Evening star., 1917-09-30
HE detective of fiction would
be hard at work on this
case, now" said Mr.. Bristol
of Navr Soot1opJ v,rl

smiling, but don't even pretend to
be. I am at a standstill and 1 don't
care who knows it,
You have absolutely no clue to the
whereabouts of Earl Dexter"
Not the slightest, Mr.. Cavanagh.
You hear a lot about the machinery
of the law but, as matter of fact,
looking for a clever man hidden in
London is a good deal like looking for
4 needle in a haystack. Then. he may
have been bluffing when he told you
he had the Prophets slipper. He's al
ready had his hand cut or through in
terfering with the beastly thing. and I
really can't believe he would take fur
ther chances by keeping 1t in his pos
session. Nevertheless l should like to
find him.
He leaned back against the mantel-
piece, stretched his head perplexedly. In
this perpleNty he had my sympathy. No
such pursuit. / venture to say. had ever
before been required of Scotland Yard
as this Of the slipper of the Prophet.
That an organization founded in 1890,
which had made a science of assassina-
tion. which through the centuries had
perfected the malign arts. which, linger-
ing on in dark spot in Syria. had sud-
denly migrated and established itself in
London. is proposition almost unthink-
able.
Yet I knew that such a society, ruled
by the lineal descendant of it's founder,
Hassan of Aleppo. Sheik of the Assas-
sins was in our midst, hot upon the
track of those who had looted the holy
slipper from the east. 1 knew that
ghastly crimes already stood to the
credit of the hashishin group; I knew
that poor Prof. Deeping had died by
the hand OF one of the uncanny crea-
lures Of the band.
1t was hard to believe that even the
daring American craftsman, Earl Dex-
ter. should have ventured to touch that
blooGstained relic of the Prophet. that
he should have snatched it away from
beneath the very eyes of the fanatics
who hercely guarded it. What he
hoped TO gain by his possession of the
slipper was not evident, but the fact re-
mained that. If he could be believed. he
had 1t. and, provided Scotland Yard s
Information We're accurate he still
lurked in hiding somewhere in London
MY theory is said Bristol, lighting
cigarette. that even Dexter's clever
ress has failed to save him. He's prob
ably a dead man by now-which ac-
counts for our failing to find him. and
Hassan of Aleppo has recovered the
slipper and returned to the east, TAX
God knows how, But that accounts
for our failing to find him"
stood up rather wearily. Although
poor Deepine had appointed me legal
L
could render but a poor account of my
stewardship. let me confess that l was
anxious to take that comforting theory
to my bosom. l would have given much
to know beyond any possibility of
doubt that the accursed slipper and its
biood-lustful guardian were far away
from England
Then you think" I said that the
English phase OF the slippers history
Is closed? You think that Dexter
minus his right hand, has eluded Brit
ish law-that Hassan & Company have
evaded retribution?"
Il do." said Bristol grinly, land al
though that means the biggest failure
in my professional career, am glad
1amned glad"'
Shortly afterward he took his depar-
ture and I leaned from the window,
watching him pass along the court be-
low ana out under the arch into Fleet
street.
The heat tonight was very oppres-
tive. A sort of steaming mist seemed