The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-12-29

Y A look Of recognition lighted up his lace
and he cried in tense tone. \
" Poet rPosip ondlateY, CoIneheye!
The man who had made the motion
tucked his hat under his arm and, ,,auntered
up the aisle, turned into the passageway.to
the box and edged through those crowding
for look, with an air OF quiet authority.
This is Mr.. Poe, Christopher Poe"
her father introduced in a durried tone,
"You have heard me speak Of him. He Is
the banker"
"Oh, yes; 50 glad 70 Know you. You
saw the stone drop j1st nowf'I the girl
asked quickly, her syetstill searching. .
Yes; but, really, There Is no use look
iIR, Poe's tone possessed strange hnality.
He bent to remove the Light chain Of 6ne
gold wiich still clung to the gardenia, and
made casual examination Of it.
"Nipped of with pair Of pliers" he
smiled "A common trick, easily executed
by fifty men in Paris Your tightly pinned
scarf prevented it from dropping or being
stolen in the crowd. You felt nothing, /
suppose, on the way from the carriage to
the entrance? this last to Miss Blondell.
III was a bit anxious" she admitted,
turning up her flushed face. "Ipressed the
jewel tightly through the scarf. Now that
you speak Of it, l did fell something cold
touch the back Of my neck for an instant,
but felt quickly for the chain and found it
safe, only protruding slightly above my
scarf in the back" #
cAnd already severed by pair Of pliers
concealed in clever hand" added Poe.
g 1t has happened often, this nipping. You
we're pressing the stone with your hand on
the scarf. The thief knew he could not get
the gem in the crowd; he waited for you to
unpin the scarf when you were safe in the
box and OF your guard The stone slid
down and dropped the moment you threw
the wrap back and leaned forward; but
naturally, you did not notice it at the exact
instant OF falling; several seconds passed
before the discovery, and that was all the
thief needed. "
Absurd laughed Miss Blondell. "You
don't mean. that the thing is stolen. It's
surely here somewhere. 1t couldn't have
disappeared from the box in that instant"
Certainly no person sGw it disappear"
replied Poe Is. g was watching the curtain
myself, it did not move There was no one
in the passageway behind the box and surely
no thief inside il. > f ~
I" Then how could the stone have dis
apptared?" cried the girl "You can see
at 4 ganct there are no cracks or creyices 1t
could have slipped through or lodged in"
That the only assurance have that It
is stolen" answered Poe, bending his short
waist and picking a small splinter Of wood,
not quarter Of an inc, long, from the leg
of chair near the doorway.
"Bll It's absurd to think that anyone
could have stolen the jewel in the second il
dropped to the foor before stopped to nnd
it' 9.t
''It couldn't have bounced up three feet
and over onto the stage, il couldn't have
been picked up by the gentleman in the
adjoining boz" Poestoppedabruptly, his
brows ahot up on bis forehead and the
satirical wrinkles again appeared, joining
the corners Of bis nostrils and lips. He hsd
glanced toward the other box and found it
empty. For second he fingered the spin
ter Of wood in bis pocket, the wrinkles
deepening and his eyes fixed
Turning short he said in low tone to
Blondell, '.Wait for me at Palais d'Orsay,p
then he bowed absently to the girl, ducked
through the plush curtains and hurried out
an ent.
As he sat in cab FIVE minutes later, on
his way to music hall in Rue de Clichy,
Christopher Poe looked and acted more like
a bored Frenchman in search Of pleasure
than anything else Had the Jehu who
drove known the truth about his fare he
would have been more particular in his
work and would never have depedes-;uggle
with the little taximeter ahis side. Bn<>
only two men really knew Poe. His friends
knew only that he had mfre money than he
could spend; that he Vas one Of the six
vice-presidents Of the NJ knhattan National
Bank, and director in several others. Burns
and Mitchell ScSe the two who knew him
well and they msNelled at the man. To
them alone was il known that Poe gave
practically -his-entire time 70 running down
bank crooks: His position at the Man
haitian was honorary, he was what they call
"stop-gap,'' drawing no salary and work
ing 'cih the bank rather than for it This
allowed him the leisure to indulge, often
with Burns and Mitchell, in tracking down
bank thieves Poes criminal knowledge
was greater than any living mans. 1t was
sod ~ him by Burns and Mitchell and the
few $&cnk m -ttc Bankers Protective
Association who guessed at Poe's quiet
work that lie was as familiar with the
haunts Of peter men and safc-blowers as
he was with the art centeIs.Sf Europe.