, the mother of Doctor Wardlaw's wife, who died about a week ago Doctor Aitken." "Then Ward law didn't attend her himself?" him-self?" asked Kennedy. "Oh, no. He couldn't under the circumstances, cir-cumstances, as I'll show you present! v. ftlde from the medical ethics of the case, Aitken was the family physician of the Alar bury 3. "Wardlaw himself has the marks of a nervous affection so plainly the eye can eee it. You know what it is in this disease, as though the nerves were wasting away. But he doesn't seem half as badly affected as his wife. They tell me Maude Marbury was quite a beauty once, and photographs I have eeen prove it. She's a wreck now." "Who else is there in the household?" inquired Kennedy. "Well." answered Leslie, slowly, "they've had a nurse for some time Natalie Langdale. Apparently she has escaped." "Any servants?" "Some by the day; only one regularly a Japanese Kato. He goes home at night, too. There's no evidence of the disease having affected him." I caught Leslie's eye as he' gave the last information. Though I did not know much about beriberi. I had read of it, and knew that It was especially prevalent In the Orient. I did not know what importance to attach at-tach to Kato and his going home at night. "Have you done any investigating yourself?' your-self?' asked Kennedy. Leslie hesitated a moment, as though depreciating his own efforts in that line, though when he spoke J could see no reason why he should, except that it had so often happened that Kennedy had seen the obvious which was hidden from most of those who consulted him. "Yes," he replied. "I thought perhaps there might be some motive back of :t all which X might discover. Possibly It was old Mrs. Marbury1 s fortune not a large one, but substantial. So it occurred to mc that the will might show it. I have been to the surrogate." "And?" prompted Kennedy, approvingly. approving-ly. "Mrs. Marbury's will has already been offered for probate. It directs, among other- things, that ?2?.fY0 be givn by her daughter, to whom she leaves the bulk of her fortune, to Dr. Aitken. who has been Mr. Marbury's physician and her own." Leslie looked at us significantly, but Kennedy made no comment. "Would you like to go up there and tee them?" urged the commissioner. "I certainly should," returned Kennedy, Ken-nedy, heartily, folding up the letter whmn had first attracted his interest. "It looks as if there were more to this thing than a mere disease, however unusual." Dr. Leslie could not conceal his satls- faction, and without a moment more than was necesfary hurried us out into one of the department cars, which he had left waiting outside, and directed the driver to take us to tile Forum apartments, one of t he newest and most lashionabie on Kivrsuie drive. 2vliss U.ngdalo met us at the door and admitted us into Jlie apartment. She was a striking type of trained nurse, one of those who seem bubbling over with health and vivaci t v. She .seemed solicitous of her pntints and reluctant to have them disturbed, yeL apparently not daring to refuse to admit Dr. Leslie. Miss lan'dale conducted us softly down a hallway through the middle of the apartment, "and I noted quickly how it was laid out. On one side we parsed a handsomely furnished parlor and din-ins din-ins room, opposite which were the kitchen and hi; tier's pantry, and, farther alon. a bedroom and bath. On down the hall, on t ;ie ri'n;, was Dr. Ward law's studVv, or rather icn, for it was more of a library than an office. The nurse led the way, and we entered. Through the windows one caught a beautiful beau-tiful vista of the drive, the river, and tthe Jersey siioie. Around the room there were bookcases and cabinets, a desk, some easy chairs, and in the corner a table on which were some of Wardiaw's paraphernalia, for, although he was not a practicing physician, he still specialized in his favorite branches of eye and car surgery. Miss Lancdale left us a moment, with a hasty excuse that she must prepare Mrs. Wardlaw for the unexpected visit. The preparation, however, did not take Ions-, for a moment later Maude Wardlaw entered, supported by her nurse. Her lips moved mechanically as she saw us. but we could not hear what she said. As she walked, I could see that she had a peculiar gait, as thougn she were always lifting her ieet over small obstacles. obsta-cles. Her eyes, too, as she looked at us, had a stvange squint, and now and then the muccles o her face twitched. She glanced from Leslie to Kennedy inquiringly, inquir-ingly, as Leslie introduced us, implying thai we were from his office and then dropped into the easy chair. Her breathing breath-ing seemed to be labored and her heart action feeble. As Mrs. Wardlaw's hand rested on the arm of the chair I saw that there was a peculiar flection of her wrist which reminded re-minded me of the so-called "wrist-drop" of which I had heard. It was almost as if the muscles of her hands and arms, feet and legs, were weak and wasting. Once the had been beautiful, and even now she had a sort of ethereal beauty that was very touching'. "Doctor is out just now," she hesitated, hesi-tated, in a tone that hinted at the loss of her voice. She turned appealinely to Miss Langdale. "Oh." she murmured. "1 fee! so badly this morning as if pins and needies were sticking in rae vague pains in all my limbs " One had only to see her to feel sympathy. sym-pathy. It seemed almost cruel to intrude under the circumstances, yet it was absolutely ab-solutely necessary if Craig were to accomplish ac-complish anything. Maude Wardlaw, however, did not seem to comprehend the 015 ii i i iiuii(.c ui u 11 1 pi caciiio, ami 1 muw- dered how Kennedy would proceed. "I should like to see your Japanese servant, Kato." he began directly, somewhat some-what to my surprise, addressing himself rather to Miss Langdale than to Mrs. Wardlaw. The nurse nodded and left th room without a word. A few moments later Kato entered. He was a typical specimen speci-men of the suave Oriental, and I eyed him keenly, for to me eas,t was east and west was west, and I was frankly suspicious, sus-picious, especially as I saw no reason to be otherwise in Kennedy's manner. "Sit here." directed Kennedy, indicating indicat-ing a straight-backed chair, on which the Japanese obediently sat. "Now cross your knees.' As Kato complied. Kennedy Quickly brought his hand, held fiat and" palm upward, up-ward, sharplv against the Jap's knee just below the kneecap. There was a quick reflex jerk of the leg below the knee in response. "Quite natural," Kennedy w-htspered, turning to Leslie, who nodded. He dismissed Kato without further questioning, having had an opportunity to observe whether he showed any of the symptoms that had appeared in the rest of the family. Craig and the health commissioner com-missioner exchanged a few words under their breath, then Craig crossed the room to Mrs. Wardlaw. The entrance of Kato had roused her momentarily and she had been watching what was going on. "Tt is a simple test." explained Kennedy, Ken-nedy, indicating to Miss I-angdale that he wished to repeat it on her patient. Mrs. "Wardlaw's knee showed no reflex! As he turned to us, we could see that Kennedy's face was lined deeply with thought, and he paced up and down the room once or twice, considering what he had observed. I could see that even this simple interview in-terview had greatly fatigued M rs. Wa rd -law. Miss La n ed ale said nothing, but It was plainly evident that she objected stronsr'v to the strain on her patient's strength. "That wiil be sufficient." nodded Craltr. noticing t h nurse. "Thank you very mur-n. I think you had better let M rs. Wardlaw rest in her own room." On the nurse's a rm Mrs. "Wardlaw ithdrew and I looked Inquiringly from Kennedv to Dr. Leslie. "It is polyneuritis, all right, Leslie. ' Crr-ig a t:reed, the moment wc were alone. ' E think so." coincided Ix-slle, with a nod. "It's the cause I can't get at. Is it polyneuritis or heribri or something elFe?" Kennedy did not reply immc-dl-atelv. " 1 hen thTe are oher causes?" I inquired in-quired of Leslie. "Aieohnl." he returned. briefly. "I don't think that figures In thin Instance. At Ipast I've wen no evidence." "Perhaps so mi drug?" I hazarded at a venture. "How about the food"" irKV''rd Cmig. "Have you rruide any attempt to exam- IUH 1L . I "I bare." replied the com mi ?p toner. "When I ram up here first T thoijht of that. T tonli samples of all the food that I could find In the. ire-bo. The k lrchn, and the butler's pantry. I hav the whole thine, :aln-W), aJid I have already started to test t hm out. I'll show you whn t I have done when we go down to the department de-partment labra tor-'." Kennedy hnd fccpn examining the bookM in the lfookraye and, now pullvi out a medical dictionary. Jt opened readily to the heading. "Polyneuritis multiple neuritis." neu-ritis." I bent over ?nd read with him. In the disease. It gpmM, the nerve fibers thm-slves thm-slves in the small nerves broke down and th affer-ttr.n was motor, sensory. vas'Omotor. or ond"ml". All the pymp-t-ini. described crnd to fit what I had observed in Mrs, Ward la w. "Inva riahly." the art Mo went on. "It Is the repult of sonr toxic subftanre circulating cir-culating in tho Mood. There is a polyneuritis poly-neuritis psyhnsls, known as Korsakoff's syndrome, rha rac! prized by disturbance nf the memory of recent event and false reminiscence, the, pat lent toing restless and disorient 1 led." I ran mv fincrep down ihr pnc tint!! I a rne to the rftiifv.. 'fherp wcr fl 'ohn , Iad. arsenic, bisulphide of carbon, rtijt-rfisfp rtijt-rfisfp s'jeh as diabetes, diphtheria, typhoid and fii allv, much to mv pvlt'mpnt, was enurnera t''.j beriberi, with the nrld n-formatl'-n. "or. as the Japanese, ca,n it, ka kkr-." I mv flncrr on thf, pavK.itr nnd w;i;. al'O-it to y.i- something ahrr,)t my smpi'-ions of Kato, when wi heard the pound of foo' HfrpH In the hall. r,d frnlk' Miapped the book fhut. returning It. hnwi.l-1 hnwi.l-1 v to tho 1 'ook t-n 1 1 wa h M sh L n e - 'da'e, '10 h.d madf her patient omfoil-aM omfoil-aM In bed and now rMurtwd to ufl. "Who 1m t hln Knt o"" Inquired "wli:i! do yo'i know about him?" j ".lupf a vfinrik' .Jahnne-Ho ftoin th ni' -1 tioi) f!'ivn:own." r"pi;erl the nnr.ef (ju rertiy, "I don't ni;ppos you know, hut 'Mr?. Warl'.'nv u.-'M to " ifre.itlv Intor-jeHted Intor-jeHted In rdlgIou( nnd rnr-iiil v.ork amoni; 'the Japane."e and (""hlnese; would be I but," she nd'lcd fcnlf li-antly, "lie is not 5 1 rone non'h. Thev f-nijdoyert hirn rr. j fore j r r, iiie here, about a y:y r.c, 1 1 think." Kenned'. rn Jdt-d, and wa;; nbont to :w- ,'in"t'i-r q ,'.' inn, ::ht-u lh-r u;m a Khtt'it I noi out In tW- hall. . Thinking It nnu'nt M o I'i'o IjiutH' If, 1 ."prang to the door. "Your nervousness is the nervousness not of polyneuritis, but of guilt." Instead, I encountered a middle-aced man, who drew back in surprise at seeing me. a stranger. "Oh. pood mom inc. Doctor Aitken V" greeted Miss Langdale. As for Doctor Aitken. he glanced from Ieslte. whom he knew, to Kennedv. whom he did not know, with a very surprised look on bis face. Leslie nodueu to him and introduced vis, without q i.te knowmg what to say or do, any more than Uoctor Aitken. "A most incomprehensible c? se," ventured ven-tured Aitken to us. "I can't, for the life cf me. make it out." The d-ictur showed his perplexity plainly, whether it was feigned or not. "I'm afraid she's not quite so well as , usual." put in Miss I-augd'Uo. speaking to him. but in a manner that Indira ted that first of all she .wished any blame for her patient's condition to attach to us and no; to hereof!. Doctor Aitken pursed up his lips, bowed excusinely to us. and turned down the hall, followed by the nurse. As they j pnssed on to Mrs. Wardlaw' h room, I am i sure they whispered about us. I was j puzzled by Doctor Aitken. lie seemed to! be sincere, yet, under the circumstances, I felt that I must be suspicious of every- j body and everything. Alone again for a moment. Kennedy turned bis attention to the furniture of the room. ar.J finally paused before a wrltinc desk in the corner. lie tried it, It-was not locked and he opened it. Quickly he ran through a pile of papers carefully laid under a paper weight at the baek. A suppressed exclamation from him c&lled my attention to something that he had discovered. There lay two documents, evidently recently drawn up. As we looked over the first, we saw that 1t wos Doctor Wardlaw's will, in whlm he had left even-thing to his wr, nKhough he was not an especially wealthy man. The other was the. will of Mrs. Wardlaw. Wo devoured it hastiiv In suhstam-e it wis identical with the first, except that at the end she had added two riaus In the first she had none just as her mother bad directed. Twt-nty-flve thousand thou-sand dollars had been left to D-tor A It ken. I glanced at Kennedy, but he w:m reading the second clause. I read also. if t y thou pa nd dollars was civen to endow the New York .Tapansp mission. Imr.ir dia'ep' te th.ouc.ht of Kato and what Miss Lancdale h;ul just tod us flashed t hrouu'ti my mi nd. A second time we heard the nurse's footsteps on the ha rd wood floor of t he ha.ll. Craig dosed the desk oftly. "Doetor Aitken Is rendv to iro." she announced. Is there anything more you wish to ask?" Kennedy spoke, a moment with the doe-tor doe-tor a-s he' paed out, bat nnide from the information tnat Mrs. Wardlaw was. in his opinion, growing worse. th conversation conversa-tion added nothing to our meaner ore of information. I suppose yoi attenoeo -irs. Marbury?" Mar-bury?" ventured Kennedy of Mi.sa Lang-dale, Lang-dale, after the doctor hud gone. "Not all the time." nhn admltt- d. "Before "Be-fore I came there was another n urac, a MIfs Hnekstaff." "What wns the matter? Wasn't fhc competent?" Miss Ii.ngdalr avoided the question, a.s though it were a breach of professional e'-iquette to cast reflections on another nurse, although whether that was the real reason for Ikt reticence, did not op-pen op-pen r. ("ruiz yeeinod to make a mental note of the fa"t. "Have you y.f-cn anything er suspicions suspic-ions about, this Kato?'- put In Ieslie. while Kennedy frowned at tho interruption. interrup-tion. Miss Lnndnlft answered quickly, "Not htng." "Doctor Altkn has never expressed any Husplcinn ?" pursued Ix slle. "Oil. no," she returned. I think I would havfl known H If he had any. No, I've nove.r heard him even hint at anything," It was evident that she winhed us to know that she wa.s In t tie confidence of the doctor. "I think we'd better bp jrolna." interrupted inter-rupted Kennedy, hastily, not nppnrpntly ple-i.sod to hve Kenlle V.reak In iui Vile lll-veFtlgation lll-veFtlgation Just at present. Mi.ss T.anK'Iale accompanied un to the door, bu t bc.foro wc rcuihei It It wa.s opened from the out mi do by a man who hnd on co rK-en and et wns hnndsome. nlthouch one c-ould nee that ho had a certain nppen ranee of having neulecterl himself. Kesllo nodded and Introduced nr.. V was Doctor W.'irdlaw. Ah I Mudled bin f;'cn T could .ee th;t. an Jx-.Mlio. had atre:iriv told u. It plainly bore (tie stigma of nervonsntss. "Has Doctor Aitken been here?" he inquired, in-quired, qui' k! v, of the nu Then. Hcarcly waiting for her nviii to no.1. In: inned :" "What old he say? In Mis. Wa 'din w nny better?'' M 1 vs I M m-dale f-rfuuM In be en del vor-tn vor-tn to ma ko mk . -pt ttt 1 p;t h npnrt (t:s the truth pcnnilled, li'H I fundi. i Warrl-la Warrl-la w read l-p.veen th" lino. As I ! h y talked it w:is evident th.it there wmm a M'rt of p'Mraint between Diem. I wnn-b wnn-b red whether Wii id la w m Ik' lit pol ha fine lurk in if suspicion a k.uuM A it ke n, or sunn-one else. "I enn't tell ru how worrle. i ;nu.'' inuniiuic-l. ahuof t in huti.;. If. "What I - an thW thine be" Ho turned lo un, and, nlUioncli ho Imdi just been introduced, I am sure th.it our I presem-e seemed to surprise him, for he I went on talkin? to himself. "Oh. yes let 1 me sec oh yes, friends of Doctor er Leslie." 1 had been studying him and trying to recall what I had just read cf beriberi and polyneuritis. There flashed over my mind the recollection of wi.a 1 had been La lied Korsa kof i svndron.c. in which one of the mental disturbances was the memory if recent events. Did not this, I asked mvself. indicate plainly enough that Leslie might be riht in his suspicions sus-picions of beriberi? Jt whs all the more a; parent a moment later when, turning to Miss Iangdale, Wardlaw seemed almost al-most insuuuly to forget our presence aain. After a few minutes' chat durintr which Ciaig observed Wardlaw's symptoms, too. we excused ourselves, and t he health commissioner undertook 10 conduct us to his office to show us what he had j done so tar. As for me, I could not get M;ss Dang dale ou t of my mind, and cs-pe. cs-pe. 1 -tally t he mysterious letier to Kennedy. Ken-nedy. "What of U and what of i: secret sender? Half an hour later, in the department laboratory, ix-slic began to recapitulate what he had already done in the ease. "Vou a !ted whether I had examined the food." lie re ma rked. pausing in a coiner bt-foro several cages in which were a number of pigeons, separated and ( aref ully tagged. With a wave of his i:and at one group of cages he continued: "These fedows 1 have Peon feeding exclusively ex-clusively on samples of the various foods w h i c h I 1 00 k f r o :n t h e. Wa rd i a w f am 1 1 y w iitn I first wen : up ther. Here, 100. arc charts showing what I have observed up to d:. te. Ovr there are tJie 'con-tiuls' 'con-tiuls' pigeons from the same group which have been fed regularly on t ho usual diet so that I can check, my tests." Kennedy fell to examining the pigeons cat efully a? well as the charts and roc- orris of feeding and results. None of tho birds fed on what Isa J Wen taken from the apa n merit looked well, t hou sh sonit-v- re worse than others. "I want you to observe thi fellow." pointed out Lcslif at last, tdneling out one cage- The p:ienn In it w:ls a iathetic IiKure. His tys sec-meJ dull and glazed. He paid Intle or no attention to us: even hie food and water did not seem to interest in-terest him. Inst en i of st rutting a boi.it . he see me. to he positively wa :bly on his feet. Kennedy examined t his one j longer and more caroiully than any of the rest. "There aro certainly all tho symptoms of beribei i, or rat her, pd neurit Is. in Pic-cons, with that bird." admitted L'raiy. tiually. The cornmisrinnr seemed to be p ratified. rati-fied. "Vou know." ho remarked, "beriberi "beri-beri itself r a common dtsea.se in the orient and ccicnthits ha e made a thorough study of it. The cause Is now known to ho the l.Lck of something in the food, which In the orient la mostly rice. Pol-Dhlng Pol-Dhlng t lie rice, which removes part or the, outer coat, also takes away some- thin,' that is necessary for life, which scientists now call vitajnincs.' " "I may ta ke some of those samples to study myself?" Interrupted Kennedy, as though the st orj- of it amines was an old one to him. "By all means," agreed Leslie. Craig selected what he wanied, keeping 1 ach separate and marked, and excused hi m self, saying that lie had some n ventilations ven-tilations of his own that he wished to ma ke and would let Leslie know the result re-sult 11a soon a he discovered nnyt him;. Kennedy did not go back directly to the la bora Lory, however. Instead, he went uptown, a nd, to my surprise, st op pod at one of t he targe brew erles. W hat it wa.s that he wa.s after I could not Imagine, but. a f ter a conference with (he man. acer. he obtained severnl quarts of brewer's brew-er's ye:iHt, which he had sent directly down to the la bora tory. Pncli n t In st In his own laboratory, rral set to wck on the brewer's yeast, dei-hlm; something from it hy tho plentiful plen-tiful use of a liquid labeled "Lloyd's re-npent.' re-npent.' ;i solution of hydrous aluminum silicate. After worklnc: for some time,' I raw-that raw-that he had obtained a soMrl which ne pressed Into the form of little whitish tublctH. He had by no means tint shed, but, not cniz mv Impatience, be pl.ircd the three .r four tabid In ft little box and handed them to me. "Vou ml-ht take these over to Leslie in the depart merit la bora tory, Walter," he directed. "Tell lilm to feed them to t iia t un hbly-lof kl nir pim fiver t here and h't me know tlm moment ho obr-erves any effect. " t;iad of the chance to occupy myself, I hai-tened on t tie errand, and even presided pre-sided over the lirst U edlnc of the bird. When I returned I f'-und that Kiinvdv hud f:n 1m1 ied ht.s work w it h t lie brew- I cr's east a 1 id wan now d-vol i -i- hhnsel J 1 t- t tie ui ud v of t he va rioiiH sa aiph'N of f.M.d which lie had obtained from Leslie, He was lusl llnlshlm; U test of the t'ii k i nir powder when I entered, a nd his fj,, nliouetl plnlnly that lie hum puzzled. " W lui t in It"" T a sited. "Have mi found otit a nyt hhm '.'" " I Ids septus to le ji blind plain sodium r 1 1011.1 1 , ' he replied, mec h.i nlca II . "Slid I 1a I Itdicii liw , I prompted, "I'erh.ipa nolldiiK. in HhcIi",' ho went on. less abstractedly. "But the use of sodium carbonate and other things which 1 I have discovered in other .samples disengages dis-engages carbon dioxide at the temperature temper-ature of baking and cooking. The latest Investigation? have shown that bicarbonate bicar-bonate of soda and a whole hst of other tilings which liberate -a ri on dioxide destroy de-stroy the vitamines Leslie was taking 1 about. In other words, taken altogether I should almost say there was evidence that a concerted effort was being made to affect the food a result analogous to that of using polished rice as a staple diet and producing beriberi, or. perhaps per-haps more accurately, polyneuritis. I can be sure of nothing yet, but it's worth following up." "Then vou think Kato " "Not too fast," cautioned Craig. "Remember, "Re-member, others had access to the kitchen, too." In spite of his hesitancy. I could think on'v of the two parasrraphs we had read in .Mrs. Wardlaw's will, and especially of the last. Micht not Kato have been forced or enticed into a scheme that promised a safe return and practically no chance of discovery? It was late in the afternoon that Commissioner Com-missioner Leslie called us up, much excited ex-cited to Inform us that the drooping pigeon was already peeking at food and beginning to show some interest in life. Kennedy seemed greatly gratified as he hurg up the receiver. "Almost d inner lime," he commented, with a glance at his watch. "I think we'll make another hurried visit to the Ward'aw apartment." We had no trouble getting In. although as outsiders we wero more tolerated than welcome. Our excuse waa that Kennedy had some more questions which we wished to nsk Miss LRUs' dale. While wc waited for her we sat, not in the studv. but in the pnrlor. The folding doors into the dining room were closed, but across the ball we could tell by the sound when Kato was in the kitchen and when he crossed the hall. Once I heaid htm in the dining room. Before I knew it Kennedy had hastily tip-ted tip-ted across the hall and into the kitchen. He was pone only a couple of minutes, but It was Ions enough to place In the food that wa-s belnc; prepared, and in some 'unprepared, ei t her the tablets be had made or a powder he had derived Iron them crushed up. When he returned I sa w from li is manner that the real pm pose of the visit had been accomplished, accom-plished, although when Miss Langdale appeared ap-peared he went thropch the form of questioning ques-tioning her. mcstty on Mrs. Marbury's sickness and death. Outside the avartment. Kennedy paused) a moment. "There's nothing to do now hut a wa 1 1 developments." he medlta te L "Mennwhiie, there is no use for us to double up our time tocether. I have derided de-rided to watch Knto tonUht. reihnps we may get a Hue on something that w ay." Arcordintrlv. after dinner, we separated, Kennedy coins: back to the Forum apart ments to wait until Kato left for the night, while I walked farther up the drive to the address given in the directory direc-tory as that of Dr. Aitlien. It happened to be the time when the doctor had bis office hours for patients. I took mv station just down the street, carefully scrutinizing every one who entered en-tered and left his house. Nothing happened, however, until the end of the hour during which he received office calls. As I danced down the street I wii clad that I had taken an inconspicuous incon-spicuous post, for I could see Miss Langdale Lang-dale approaching. She was not in her nurse's uniform, but seemed to be off duty for an hour or two. Almost before I knew it she had entered the "English basement entrance of Ir. Aitken's. I walked down past the house. Fhit that did no good. In a quandary. I stopped. Hesitation would get me nothing. Sud-1 Sud-1 deniy an idea flashed through my mind. I turned in and rang the bell. "It's past the doctor's office hours," informed in-formed a servant who opened the door. "He sees no one after hours." "Rut." T lied. "I have an appointment. Don't disturb him. I can wait." The waiting room was empty. I had seen, and I was determined to get in at any cost. Reluctantly the servant admitted ad-mitted me. For several moments T sat quietly alone, fearful that the doctor might open the double doors of his office and discover dis-cover me. But nothing happened and I trrew bolder. Carefully I tiptoed to the door. It was of solid oak and practically Impervious to sound. The doors fitted closelv. too. Still, by applying my ear. j j I could make out the sound, of voices on the other side. i Suddenly their voices became a trifle : more distinct. "Then you think Dr. Wardlaw lias it, too?" I heard her ask. - 1 did not catch the exact reply, but it ' was in the affirmative. Thev were approaching the door. Tn a moment it would be opened. I waited to hear no more, but seized my hat and dashed for the entrance from the street Just in time to escape observation. Miss Ijanedale came out shortly, and I followed fol-lowed her ba'-k to the Forum. Then I returned re-turned to Aitken's and waited about some time, but nothing happened, and finally I went to mv own apartment. It was verv late when Craie came in. but I was still awake and waiting for him. Before I could ask him a question he was drawing from me what T bad observed, ob-served, listening attentively. Evidently lie considered it of great importance. "Have you found anything?" I managed to ask finally. "Yes. indeed." he nodded, thouehtfullv. "I shadowed Kato from the Forum. It must, have been before Miss LanedaJe came out that he left. He lives downtown down-town in a tenement house. But It wasn t he who interested me so much tonight," Cralc went on. "as a woman." "A woman?" I queried, in surprise. "A Jap. too?" "N'o, a white woman, rather good-looking, too. with dark hair and eyes. She seemed to be wait! ig for him. Afterward T made inquiries. She has been seen about there before." "W'Via n-Tc ivio-)'1 T nLrr1 "T followed her to her house. Her name is Haokstaff " "The firs: trained nurse!" I exclaimed. "Miss Hackstaff is an enisrma." confessed con-fessed Kennedv. "At first I thought that r,erhaps she might be one of those women whom the oriental type fascinated, that she and Kato mieht be plottine. Then I have considered that perhaps her visits to Kato may be merely to get information that she mav have an ax to grind. Both Kato and she will bear watching, and I have made arrangements to have it done. I've called on tnat your. detective. detec-tive. Chase, whom I've often used for the routine wo:k of shadowing. There's nothing noth-ing more that we can do now until tomorrow, to-morrow, so we might as well turn in." Larly the next day Kennedy was again or work, rrakine further studies of the food and the effect it had on the pigeons, pig-eons, as -well as obervinz what changes were produced hv the white tablets he had extracted from the yeast. It was early in the forenoon when the buzzer on the laboratory door sounded and I opened the door to admit Chase in ; a hisrh state of excitement. "What has happened?" asked Craig eacerlv. "Many things," reported the vounc detective de-tective "nrearhlesslv. "To begin with, I followed Miss Hackstaff from her apartment apart-ment this morning. I found that she was ere; ting Into the neighborhood of I"octor Aitken ?nd of the Forum. Well, when we cot ro the Forum she stopped and waited In front of it oh. 1 should say almost half an hour. I couldn't ma he out what it wa she wanted, but at last I found out. Miss Langdale came out and you shou'd have seen the Hackstaff woman go at her. I thought there was going to be a murder done on Riverside Prlve. Miss Langdale screamed and ran back into the apartment. There was a good deal of contusion. The hall-boys came to the rescue. In the excitement I mun-fiqed mun-fiqed to slip into the elevator with her. No one seemed to think it st range th.cn that an outsider should be interested. I went up with her saw Wardlaw. as she poured out the story. He's a queer one. Is tie hs'.u?" "Why?" asked Craig. Indulgently. "He seems so nervous; things upset him so easily. Yet. after we had taken care of Miss Ianvidale and matters had quieted down. I thought I might get some id'" a of the cause of the fracas and asked him if he knew of any reason. Why. he looked at me kind of blankly, and I swear he acted as though he had almost forgot for-got ten it alrcadv. I tell vou, he's not ripht." ! "What did Miss Hackstaff do?" Ken-. Ken-. nedy asked. "1 don't know. When I got out again she was gore." "Tick her up ae-ain." directed Craig. 1 "Ferhaps you'll get her at her place. And s?e. this time, if you can get what 1 asked you." "I'll try," returned Chase. On what errand Chase had con T could not guess, except that it had sone to do with this strange woman L : so unexpectedly entered the ta rt was early in the afternoon Tv,. telephone rang and I answered it Chase calling Kennedy. 1 head on1 the conversation and there was nm"' of that, but I knew that soroetW about to happen. Craig hac:nv a' moned a cab, then in rapid suVw;" called up Doctor Aitken and Lesij;"1 whom we stopped as our driver "mt over to the Forum apartments " 1 There was no ceremony or unne.-e explanation about our presence as w'r' nedy entered and directed Mis 1 an to bring her patients Into tWlittlo ' study of Loctor Wardlaw. 0li -- Miss Langdale obeyed relupta, , When she returned 1 felt that it appreciable that a change had rt"' place. Mrs. Wardlaw, at lean wai t ' 1 proved. ie was still ill, but she J.!?: , to take a more lively interest in '- was going on about her. As'for Dm?' Wardlaw, however. I could not ee ,f" there had been any improvemenMn b ' His nervousness had not abated vi- whom Kennedy summoned at the E2 time, preserved his usual imperturbaP I exterior. We had not long to wait for DorV. Aitken. He fidgeted uneasily, gian;; from Kennedy to Leslie, then to Vi : Langdale, and back to Kennedy, t ki' that Craig was secretly taking his r" both for its effect on those present m"" give Chase a chance. lJ "Our poisons and our drus," 'ne gan, leisurely, at length, "are in .TV-instances .TV-instances the close relatives of har-riV-'' ' compounds that represent the irre-rT-1 diate steps in the daily process of metit olism. There is much that I might K" about protein poisons. However, that li not exactly what I want to taik av-. at least first. 1J- "I do not know how much of his sus piclons Commissioner Leslie has con-.mr" icated to you," he resumed, "but I be: T7i that you have all heard of the di&ekV beriberi, so common in the Far East known to the Japanese as kakke. h -. a form of polyneuritis, and, as vr doubtless know, is now known to caused, at least in the Orient, by t removal of the pericarp In the polls V--01 rice. Ou.r milling flour Is, in a rr.ir-degree, rr.ir-degree, analogous. To be brief,- the ease arises in the lack of diet of eerti substances or todies which modem entists call vitamines. Small quam!. of these vital principles are absoluti'-essential absoluti'-essential to normal growth and br&'-: and even to life itself. They are nitro.-enous nitro.-enous compounds and their absence ri rise to a class of serious disorders !-which !-which the muscles surrender their tvA of nitrogen first. The nerves are 1'. fected only after the muscles begin -j waste." I controlled my own Interest in w.:: to watch those about me. Kato, for crj. was listening attentively. I saw. "In my studies of the diet of this hp-:. hold," continued Kennedy, "i have fn-j-; that substances have been used in preparing pre-paring food which kill vitamines. 1; short, the food lias been denatured."' "I sir, not always in the kitchen, si. iniprninrp.-l T-Cain stilt riefprpnrisJ not always know " With a peremptory wave of his hzr: Kennedy silenced the Jap. "It has long been a question," he ried on, "whether these vitamines l--tangible "oodles or just special arrarv ments of molecules. Recently governrrr investigators have discovered that I:;: are bodies that can be isolated by a social so-cial process from the filtrate of b-v; yeast by Lloyd's reagent. Five gjv this" he held up some of the table; t had made "for a six kilogram perse each day are sufficient. Unknown to yo. I have introduced some of this sutstir::: ) into the food already deficient in viiif mines. I fancy that even now I can t tect a change," he nodded toward L Wa rdlaw. There was a murmur of surprise :r : room, but before Craig could cor::.; further the door opened and Mrs.'WL-.-law uttered a nervous exclamaooi?. stood Chase with a woman. I rer; nized her immediately from Keie:;-: description as Miss Hackstaff. Chase walked deliberately over to Kenedy Ke-nedy and handed him something, the nurse glanced calmly, almost pity, at Mrs. Wardlaw. ignoring TVa::-law, TVa::-law, then fixing her ga2e venomously. Miss Langdale. Kennedy was hastily comparing ; anonymous note he had received-something received-something Chase had brought. ' "Someone." he shot out, sucfev looking up and facing us, "has, as I intimated, been removing or desire;..:, the vital principle in the food these u mines. Clearly the purpose was to rzi: i this case look like an epidemic of "re:- bfri, polyneuritis. That part has i-t clear to nie for some time. It has be the source of this devilish plot wh:-: : been obscure. My detective. Chase, a-been a-been rioin some shadowing for me. l well as some turning over of psst tory. He has found a woman, a r::?--more than a nurs. a secre t I over, a-off a-off in favor of another. Miss Hacks:a'"-you Hacks:a'"-you wrote that letter it is your rsz: for revenge on Miss Langiale a-:- "You shan't have him"' almost fcisfr Helen Hackstaff. "It 1 cannot no 0: shrill" Natalie I-angdaie faced her. def' "You are a .ieaiotrs. suspicious pers::. she cried. "Dr. Aitken knows "One moment." Interrupted Cr:; "Mrs. Marbury is gone. Mrs. Warils weakened. Yet all who are affected nerve troubles are not necessarily spring spr-ing from polyneuritis. Someone here been dilettanting with death. It ;s no use.'' he thundered, turning s'.ii".r" on a cowering ficimo. "You stood to nos t . with the money nnd voyr love. Kut Miss Hackstaff. cast off. proved your nemesis. Your r.ervoj; if nervousness not of polyneuritis, b: guilt. Dr. Wardlaw!" i- The title of the net stcrv !n tv'- I ties will be "Tho Rubber Vxss.pt.' f 1 |