The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-06-26
CHAPTER XIV.
suspicion and Discord.


were frostbitteu and kept Bella rubbing
Jim was Impossible. He refused to speak
TO any of US and he watched Bella fur
lively, as if he suspected her OF trying 10
get him out Of the house.
When luncheon time came around and
ne had shown no indication Of going 10
the telephone and ordering Il. we had a
conclave, and Max was chosen TO rssnind
him Of the hour Jim was shut in the
studio. and we waited together In the
hail while Max went up. When he came
down he was somewhat rufiled.
He wouldn't open the door," he re-
ported. and when told him it was
meal time, he said he wasn't hungry
and he didn: give a whoop about tEo
rest OF us. He had asked Us here to din
ner; he hadn't proposed to adopt u.s.
So we finally ordered luncheon our
selves. ard about o'clock Jim came
downstairs, sheepishly. and ate what
was left. Anne declared that Bella had
been scolding him in the upper hall. but
I doubted IT, She was never seen TO
speak TO him unnecessarily.
Inc excitement OF Nilt tSNalfS NNNAs Nj
HARRISON and I remained on terms OF
armed neutrality. And Max still hunted
for Anne's pearls, using them, the men
declared, as a good excuse 20 avoid
tinkering with the furnace or repairing
the dumbwaiter, which took the queer
est notions. and stopped once. halfway
up from the kitchen, for an hour with
the dinner on It. Anyhow, Max was
searching the house Systematically.
armed with a copy Of Poe's -PuTloined
Letter" and GabOriau's Monsieur Le-
Coz" He went through the seats of the
chairs with hatpins. tore up the beds.
and lifted rugs, until the house was in
state OF confusion. And the next day,
the fourth he found something not
much, but it was curious. He had been
in the studio. poking around behind the
dusty pictures, with Jimmy expostulat-
ing every time he moved anything. and
the rest standing around watching them.
Max was strutting.
I'VE get il by elimination" he said
Importantly The pearls being nowhere
else in the house. they must be here in
the studio. Three parts of the studio
having yielded nothing, they must be In
the fourth. Ladies and gentlemen, let
me have your attention for one moment.
zap AliiS canvas Win AAAf NtAtA4 1iANA
IS nothing up my sleeve. Then I prepare
TO move the canvas-so. And 1 put my
hand in the pocket of this disreputable
ecat-so. Behold"
Then he gave a low exclamation and
looked at something he held in his hand.
Every one stepped forward, and on his
palm was the small diamond clasp from
Anne's collar
Jimmy was apoplectic- He tried TO
smile. but no one else did.
We'll, I'll be flabbergastedr he said.
II say. you people. you don't think for
a minute I put that thing there? Why.
7 haven't worn that coat for month.
lists a trick of yours. Max
But Max shook his head. He looked
stupefied and stood gazing from the
clasp 20 the pocket of the old painting
coat. Betty dropped on folding stool,
that promptly collapsed with her and
created a welcome diversion, while Anne
pounced on the clasp greedily. with
little cry.
I'VE will find it all now" she said ex-
citedly. Did you look in the other
pockets. MAXI"
Then. for the first time, I was con-
sciOus OF an air of constraint among the
men. Dallas was whistling softly, and
Mr.. HARRISON, having rescued Betty, was
scene with noncommittal eyes. It was
Max who spoke first, after hurried in
ventory of the other pockets.
Nothing else" he said constrainedly
''I'II move the rest of the canvases"
But Jim interfered. to every ones sur
prise.
Il wouldn't If I were you. Max. There's
nothing back there I had en- out yes
terday.' He was quite pale.
Nonsense" Max said gruffiy. If it's
a practical joke. jim why don't you Tess
up? Anne has worried enough
''The pearls are not there, I tell you"
Jim began. Although the studio was
cold, there were little fine beads of moist
ure on his face 'T must ask you not to
move those pictures" And then Aunt
Selma came TO the rescue. She stalked
over and stood with her back against
the stack Of canYases.
''As far as I can understand this" she
acclaimed. you gentlemen are trying TO
intimate that James knows something Of
that young woman's jewelry, because
you found part OF il in mis- pocket. Ger
tainly you will not move the pictures
How do you know that the young gen
tleman who said he found 1t there didn't
have It up his sleeve?'
She looked around triumphantly. and
Max glowered. Dallas soothed. her, how
ever
Exactly So" he said. How do we
know that Max didn't have the clasp up
his sleeve? Ny dear lady. neither my
wife nor I care anything for the pearls
as compared with the priceless pearl Of
peace. 7 suggest tea on the roof; those
in favor? My arm. Miss CarutheTs'
II was all well enough for Jim to say
later that he didn't dare to have the can
vases moved. for he had stuck behind
them all sorts OF chorus girl photographs
and life-class crayOns that were not for
Aunt Selina's eye. besides four empty
siphons two full ones. and three bottles
of whisky. Not a soul believed MIN;
there was a new element of suspicion
and discord in the house.
Every one went up on the roof and left
him TO his mystery. Anne drank her tea
in preoccupied silence. with half-closed
eyes, an attitude that BODIED iii TO some
body The rest We're feverishly gay, and
Aunt Selma. with a pair Of arctics on her
feet and hot-water bottle at her back. sat
in the middle of the tent and told me
familiar anecdotes Of Jimmy's early
youth chad he known. he would have
slain herr Betty and Mr. HARRISON had
found a medicine ball and were running
around like a pair OF children. It was
quite certain that neither his escape
from death nor my accusation weighed
heavily on him.
While Aunt Selma was busy with the
time Jim had swallowed an open safety
pin, and just as the pin had been coughed
up, or taken out OF his nose-I forget
which-Jim himself appeared and sulk-
ily demanded the privacy of the roof for
his training hour
Yes, he was training. Flanagan claim
ed 10 know the system that had reduced
the President to what he is, and he and
Jim had seance every day which left
Jim feeling himself for bruises all even
ing. He claimed to be losing flesh; he
said he could actually feel 1t going, and
he and Flanagan had spent an entire
afternoon in the cellar three days before
with a potato barrel cane-seated chair,
and a lamp.
TIE whole thing had been shrouded in
mystery. They sandpapered the inside