Evening star., 1896-01-02

Copyright, 1895, by Bachelor johnson & Bachelor
Continued from Wednesdays Starr
~ EllZZM%(EVGO' N'&AR@@w

Copyright, 1895, by Bacheller. johnson Bacheller)
Continued from Wednesdays Starr
SYNOPSIS
The Junior member of q private firm of
detectives in New York becomes interested
In q deserted house., opposite which he
happens to take a room. While watching
1t during convalescence from Illness, the
blinds of one of the windows are opened
suddenly, disclosing the figure of small
man. who waves his hand and disappears.
Three days later the detective receives a
mysterious letter, appointing an hour to
call. He looks across at the deserted
house. shading his eyes with the letter.
The figure reappears and repeats its sig
nal. That evening the detective arms him
self, pushes open the iron gate of the de-
serted house and enters dark passage
way He is ushered into a lighted room
by the same strange figure. Two men
and handsome woman in evening dress
receive him. all masked. He has been mis-
taken for an expected messenger. He pre-
tends that 1t has not been safe to bring
certain papers. and Is commissioned to
visit the town of P next day. As he is
about to leave young girl arrives with
warning. The masked lady fires at the de-
tective. He runs down stairs and escapes
by the rear door into a yard. Climbing the
fence. he o. o.erhears the cOnsplrators, who
mention Tuxedo and the name Of a promi-
nent man He thinks that he recognizes
eho NoAS0 VI tue iduys ana COuCluOeS atQat
some great crime is under way. The heuse
Is shadowed by other detectives, and he de-
cides to watch the train to P himself,
IN nd disguise The young girl enters the sta
ton, also the lady, disguised as man.
The detective eludes the latter and takes
the train. He finds that the girl Is the in
nocent instrument Of band of conspira-
tors who have entrapped her father into
tneir plott1ngs. The mysterious lady Is
supposed to be the sister Of a member Of
the Russian legation, who has stolen i'm
portant papers at Washington. These are
intrusted to the girls father. who gives
tnem to messenger, for whom the detec-
tive has been mistaken. Meanwhile, the
real messenger is being watched by WASH
ington detectives. and she had been sent
with warning. The detective returns to
New York and reads in the newspaper Of
the messengers capture, with the stolen
papers He also sees the announcement Of
great ball at Tuxedo, to be given by the
man whose name he had overheard. He
with the conspiracy.
PART v.
1t was 10 O'Clock when once more I
ertered the office of my chief. found him
awaiting me there. Ray had just come
from my rooms with news of Importance
from the House with Green Blinds. A short
time before the people in the street and the
houses near had been startled by the
as well as they could make out, from the
house he had been watching. The police
had been summoned, and an effort made to
gain admission to the place. No reply had
been obtained to the ringing Of the bell,
and they were now preparing to force an
entrance. The chief had waited merely to
give me the information and, We at once
set out together, There was the inevitable
crowd Of people before the house, through
which we forced our way. The door had
been broken open, and a policeman guarded
the entrance on either side. AS we went
in noisome odor of chemicals filled the
air. We made our way to the drawing
room, where I had been the night before.
Here upon the table 1 discovered one OF
my revolvers, and underneath 1t a piece OF
paper, on which was scrawled the word
Beware
From here Ray, who had preceded US
led the way upstairs again to a small sky
light room In the rear Of the house. We
discovered there shelves filled with bottles
retorts, pestles and mortars. and books
piled anywhere about. On the floor, his
head torn and burned beyond recognition
lay Jackson. I knew him by his yellow
hands and peculiar DRESS and saw that his
own deviltry had been his undoing. We went
carefully over tie, room. 1t contained all
descriptions OF materials for compoundine
explosives. HAl1sipashed infernal ma
chimes, wheels and springs scattered every
Wnere, ana V8k4Cd8N memoranda, winch
were Of value IN their way. ~ NearSvhat re-
mained of the man we discovered upon the
floor a dark staiEs which at firsr sight ]
had thought to be blood. closer exami-
nation. however. revealed the fact that II
was either claret or some other deep red
wine. In one Of the yellow hands was
gripped a small vial. about which a scrap
Of paper was wrapped. Written in English
upon 1t were the following words: I'm two
gills of claret, one; in champagne. two. For
action in the first case, five minutes. In
the second, seven."
The vial Contained three or four small
white pellets. We determined to try an
experiment. man was sent for bottle
of Piper-Heidseck. OF this he poured a
small quantity into an empty bottle, and.
dropping in one of the white pellets, placed
the whole upon the window ledge Clos.
ing the sash 1 stood watch in hand and
waited Whether simply poison, or some
stronger and stranger thing, I did not stop
to wonder, but, as the number Of minutes
recommended in the note crawled slowly
by. an uneasy sensation came over me
which made me draw back and motion the
others to do the same. The next mo-