The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-08-04

&. nov after the second act, when
= usber came up behind Rand and
said:
.Mr Lawrence Rand? There is a
.ontleman in the next box who wishes
n see you for moment"
with an apology Rand left us, and
almost Immediately heard the sharp
click of a rubber band against the
nalm of his hand, little innocent-ap-
hearing signal which we often used,
and supposing that he wanted me, I
IN left the box and entered the next
one.
with his chair hitched up close to
the one in which sat Rand was a man
n remarkable appearance. OF medi-
nm height and slender, with a dark
oliye skin, flashing black eyes and
wealth Of straight, black hair, splendid
teeth and extremely fine features, he
was easily recognized as an Oriental
Of high caste HIS forehead and GER
tain facial lines indicated fine mind
and delicate, romantic, sensitive ma.
ture. His age was about thirty-eight.
Rand was endeavoring to repress an
excited out-pouring of some narrative,
evidently until l could hear it also.
'Mr Duncan, this is the honorable
Khan Nadjian, whom you will recall
as the importer and expert in Persian
rugs. His place is just around from
the club. He has difficult problem
for us, and as he speaks Italian bet
ter than English l need you badly.
Otherwise, l should not have called
you away from our friends"
Reducing the statement of the noble
Persian to important facts in their
proper proportion, the story was as
follows:
For ten years he had occupied the
second and third floors of a house in
East Sixty-third street, sub-letting it
from the owner, Mrs. Torrance NAL
Yern. At present, Mrs. Malvern had
been gone from the house for a Pc
Rod Of four months on a visit to a
married daughter, leaving the estab-
shment in charge of her brother,
middle-aged person named John
Coughlan, helpless, dependent sort
Of individual, likely to do the most
childish and foolish things.
The first floor of the house was &C.
cupied by a bachelor surgeon, DR.. JUS
/, tin Huntley, specialist in gun-shot
wounds. There was an old colored
maid-ofall-work who came above the
first floor each morning to care for the
apartments of the two bachelors. She
never left the basement after ten
o'clock each day, unless summoned,
and Nadjian never left the house I'M
til after eleven.
For three months his apartments
had been entered in his. absence by
snme unknown visitor as regularly as
be left the house, the unknown nearly
always disturbing, very slightly, some
Of the small objects in his library, as
Hooking for papers among his private
docaments. Several times he had re-
turned in fifteen minutes with the
purpose OF catching the intruder, only
70 md that the unknown had come
and gone. There were but two means
o. entrance to the house, the base
nent door opening on the areaway
the street, and the door to the doc
.ors floor, approached by the steps
nom the street. There was a vacant
10y on the east side of tho house, and
a. air shaft ten feet wide on the west
ade between the house and a tow
sllhg apartment structure, which shut
On access to the roof.
for week a trusted clerk from the
rug store had seen no one coming or
Sung from either of the front doors.
~ signs of visitation were apparent
Nneh Nadjian returned each day. 1t
as proof conclusive, therefore, that
ei'uer Dr. Huntley or John Coughlan
vas clandestinely endeavoring to get
possession of something valuable
@llcn they knew, or imagined, Mad
Hsn @ have among his effects. There
ie many rare tapestries, pieces of
haseened plate, paintings on ivory,
au'iqle Jewels and other articles, both
se and small, of high virtu, yet
lg mad ever been taken away.
ana now, you see, gentlemen"
aaulian concluded, 81 have told you
ylhlng. l have absolutely nothing
- either my dear friend, the doctor,
me miserable Coughlan could
q Sal u1 mat they have not had every OPP
,slulty for taking, but one or the
80 persists in coming to my rooms
sIo '.y. If Coughlan-poof, he is a
1901, and l do not care. If Dr.
B icy, am grieved; am hurt, am
& .iued to the depths. l should not
n hsa 70 live, for he is more to me
II bea.. y brother. Such friend as the
a. ot man could hope to find once
= million of these human wretches
q NM !, u not give up my comrade-
=. pieu, but must know, or l shall
Iaa must know at oncel"
n s,r @na and exchanged glances. Mad
q den, 'tS ana feeling were eVi-
sips, We returned home with you to-
~, n.y. Khan Nadjian. we should reach