The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-04-27
Next Week:
Sunshine Jane"
by Anne Warner


with him in the latter's cabin. 81
require stateroom," he said,
and. for a young woman who is
acting for the time being as one
LOT my assistants, / wish to have
one adjoining.
1T will be necessary for us to
confer frequently unknown to any
one on board. In public, you will
understand, We appear not to
know each other"
Bonnet nodded. "And why all
this secrecy" he asked.
Because, monsieur, the mys-
terry connected with the death of
the purser, George Vernon, is by
no means solved. and unless | am
very much mistaken, the solution
of 1t will be found aboard your
ship"
| He refused to commit himself
further and repaired at once to the
stateroom assigned him. A few
moments later, hearing sounds In
the adjoining room, he knocked
on the door. Grace opened 1t and
looked in.
She had no sooner assured her.
self of the identity of the passen-
ger In the room next to hers than
she burst out laughing.
"You dear!" she cried, her
head against his breast. You look
enough like the project to be his
twin brother"
Richard Duvall calmly began
to remove his gray wig and point
ed mustache. Grace! I'm SO
glad you are safe. Wait till I get
this makeup off and II give you
real kiss"
Ten minutes later they were
sitting on the sofa and Grace was
telling him of her frightful expe-
rience the preceding night. He
told her of his experience in Yer
mons apartment, when as Dumas
he had SO nearly succumbed to
death by gas.
You will not, of course, know
me outside of these rooms" said
her husband. "Keep out of sight
until | see how the land lies" He
replaced his disguise, and step
ped from his room into the cor
ridor.
He had no great difficulty in
identifying the woman Grace had
described to him, and through
Captain Bonnet learned the num-
Der OF her room. He further ar
ranged that while she was at
luncheon he should be admitted
to her room by the purser.
A great disappointment await
ed him. He had no sooner open
ed the satchel into which he had
seen Hartmann toss the box Of
cigars than he saw that the box
was not there.
/ With feverish haste, Duvall
examined every object in the
satchel. At last, near the bot
tom he found the cigars neatly
tied in a bundle. The coin was
nowhere to be seen. He con-
cluded that the woman must
have it concealed about her per-
son.
Duvall set the room to rights
as quickly as possible and went
to the dining saloon. He had al
so arranged with Captain Bonnet
to be assigned place alongside
the woman at table. As he went
to his seat he wondered whether
Hartmann might not have come
on board in disguise and so have
eluded Grace's observation. II SO,
the woman would doubtless at
tempt to communicate with him.
Duvall determined to watch her
every move from now on.
During the afternoon this was
not at all difficult. She sat quiet
ly in a steamer chair reading a
magazine and paying not the least
attention to any one.
And then It was that the whole
matter was swept from his mind
by a note which he received from
Captain Bonnet. Il asked Duvall
Ito come to the captains cabin at
once.
He went, much az he iislikad
to relax his observation Of the
woman. The captain was sitting
at desk in his room, and with
him were the ships doctor and
the first officer. When Duvall
entered he presented them to
Thin. Gentlemen" he said,
this is M. Lefevre, project of po-
lice of Paris. He Is on board In
connection with the matter OF the
strange disappearance of our
purser, George Vernon"
The doctor and the first officer
smiled.
Duvall looked at the captain.
What is it?" he asked.
This, monsieur. The purser,
George Vernon, is not dead at all
Beauregard, bring M. vern On
here"
CONTINUED I'm our next issue.1