Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-14

burglary OF his premises NJ the same
time his curiosity was excited. Here. per
maps. was chance OF findinE some clue
to this impenetrable mystery.
There were three clerks In the outer Of
fee. He put on his hat and disI stcl.et
two OF them on errands in different direc-
tons. The asst he was Obliged Ia take
into his confidence.
''Ha sey." he sa6. II am going o., 20
lunch. AZ least. ] wish II TO be thought
that ! am going out io lunch As mat
ter of fact. shall return I'm about ten
minutes by the back way. ] do not wish
you. however. TO know this. 7 want YOU
to have IL I'm your mind that | have gone
to lunch ard shall not he back until
quarter past > III there are visitors FOR
nne-inauirers of any sort-act exactly "a
you would have one IL you really believed
that l was not IN the building
Halsey appeared good deal mysiiiicd.
Laverick took him even further into his
confidence.
ITO tell you the truth. Iialsey." he said
Il have just received bogus letter from
Mr. Henshaw. asking me TO lunch VIII
him. Some one was evidently anxious T.
get me out of my Office for an hour or 50.
want to find out for myself what tins
means. II possible. You understand
II thi"k so sir the man replied. doubt
fully. II am not to be aware that Won
have returned, them
Certainly not" Laverick answered
Please be cutie clear about tat. II Noa
bear any connection I'm the office YOU can
come IN. but do not send for the police
unless ! tell you 10. I wish TO look into
this affair for myself
Ha sey. who hal started Efe as law
yer's clerk and was distinctly formal H.
his ideas. was a little stocked
Would IL not be better. STR" he suc-
gested, "for me TO communicate with tho
police in the first case? II this should
really turn out TO be an ATTEMPT at bar
glary. II would surely be hes. TO leave
the matter TO them"
Laverick frowned
For certain reasons Halsey which I
do not think II necessary TO tell you,
have strong desire to investigate this
say"
He left the office and strolled up tho
street in the direction OF the restaurant
which he chiefly frenuented. He reached
II in a moment or two. but left II at once.
by another entrance Within ten min
utes he was back at his office.
Has any ore been Haisev?''
NO one. SIR the clerk answered
You will be SO good" Laver'ck COM
tinued. "as to forget that I have re-
turned
He passed on quickly into his own room
ana made his way into the small closet
where he kept his coat and washed his
hands. He had scarcely been thee a
minute when he heard voices In the out
side hall The door of his Office was
opered
MIR. Laverick said nothing about an an
pointment at this hour he heard Halsey
protest IN a somewhat deprecating tone
He had. perhaps forgotten was the
answer. In total Y unfamiliar voice. AZ
any rate. ] am not in a great hurry TIL,
matter is of some Importance however.
and will wait for Mr.. ] averick.'
The visitor was shown in. Laverck IN,
vesttgated his aDpearance THROUGH a crack
in the door. He was a man OF medium
q rntf ~ rka
wore gold-rimned spectacles. He made
himself comfortable i'm Iaver'ck's EASY
chair and accepted the paper which Hal
sew offered him
Il shall be nuite glad of a rest" he re
marked. geniaIly. 81 have been running
about all the morning
Mr. Laverick is never very long out
Tor lunch. sir" Haisey said. II daresay
he will not keen You more than a quarter
OF an hour OF twenty minutes"
The clerk withdrew and closed the door
The man in the chair waited for a mo
ment Then he laid down his news,a ner
and looked cautiously around the room,
Satisfied apparently that he was a 'one, he
rose to his feet and walked swiftly to
| averick's writing table. Wit, fingers
which seemed gifted with a lightning
like capacity for movement. he swung
oDen the drawers. one by one. and turned
over the naners. His eyes We're every
where. Every document seemed to he
scanned and as rapidlv discarded. A. last
he found something which interested him
He held II up and paused In his search.
Iayerick heard little breath come
through his teeth. and with thrill he
recognized the paper as one which he had
torn from a memorandum tablet and upon
which he had written down the address
which Mile. 1diaIe had given him. The
man with the gold trimmed glasses re-
rlaced fhe paper where he had found II
Evidently he had done with the writing
table. He moved swiftly over To the SAT-,
and stood there lis'ering FOR a few Sec
onds. Then from his poctet he drew n
bunch of KEYS. To Iaverick's surprise a.
the STRANGERS first effort The "reat door
Of the safe swung o"en. He saw the mar
lean forward. saw his hand reanuear al
most directly with the pocketbook r'inch-
ed In his finpA-s. Then he stood once
more quite sill listening. Satisfied that
no ore WAS disturbed he closed the door
OF the safe softly and moved onre more
To TIRE writing table With marvellous
swiftness the notes were laid upon he
table. the pocketbook was trrnAI INSIDE
down tie secret place disclosed-lthe Sc
cret nlace which was emntv II seen'eS
TO 7 averick that from his hi'iing nlace he
couid hear tie little oat7 of "lisa~uoint
p,ent which broke from the thin red lins,
The man ren'arei the notes aud. with the
yocketbook in his hard hes'tated. Law
erick who thought that things had gone
far enough. stenned liohtlv out from his
hiding place and stood between his un-
bid1en visitor and the door.
"You had hetter nut down that pocket
book" he ordered. quietly.
The man was unon him with a single
sprine. but 7 ave~ict. WITHOUT the sii"htesL
hesitation knocked him prove upon the
floor, where re Law. for r"o-nert. mo-
tionless. Then he SLOWLY nicted himself
UP. His spectacies were broken--he blink
ed as he stood there.