New-York tribune., 1906-10-07
THE LOST RADIUM
Continued from page y


a suit case. and from this a small steel box.
All, here is the radIun, he remarked as
he opened the box. Think of it, Mr.. Hatchi
An actual value of millions in that small bOxi"
Hatch was thinking of it, thinking all sorts
of things as he mentally framed an opening
paragraph for this whooping big yarn. He was
still thinking of it as he and The Thinking
Machine, accompanied willingly enough by the
midget, entered the cab and were driven back,
to the scientists house.
An hour later Nine. du Chastaigny called by
request. She imagined her visit had something
to do with the purchase of an ounce of radium.
Detective Mallory, watching her out of a cor
ner OF his official eye, imagined she imagined
that The next caller was Professor Dexter
The Thinking Machine and Hatch completed
the party NJ l.,
Thinking Machine began quietly, will you
please inform me if you have another ounce of
radiuIn IN addition TO that you stole from Var
ward laboratory?"
Nine. du Chastaigny leaped to her feet
" Stolea" she exclaimed.
That's the word used" said The Thinking
Machine. Count Won Fritz recounted his part
forward and took package from the table.
Here is the radsum. Now, have you any
radium in addition TO this'"
The radiuml'' gasped Professor Dexter.
" If there is no denial, Count Won Fritz might
well come IN, Mr.. Hatch" remarked The
Thinking Machine.
Hatch opened the door, The midget bound
ed into the room in true theatric style
" Is it enough, Mile. Fanchon," inquired the
scientist
Nine. du Chastaigny nodded dumbly.
1t would interest you, of course to know
how it came out, went on The Thinking Ma
chine. Il dare say your inspiration for the
THEFT came from newspaper article, therefore
you probably know that | was directly inter
eSted in the experiments planned. | visited
the laboratory Immediately after YOU left with
the radium. Professor Dexter told me YOUR
story. 1t was clever, clever; but there was too
much radium, therefore unbelievable. If not
true, then why had you been there The
answer Is obvious.
Neither you nor anyone else save Mr. Dex-
ter, entered that laboratory. Yet the radiurn
was gone. How? My first impression was that
Your part in the theft had been to detain Mr.
Dexter while some one entered the laboratory
or else fiShed out the radium through a window
in the glass roof by some ingenious contrivance
questioned Mr.. Dexter as to YOUR precise acts
and ventured the opinion that YOU had either
SneeZed or COughed. You had COughed twice
obviously signal.
Next, | examined window and roof fasten-
lngs. All were locked. tapped over the glass
to see If they had been tampered with They
had not. Apparently the radium had not gone
through the reception room; certainly it had
not gone any other way; vet 1t was gone II
was nice problem, until | recalled that Mr.
Dexter had mentioned a suit case Whv did
woman. on business, go out carving a suit
caSe' Or why, granting that she had a good
reason for it, should she take the trouble to
drag IT into the reception room instead of leay-
ing it in the carriage.
Now, | didn't believe she had any radiurn
| knew she had signaled to the real thief by
coughing. Therefore, / was prepared to be-
leve that the suit case was the solution of the
theft. How Obviously, something con-
cealed in it. What' a monkey? / dismissed
that because the thief must have had the rea-
soning instinct. If not a monkey, then what
A child: That seemed more probable, vet il
was improbable. proceeded. however. on the
hypothesis that child carefully instructed had
been the actual thief
sent a cable TO Nine. Curie asking if the
letter of introduction was genuine; and sent Mr. |
Hatch to get trace of a child. He informed
me there was no child, Just about the time
l heard from Nine. Curie that the letter was
genuine The problem immediately went bacI, |
to the starting point. Time after time / rea- |
Soned 1t out, always with the same result. but |
nnally the solution came. If not a monkey or
a child, then WHAT a midget. OF coursei N |
was stupid of me not to have seen that posi-
bility at first.
Then there remained only the task of findinq
lirn- He probably came on the same boat with /
me woman. and | saw vaguely plan TO trace
was trcf,s st,~ L.