The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-08-22
''The Allison Pearls
CONTINUED From Our Last Issue)
By Edward H. Hurlbut
Copyright, Paget Newspaper Service.

Allison's apartments, he said
quietly. 81 am working under her
personal orders in charge of this
case, and | am not giving way to
newspaper men. IL you want to
see the maid, see her outside of
these apartments. | cannot permit
her to be seen Just now
VERY well, Maggart," he said,
as he took up his hat. Il will
leave you in full and undisputed
possession of the Allison apart
ments and the maid-with all of
the important clews that you have
managed by superhuman eXer-
tions to bottle up here
He turned and left the room.
Maggart was plainly puzzled at
this sudden change in tactics on
Lanagan's part.
flanagan received from the chief
operator a slip with the telephone
numbers that had called the ALI
son apartments during the even
ing. Two came from within the
hotel and were of friends. OF the
other two, one had been registered
at s and came from the public
telephone booth at Powell and
| Market street. 1t was this call
upon which the maid, Jeanne, had
left the hotel. The other call was
at 1890. and this call came from
the public telephone booth at the
drug store at Bush and Kearney
! streets.
"What was the conversation at
the o'clock CALI" asked Lana
gan. The operator produced an
other slip, with few scrawled
words.
ut was mans voice" she re-
piled. "He said; 4 am in diff
Guilty. I must see You at once
She did not call him by name. but
she appeared badly worried. She
replied: All right. At the same
place. and hung up"
And the 1890 o'clock calf"
The operator hesitated a moment.
ut was a woman's voice." she
said. "She talked rapidly and |
could only make few notes, but
she asked Miss Allison where Ster-
rett was. Miss Allison said she
did not know and asked who 1t
was talking. The woman replied:
One who loves him and would
free him from suspicion But
who are your persisted Miss Alli-
son. The other, it seemed to me,
was talking in a stilted, disguised
voice. She did not reply for
moment, and then said: Some
time you may know. I have taken
a grave risk for him and dare not
now reveal myself Miss Allison
said Ibid you-are you the wom-
an-who returned my pearls?' At
this the other did not speak, again
pausing before replying. I know
nothing about that she said slow
ly, but I received the impression,
and ! believe Miss Allison did al
so, that it was the same woman.
She went on: 1T is only a woman
who loves as love who would sac
rifice so much. He is mine; I
must know where he is. Please,
Miss Allison, IL you know. tell me-
Miss Allison was evidently becom-
ing greatly agitated, from the way
her voice sounded next. He Is
yours?' she asked. What do YOU
mean by that?' I can say no more
replied the other. Some day you
will understand Just what Sterrett
and / are to each other and with
that she hung up her phone. Miss
Allison did not hang up for some
time. think she mus. have
been so shocked and startled she
forgot to do So"
Thank YOU" said flanagan.
In Miss Allison's apartments
Maggart was not having an entire
ly uninteresting session. Allison.
taking his cue from flanagan, had
returned to the drawing room of
the suite, where he greeted Mag
CART.
Allison stepped to the inner
rooms. In few moments Miss AL
lison came out.
Have you located him." she
asked, quickly.
Not vet, miss" replied Mag
CART. He'll discover himself quick
enough once we get our fingers on
the pearls. That's the only way
to get at 1t. Anything been hap
pening?"
"A woman telephoned me about
half-past 10 O'clock" she said
"She said she was a friend of Mr..
Masters, and asked II I knew
where he was. OF course did not,
and ! told her So"
What kind of a friend did she
say she was?" Miss Allison's face
suffused a deep red. you can't
hold things out on me. That IS
very important" urged Maggart.
"She said--she was in love
with him."
81 see. Kind of rubbing 1t into
you. Ell? And what did you tell
herr"
81 asked her II she was the
woman who sent the pearls back
the woman. you know. who was
supposed to come out of Mr.. Mas
ters' rooms. She said she was not
but the way she said II makes me
think she was"
After the fashion OF his kind,
Maggart made a labored note or
two in his memorandum book of
this important circumstance.
Good. I want to see the girl,
Jeanne"
Miss Allison went within and In