Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-16

IL gled.. and, walking to the in
~ strument. unlocked the re-
ceiver.
HALL" he said; then, second
later, yes. This Capt. Burbage
speaking" he added, and stood silent
waiting. Not for long. however. Almost
Instantly the connecting line hummeo
with the sound OF some one at the other
end whistling the opening bars OF GOO
Save the King" and that settled 1t.
You, is it, Mr.. Narkom" Geek
said. as the anthem broke off at an
agreed point, which point, by the
way, was altered every twenty-tour
hours. mo. nothing in particular. /
was only reading the. account OF black
Riots Derby. Ripping, wasn't IT!
Half a yard ahead Of the nearest
competitor, and Minnow nowhere.
What? Yes, certainly. II you want
me. A great hurry. eh? Yes, start
this minute il that will do. What's
that? Yes: I know the place well.
All right. I'll be there almost as
soon as you are. Good-by," and he
switched of the line instantly.
Five minutes later. accompanied
by Dollops bearing the inevitable
brown leather kit bag. in case a
change Of attire should be found neces-
sary, he emerged from the house In
Charges street, walked down Picca-
dilly as far as Duke street. turned
from that into Jermyn street and
0trolled leisurely along In the direc-
tion of the Geological Museum. keep
ing a sharp lookout. however for the
red limousine.
OF a sudden it came pelting round
the corner Of Regent street, whizzed
along until Lennard. the chauffeur.
caught sight OF the well known figure,
then swung to the curb close to the
corner OF York street and came to
an abrupt halt. In another moment
from Dollops. stepped with it into
the vehicle and was by Narkom's
side.
''Well." he said. gripping the su-
perintendent's welcoming hand and
settling himself comfortably as the
again and continued on its way.
Here I am. you see. Mr.. Narkom.
and" nodding toward the kit bag,
prepared for any emergency, as they
say in the melodramas It isn't often
you give me hurry cali like this.
so it's fair to suppose that you have
something of unusual importance on
hand"
"If you said I had something posi-
lively amazing on hand you'd come
low" returned the superintendent.
'-The steel room case was a fool to
it for mystery, although it is not en-
ffrely unlike it in some respects; for
the thing happened behind locked
doors, and there's no clew to when,
where or how the assassin got in
nor the ghost OF an explanation to be
given as to how he got out again.
That is where the two cases are alike:
but where they differ is the most
amazing point, for the dickens of it is
that whereaspthe steel room was a
stable and there were a few people
on guard, this crime was committed
in a house filled with company. A re-
ception was in progress, yet not only
was one of the best known figures
in London society done to death under
the very noses. SO to speak, of her
friends and acquaintances, but jewels
Of immense value, jewels of historical
interest, in fact, were carried off in
brief. my dear Cleek. the victim was
the aged Duchess of Heatherland: the
Jewels that have vanished are those
two marvellous blush-pink diamonds
known to the world of gem collec-
tors as The silva Stones Surely,
Mmited"--noting the blank look on
Cheeks face-"must have heard Of
those divine gems?"
Indeed. yes" replied Cleek. II
have good reason to know of them,
as l shall prove to you presently My
knowledge Of the diamonds is so COM
plete that ] can tell you at once that
they weigh twenty-four and one
sixty fifth carats each: that, apart
from their marvellous and most un-
usual color, a delicate azalea pink,
like the first flush Of the morning,
they are, perhaps, the most perfectly
cut and most perfectly matched pair
Of diamonds in the world. What may
be their earliest history it is impos-
sible to state. All that Is positively
known of them is that they once
formed two of the three eyes of the
god Siva,- and that they were alb
stracted from the head of the idol
during the loot of the>Hindu temples
after Gives defeat of Suraja Dowlah
IN 1857. They were subsequently
brought to England, where in course
Of ttme they passed into posse sion
= .ss n::a Duke Of Netherlands, who
bestowed them upon his wife as a
personal gift. so that they were never
1t any time included in the entail"
my dear Cleek," said Narkom.
looking at him with positive be-
wilderment, "is there anything Won
do not know? 1t Is positively mar
Vicious that you should be in nos
session of all these details regarding
the silva stones"
Cleek looked down at his toes and
faint flush Redeemed his drooping
face.
:: Not SO marvellous as you NAV