Evening star., 1913-02-23
BY CAROLYN WELLS

is all case needs to make it interesting! Tell me moreD
Il left at two o'clock" went on Mrs. Plummer
that Rogers Group was gone! Not vestige of it re-
manned. Gone was the baby and the doctor Gone the
scales and the gone!"
"Gone Gomez echoed Dupin, wringing his hands.
He was often overwhelmed by excessive sympathy,
the other French gentlemen.
"And the house hermetically seaed!" pondered
Rouletabille eXutantly. "There is problem de-
hghtfu that! Do you remember in The Yellow
Room there"
"Are there any clues?" asked President Holmes de-
hberately cutting short Roly-Polys "reminiscences.
II don't know, Sir" replied the lady "Ive heard
you mustn't touch body until the Coroner comes;
l supposed it the with robbery. So locked
UP the house again and hurried over.
"Quite right" returned the saturnine Holmes ap-
provingly. "I'l 60 there at once Come, Watson.
Though seemingly ignored, the Others grabbed their
hats and all burst out of the door at true detec
tive eagerness to be first the
THE rain had stopped, so the party stepped brisky
along the still wet pavements; and then solemnly
unlocking her front door, Mrs Plummer ushered in the
ten men.
"The room! Which is the room?" asked Rouletabie
hoarsey for here was case in which his very soul de-
lighted.
"Here!' and Mrs Pummer dramatically threw open
the paror door.
Too true the bay window where for nineteen years
the Rogers Group had proudly stood. empty.
Gone indeed the priceless work of art! Gone the kind
old doctor the proud and the avordupos baby
"Ha Footprints" muttered President Holmes and
in trice he was down his knees with magnifying
glass, compass, and T-square. But the magnifying
glass needed for the footprints of goodly
size. Carefully Holmes laid diagram to scale, and
with the help of some of the others paper pattern
was cut exactly like the footprints and duplicate
given to each member of the club. From these they
were to trace the criminal.
"And we can do it, said Vidocq assuredy.
well" said Mrs. Pummer, if the words were
forced from her by lashng conscience, "those foot
prints mine. When came in it was some muddy
"Why did you not tell in the first pace?' demanded
Trant.
well you see l had on my old shoes, and they al
ways were too big for me, anyway"
Fine example of the eternal feminine!" commented
Trant "But stay! The miscreant must have left finger
prints will photograph this plush chenille and
these plush chairs in hope of getting his thumbprnt.
But the next few moments brought startling results.
Dozens of ngerprnts found on the dusty surfaces
of brackets and mante. Then Raffes found tuft of
feathers, doubtless from ady's boa. The Thinking
Machine found a handkerchief marked &C.; Dupin
found old letter Vidocq eyegass and Lecocq
glove. Raff1es found gray barret, and Holmes
picked up market list.
"Now, Gentlemen said the president, "you each
have your separate clues. Go your ways, make your
deductions, and meet tomorrow at rooms, where l
will show you the robber."
The Infallibe Detectives went their ways secretly
incensed at Holmes arrogance.
THE next day at three o'clock they all trooped back to
the rooms of their association, and each brought
with him lady, a citizen of the town.
"Ha!" exclaimed Holmes "The villain seems to be
plural"
"And feminine" added the Thinking Machine look