The Washington herald., 1914-08-16

pins, necklaces, brooches, lorgnette
chains studded with diamonds, and other
valuable trinketry of rare beauty, and
then 1t all came over me like a fash
All through the delightful and highly
dramatic reading Of Richard Henry
Barlow downstairs the faithful valet up
stairs had been going through the house
with the most gorgeous results And
why not gorgeous IesultSs With every
body on the place. from the cook and
the scullery maid up to the occupants of
the royal suite held spellbound BY the
magic Bariow's voice below. he had en-
Joyed an absolutely clear field in the up
per regions from half past nine until
after midnight; and, what was more.
little children, he had worked with great
concentration of purpose, and with his
heart in his labors, which is always an
assurance of success.
Of course the hotel was in a great fu-
roTe of excitement the following morn
ing when the discovery of the valefs
disappearance was made and the losses
were reckoned up; and nobody. be il
said, was fuller of furore than Richard
Henry Barlow himself. Everybody had
been robbed, not excepting Barlow, for
the fellow had actually got of with $500
belonging to his maSter-but that was
not the worst. Barlow was almost pros
trated- The idea that he had unwittingly
introduced common thief into the RiV-
eT View hurt him unspealably That
his man, his trusted servitor. could have
proved such a scandalous scoundreI was
notifying to the last degree, and at
whatever cost to himself he must insist
upon Immediately reimburSing those
who had lost anything through his care
lessness. He would take the very first
train back to New York and arrange
with his bankers to settle every claim
Indeed Richard Henry Barlow really be-
hayed like a hero of one of his own
chivalry that was most impressive, and
would doubtless forever have remained
so but for the untimely arrival of tele-
gram addressed to the proprietor. II
read:
New York, July 70, 1914
Proprietor. River View, Blue Haven,
Maine.
Have Just learned some one imper-
sonating me is registered at your hotel
Please secure his detention pending my
arrival on Portland express tomorrow
morning.
RICHARD HENRY BARLOW"
"You will. of course. excuse me, Mr..
Barlow" said the proprietor, after Bar
low had read the message, but under
all the circumStanceS-
Under all the circumstances. my dear
sir" said Barlow. with his most engag-
ing smile. Il am forced to admit that the
Jig IS up. Present my compliments to
your guests, and tell them ! am sorry
for what has happened, and that hope
they won't give Uncle Dioky away to
the children"
How on earth did You get on to him.
Billie" said l that night, as Rawson
and returned from the town Jail after
seeing his captives safely locked up
therein.
"Oh. it was the usual two-and-two
process" said he. "To begin with, Bar
low looked 50 literary that ii made me
suspicious. Literary men never do look
literary And in the second place he
nearly lost his nerve when began talk
ing about The Magic Cup had him
going. He had never heard OF the book
before. and he didn't know whether there
had been anything of the sort written
or not. and it nearly got him"
Il didn't notice any lack OF nerve on
his part" said l.
at was very subtly betrayed" said
Rawson. Ordinarily Barlow smoked
three cigarettes over his coffee. but this
time he consumed seven His familiar
Ity with a book he had never written
damned him completely, and then his
His shins?" echoed, with a laugh.
Sure, said RawSou. You know the
real Barlow was a war correspondent in
China, and one night somebody shot him
in his left calf. That's a part OF the lit
erary history of the nineteenth century
which this Barlow here completely over
looked. His shins were the perfection
Of shlnhood, with neither scar nor other
blemish. His makeup didn't run deep
enough. Then there was that wonderful
reading of his-that would have set
tled him even if the rest hadn't cooked
his goose already. He read too
we'll. He was too dramatic. He
proved himself an actor, not a lit
erary man. Up to that time I knew he
" dSll DuI dIlCT Ilc TCaQlnE / kIlCW
more than that knew who he was. In
point of fact, that poor devil is Morris
Iregonen, clever impersonator, fired
but OF the Actors Club four years ago
for cheating at cards, once a popular
1eadliner in vaudeville-which accounts
for his familiarity with little-known
America-four or hve years on the road
IN the one-night stand circuit is some
experience, you know"
Il see it all now," said I. But how
about Tommy Cage"
Il knew him the minute he stuck his
mug inside the door" said Rawson.
He's an old-tiner Fact is, Jenkins, it
was Tommy's presence that first started
ne watching the outfit. Barlow alone
might have got away with it, but his
chief, neverl"
Chief" said l. Why, Gage was the
valet"
Sure" said Rawson. but in this case
I was the valet that hired the master.
He needed a respectable hgurehead to
get him into this hoteHpoor Tregonen!
He had star part, but what finale"
It's too bad" said |. "I can't help
feeling sorry for him, he carried il all
off so mighty we'll He'd have got you,
90, Billie" l added, 'if it hadn't been for
hat telegram. That was a mighty lucky
stroke for you. II that telegram hadn't
,ome just when it did he would have
made a getaway"