Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-16
RAIG KENNEDY DETECTIVE STORIES
BY........
ARTHUR B.
REEVE

in the polishing of rice. Our milling
hour II, In minor degree analogous
To be brief. the disease arises In the
lack In diet OF certain substances or
bodies which modern scientists call
yitamines. Small quantities of those
vital principles are absolutely essential
TO normal growth and health and even
TO life itself. They are heterogeneous
compounds and their absence gives rise
to a class Of serious disorders in which
the muscles surrender their store OF
nitrogen irst. The nerves are affected
only after the muscles begin 10 waste
l controlled my own interest in order
TO watch those about me. kato, for
one, was listening attentively. / saw.
'In my studies of the diet of this
household" continued Kennedy. 81 have
found that substances have been used IN
preparing food which Kill vitamines.
In short. the food has been denatured.
81, sir. not always in the kitchen. sir.
interrupted Kato, still deferentiai. Il
not always know
with a peremptory wave OF his hand, f,
Kennedy silenced the Jap.
ut has long been question" he hur-
ried on, whether these vitamines are
tangible bodies or just special arrange
ments OF molecules. Recently govern
ment investigators have discovered that
they are bodies that can be isolated by
a special process from the fltrate or
brewers yeast by Lloyd's reagent Five
grams of this"--he held mp some of the
tablets he had made-"for sixty-ktlo-
gram person each day are suineient;
Unknown to you, I have introduced
some of this substance into the food
already deficient in vitamines. l fancy
that even now / can detect a chsnge'
he nodded toward Mrs. Wardlaw.
There was a murmuF or surprise IN
the room, but before Craig could con-
tinue further the door opened and MRS.
wardIaw uttered a nervous exclafna-
ton There stood Chase with We
man. i recognized her Immediately
from Kennedys description as MISS
Hackstan
Chase walked deliberately over to
Kennedy and handed him something.
while The nurse glanced calmly. almost
with pity at Mrs Wardlaw. ignoring
wardlaw, then fixing her gaze venom
ously on Miss Langdale.
Kennedy was hastily comparing the
anonymous note he had received with
something Chase had brought.
Some one" he shot out, suddenly.
looking UP and facing us. has as
have intimated. been removing or de-
stroying the vital principle in the food
these vitamines. Clearly the purpose
was to make this case look like an
epidemic of beriberi. poiyneuritis Thst
part has been clear to me Tor some
time 1t has been the source of this
deyilish plot which has been obscure
My detective, Chase, has been doing
some shadowing for me, AZ wen as
some turning over Of past history he
has found woman. a nurse, more than
a nurse. secret lover, cast of in favor
of another Miss Haekstar--you wrote
that letter-it is your hand--for re-
venge--on Miss Langdale and
You shan't have himf almost hiss
ed Helen HackstaH. If l cannot-no
one shali,
Natalie Langdsie faced her. defiant.
"You are a jealous, suspicious per-
son." she cried Doctor Aitken
knows@
sone moment" interrupted Craig.
Mrs. Marbury is gone. Mrs. Wardlaw
is weakened. Yet all who are affected
with nerve trouble are not necessar-
lily suffering from polyneuritis. Some-
one here has been dilettanting with
death. 1t is OF no use," he Numbered,
turning suddenly on covering figure.
You stood to win most, with the
money and your unholy love. But Miss
Hackstaf, cast OF. has proved your
Nemesis. Your nervousness Is nervous
ness not Of polyneuritis, but of guilt,
DIR. Wardlaw."
Copyright, 1917. by the Mcclure Newspaper
syndicate.1