The Washington herald., 1914-11-15
- BY
T. w. Hanshew

every room in the house. ending in open
ings in the wall with what they call
'registers.' didn't have the wretched
contriyance removed or those blessed
registers plastered up. simply had
them papered over when the rooms were
done up-there's one over there near that
settee-and II q man got into this house he
could get into that furnace thing and
hide in one OF those fues until he got
ready to crawl up It. It struck me that,
perhaps, It would be as well for you to
examine the furnace"
''Of course II would. Great Scott! Sir
Horace, why didn't you think to tell me
Of this thing beforeT' said Narkom eI-
cftedly. Come, show me the wretched
thing"
IT'S below-in the cellar We shall
have to go down the kitchen stairs, and
I haven't a light"
Here's one" said Petrie. unhitching a
bulPs-eye from his belt and putting II
into Narkom's hand. Better go with
Sir Horace at once, SIR. Fish and me
will stand guard over the stun till you
come back so in case the man Is In one
Of them fiues and tries to bolt out at
this end, We can nab him before he gets
to the windows
"a good idea" commented Narkom.
Come on. Sir Horace. Is this the way"
Yes, but you'n have TO tread careful
ly. A good deal of my paraphernalia-
bottles. retorts and the like-is stored IN
the little recess at the foot Of the stair
case"
Evidently the caution was necessary.
for a minute or so after they had disap-
peared Petrie and his colleagues heard
a sound as Of something being overturned
and smashed. Evidently. too. the danger
Of the furnace had been grossly exagger-
ated by Sir Horace. for when a few min
utes later Narkor's man saw the hgure
Of their chief reappear II was plain that
he was IN no good temper.
Nothing worth looking into. super
intendent?' asked Petrie.
''No-not a thing" he replied The
silly old josher: Why. the nues would
not admit the passage Of a child 7 sent
the old fool back to bed. and f.
There he stopped short and sucked in
his breath with a short. wheeling sound.
For Of a sudden a swift patterinE foot
fall and a glimmer Of moving light had
sprung into heinG and drawn his eyes
upward: and there. overhead. was Miss
Lorne coming down the stairs. her hair
streaming over her shoulders in glorious
disarray.
He stood and looked at her with ever
quiclSeninE breath. with Overwhelming
! eyes. as though the beauty OF her had
Weakened in him some dormant sense
whose existence he had never suspect
ed. and whilst he was so looking she
reached the foot Of the staircase and
same pantingIy toward him.
"oh. Mr.. Narkom. what was it-that
noise heard? she said in a tone Of
deepest agitation. "lI sounded like a
, struEEle-like the noise Of something
breaking. Have YOU caught him? Oh
why don't you answer me instead OF
staring at me like this? Dear heaven!
will no one tell me what has happened" >"
Nothing has happened. miss" an
. swered Petrie. ''SOhody's been here but
and Mr.. Narkom a-tumhlinE over rome-
furnace"
Furnace? What furnace" she cried
sEitatedly. What do you mean by say
, ing that Sir Horace came down
only what the superintendent him
self will tell you. miss. Sir Horace came
! downstairs in. his pajamas a few min
utes ago to say as he'd recoIlected about
the hues Of the furnace"
She gave a sharp and sudden cry. cry
ing out family:
''Sir Horace came down to look at the
furnace We have no furnace"
what"
We have no furnace. and Sir Hor-
ace did not rome down. He is ur there
still. knoW-hNcausc feared for his
safety. and when he went to his room I
! locked him in
"Surerintcnd"nt.' Six pairs Of eyes
| turned toward Narknm with look OF
despairinE comprehension.
Get To the cellar Head the man or
It's he-thc CrackSman" he shouted out.
They needed no second bidding for
| zach man Erasped the situation instant
~. Shouting and s"rsmblinE like n band
~ madmen. they went living down the
staircase to the kitchen and SO to a dis
Covery which nonr might have foreseen.
For. almost as they entered. they saw
lying on the floor a suit NJ striped pa
iamas and close to it. gagged. bound.
helpless their chief Mr.. Maverick Mar
Hom. in a state Of collapse. and with all
his outer clothing gone
After him, After that devil and
Thousand pounds 10 the man that gets
him" hc managed to -asr as they rip
d pol loose tho gag. Get him set him.
They surEed from the room and up
tho stairs like a pack of Stampeded ami
mails. they hor- down on the picture gal
1orv in a body and vhirlinE open the
closed door. went tUmhlinE hcadlong in.
Tho light was still burning At the
far end oC the room a window was wide
omen and tho curtains Of Il futtered in
the wind. \ collection Of empty cases
and casIsats Law on the middle table. but
man and loves were alike gone.
Through all tho night the Yards best
men sought him and sought in vain He
had vanished as mvStrriouslv as he had
, anpoarcd. and no rovaI Jewels craced the
display or Miss wyvern's wedding gifts
on the morrow.
Rut It was fruitful Of other gifts"
fruitful OF an even greater surprise that
morrow" For the first time since the
dav he had given his promise no "sou-
vpnir'' from The Man Who Called Him
self Hamilton CIeek'' came to Scotland
Yard and it was while tho evening pa
pers were making screaming Copy" out
Of this that the surprise in question came
to pass.
Miss wvvern's wedding was over the
day and the bride had gone, and II was
1870 at night. when Sir Horace. answer
ing a hurry call from headquarters,
drove post-haste to Superintendent Mar
kom's private room. and passing in un-
der a red and green lamp which burned
over the doorway. entered and met that
surprise.
Maverick Narkom was there alone.
standing beside his desk with the cur
tains of his window drawn and pinned
together. and at his elbow an unlighted
lamp OF violet colored glass. standing
and thoughtfulIv looking down at some
thing which Law before him. He turned
as his visitor entered.
Look here" he said IaconicalIy Sir
Horace moved forward and looked then
stopped and gave a sort of wondering
cry There, spread out on the shining