Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-08-10
CHAPTER XIX.
The Mysterious MIlllcent.

on the top floor Of a downtown
business rookery-one of the Sky
scrapers OF a quarter-century before.
1t was much more tedious to climb
the five flights OF stairs to the sixth
story than to shoot In an express ele
vator to the summit Of the Singer
Building But Britt was too hot on
the scent to pay much attention to his
fatigue. He ran up the stairs lightly,
flung open crazy outer door that
creaked an announcement Of his com
ing, and pushed a bit Of paper toward
q young man of modern physique and
ancient visage who was working at a
bench. The paper was the note be-
ginning Curtis dear" and ending with
the first name Of the mysterious Mil
licent. The anachronistic young man
looked at it inQuiringly through steel
trimmed spectacles.
Rush a hundred copies Of this, Bur
lem" said Britt. I'll send for them in
couple of hours"
The detective seated himself on a
stool behind the bench, and for several
minutes watched the photo engraver
at his work His mind was not behind
his eyes, however He was busy with
the possibilities unfolded by the little
scrap of paper he had found In the
Hindoo burglars possession The
Headquarters man never was in hur-
~ to accept any clew at its face val
ne; nevertheless, he felt he had at
! last something which, If not direct
link between his knowledge and his
suppositions. would 20 far toward con-
Meeting them. That the note was ad'
dressed to Curtis Griswold he had
little doubt. 1t required small effort
OF reasoning to conclude that the East
erners had gone to Sands apartment
soon after visiting Griswold But this
time. Britt had learned enough to
convince him that the Brahmin scholar
was as eager to get possession OF the
Missioner necklace as he was-to get
the Maharanee diamond, anyway, Il
not all the other gems belonging to
the famous string, BY patient,
patchwork process. Britt had pieced
together the tiniest details of tho
Swemi's movements. He knew all
about the scholars presence in the
Metropolitan Opera House on the
night of the disappearance OF the jew
els, and he had made himself ac-
quainted with the system of espionage
maintained by the sage and his sub
ordinates ever since that time. That
system, he was aware, covered every
one connected, however distantly.
with the mystery. 1t was apparent TO
Britt that he was working against
men who. while not trained detectives
in the Occidental sense, were fully as
persistent in their quest as himself.
There was no question the Swami hal
directed all the energies Of the East
erners which the detective had follow
ed interestedly throughout their vari-
Gus manifestations. Britt was con
WINGED that he had the Prahmin priest
to thank for his own kidnapping; and
he was equally certain that the same
little band of brothers had searched
the homes of BruXton Sands and Cur
tbs Griswo'd He was not given to at
taching much weight to intuition, re
garding that faculty as pale and us
ually ineffective feminine rejection Of
masculine logic.
But something told him he must be
stir himself even more vigorously thar
he had done to date. II he was TO tract
the Missioner diamonds before thC
suave. subtle men from the East coult
n
yond tho reach of any Westerner
One thing was in his favor. UnGolbt
edly he had broken the S1amPa line
CT communication by Selling the spie'
before they could report the finding o
the Millicent note in Sands apartment
He had q vague sense that the scral
of paper would be of immediate valu'
as q clue to the Brahmin-that If h
had not intercepted 1t, the scholar b.
now would have been close upon tn
discovery OF the diamonds. 1t remain
ed for Britt himself to ascertain tn
identity and whereabouts of Millicen
before the Oriental prisoners coul
: communicate with their chief. Thos
} prisoners were safe enough for tn
|
r ton; but, although it was in the DC
5 tective's power to prevent their III
| mediate arraignment In the Nigh
3 Court by a word to the precinct con
r mander. he could not long keep thei
3 in cells They were entitled TO
I sneedy examination before the mag
e trate. and he was certain that unle'
\ their failure to report to the Swan
h should alarm that gentleman soone
d steps would be taken In the mornln
, to have the prisoners produced
J, court They were sure to be arraig
2 ed in Jefferson Market at next day
l. afternoon session. If not earlier. Bri
II felt that, once in their presence, II
y Swami, though he might be separate
< from them by the length OF the roo!
If would find means to learn all tho
% knew, to tho last microscopic detail.
IS He must find Millicent that nigh
= That done, he had little doubt
d would be close to the Missioner je
u els, and probably to the person wi
had taken them from their snug hs
ID Dor In Mrs. Missioner's library.
" "I1l send for the copies, Burler
- Britz said, as be slipped from Il
-, stool and started to the door, "b
;, don't let the original leave your han
- until I call for 1t myself"
a The detective was 30 absorbed
,e his thoughts as he walked down Nig