Show 01 b 0 khz 13 MIp Mit continued from last week rt k f j CHAPTER VIII mummies haggerty kissed his wife and went his way his journey journeys s end was a brick house tones tories in height in a quiet side street he rang the bell and waited no one answered five minutes passed then haggerty went across the street and began to patrol the block he smoked aces and thought deeply tor for he was dorried he was sure that yonder lived his man but he had never known a case like this the pic pit ture puzzle had been so wonderfully cut and so abnormally interesting that he lie had let too much time go by there was a fine chance of the whole thing being knocked out of his hands he had waited because it might pos sibly bo be a joke he had waited foi the man to return the jewels and he hadn haan t done so he must get that thumb print tonight or tomorrow morning at dawn on the boat he reviewed the facts of the case methodically with bis his eyes directed toward the sharp clear astarb of thi i october night th tha man had thou sands in the banks unlimited credit was without kith or kin was aarel seen in the restaurants over on broad way and never with a woman his cook and valet had been with him for ten years and had accompanied him on his travels he lie lived comfortably not luxuriously he ile was a fine chess player and was lucky at bridge and poker but never gambled in stocks or public places he ile was thirty nine years old in good health what woula draw a man toward playing at it if not a latent criminal in on the other hand this pastime was known to several of hie ilia banker friends who sometimes made wagers with him IN well ell well ha right or left thumb would presently settle the whole matter one way c ca 7 oie other A taxicab came chugging into th the street stopped for a moment before the brick house and went on hag gerty jotted down the license number as he trotted across he reached the top step just as the man with the bundle under his arm opened the door i wait a moment said haggerty the man turned are you mr crawford for it was too dark for haggerty to cism I 1 golsh the mans malls features no sir mr crawford Is out tor for the evening when will he be back I 1 cant say sir possibly at mid night probably later I 1 does he go aboard the celtic tonight or tomorrow at dawn the man with the bundle under his arm withdrew the night key and calm ly thrust the key ring into his pocket he ile shifted the bundle slight y Is 1 your business jc the voice was well modulated but it pos hessed a crispness which spoke of im patience rather important sorry you will not be able to see him tonight sir I 1 in in no hurry ill wait till he comes I 1 take it 5 ou re his valet yes sir mr air mason but I 1 doubt I 1 can let you in under the circum jle Z E I 1 I 1 m a detective anees stances it you will designate a place I 1 will telephone you the moment he arrives that s reasonable enough but im I 1 m going inside to wait walt why sir I 1 I 1 im in a detective mr mason an your master an I 1 have a little matter to discuss impossible an he t be pleased at all it if he knew I 1 id d been here an bad had t go away oh he expects youg yes which aich was truthful fruth ful enough dince all criminals expect the law soon er or later your 9 this haggerty exhibited his badge gnats not sufficient sir all right replied haggerty grimly suppose we both go over to th precinct an have em identity identify me therea they know me I 1 suppose have to let you in sir but it its s all very queer and al follow me the valet turned on the single light in the hall he immediately began to mount the stairs to the first floor haggerty at his heels the valet stumbled and the bundle slipped from his arm the wrap wrapping paper broke and disclosed half a dozen pairs of old shoes haggerty picked up two pairs and the valet gathered up the H e 9 avely led the detective into a large room haggerty grasped his revolver rey olver then let go of it grunt ing inaudibly what he saw in the dim firelight were not living people only the shells rows of mummies and mummy cases eases called carton nages better not turn on the lights said haggerty th fires s enough these things thin 9 s give a fellow the chills the valet depos ted the shoes along the wall and haggerty placed his be s de them next the valet crossed to the wood box and threw on a log A blaze started up sit down sir this is mr craw ford s study haggerty was quite familiar with it but anly in the day time you 11 excuse me sir till I 1 pad pack the he shoes you see mr craw ford tramps about a good deal and likes old shoes because they are most comfortable we leave tor for naples there have been some new excava eions at herculaneum which mr craw ford is anxious to see se you can pack th shoes alien hen your master returns replied haggerty the valet whether he knew anything or not would be perfectly justified in warning his master of his haggerty s presence then genially to cover the menace of his words he added these ol 01 geezers might walk out on me if I 1 was left alone with them mason shrugged he ile turned on the low desk lamp and began to arrange the tile books and papers on the broad flat desk some he put away in drawers which he locked he ile then put out the light and took the easy chair by the fire his back in half view here har gerty recognized the gentleman s gen tieman the servant who helu held himself detached from all affairs that did not concern his master personally and who considered it ill bred to converse with strangers of Hag haggerty gertys s caliber ft it was a lean serious face the hand which propped his chin was long and blender slender it was half atter eleven by hagger tye ty a watch an hour probably to wait there they were tour four ot of them and the one with the door hanging loosely a new one four our safes of varl ous makes and sizes what was the may I 1 ask what it Is you wish nish to see mr crawford about asked the valet after a long pause ha thought haggerty he was hu man inan after all oh he s going t give ne me something for my collection hag gerty chuckled but what a all these cafes for tora A hobby of mr crawford s when he a not at work on his brochures his what his ills little books on new disco discoveries veries in archeology archeO 1097 ah ali I 1 what s he do with them sends them to the various gitles and societies no no I 1 mean th sates safes he opens them do you know any thing about the french revolution 9 I 1 ve heard about it answered hag gerty cautiously well when louis XVI X VI yi wasn gasn t tink ering with tha the revolution he was tink ering with locks and clocks it amused him took his mind off his cares and troubles mr air crawford finds like amusement in buying up old safes and opening them cracking them I 1 believe is the vernacular he Is re inar mar kably clever at it well you know about that beg pardons I 1 mean that kind of amusement beats me buys duys safes an cracks em for th fun of th thing well I 1 never haggerty slipped a cigar between his teeth and began to chew it smoke it if you wish no thanks everything open and above board no mystery no secrecy A joke it could not be anything else but a joke jells a wager but why all these months of waiting to spring ita haggerty a troubled gaze went round the room touched the valets face again and finally paused at the shoes twelve of them broad toed comfortable new ly soled and heeled they looked very tunny funny to haggerty marshaled as they were alongside a mummy perhaps three thousand years old funny idea what is sira toting round ol 01 shoes like that CHAPTER IX I 1 i mone money I 1 never saw you play such poor poker in all my life lif e I 1 cried jillson as 1 forbes askea tor for his fifth hundred bundred A ten dollar limit with deuces wild and you open on two pair I 1 keep forgetting replied forbes scowling you 11 never get me into one of these dashed deuces wild again you always say that retorted jill eon son well I 1 mean it this time besides you fellows begin with two call tour four and you swear it won t go any higher and yet you boost er on the first straight flush and heres cr affy a holding five of a kind five of a kind gentlemen tour four times in the last halt half hour what s on your mind mort asked crawford you play a good hand but you youre re off in judgment tonight its it s my damned artistic tempera ment forbes smiled lamely two cards please only five minutes to play only five minutes he wanted to be alone to think it over to make some plan old it simply possible yet there was that unforgettable able cut across the knuckles to warn him without alarming him old the lov ablest man alive a crook what oh you start er carlyle 7 well just for a change ill boost her another blue one call four aces cried forbes triumph antly and what do I 1 get for foi em ema 9 the ante and one lonesome bet my luck hick twelve clock boys jillson threw the decks on the floor cash 1 in chips for money money for chips 1 droning the call of the professional gambler he produces a tab and pen ell and jotted down the losses and the winnings taking particular care that these tallied with the advances addan es from the bank crawford yea old smooth guy 3 ou win nine hundred and four dollars I 1 win ninety alk si just enough to pay for the whisky and tobacco and grub I 1 never yet beard heard of a host coming out on top of the game it look well the five losers got out their check books and made preparations to set tie tle crawford Craw fords s face seemed to grow old and careworn care worn jill he said got any cash im I 1 in sailing for italy in the morning and amt aci t have time to bother with checks sailing for 1 forbes tore up three blanks before he succeeded in getting one filled out properly italy here was a solution to thew the whole hole dark business he would write a letter to crawford I 1 in n naples telling him what he knew and that be he must return the jewels rt t once they would never be traceable it if sent by foreign parcel poat pot armitage and hollister md ind mor ris might have to pay duty again but be he doubted it they would make any trouble over that as long as they re calved tho jewels intact and all that j comedy at safe opening had liao been a mask behind it had lain tragedy tl TI a evidence of his own eyes nothing else could have made him believe it he heard jillson saying I 1 believe I 1 can fix you out he saw bis his host go to his safe and return with seven hundred you always carry a roll let me have two hundred and give you my check for it I 1 t the matter was arranged and craw ford ord put away the money it hit forbes like a blow between the eyes crawford asking for cash A man mail I 1 whose income couldn coulden t be the short side of two hundred thousand a year going along moita got my elec trie outside and it wont won t be any trou brou ble to drop you at the studio craw ford put his arm across the younger man s shoulders thanks glad to go with you to get the owner of that arm out of 0 the or of the police was all forbes cared about once in the cab lie said are you pinched tor for pinched for the cab cat skidded caught itself and went on good lord no what put that into your head oh I 1 say are you in need of a few hundreds 7 it if this nine hundred no I 1 in on easy street but I 1 never saw you take cash before you re al ways saying something about sending ithe the check when a chap s ready I 1 am going awat away mort perhaps tor for a long long time perhaps ten years perhaps I 1 shant shan t come back who knows 9 Is it a woman 9 crawford laughed you re always seeing petticoats no mort not a worn wom an only a snow image why cant can t you pack up and come along with me mea naples will be beautiful now too many contracts I 1 haven t any income like you I 1 earn lots of money but I 1 have to keep on earning it and just now I 1 im in in a bole hole tor for a new model by the way do you know the pearsons Mear sons who live below Jillson 9 yes well 1 I d give a thousand for a chance to draw her face to have her pose tor for me what had Craw crawford fords 8 sensation been when he entered that room sorry I 1 can t help you why nota the truth is we are not on speak ing terms oh well I 1 dare say jillson might speak a word for me good luck then suddenly what have you got to do tor for half an fourr hour nothing will you come with me while I 1 do a trifling errands the bitterness of his tone did not no escape forbes surely fortes forbes saw the fifteen thousand in bills at the g girl rl e feet her dull misery over the loss of the box had crawford believed he jew els to be in ita it oh it was damnable they arrived presently before an apartment building we get out here said crawford shutting off the power mort every I 1 the bitterness of his tone D d not escape forbes man has a curtain which he does not lift even to his best friend tonight I 1 in m going to lift a corner for you it is because I 1 want someone with me I 1 am in no mood tor for come forbes followed him what was going to happen now nowa CHAPTER X the other house so many strange things had hap bened that night to forbes that he was no longer able to sense the tingle known as excitement he was con of a blunted wonder like that of a man on a stricken ship he tol fol lowed crawford into the hall and up the first flight she shea a probably asleep said craw ford but no matter I 1 ought not to bother at all he pressed the bell button duty it reads well mort but is there anything else than bitter ness in if duty moral obligation whoever said duty was a pleasure to perform was hunting for what writers call lines moral obligations A woman we man ably asleep forb s w waiter bending his cane back and forth like a fencer testing his steel duty was bitter what about his a by and by a voice said sleepily who Is it crawford Craw tord let me in just a moment another wait she was probably put ting on her kimono doubtless the pret biest one but for the door boy I 1 ahat s that 9 whispered crawford I 1 didn dian t speak I 1 thought I 1 heard you say some thing the door swung in forbes beheld a young woman pretty once nee 0 upon a milre crawford Craw tord pushed him in A friend of mine netty mr forbes she repeated the name vaguely it was quite evident that she was half asleep I 1 am going away on one of my long trips in the morning I 1 didat have time to see you today made up my mind late now mr thane at the bank nas has been instructed to give aou ou two hundred a month have turned aver ver enough bonds to carry you along indefinitely dont don t write N rite you know how I 1 hate letters I 1 am tired worn but dut unhappy you re a fool jim crawford I 1 know it netty A loyal honorable kindly fool and nd only god and I 1 know how good are he lie made a gesture of protest protest I 1 went to her again last week she refused to see me you dadd go to her after I 1 had tor for bidden you 7 angrily I 1 don t care she s a silly tool fool good by netty if it I 1 stay and t talk alk I 1 shall lose ni mya temper good by she tried to kiss his hand but be he withdrew it savagely do you haqq hate me jim jima no netty of coures not take care of yourself travel a little don dont t stick here time without end it 11 drive you mad some day good by come corbes t the tableau always remained vivid ta in fortes forbes mind the young woman her disordered hair the white throat crawford s haggard eyes once more in the cab he found aach in god gods s name what s this Crawford 7 9 you with a second think so soa 9 mort I 1 love truth for its Us own sake it s part apart of the pride in ely my mood blood she is to me never haa bw been A bit of loyalty to the dead my nurse nurses s daughter foolish and ro mantle and a man I 1 trusted oil oh well he s dead it was my moth ce er wish that I 1 should always provide for her I 1 shall always do so whether I 1 return to america or not whether I 1 lire uve or die do you believe me mea im going to try to yes yes I 1 under stan stani I 1 it Is |