The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-01-04
/ .angibiIity was the repeated word, .evan

tangiDiiity was the repeated word, Val
Tuyl."
] i went to the telephone and callec
up Beatrice Van Tuyl As youngster.
We had raced pony carts and played
water polo and catboard on the Sounc
together. / realized, as / heard tina
CHEEKY young matron's voice over tn,
wire, that / would have to pick m,
steps with care.
~ say, Beatrice, are you possibly in
need of butler?" / began as offhand.
edly as | was able.
Out of a place, Writer dear?" was
the chuckling inquiry that came to me
No, I'm not, but know of good
man." was my mendacious reply. And
rather thoGght-'
my dear Witter," said the voice
| over the wire, we've jewel of man
up here. He's English, you know"
Whats his name%
"Just what it ought to be-the most
appropriate name of Wilkins"
How long have you had him."
'Oh, weeks and weeks y
: And you're sure of him in. every
way?"
.'Of course, we're sure of him. He's
been a Gibraltar of dependability."
Where did you get him from?"
From Morristown. He was at the
Whippeny Club out there before he
came to us
THE Whippeny Clubl' / cried, for
the name struck like a bullet on the
metal of memory.
Don't you think" the voice over the
wire was saying, that you'd better
come up for dinner tonight and inspect
the paragon at close range? And you
whiles."
I'D love to, was my very prompt
reply.
Then do" said Beatrice Van Tuyl.
"A little after seven"
And a little after seven | duly rang
the Van Tuyls' doorbell and was duly
admitted to that orderly and well-ap-
pointed Seventy-third street house, so
like thousand other orderly and we'll
appointed New York houses hidden be
hind their unchanging masks of brown
and gray.
As | surrendered my hat and coat
and assembled to that second floor where
l had known so many sedately happy
hours, | for once found myself dis
quoted by its flower-laden atmosphere.
l began to be oppressed by new and
would be no light matter, | began to
see, TO explode bomb of dissension
in that principality of almost arrogant
aloofness. 1t would be no joke to
confound that smoothly flowing rou-
tine with which urban wealth so Jeal-
ously surrounds itself
! suddenly remembered there was
nothing in which i could be positive,
nothing on which / could with GER
tainty rely. And my inward disquiet
was Increased, if anything, by the calm
and blithely contented glance that
Beatrice Van Tuyl leveled at me.
And what's all this mystery about
our man Wilkins?" she asked me, with
the immediacy of her sex.
Won't you let me answer that ques-
ton a little later in the EVENING""
You can't shake my faith in VIII
kins," said the blue-eyed woman in the
blue silk dinner gown, as she leaned
back in a protecting armed and softly
padded library chair which suddenly
became symbolic of her whole guarded
and upholstered life. Jim, tell Witter
what jewel Wilkins really is"
Jim, whose thought was heavy ord
nance beside his wife's flying column
of humor, turned the matter solemnly
over in his mind.
Hes remarkably good man." ad-
mitted the stolid and livitical Jim
remarkably good"
Look here" | suddenly demanded,
have either of you missed anything
valuable about here lately?"
The two glanced at each other in
perplexed wonder.
"Of course, not" retorted the wom-
an in the dinner gown, Not thing"
And you know you have everything
intact, all your jewelry, your plate,
your pocketbooks, the trinkets a sneak
thief might call it worth while to
round up"
'Of course, we have. And l can't
even resent your bracketing my pocket
book in with the trinkets."
But are you certain of this? Could
you verify it at moments notice?'
My dear Writer, we wouldn't need
TO. i mean we're doing it every day
of our lives. It's instructive; it's as
much a habit as keeping moths out
of the closets and 'cobwebs out of the
What's making you ask all this?"
demanded my host.
I'm asking all this" / replied, DE
cause | have good reason to believe |
this paragon you call Wilkins is not |
only criminal, but has come into this |
house for criminal purposes"
For what criminal purposes|
For the sake of robbing it"
Beatrice Van Tuyl loked at me with |
her widc-open azure eyes. Then she !
suddenly dubbed over with golden and
laughter. "Oh, Witter,
you're loyelyr
What proof have you got of that?'
demanded Jim.
"Of my loyeliness?" l inquired, for |
Jim Van Tuyi's solidity was as pro-
as that of the smithy anvil |
which the idler cannot pass without at |
least hammer-tap or two.
NO." he retorted; proofs of the
fact that Wilkins is here for other than
honest purposes.
"Fve got no proof" had to con-
Tess.
Then what evidence have your"
I've not even any evidence as yeti
But I'm not stirring up this sort of
hing without good reason"
He threw down his cigarette. 1t
meant as much as throwing up his
hands.
s.srl,.., 10. a. 10, 1000. a., A. Il -,