| Show e TORY WI A jjr AND M ASKS by HAROLD macgrath Autho the man on the box etc with drawings by harrison fisher Hs copy fht by bobbe xe I 1 I 1 co CHAPTER VI cont continued aued what is it you think I 1 have done I 1 demanded you have or have had several thousand dollars worth of gems on your persan person tonight to night I 1 shrugged the accusation was so impossible that my confidence re turned mr air haggerty you are making a stupid mistake you are losing time besides I 1 am not the man for whom you are hunting my name is richard Coms Com lalk stalk one name or another it does net matter 4 plenty of gall murmured one ot of the min ona ons of the law whom I 1 after ward learned was the chief of the vil lage age police the card by which you gained admittance here demanded the great haggerty truculently I 1 surrendered it A crowd had by this time collected curiously about us I 1 could see the musicians on the stage peering over the plants the thief you are looking tor for has gone said I 1 he escaped by the th coal window by this statement my feet sank deeper still what did I 1 tell youa cried hag gerty turning to his men they had an accomplice hidden in the cellars I 1 beg to inform you that you are making a mistake that will presently cost yon you dear thinking of the leal ical pull my uncle had in new york I 1 am the nephew of daniel wither spoon worse and worse said the chief of I 1 request mr hamilton to be called he will alove piove to you that you are gre greatly ariy mistaken everything looked pretty black I 1 can tell you ln i I 1 t you will see whom yuu you alp ilp only after you are safely landed landed in n the lockup now madame turning swiftly upon the blue domino what Is your part in this fine business 7 it certainly has no part in yours 1 I icily felly 11 haggerty smiled my skin is very thick do you know this fellow she shook her head he stood un decided for a space let me see your card I 1 decline to produce it haughtily haggerty seemed staggered tor for a moment I 1 am sorry to annoy you but you must be identified at once and why proudly was it tot for bidden to go into the club cellars for such harmless things as apples apples I 1 looked at her admiringly appless repeated haggerty couldn coulden it you have sent a servant tor for them she did not reply you were with this clever gene man in the cellars you o 0 may or may hot not be acquainted with him I 1 do not wish to do anything hasty in regard to yourself but your position is rather equivocal produce your card and be identified it if you really can I 1 refuse then I 1 shall ask you to accompany us to the room up stairs till the police patrol arrives I 1 I 1 will go quietly nonsense I 1 objected on my word of honor I 1 do not know this lady our presence in the cellar was perfectly harmless there Is no valid reason for detaining her it Is an out rage I 1 am not going to stand here ing with you ou said hagerty let the lady produce her card let her dis close her identity that Is simple enough I 1 have already given you my deter mi nation on that subject replied replie t the e girl I 1 can very beil ell explain my pres ence here but I 1 absolutely decline to explain it to the police I 1 didn dian it understand her at all she had said that she possessed an alibi why t she produce it ita so the two of us left the gorgeous ball room every one moved aside for us and quickly too as if we had had the plague I 1 looked in vain tor for ham ilam ilton he was a friend in need lne IV e were taken into the stewards ste stev ards ard s office and the door was hut and locked the band in the ball ballroom room went gal loping through a two step and the gaiety was in full swing again the thief had been rounded up how the deuce was it going to enda I 1 can not tell you how sorry I 1 am to have mixed you up in this I 1 said to the girl you aie in no manner to blame think of what might have happened had you blown up the post office she certainly was the least embar raised of the two of us I 1 addressed my next remark t the great hag gerty D d you find a su table pistol in ariard s 9 A man in my business said hag I 1 gerty mildly Is often found in such js places there aie furious things to lie be recovered in pawnshops pawn paRn ships the gen ileman deman of this lub sent me the inal ten on of hearts my presence being necessary at such big entertainments and arld when I 1 saw that card of yours I 1 was po so happy that I 1 nearly put you on your guard lord how long I 1 ve been looking for you I 1 give you credit for being a clever rascal you have fooled tooled us all nicely not a soul foul among us knew your name nor what you looked like and but for that card you might still be at large until the lady submits to the simple p process ro begs of identification I 1 shall be compelled to look upon her an treat b her e r as an accomplice she has re fused the offer I 1 have made her and she catt can not blame me it if I 1 am clous when to be suspicious Is Js a part of my business he was reasonable enough in regard to the girl he turned to the chief of the vl vp lage police who was ti at tle desk ordinarily used by the club stew ard a rd no reporters mind you yes sir we well 11 see that no re porter gets wind rind of the capture the telephone bell rang one of the police answered it for you mr 11 haggerty gerty he lie said haggerty sprang to the telephone aad and placed the receiver to his ear we heard him exclaim YOU have got the other fellow A horse and carriage at once take mine said the chief ex what Is it my subordinate at the railway sta tion has just landed the fellow with the jewels mighty quick work I 1 haust hustle la in to town at once there 11 be plenty of time to attend to these persons bring them to town the moment the patrol arrives the gems are the most important things just now yes sir you can rely upon us mr haggerty billy go down with mr haggerty and show him my rig good said haggerty its it s been a fine nights night s work rork my lads a fine night s work see that all get some credit permit no one to ap the prisoners without proper authority your orders shall be obeyed to the letter said the chief importantly he already saw his name figuring in the new york papers as having assisted in the capture of a great thief Higger tv departed A silence set tied gloomily down on us quarter of an hour passed the grim po lice watched us vigilantly halt an hour three quarters an hour far away we heard the whistle of an out 9 going train would I 1 had been on iff it from fro in time to time we heard taint faint music at length there was a noise outside the door and a later hamilton and two others came in when he saw me he stopped his ey e es bulging and his mouth agape dicky cornstalk 7 he cried help lessly what the devil does this meana mean turning to the police do you know this fellow mr air ahm liton asked the chief know him hima of course I 1 know him answered teddy and stake my last dollar on hl his honesty thanks teddy I 1 began to breathe but began the chief seized with sudden misgivings it Is impossible I 1 tell you inter erupted hamilton I 1 know this gentle man is incapable of the theft there is some frightful mistake how ilow the dickens did you get here dickye and briefly I 1 told him my story my ass s ears growing inch by inch as I 1 went along hamilton know whether to swear or to laugh finally he fie laughed if you wanted to come why didn dian t you write me for an invitation 9 I 1 t have come to your old ball had I 1 been invited it was just the idea of the lark we shall have to hold him never th said the chief till every thing Is cleared up the girl hamilton looked at the blue couil no madame will you d me the honor to raise your maska she did so and I 1 saw Hamil hamilton top draw in his breath her beauty was certainly of an exquisite pattern he ile frowned anxiously I 1 never saw thia this young women before he admitted slowly ha cried the chief glad to find some one culpable did you receive your invitation through the proper channels 7 9 asked hamilton I 1 came here tonight coldly on the invitation of mrs hyphen bonds who sailed for europe wednesday here was an alibi that was an alibi I 1 was all at sea hamilton bowed the chief coughed worriedly behind his hand the girl had told me she was an impostor like myself that her ten of hearts waa web as dark stained as my own I 1 could bot ot make head or tall tail to it mrs hyphen bonds donds she was a law in the land especially in blankshine Blank shire the he larger part of which she owned what did it all mean meana and what was her idea in posing as an impostor 9 the door opened again the patrol has come said the of fleer who entered let it wait growled the chief haggerty has evidently got us all balled ui no I 1 don t believe his fashion able thief has materialized at all jurt jda a common crook well he s got him at any rate and the gems you have of course the general invitation 9 said hamilton here is it and she passed thi th engraved card to him F j 71 A t V what we heard him exclaim I 1 beg a thousand pardons said HL hamilton mllton humbly humbly everything seems reems to have gone wrong will you guarantee this man asked the chief of hamilton nodding toward me I 1 have said so mr air Com cornstalk stalk Is very well known to me he Is a re tired army officer and to my knowl edge a man with an income sufficient to put him tar far want what Is your name asked the chief of the girl scowling it was quite evident he couldn coulden t understand her actions any better than I 1 alice hawthorne with an oblique glance at me I 1 had been right what Is your occupation 7 9 I 1 am obliged to ask these questions miss I 1 am a miniature painter briefly hamilton came forward alice Hawthorne 7 9 pardon me but are you the artist who recently completed the miniature of the emperor of germany the princess of hesse and mrs ily phen I 1 am I 1 believe there Is no fur ther reason for detaining me emperor of germany echoed the now bewildered chief why didn dian t you tell all this to mr haggerty 9 I 1 had my reasons once again the door opened A bur ly man in a dark business suit entered his face was ruddy and his little grey eyes sparkled with suppressed ire he ile reminded me of the only dit dlf ference being that was french while this man was distinctly irish his massive shoulders betrayed tre strength he was vastly an gry about something he ile went to the chief a desk and rested his hands upon it you are a nice specimen tor for a chief of police you are he began and arid who the devil are you youa bawled the chief his choler rising 1 III 11 tell you who I 1 am presently we all eyed him in wonder what was going to happen nowa which of yoo yoa gentlemen is mr hamilton 9 askea asked the new comer gruffly hamilton signified that he was the tho gentleman by that name some ladies at your ball have been robbed of their diamonds I 1 under stand about ten thousands dollars worth ro be continued f f f aa ii fa acm |
