Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-27
Che
SocialHtates
Story No. 6
The Master Swindlers
Plot by George Bronson Howard.
Novelization by Hugh c. Weir.
Copyright Kalem Company.
Continued from Yesterday


SO the next day Mona gladly accept
| ed Harry's offer to help her with the
| finishing touches her copy required
She thanked him, when it was done,
and went away. But she fingered and
saw him come out, and then she re-
turned and took up the watch from
nook she had discovered in her wan
derings in the museum. 1t seemed,
however, that she was doomed to be
disappointed, for Harry did not return,
as she had supposed he would.
Mary. however, saw him come into
Meinotte's and she was able to hear
him tell the dealer that he was going
to turn the trick about noon, when
there would be few visitors. When
he went out with the copy of the
Monna Wanna that she had found in
the storeroom hidden under his coat,
she telephoned to Mona, who had
agreed to be in certain pay station
near the museum And Mona at once
hurried back to her hiding place, Just
in time to be out of sight when Harry
resumed his copying.
She saw him take the spurious
Monna Wanna from under his coat:
copy with paste Then, very swiftly
and dexterously, he cut the real
painting from its frame. and substi-
tuting the copy. smoothed 1T down.
Wanna, he calmly sat down and re-
sumed his copying. An attendant
passed soon afterward, but saw nothing
wrong. and Mona wanted to applaud
Harry's coolness and nerve. He gave
absolutely no sign, as the man passed
him. of being nervous. And not until
ne mad been at work for some time
did he actually take his departure.
He passed out OF Monas ken then,
of course, but passed into Mary's as
soon as he reached Melnotte's. Neither
man was at all suspicious of Mary.
She had rendered herself thoroughly
unobtrusive ever since she had come to
work, and they took her pretty much
FOR granted. That suited her very
wen, because 1t increased her oppor-
tunities for observation tremendously.
She managed to see Harry take the
stolen picture and show IT to Melnotte
And then she saw something that sur
tions. They took ihe real art treasure.
the picture Harry had stolen, and put
II carefully into the frame from which
the copy that Harry had substituted
for IL had been taken!
That was the one thing Mary had
not expected them to do She had been
certain somehow, that still another
copy, perhaps the one Harry had been
her whole plan had been based upon
that certainty. She knew that Mel
notte had been in communication with
a famous collector. rival of Crogan,
the lender of the Monna Wanna to the
Columbian Museum, named Wellington
Watson. And she had been sure, too,
that she had seen through the plan
they had made to hoodwink Watson.
Now she was completely baffled, and
she realized that she would, at the
eleventh hour, have to make an en-
tirely new plan, unless she wanted all
the work she and Mona had already
done to go for nothing.
Her only grain of comfort was that
she heard Melnoute, speaking over the
telephone, make an appointment with
Watson. for the following afternoon.
They were to meet at the museum.
Mary was afraid to jump at conclusion
again, but she did feel that there was
chance now to save the day.
Were like people working in the
dark" she told Mona, that night, when
the two compared notes. 80 far
there's been altogether too much guess
work to suit me-dnd from now on I'd
like to have some facts to work with"
"We've got to have them! said
Mona. And the one essential thing is
to overhear the conversation tomor-
row when Melnotte meets Watson at
the museum"
Mary nodded her agreement.
these facts" she said. And / don't
see how you're going to do It! They're
sure to be suspicious If there's anyone
within earshot."
Leave that to me-" said Mona, con-
fidently. 1--WE made one or two dis
coveries about that museum since I've
been working there with Harry. Did
you ever hear of the whispering gall
1ery?"
To Re Continued Tomorrow.