The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-10-31
Copyright, lelSl
. URING that autumn was shar-
ing a pleasant set of rooms
with Mark Iesty who was

about the middle of that month thai
the extraordinary AFFAIR of Halesower
and his Egyptian potsherd came undei
our notice.
Our rooms (they were in a south
west suburb) overlooked fine ex'
panse of common. Halesowen rented
a nat commanding a similar prospect
and at the time Of which I write ne
had but recently returned from a pro-
tracted visit to Egypt
Halesowen was a tall. fair man
gclean-shaven. very fresh colored and
wearing his hair cropped close to his
head. He was we'll travelled and nc
mean antiquary.
He lived entirely by himself and
Lesty and frequently spent the even
ing at his place, which was Veri-
table museum of curiosities.
distinctly recall the first time that
he showed US his latest acquisitions.
We had been examining the relics
that Haiesowen had brought back
from the land Of the Pharaohs; the
one, I remember, which had most i'm
pressed me, tyro that ! was, being
the mummy of a sacred cat from
Bubastis.
TT wouldn't have been worth bring
ing back only for the wrapping
HaIesowen assured me. This. now. is
really unique
The object referred to was a broken
Dot or vase. upon which he pointed
out number of hieroglyphics and a
figure with the head Of a jackal.
"A potsherd inscribed with the fig
ure Of Anubis," he explained. Very
valuable"
WHY" Lesty inquired in his lazy
way.
well" Halesowen replied. the
characters of the inscription are OF
a kind entirely unfamiliar to me. 1
believe them to be a sort of secret
writing, possibly peculiar to some
brotherhood am risking expert opin-
ion. although in every sense I stole
the thing"
'How's that?" I asked.
we'll. Professor Sheraton-youn see
his name on a row of cases in the
British Museum-excavated it. But it's
a moral certainty he didn't intend to
advise the authorities of his find. He
was going to smuggle it out OF Egypt
into his private collection. had
marked the spot where he found 1t
for inquiries of my own. This dis
honest old fossil"
Lesty laughed.
"Oh, my motives weren't above sus-
picion. But anyway the professor an
ticipated me. Accordingly ! employed
one Ali, a distinguished member of
family of thieves. to visit the learned
tent. Cutting the story
there's the pot
Here. I say" drawled Lesty. You'll
come TO a bad end. young fellow"
The position is a peculiar one" re-
pIied Halesowen smiling. Neither Of
us had any legal claim to the sherd
while we were on Egyptian terri
tory. Therefore, even IL the professor
learned that had the thing-and he
may suspect-he couldn't prosecute
me"
"DeviIish high-handed." commented
Lesty.
Yes But remember we were well
ofr the map-miles away from Cooks
route The possession OF this potsherd
ought 10 make a mans reputation
any man who knows a bit about the |
subject.
"Curiously enough. third party had |
mad his eye upon the place where this
sherd was found. And |
in some mysterious fashion he tum- |
bled TO the fact that it had fallen |
INTO my hands.
He made a sort Of yelled offer of
4 hundred pounds for it. I refused, |
but ran across him again a week or
so later in Cairo. and he raised his |
price to two hundred"
That's strange" 1 said. who was
neg"
Called himself Zeda-Dr. Louis
Zelda. He quite lost his temper when
declined to sell, and I've not set eyes
N him since"
He relocked the fragment in his
,abinet, and we lasped into silence,
o sit gazing meditatively across the
'ommon, picturesque in the dim. au-
umn twilight
BY the way, Halesowen." I said. Il
zee that the fiat next door. same floor
is this, is to let
That's So" he replied. why don't
'ou men take it?'
Well think about It." yawned Lesty,
tretching his long limbs luxuriously.
Might look over II in the morning"
The following day we viewed the
-acant fiat. but found, upon inquiry
4 the agent. that it had already been
ct. However, as our own rooms suit
d US very well, We were not greatly
oncerned-
Just as we finished dinner the same
vening Halesowen came in. and with
ut preamble plunged into a surpris-
ng tale OF uncanny happenings at
is place.
Take it slowly" warned Lesty. in
errupting You say it was after we
anne away"
about an hour after" replied
nervously. I had brought
ut the potsherd, and had it in the !
,ooden stand on the table before me.
was copying the hieroglyphics,
hitch, as said. are unusual, and {
ad only my reading lamp burning.
he rest of the room being. conse- 9
in shadow.
81 was sitting with my back TO the {
-indows facing the door, SO no one