The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-28

4 GlllIdHCC. Cummings anu SCtdtCuiuSs
sounded continuously about me, pune
rumbling voice of Morris Klaw!
"Ah, Mr.. Searies-good evening,
Mr.. Searles! 1t is the Pettigrew
mummy, is it not?"
He advanced through the shadows,
his massive figure arraycd for travel
ing in the capped coat, his toneless
beard untidy as ever, his piuce -neZ
glittering, his high, bald brow yellow
as that of Chinaman.
There has been a second outrage"
I said-"at Sotheby's. Inspector
Grimsby has asked US to join him
there"
Morris Klaw stopped, and from be-
meath the counter took out his fat
topped brown bowler. From its lin
ing he extracted a cylindrical scent
| pleasing perfumes that of verbena.
"a cooling Koran custom, Mr..
Searles," he rumbicd, so refreshing
when one lives with rats. So it is
Mr.. Grimsby who is puzzled again.
! 1t is Mr.. Grimsby who needs the poor
old fool to hold the lantern TO- him,
/
pick up the credit out of the dark
ness! And why not, Mr.. Searles, and
why not? 1t is his business; it is
my pleasure"
He raised his voice Isis! Isis"
Out into the light of the futtering
gas lamp, out from that nightmare
abode, stepped Isis Klaw-looking
more grotesque than Paris fashion
plate in an ironmonger's catalogue.
She wore costume of lettuce green
silk, absolutely plain and unrelieved
by any ornament, which rendered it
the more remarkable. 1t was cut low
at the neck, and at the point of the
V, suspended upon a thin gold chain,
hung a big emerald. Her darkly
| beautiful face was one to inspire a
painter seeking a model for the Queen
of Sheba, but an ultrsmodern note
was struck by huge hat of foam
ing black tulle. She, greeted me with
her wonderful smile.
What, then" l said-"were you
about to go OUT"
when l hear who it is" rumbled
Morris Klaw, Il know that we are
about to go out, and behold we are
| readyw
| He placed the quaint bowler on his
head and passed through to the front
of the shop.
William" he admonished the ripe
nosed salesman, there is here a
smell of fourpenny ale. 1t will be
your ruin, William. You will close
at half past nine, and be sure you do
not let the cat in the cupboard with
the white mice. See that the goat
does not get at the Dutch bulbs;
they will kill him. that goat-those
bulbs; he has for them passion.
The three of US entered the waiting
i cab and within half an hour We ar
rived at the famous auction rooms.
The doors were closed and barred,
but a constable who was on duty
there evidently had orders to admit
US.
The thing we had come to see lay
upon the table with an electric lamp
burning directly over it. The effect
was indescribably weird. We were
a living group in a place Of long
dead things. And yellow on the
table beneath the white light, with
partially unwrapped coils of dIscolor-
ed linen hanging gruesomely from 1t,
Law a hcadless mummy
| heard the squirt of Morris Kaw's
scent spray behind me and a faint
breath of verbena stole to my nos
trils.
"Pahw came the rumbling voice.
This air IS full OF deadness|
Good evening, Mr.. Klaw," said
Grimsby, appearing from somewhere
out OF the gloom. 81 am so glad you
have come" He bowed to Isis. How
do YOU do. Miss Klaw?
The bright green figure moved for
ward into the pool of light. | think
had never seen more singular PIC
ture than that of Isis Klaw bending
over the decapitated mummy. In
deed the whole scene would have de-
lighted Rembrandt. =,
81 am pleased to meet you, Mr..
Klaw." said a -midtle-aged gentle
man, stepping up to the curio dealer.
The inspector has been telling me
about you"
Morris Klaw bowed and his daugh-
ter turned to him with a little nod
OF the head.
at is the same period" she said,
"as Mr.. Pettigrew's mummy. Possibly
this was priest of the same temple.
Certainly both arc OF the same dy-
nasty"
Grimsby looked very perplexed::
"There's nothing very mysterious
about how the thing was done, he
said. Some mailman got in here with
knife carly in the evening. It's al
WAYS pretty dark even during the
daytime. But the mystery is his
object" -
agreed Klaw. 81 would sleep here
in order to procure mental negative
OF what he hoped or what he feared,
this lunatic headsman, only that l
know he is a man possessed"
Possessed" l cried; and even Isis
looked surprised.
al said possessed" continued klaw,
imprcssively. "He is some madman
with one idea. His mad brain will
have charged the other"-he waved
his long arms right and left-"wlth
mad thoughts. The room of Mr..
Pettigrew also will be filled with
these grotesque thought forms. Ger.
tainlv he is insane, this butcher OF
mummics. In this case | shall rely
not upon the odic photography, not
upon that great science the Cycle OF
Crime, but upon my library" =,
Then Morris Klaw startled us all.
a have a thought" he cried loud
l., "Na,ne of a dogl | have a