The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-08-10
CHAPTER lI-Continued.

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-tigh4. Betty Merrlees.'
she said.
you're warnl-as the children say
in hide-and-seek."
"Aha!" the lady cried in triumph.
swell, 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"
Quoln smiled vaguely at his finger
tips. "No, I'm not" he contradicted.
Mrs. Beggarstaff shifted suspicious
ly. "I've guessed wrongT
"For once In a way. The truth Is,
don't care whe.hep<Mrs. Merrilees de-
frauds the government or not. It's
over year since I left the secret
service. l doI't like the work-too
tame-and having learned all it could
teach me, I quietly dropped out and
returned to my old field"
"Private Investigation, eh?"
"There's some fun in that" Quoin
said with mild enthusiasm. "Odd
jObs-I love 'em. They're generally
SO very odd-unexpected besides"
"Quoln," the lady inquired with
change Of tone, "you remember the
Joachim collection"
"Do 1 remember it !" Quoin protest
ed with reproachful sincerity. Il
wish l might hope ever to be repaid
for the sleep lost on that case"
"You never got clue?"
"Never one, That was a mastery
job"
"Has none of the stuff ever turned
up?"
"Oh, plenty Of 1t, here and there
mostly in Europe. In fact, I'm told
that Joachim has reassembled most
of the collection; but it has cost him
Ave times his original outlay
"There are, of course, pieces still
missing7"
"Oh. naturally"
swell, then" said the lady delib-
esAtely, II don't mind telling you that
there's one piece I distinctly remem-
Der. on board this ship-a magnificent
sardonyx cameo"
"Truly"
"Would you care to see it? Then
loOkW
Mrs. Beggarstaff Enclosed her left
hand. In its palm lay Miss Carterets
brooch!
With wondering exclamation,
Ouoin bent forward to examine the
cameo, while Mrs. Beggarstatf regard
ed with a 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 a small magnify
ing glass.
Enthusiastically one of the missing
pieces" he declared fatty, returning,
land, If I'm not mistaken, one of the
finest In the collection. How did you
come by 1t, please?"
tits 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"
"Tm not psychic" Mrs. Beggarstar
objected. 1.-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 q regular or
ganizatiou Of social freebooters. You're |
goingY" he added as Mrs. Beggarstar
stirred and sat up, preparatory to ris-
Ing