Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1917-07-10
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
CHAPTER II-contlnued.

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-tight. "Betty Merrilees,"
she said.
you're warm-as the children say
In hide-and-seek."
"Aha l' the lady cried in triumph.
"Well, thenl 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. 1--WE guessed wrongT
''For once in way. The truth Is, /
don't care whether Mrs. Merrilees de-
frauds the government or not. It's
over a year since l left the secret
service. 1 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"
"Private investigation, eh?"
"Theres 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 itl" Quoin protest
ed with reproachful sincerity. 81
wish 1 might hope ever to be repaid
for the sleep l lost on that easel"
"You never got a clue?"
"Never one. That was a 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 1t has cost him
five times his original outlay"
"There are, of course, pieces still
missing7"
"Well, then" said the lady DELHI
erately, 81 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. Beggarstaff Enclosed her left
hand. In its palm lay Miss Carteret's
brooch
With a wondering exclamation,
Quoin bent forward to examine the
cameo, while Mrs. Beggarstaff regard
ed with q triumphant smile his bent
head. 1t was something to have star
tied the greatest living detective,
which was precisely the distinction the
keen-witted old woman accorded this
man.
"Take it to the light and have a
good look"
THANK you" said Quoin, rising in
stantly and moving forward to the
lighted companiOnway, where he lin
gered a long minute, intently inspect
Ing the brooch with small magnify
ing glass.
"Unquestionably one of the missing
pieces" he declared fatty. returning,
"and, If I'm not mistaken, one of the
finest in the collection. How did you
come by 1t, please?"
ITS the property of the young per-
son who shares my cabin; name, Lucy
Carteret. 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. Beggarstaff
objected. 1.-THE woods are full of Car
terets; but l 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 popular Chi
mera-the existence of a regular or
ganiZation of social freebooters. You're
going?" he added as Mrs. Beggarstafi
stirred and sat up, preparatory to ris.
ing.
1.-THE present owner of this bauble
is asleep-and 1 want TO replace il
before she wakes up"
zone minute, If you don't mind. Per
haps you can tell me something
"On enc condition." the old lady slip
ulated firmly. "You must let me il
on the ground floor. I'll not lift my
hand to help you in anything that's {
mystery to me-"
Il don't mind telling you in the least
This isn't case-just simple curlosit,
on my part. Did you ever know any