The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1917-07-12
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
CHAPTER lI-Continued.

B
The Dowager Dragon glanced fore
and aft; but there were no other pas
sengers within earshot, and the ports
behind them, though alight, were shut
and sound-tlght. Betty Merrilees,"
she said.
you're warm-as the children say
in hide-and-seek."
"Aha !" the lady cried In triumph.
"Well, then! Betty doesn't mean to
try to beat the customs. She told me
SO herself. The row that man Loeb
has kicked up about smuggling has
scared her so that she's made up her
mind to declare every blessed trinket.
So you see, Quoin, you're simply vast
ing your time trailing Betty Merri-
lees"
Quoin smiled vaguely at his finger
tips. mo. I'm not" he contradicted
Mrs. Beggarstaff shifted suspicious
ly. "I've guessed wrong"
For once in way. The truth Is, 1
don't care whether Mrs. Merrilees de-
frauds the government or not. It's
over year since l left the secret
service. l don't like the work-too
tame-and having learned all it could
teach me- l quietly dropped out and
returned to my old field"
"Prlvate investigation, eh?"
"Thercs some fun in that" Quoin
said with mild enthusiasm. "Odd
jobs-I love em. They're generally
SO very odd-unexpected besides"
"Quoin," the lady inquired with a
change of tone, "you remember the
Joachim cOllection?"
"Do l remember t." Quoin protest
ed with reproachful sincerity. II
wish l might hope ever to be repaid
for the sleep lost on that easel"
You never got Il clue?"
"Never one. That was mastery
job"
HAS none of the stuff ever turned
up?'
"Oh, plenty of it, here and there
mostly in Europe. In fact, I'm told
that Joachim has reassembled most
of the collection; but it has cost him
five times his original outlay"
"There are, of course, pieces still
missing?"
"Oh, naturally"
"Wel, then" said the lady delib'
erutely, II don't mind telling you that
there's one piece 1 distinctly remem-
Der, on board this ship-a magnificent
sardonyX cameo"
"Truly?'
"Would you care to see it? Then
lOOk!"
Mrs. Beggarstafr unclosed her left
hand. In its palm lay Miss Carterets
brooch!
With wondering exclamation
Quon bent forward to examine the
cameo, while Mrs. Bcggarstaff regard
ed with triumphant smile his bent
head. 1t was something to have star
tied the greatest living detective,
which was precisely the distinction the
keen-wtted old woman accorded this
man.
Take it to the light and have n
good look"
Thank you" said Quoln, rising in
stuntly and moving forward to the
lighted companlonway, where he lin
gercd IL long minute, intently inspect
ing glass.
Unqucstlonably one of the missing
pieces" he declared fatty, returning,
sand, If I'm not mistaken, one of the
finest in the collection. How did you
come by it, please"
ITS the property of the young per-
son who shares my cabin; name, Lucy
Cartcret. She's an American, about
twenty, and has lived abroad all her
life. Now she's going to New York to
Join her father, who-she says-gave
he" this on her fifteenth birthday"
"The question is, Who Is Carteret
perez"
I'm not psychic" Mrs. Beggarstafr
objected. "The woods are full of Car
terets; but / know none that this child
resembles in any way. Besides, she
has denied every relationship I've sug-
gested so far"
"But we mustn't forget that, when
found, this paternal Carteret will
probably prove to be a perfectly hon.
est bourgeois who picked up the cameo
casually In some out-of-the-way shop
at home or abroad. I've often thought
that the widespread distribution OF
that loot might be taken as pretty good
evidence in support Of something I've
always cOntended was a popular chi.
mera-the existence of a regular or.
ganizatiOn of social freebooters. You're
going?" he added as Mrs. Beggarstaf5
stirred and sat uD, DreDaratOry TO rIs.