San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-12-13

some fine arts business and have a
sample with them to be disposed of at a
tw price. The manager, so he tells
me, had a look at it, thought it neat
article and suitable to the STYLE of his
tgardens. He took it to be plain plaster,
as they said, and they put it up for him
their own selves near the small gate up
by the road; then they took the money,
a pound or two they asked for it, and
drove away, and he saw no more of
them"
And was that all they got for their
pains?" said Leander.
The inspector smiled indulgently.
Don't you see your way yet?" he asked.
Cant you give a guess where that
statues got to now, eh?"
NO." said Leander, with what
seemed to the inspector quite uncalled-
for excitement, "of course | can't!
What do you ask me for? How should
/ knows"
"Quite So" said the other; "you want
a mind trained to deal with these
things. 1t may surprise you to hear it,
but | know as well how that statue dis
appeared and what was done with her
as if I'd been there"
"Do you, thought" thought Leander,
who was beginning to doubt whether
his visitors penetration was anything
so abnormal.
what was done with her?" he asked.
"Why, it was plant from the first.
They knew all their regular holes were
stopped, and they wanted a place to
dump her down in, where she wouldn't
attract attention, till they could call
for her again; so they got her taken in
at the gardens, where they could come
in any time by the gate and fetch her
off again, and very neatly it was done
too!n
But where do you make out they've
taken her to now?" asked Leander,
who was naturally anxious to discover
if the official had any suspicious of him.
"Fve my own theory about that"
was his answer. II shall hunt that
Venus down, sir; I'll stake my reputa-
ton on it,"
"Vanus is her name, it seems"
thought Leander. "She told me it was
Aphrodite. But perhaps the others her
Christian name. 1t can't be the Venus
I've seen the picture dishes dressed
too decent
ayes, " repeated the inspector, al shall
hunt her down now. | don't envy the
poor devil who's giving her house room;
he'll have reason to repent it,"
How do you know anyone's giving
her house-room?" inquired Leander,
" and why should he repent it?"
ask your own common sense. They
iaren't take her back to any of their
own places: they know better. They
haven't left the country with her.
What remains? They've bribed or got
over some mug of an outsider to be their
accomplice and bad speculation he'll
find it, too"
What would be done with him?"
asked the hair-dresser, with quite I'M
pleasant internal sensation.
That's question | wouldn't pre-
tend to decide: but I've no hesitation
in saying that the party on whose pre-
misses that statue is discovered will wish
he'd died before he ever set eyes on
her"
You're quite right there, said Lean
der "Well, sir, I'm afraid | haven't
been much assistance to you"
Never mind that" said the inspector
you've answered my
questions, you've not hindered the law,
and that's game some burn their fng-
erS at.
Leander let him out and returned to
his saloon with his head in a worse
whirl than before. He did not think
the detective suspected him. He was
clearly barking up the wrong tree at
present; but SO acute mind could not
be long deceived, and If once Leander
was implicated his guilt would appear
beyond denial. Would the police believe
that the statue had run after him? No
one would believe it! To be found in
possession of that fatal work of art
would inevitably ruin him.
lie might carry her away to some
lonely spot and leave her, but where was
the use? She would only come back
again: or he might be taken in the act
lie dared not destroy her: his right arm
had been painful all day after that last
attempt.
If he gave her up to the authorities,
he would have to explain how he came
80 be in position to do SO. which, las he
now saw would be difficult undertake
ing: and even then he would lose all
chance of recovering his ring in time to
satisfy his aunt and Matilda. There
was no way out of it.unless he could in
duce Venus to give up the token and
leave him alone.
"Cuss her." he said angrily, "a pretty
bog she's ted me into, she and that
mink. Ada Parkinson"
He felt so thoroughly miserable that
hunger had vanished and he dreaded the
idea of an evening at home, though it
was a blusterous night. with occasional
vicious spurts of rain and by no means
favorable to continued pacing of streets
and squares.
I'm hanged if don't think I'll go
to church," he thought, land perhaps
! shall feel more equal to supper after
ward"
lie went upstairs to get his best hat
and overcoat. and was engaged in brush
innr tho fnrnnn,. in his Sittinn-rnnm when