Show i it e 11 1 ta J was W I 1 I 1 I 1 zulu i 4 0 I 1 Z 1 1 mrs 1 sir I 1 I 1 and would you yon please ane doitt to ber dimmed Immediate ely lyT I 1 and just shut abut m myself nto my little I 1 office on deck bavin having grUll thigh the lb snips bils a accounts before la IU that igar it Is quite a mistake ihl stake by the way ay to think that we VM pursers purse Is have no more onerous duties to perform when at sea than to watch over the fp cassens pas seng sens pers comfort read pirri prayers on sunday and keep keel a sacre sacra cf nautical information at our anger ends tor for tile the benefit of every curious voyager nowadays the purser of a crack american I 1 liner making perhaps a record recard pas ca gaa of six alx lx days or bohas hla his work pretty wen well cut out for him hijii during durin the entire voyage on u the present occasion I 1 had bad scarcely got ot my accounts fairly in hand when I 1 was interrupted by a slight tap at the door I 1 rose at once and opened jt it and aad there stood mrs canadian maid with flushed face and bergous Ber ous agitated manner Is there anything wrong I 1 asked with some surprise surD rise when ben she ahe had delivered her ber message there te Is sir 11 f she replied nastily hastily all I 1 know I 1 she ehe was abou ajou abou to make some eager statement but purd pulled herself up sud duly d uly and tripped along the deck without another word 1 I switched off the electric light the die door and hurried away after her when I 1 got to mrs mel hurst horst b stateroom I 1 saw at once that something som thin had occurred to cause her serious anxiety the berths the couch ind and even een the floor were uttered littered with the tha of cabin trunks and handbags la in the midst of the confusion the lady herself looking decidedly perplexed and annoyed this his is very singular mr morse she gaid pointing to an empty jewel case which lay open ona on the upper berth benh my diamond ornaments are missing you lou dont say sol I 1 exclaimed in aleer amazement 11 1 I do say so she replied sharply yoa ou can see for yourself that they ne jle gone one how did it happen 1 I cannot possibly tell you at dinner this evening I 1 happened to mention to mrs latimer that I 1 had picked up a curious rious crescent shaped brooch on the continent confine nt she expressed a wih to see it when the tables were cleared I 1 came in here tool took out the brooch and left the jewel case lying ou on the berth beith I 1 was careful to lock atz tle cabin door but when I 1 got back the case was empty how long were you absent absents absen tv not more ahn than n half an hour not ot more than half an hour you lou we aie ai W e sure sue you had the key in your possession all the time tire I 1 never let it out of my hand while I 1 was in the saloon I 1 was fairly staggered I 1 examined the lock carefully but there was absolutely alsol sol no nothing to show that it had been tampered with I 1 could tilt hit upon un no ay better than that mrs Mel hurst might possibly have bave mislaid millaid the jewels somewhere this had bad the sole effect of exasperating the lady to such a degree for it geams that she had already seart sean hed every hole help and corner in the cabin that I 1 was glad to beat a retreat in order to lay the matter before the captain I 1 had just got to the head bend of the stairs when I 1 heard some one bounding bading b ading up after me three or four steps nt at a time I 1 turned and saw a mr carter who by the way had mide beveryl ser erril voyages with us on previous occasions I 1 1 I r sav ay morse he said taking me cin dently by the ar arm youve got some queer customers on board this wp ship 11 how so go why some ones onea gone and walked cl aff with ray my silver cigarette case a couple of rings and a pair of gold abe the deuce dence TV well ell it looks uncommonly like as if the individual you refer to had a hand in the business for I 1 dont see se how bor any ordinary ordina y mortal could get into ones cabin with thedoor bolted on the inside unless he be managed to squeeze through the porthole tell me exactly what has happened i my dear fellow how can I 1 its enough to puzzle a chilade philadelphia elphin lawyer you see I 1 went xo to my stateroom arr dinner fc feeling a bit drowsy I 1 hoped the door 1 I can swear to that and I 1 remember flinging the cigarette el garette case ase rings anns and a pair of gold sleeve links on the upper berth when it 1 put on 1011 my dressing gown stretched myself apon the couch and had a downright IMM snooze when I 1 got up about five minutes ago I 1 found my trinkets hai had vanished 1011 my worl word things were begin ag yg to look 1 k serious and I 1 lost no time in hunting up OT the captala and made him acquainted with wl th jbf tb tale of affairs jae he was lust just as nh puzzled as I 1 was maysele aysel tr the farl burrt t thing next morning be besent beut a ines sare re to mrs MM Mel hurst liag 41 a private peate interview in his cabin on deck also signified his bis efah 1 w amse present t we both boned the laly arty closely buther ile U e aia d not tet wt d to throw any light upon the ZV lahr qa occurrence 1 kevert hale we determined takee adeep a f ice I c watch upon ft ma in future it was pretty id a u black sheep on 1 11 1 an all old hand band at the th e baj 9 aarl a iz hg a next few days we w budri bud ri points the ara was LL 0 z allf F low waiting M restored before I 1 I 1 mesha tempt I 1 k im eez M open n I 1 observed i atles 0 of f the S I 1 e em 1 aau d took fj parti note aua M aw k bilich S the aney y R A M w on board ship shin IV 1 I 1 1 ir vrho allows A IN 0 el ka it 41 7 ift S bvm wa I 1 5 1 cl e W A 11 i t 5 6 GA I 1 ak on oj 10 r ftc M t ak li Tl OM M i att ft iao ild W wo at q i W 1 vaa ns nsf f X RM 4 I 1 4 t d I 1 adal 1 t IWA af WN i I 1 e aia T L r N 9 11 i aly r 1 M Z tefa te fa 1 I I 1 N 91 7 g ty 17 11 roni long 0 W Qs iD jt put character alva tjoen ais a decidedly 1 we happened ger ee on boa to have a a named de caltro 3 KS who tallied this in ereie way V ith had but for the ul iffet I 1 conclusive Livi denee ow he could in tho not te have been directly he had robbe ries for aag InqUIries proved remained S on geck deck the whole he SS would have been tabb heated to a driva private interview i in the ard forced cabin M bin As aa it was i was VMS to conclude that black hair swarthy ans complexion Plex loa BlOu touched ched hat halass and cloak wanja ke were quite fatime compatible with j nathla lothes loth ls i further occurred to tb e excite r eleb clOn until the dinst dav or two of 0 voyage theu thea oue one evening after dinner word ord was brought t to me that th three other er state rooms had ad been rifled in the same mysterious manner watches jewelry ty and even money had bad disappeared fis appeared though in all three cases caad wl mid ifft ers stoutly declared decked they left their doors locked when 6 the alarm 0 o reached me I 1 hp hap polled T ST to be standing in my deck office I 1 1 had aa in MY y hand twenty sovereigns which I 1 had just taken in exchange for american money to accommodate ono no ot of our pas passengers bassenge rs I 1 wait to lock up the gold I 1 simply placed it on my desk switched off the light and hurried away ohad no fears to tor th the safety of the sovereigns my door having a particularly intricate lock in which I 1 took good g care to turn the key hey before leaving I 1 re remained reined ined below for an hour or so investigating these fresh complaints but as in the other cases I 1 was ut beily unable to make head or tall tail of them vexed and bewildered I 1 went back to my office unlocked the door tm turned ned on the light and mechanically stretched out my hand to take th the e sovereigns from my desk my hand closed upon nothing more solid than thin air my little pile of gold had vanished for a minute or two I 1 stood there gazing blankly before me so utterly confused and dismayed that I 1 could scarcely bring my wits to bear upon the mysterious affair then I 1 man aged to pull myself together and took a look around the little cabin in the course of my observations my eyes hampered happe happ aed eRed to rest upon the porthole port hole bole which stood wide open the weather batug oppressively hot I 1 regarded the innocent looking porthole with the air of a veritable sher look k holmes I 1 went outside and thrust my arm in through the opening but my hand did not reach within fully two yards of the desk salu it struck me as being the only way by which the thief could have got at the money and I 1 determined to put my theory to a practical test I 1 hurried down into the saloon where most of the passengers were congregated As yet few of them wre aware or of the robberies for we had kept the matter as secret as possible I 1 went straight up tip to a young american gentleman who I 1 knew had bad a great many any trinkets in hi his state room and was rather careless too in the way he be left them lying about dont show any surprise I 1 whispered glancing round fit at the occupants of the saloon but might I 1 ask cheth er your state room Is locked hockedy loc kedy it is i 1 and is the port hole open 1 I should think so I 1 dont want to find the place as stuffy as the engine room when I 1 go to turn in well just pass me your ke key y I 1 want to try a little experiment walt wait tilt till im gone and then stroll up on dork dock lt let yourself be seen on the lower deck particularly but dont don t pay wo too close attention lon to any one 3 you ou may notice loitering there he fell in readily wilh tl bay y scheme I 1 went and shut myself in his stateroom crouching down so that I 1 could just keep an eye on the port hole bole over the top of the lower berth I 1 remain ed in that cramped position until my limbs fairly ached and I 1 was half in ellner to give it up as a bad job but suddenly as I 1 glanced up at the port hole my blood ran cold and in au all my life I 1 never had such difficulty to keep down a yell in the dim light I 1 saw a long thin hairy arm thrust iu in through the opening the next moment a small black hand had fasten fastened ed upon a leather case lying close to the window and withdrawn it as quick as thought almost I 1 sprang to my feet and bolted out into the passage I 1 dashed up the saloon stac stairs and made for the lower deer deck there just above the spot where I 1 judged the state room to be situated I 1 came fact to face with the brazilian de castro in spite of the heat beat be was wearing his long cloak with the deep cape and had his bis eternal cl cigarette gar between his bis teeth he looked at me with an air of frank surprise find and I 1 looked at him with an air of profound ad suspicion suddenly luddenia ludd eniy a happy thought u flashed shed through my mind I 1 turned round and sprang down the saloon stairs running full tilt against the chief stewards ards who was standing r at the bottom nuts I 1 cried withe without nt giving him time to recover from his bis surprise really he looked at me with ath juch such utter consternation couster nation I 1 verily believe he be wad as convinced I 1 had taken leave of my mv senses do you yon hear I 1 went on excitedly get me a handful of nuts duts quick when he brought them thein I 1 hurried cad back on deck the Bra had 0 moved away avray a little toward the stern f stood right in front of I 1 wex went 6 it dose close up him and then aegan deliberately to crack the nuts tisane Same Ti me with a pitying sort ort of kaji ambut paid little attention to af watching that cloak doof him I 1 was hil I 1 pres presently antly I 1 saw a corner of the addo nud ana behel bena pair or glem ini fixed axed greedily upon me avem vem enough my rt was aiji I 1 0 co ka k be h a and 7 bwy tode 4 1 ns must t ro r YOM M alij v 1 I 2 46 10 k I 1 I 1 1 1 I 1 t anft e be fedt I 1 1 I X m 1 1 3 af b a taj tn 0 il o eto ax b 7 4 9 F and alt 1 hir z I 1 WT W T fa iii a deig derus ea 1 W I 1 1 C st aw 1 p armm 3 WA 3 T 1 I 1 d V A po amz I 1 if I 1 ast imal J 41 z r IT 4 A dijt h j U xana go ui t e L |