Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07

An, here is the rad1tm, he remarked as
he opened the box. Think of it, Mr.. Hatch!
An actual value of millions in that small boxl"
Hatch was thinking of it, thinking all sorts
of things he mentally framed 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 cor
ner of his official eye, imagined she imagined
that. The next caller was Professor Dexter.
The Thinking Machine and Hatch completed
the R Rarty: ur,o l., c,,u+,;,.,,, -,o,.. IT,.
Thinking Machine began quietly, will you
please inform me if you have another ounce of
radium in addition to that you stole from Var
ward laboratory?"
Nine. du Chastaigny 1eaped to her feet.
"Stole?" she exclaimed.
That's the word l used,' said The Thinking
Machine Count Won Fritz recounted his part
in the affair to me-" he went on. He leaned
forward and took package from the table.
Here is the radium. Now, have you any
radium in addition to this"
The radium!' gasped Professor Dexter.
l" If there is no denial, Count Won Fritz might
as we'll come in, Mr.. Hatch" remarked The
Thinking Machine.
Hatch opened the door. The midget bound
ed into the room in true Theatre style.
els 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 81 dare say your inspiration for the
theft came from newspaper article, therefore
you probably know that l 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 radium
was gone How? NY first impression was that
your part in the theft had been to detain Mr.
Dexter while some one entered the laboratory
or else fshed out the radium through window
in the glass roof by some ingenious continuance
| questioned Mr.. Dexter as to your precise acts
and ventured the opinion that you had either
sneezed or coughed. You had coughed twice,
obviously a signal.
Next, examined window and roof fasten-
ings. All were locked. l tapped over the glass
to see if they had been tempered with. They
had not Apparently the radium had not gone
through the reception room; certainly it had
not gone any other way; yet it was gone. 1t
a nice problem, until l recalled that Mr..
Dexter had mentioned suit case. Why did a
woman, on business, go out carrying a suit
3
reason for it, should she take the trouble to
drag it into the reception room instead of leav-
ing it in the carriage?
'Now, didn't believe she had any radium;
I knew she had signaled to the real thief by
coughing. Therefore, l was prepared to be-
ieve that the suit case was the solution of the
theft. How? Obviously something con-
cealed in it. What? A monkey? l dismissed
that because the thief must have had the rea-
soning instinct. If not monkey, then what?
child? That seemed more probable, yet it
was improbable. proceeded, however on the
hypothesis that child carefully instructed had
been the actual thief.
81 sent cable to Nine. Curie asking if the
letter of introduction was genuine; and sent Mr..
Hatch to get trace of child. He informed
me there child, just about the time
l heard from Nine. Curie that the letter was
genuine The problem Immediately went back
to the starting point. Time after time 1 rea-
soned it out, always with the same result; but
finally the solution came. If not monkey or
a child, then whate A midget. Of course! 1t
was stupid of me not to have seen that posi-
bility at first.
Then there remained only the task of finding
him. He probably came on the same boat with
the woman, and l saw vaguely plan to trace
him. 1t was through the driver of the carriage
which Nine. du Chastaigny used. l got his
name by telephone from the Hotel Teutonic.
Where had Nine. du Chastaigny left a suit
case? He gave address. l went there.
Il won't attempt to explain how this woman
obtained the letter from Nine T uiu