Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1917-07-11
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
CHAPTER Il-Continued.
Copyright by
Louis Joseph Vance


behind them, though alight, were shut
and sound-tight. Betty Merrilees,"
she said.
You're warm-as the children say
an hide-and-seek."
"Aha!" the lady cried in triumph.
swell, 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-
aees."
Quoin smiled vaguely at his finger
tips. mo, I'm not" he contradicted.
Mrs. Beggarstaff shifted suspicious
1y. 1--WE guessed wrOng?"
For once in a way. The truth is, l
don't care whether Mrs. Merrilees de-
frauds the government or not. It's
over a year since 1 left the secret
service 1 don'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"
"Quoin," the lady inquired with
change of tone, you remember the
Joachim collection?"
do I remember It'll" Quoin protest
ed with reproachful sincerity. 81
wish I might hope ever to be repaid
for the sleep I 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
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 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"
"TrulyT
would you care to see it? Then
look !"
Mrs. Beggarstaff Enclosed her left
nand. In it's palm lay Miss Carteret's
brooch!
With 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 q
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.
"Unquestionably 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, pleased"
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 hel
life. Now she's going to New York tc
Join her father, who-she says-gave
her this on her fifteenth birthday"
1.-The question is, Who is Carteret
perez"
I'm not psychic" Mrs. Beggarstaf
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, wheJ
found, this paternal Carteret viii
probably prove to be a perfectly hon
est bourgeois who picked up the Games
casually in some out-of-the-way shop
at home or abroad. I've often though
that the widespread distribution o
that loot might be taken as pretty goo(
evidence in support of something Fv
always contended was a popular chi
lmera-the existence of q regular or
ganization of social freebooterS. Your
going?" he added as Mrs. Beggarstat
stirred and sat up, preparatory TO ris
ing.
1.-The present owner of this baubl
is asleep-and want to replace
before she wakes up
zone minute, if you don't mind. Pei
lhaps you can tell me something
son one condition" the old lady stir
ulated firmly. you must let me il
on the ground floor. I'll not lift m
hand 70 help you in anything that's
mystery to me-"
81 don't mind telling you In the leas
This isn't case-just simple curlosit
'on my part. Did you ever know any
lhody nv the name 0f HfckS-T ,orrimer-