Show 6 ay its 0 aw q 1007 nor awl I 0 SYNOPSIS waw dun dan Malt Hatt lanil lanet on reaching big avear york bachelor club nut an attroe cl attro woman at the tha floor door janitor Olra Kiin assli assured ted lit him no ino one ona had beon been that day discovered a worn wom za aneer prints in dust on hla him istik with th a letter from hiis attorney dined with bannerman ilia his at dan set out for or to Z art ala mla hl family jew in on Am ahching ChIng home mur prImed indy in gray bray encking the tha mate containing 1110 gems th she i apparently took tooh him hiji for a well fano daniel l anasty hall hyp nou sibil NI altland MX ida safe took the jewel aind gave thom 11 lo 10 0 tt first brat forming a irk in crime tho real dan aniser hy by police of 0 dovd world a paparo malti and overcame itan him E iw an nnie the 16 virl lya ly A to now new york ca as her auto lie ile had the he jewels silo was MX to 0 meet him that lay day A mr 11 I 1 9 rth introduced hh elf us aa a let 11 91 alre ll 11 1 to the girl in gray maitland Malt lanil 0 t it to low him the jewels owal loat was wa by a blaw from ea main ft the latter to tb aulsay liim lf and lie im secured the gems who irto was maitlandt Mal Mait lands doii blo masquerades masquera masqueraded ded ex tile ui letter latter tim the erful frial kept malt mait lands engagement ant with ilia girl in kray gray tie ilia sivo gave nor bior tile kern gerns the girl in gray eray Mait maitlandt lands apartments during hin ab anve ind and returned turned ic gerns maitland Malt land W without cash called up ills his hot herno and ana t N a wor nans botro ax postulating Arda tir as a maitland Malt land tried to arring roc from her the lipon flon of the gems cema A r 1 1 WIB 1 I 1 11 1 1 11 bt t tithe lie front door ha u 1 11 1 rw 1 1 1 lie i crook crack allow ws X blin to escape to wield uio the y oung riman aomar the girl in gry mado her ea ewt into a cat cab an instant r larr ag by a rume rma anity wai wa at lift b of do jr jf too took vIc her to attorney llan ban nutce by torture he art i in min to it wring fl amm n ir iier th llie lao lixia efaw T tile hie gems beina llo left t her a moment biad ish lie a phoned 01 lagein lagi in only getting in fam warda div edw tell mr ita imil I mil under the ra bowl the hiddink in the lat curs cees boorn when anasty lioard heard her words word s aina was revealed cil as alf IAL ile he and anasty net met out to secure ow V kima gems anil ana leave town tile kill was WB imar CHAPTER XV the price slowly maitland returned to the study and lo ro placed tho the lamp upon tits his nud and stood briefly in silence al lonca long angers stroking ilia hla well scoped chin tits face aab a little thin anil and worn look loolu sue snig a gleam of pala la in its ills eyes ile he iti so she eha was gonel gone lie ille lan laughed hed a harshly hara lily this dumdee was s nothing mop than ho he w might uit U it havo have esst course he be bad been a hect anything ot of her be heilma hei lRa I 1 a enjoying only ills his at desert both tor for having dared to are that the good la in human nacum p particularly in womans comans nature komir respond to treatment laving acted on that asinine theory so rho oba wa was gone PL a word without a signi sign I 1 AM rat efat iown down at tho the logic desk sidewise elile wlee troa mma nim arni extended along its edge fill zeris drumming out a dreary little tuna on OB the tha bard polished N and thought it nil all over from roin the begin iala y nor kor spared himself why nur after all should elio ull it bo be other wlmer Tw lae why should rhe bho have stayed wity should lie ile compliment himself ty sy believing that thet v was aught bout him visible through the veneer acquired in a score hid and odd years ol of Warp melem existence to attract a young nouns i and pretty domans womans heart lie enumerated hid qualities ape and condemned condemn od them all im he ha was wag a conceit concel tod ass A young criminal had but to tea toss herberd her head bead at birst to la make him fritock that sho abo was pleased plea soil with him A sa inake ilm alm forget that she was waa what sibe was waa mad believe that because he was waja willing to sho she was willing to climb and ho he had bad betrayed him belf so how flow she ahe must ibave ATO laughed in her alcove all the ani barici fa rici while be pranced pran col and bridled and arnod himself under uither her eyes to hla bin own idiocy by 06 flame onta fot a sudden Infatuation how sho she must she hai lati laughed glied and his bis depth or hla his shallow rhad r had to we him to why nott tt it had been tier her hor her professional duty to of him in order to accod alp afi mt plundering and because baart ba Aft w dared to ask him for the lM flea yiM ho be left hor in n tho mom na naturally returned return wl in the ho ahto to regain them very tery tou con oss that oven it if surprised j she would got oft off scot iiri for her this tel fol lovea abad interfered inter martland Mal Malt lland land i an I 1 d olo that he ought to manisty tho the why had ho he returned tab I 1 I 1 b had I 1 contrived to 0 ef oyo irae move more easy to un 63 recalled that sud cud hoate la in uke thu street and suet aay ta make a rip to tho the conry XA t that ato atti AOA oab alto ho had simply c A roi narha narks to caa talt batin ta tin an pardonable pardo ad dayss j had footed W iu aho welcome to that le was wall wait rid bust yes ir 4 wrea kit diew abe to him ne be 4 sr JA oj he be fah 4 naff oti theatt gretty tn in prize arlzo of ny nati ti rhey idaa been wom by ho he matild r Bpi paro no ex sn to hotd recollect ro dim doux lo a me morys rf put la at least tho the AkOtO fl 1 at f th abe c MatU anda te out it bad ivyn thouy fa thu uy wha atter after saie uie F TA 4 q 81 1 e 4 mal tj and woke up that he questioned sharply been removed from their settings Bet tings and stored away but now they would never be ba reset even should ho he contrive to reassemble them to adorn the bride of the maitland Malt land heir beir for lie ho would never marry of course not maitland Malt land was young enough to be ilove and to extract a melancholy sat If catlon from tills oils puzzled and saddened his mind charlied back forever to that corking carking question why had she returned what had brought her back to the flat it if she and anisey were confederates as one was inclined at times to believe it such were the case anisey had the bowels and there was nothing nothing else of any particular value so re persistently r to entice such expert and accomplished complis hed bed burglars back to his flat what else had they required of him ills his peace of mind was nothing that they could turn into cash and they seemed to have him of nothing else but they had that unquestionably they had bad taken that and still the riddle haunted him why had bad she come back that night and whatever her reason had she come coma in AnI anistes company or alone ono minute it seemed patent beyond dispute that the girl and the great plunderer were hand ln in glove the next m minute cauto maitland Malt land was positively assured that their recent meeting had been altogether an accident from what lie ho had heard over the telephone he had believed to be quarreling although at tile the time he be had assigned to Ol lagan the thai masculine side of the dispute hut but certainly there must muot have ve arisen some difference of opinion between anisey and the girl to have drawn from her that frantic negative maitland Malt land had hoard beard to havo been responsible tor for the overturning of 0 f the chair an accident that seemed to argue something in tho nature ot of a physical struggle the chair I 1 itself if lay u upon poll its side mute witness toa nasty hasty and careless movement on part but it was waa all inexplicable eventually ua ily Malt maitland land shook his head to signify that he be gave it t up tip there was but ono one thing to doto put it out of mind lie would read a bit compose himself go to bed preliminary to doing so lie ho would abc take steps to insure the flat against further burglarizing for that night at least the draught moving through chenhall then hall stirred the portiere port lere and reminded him that the window in the was still oven open an lavita invitation to any enterprising sneak thief or second story atory man so maitland Malt land went to close and make it fast As he ha shut down the kludow sash and clamped the catch ho he trod on something sott soft and yielding wondering ho he stooped and picked it up and carried it back to the light it proved pro ted to be the girls handbag now admitted maitland Malt land in a tone of absolute candor 1 I am damned plow flow in the dickens dic lcena did this thing get there anyway T what was waa the she doing in ray my trunk closet was it possible that she aha had followed aulsay out oat ot of the flat by that route A very much mystified young man mail sat oat himself down again in front ot of his desk and turned the bag over and over in his hands bands keenly scrutinizing every inch of it and whistling softly that year the fashion in was for capacious receptacles receptacle a of 0 grained brained leather nearly square in shape all ap ge I 1 and furnished with a chain handle this which maitland Malt land held was conspicuously of the mode neither too large nor too small constructed of flue fine soft leather ot of a gun metal shade abade with a framework frame work and chain of 0 gun metal itself it was waa new and Aee modwell well filled weighing a trifle heavy in the hand one face was adorned with a monogram of cut gun gua metal the initials S and 0 and L V Inter interlaced laed out but beyond this the bag was irritate angly noncommittal committal non undoubtedly it one were to go to the long length th of uns unsnapping unsnap mapping the little trail frail clasp one would acquire information by such facile means would much light be shed upon the darkness bilut matiland Mat Matt lland land put a decided negative to the he ill gge aton no lie ile would give her the brient of the doubt ile iia would wait he would school himself to patience perhaps she would come back for it and explain perhaps he could find her by advertising it and get an explanation pending fig which he could wait a little while it was not his wish to pry into her secrets even it if even evell it if it was something to be smoked over strange how bow it affected him to have in his hands something that she had bad owned and touched opening a drawer of the desk malt land produced an aged pipe A brazen jar companion piece to th the 0 ash receiver hold held his tobacco 11 he e filled tile the pipe from the jar with th thoughtful 0 tl gotful deliberation and scraped a match beneath his chair and ignited the tobacco and pulled puffed in contemplative contentment tent ment deriving solace from each mouthful of grateful evanescent in conse meanwhile he held the charred match between thumb and forefinger becoming conscious of this fact he smiled la in deprecation of his bis abse absentminded nt mood looked tor for the ash re celver ceaver discovered it in place inverted beneath the book and frowned remembering mem bering then with an aa impatient peature gesture impatient of 0 his own infirmity of mind tor for he simply could not forget the girl he dropped the match swept the book aside lifted the bowl alter after a moment of oe incredulous awe the young man rose with eyes light alight a and a jubilant song in the heart of him now lie he lille knew al now understood der stood now believed and now was waa justified of his faith I 1 after which depression came with the consciousness that she abe was waa gone g one forever removed beyond his reach and influence and that by her own willful act it was waa her intelligible wish that they should never meet again for having accomplished her orrand erra nl she had flown from the possibility lity of his thanks it was so clear bowl now he perceived it it all plainly somehow though it was waa hard to surmise how she ebe had found out that aulty had bad stolen the I 1 towels lewels somehow and one wondered ored it what risk she had contrived to site ake them from him and bring them lack ack to their owner and anesty had allowed oli oll owed poor little woman what had she ahe lot suffered buffered what perils had sho she not laed to prove that there was honor wen iven in it could have been tt it no inconsiderable danger a danger er not incommensurate with that ot of abbing a tigress of her whelps that ho he had managed to filch his loot from hat pertinacious and vindictive soul but she had accomplished led it and all for him it if only he could find her bowl now there was a clew to his hand band in that ag of course but by this act she forever borover removed from him the right 0 investigate that hat it if he could only find that cabby perhaps if he tried at the madison quare rank immediately De besides sides it was clearly his duty not 0 remain in the flat alone with the ewels another night there was but me attainable place of safety for heni hem and that the tha safe of 0 a reputable lintel ile he would return to the barhold 1 at once merely pausing on his vay say to inquire of the cabmen cabeen it they id send their brother nighthawk to alm him ilm mateland Malt Matt land shook himself into ht his top oat jammed hat upon head dropped dropped he jewels into one pocket the coga ette case into another and on im aulse anistes Ani revolve vr vcr with its two in exploded cartridges into a third nd ind pressed the call button for oira oha an not waiting however for that dorthy to climb the stair but meeting alm am in the entry hall im going back to the Dart bartholdi holdi agan for the night you may bring ne ae my letters and any messages in the 1 ii horning arning I 1 should like you to sleep in he flat tonight and answer any telephone hone calls alss maitland Matt land sor have the police gone Ol ohagan lagan theres a whole bottle full yet sor youve not been drinking I 1 trust the irishman shuffled sor an that be laughing maitland Malt Matt land bade him good night and left the house turning west to gala gain fifth avenue walking slowly because he was a little tired and enjoying the rother rather unusual experience of being abroad at that hour without company tho the sky seemed cleaner than ordinarily the city quieter than ever he had known it and in the air was a sweet smell emell reminiscent of 0 the countryside country side remind reminding ing one un unhappily lilI appl ppl of the previous night when one had bad go gone no whistling to ones destiny along a perfumed country road good eav ings lister glister maitland Matt land sirl sir tt it barnt be youl maitland Malt land looked up tip bewildered for or the instant tho the voice that hailed him out of the sky was not unfamiliar A cab oil that he had waited on the corner to let pass was reined back suddenly the driver leaned down from the hok box and in a thunderstruck tone advertised his stupefaction it arent in nature sir it if ferll pardon my ment mentioning ionin it dut but ere I 1 leaves you not ten minutes ago at the st luke building and finds yr yer I 1 ere when hen you avent ad time maitland Malt land woke up t that hat he be questioned sharply boulett you Yo ulett left me where ten minutes st luke bul bulkily kiln corner broadway Dro adway an 1 I know it excited but avin took yer there with the tha young lady young ladal that comes outer the ouse with yer yo 8 sir r the devill devil I 1 maitland Malt land hesitated no na longer his toot foot was on the step as his h s spoke poke drive me there at once and drive for all youre worth he cried it if theres an ounce ot of speed in that plug of yours and you dont get it ou out t 11 never tear fear sirl sir well make it in five minu teal be worth your while right night ol 01 maitland Malt land dropped into hta his seat dumfounded dum founded good lord |