Williams news., 1917-09-20
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
CHAPTER II-continued.
THE LONE W0LF." THE BRASS BOWL"
Copyright by Louis Joseph Vance


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 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."
 "Ahar" 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 hps. "No, I'm not" he contradicted. Mrs. Beggarstaff sniffed suspicious ly. i've guessed wrong?"
 "For once in a way. The truth is, I don't care whether Mrs. Merrilees de frauds the government or not. It's over a year since I left the secret service. I don't like the work-too tame-and having learned all it could teach me. 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 iti" Quoin protest ed with reproachful sincerity. q wish I might hope ever to be repaid for the sleep I lost on that caser'
 You never got clue?"
 'fNever one. That was a masterly 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 it has cost him Eve times his original outlay"
 "There are, of course, pieces still missing?"
 "Oh. naturallyi"
 "Well, then" said the lady delib- erately, q don't mind telling you that there's one piece distinctly remem- Der, on board this ship-a magnificent sardonyx cameo"
 "Truly?"
 "Would you care to see 1t? Then !ookI"
 Mrs. Beggarstaff unclosed her left hand. In it's palm lay Miss Carteret's brooch!
 With a wondering exclamation, Quoin bent forward to examine the calneo. while Mrs. Beggarstaff regard ed with 6 triumphant smile his bent head. It was something to have star lied the greatest living detective, which was precisely the distinction the keen-witted old woman accorded this nan.
 'Take it to the light and have a good ieok."
 ''Thank you," said Quoin, rising in- stantly and mtSing forward to the lighted cOmpa1jonway, where he lin- Eered long minute, intently inspect ing the brooHh with a small magnify Ing glass.
 "UnQuestionably one of the missing pieces," he declared hatly, returning, land, if Pm not mistaken, one of the finest tn the collection. How did you come by it, pleaseY
 "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 pere?"
 "Pm not psychic" Mrs. Beggarstaff 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, when found, this paternal Carteret will probably prove to be perfectly hon. est bourgeois who picked up the canned casually in some out-of-the-way shop at home or abroad. I've often thought that the widespread distribution o1 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 a regular or ganization of social freebooters. You're going" he added as Mrs. Beggarstaf stirred and sat up, preparatory to ris Ing.
 ''The present owner of this baubl, Is asleep-and want to replace i before she wakes up."
 "One minute, if you don't mind. Per haps you can tell me something
 "On one condition" the old lady stip ulated firmly. "You must let me il on the ground floor. I'll not lift m, hand to help you in anything that's mystery to me"