Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-23
"stivers. give me a room. :

from Scotland Yard who has asked to
be taken care OF, for / know you're
after game. Anything of Importance
We'll. it's not exactly important. and
yet it is important in one sense. seeing
that there's game to be played on US
and we've got to make preparations to
meet it. Have you any suspicious per-
sous in the house,"
Now you speak of 1t, man came In
yesterday. don't think he's a regula,
crook, simply a measly chap that might
be hired to do some dirty work."
That fits exactly. I shall need your
assistance, so may as we'll show you
my hand. You have this Mrs. Striker
of Chicago here. whose coming to Lon
don has been made so much OF In the
society journals. These American mil
lionairesses are. some of them, trying
to beat the New York customs officers,
and they do so quite often. The Amer
lean detective is a very dull bird beside
our English outlooker. This Mrs. Stri-
ker. I've learned, has bought the dia-
mond that the Hardcastle family has
been trying to find a purchaser for.
They finally sold it to her for f2o, 00o"
''Well?" said the landlord.
Mrs. Striker is not going to pay
American duty on a stone that can be
carried in a shoe heel or bouquet of
flowers or q watch case with the
works removed to make room for 1t or
a dozen other places of coneealment,
but the trouble is that the news has
gene over that she's bought the Hard
castle gem, and those muttonheads OF
| New York Will be on the lookout for
her. She's to sail on the Romania on
Wednesday. and they'll naturally ex-
pect that the diamond goes with her.
Now. we of Scotland Yard are up to
all these smuggling tricks and are on
TO this game. l don't need to give
away how l got the story. but got 1t
all the same. Tomorrow morning Mrs.
Striker will be found bound and gag
ged in her room and the diamond gone.
The New York chaps will see an &C.
count Of the loss cabled to the news
| papers. and when the lady arrives she
| will not meet with the attention she
deserves"
But what's the need Of a robbery II
fits all fake|
THAT'S where our part over here
comes In. Mrs. Striker will be hound
ing us Scotland Yard men to recover
her diamond and giving talk to the
newspaper reporters. There's doubt
less some confederate of hers right
here in your hotel who will take the
blame of robbery"
81 see: he'll take it and return it to
her secTtly."
mo. he won't do any such thing. Do
! you suppose she'd trust it to a fellow
like that? What she wants him for is
to make it appear that he robbed her
of it. And how can we Scotland Yard
men get it back from him when he
hasn't got it,"
There's that measly chap spoke
to you about now-that red headed fel-
low just going into the smoking room.
He booked himself from Brumagem.
but know by his accent that he's an
American. Lunnon is full of American
crooks. 7 shouldn't wonder il they
kept you fellows busy looking after
them"
$50 they do. I'm glad you've pointed
him out to me: it will save my hunting
= him up What's the number of his
room?"
mo. 76. Come to think of it. Mrs.
Strikers room is 70. directly opposite"
"Phew. What a simple game it Is, to
be sure!"
What are you going to d0?"
Make sure he doesn't leave his room
tonight after he goes up. shall sprin-
kle a fine powder on the sill and in
front of the door. He's not going to
have anything to do with the matter
except to take the blame for stealing
the diamond. I'll prove in the morning
that be didn't go into Mrs. Strikers
room. for shall put some powder be-
fore her door too. All the police will
have TO do when the newspapers howl
at US is to bring forward my proof"
you are a sharp one. sure enough.
Well. I'll give you ~, a bit farther
along the corridor. Going up now?"
mo, not till I've done some watch
ing of this red headed chap. must
cullSlN bcll llsit HC . tue NphiCbCi-
ate. don't propose to leave some
one else to do the Job while I'm watch
ing the wrong man"
The landlord went behind his coun-
ter, and the detective went into the
smoking room, where he found the red
headed man, whom he did not lose
sight of till the latter went TO his
room. Chaplain, not satisfied with his
powder device. sat up all night looking
through a space made by leaving bis
door ajar. He saw nothing unusual.
At Z O'clock in the morning the door
of No. IS was opened, and lady's maid
hurried downstairs. She soon return
ed with the clerk. and the two made
for Mrs Strikers room. Chaplain fol-
lowed them into the room and saw
Mrs. Striker bound in a chair and
gagged. AS soon as the gag was
taken out she cried:
Its gomez
whats gomez" asked the clerk.
"My diamond"