Evening star., 1919-05-11

JeWelS IN the vault at any COST.
Don't stop for reasons, please. or
you'll lose the one chance we have
left" And l almost pushed her over
to where her boudoir extension instru-
ment stood. "Tell your husband to
explain to them that you've been
called away. called to New York; that
you're catching an evening train. and
that you want Lucille home to help
you pack"
My husband is coming back with
them" she announced. as she hung
up the receiver.
Good" l said. as took her place
and called up Babbitt. An officer
found. had arrived safely with one
Pip keefer, a code wire had Just come
fiom New York stating that an Eng
lish butler named Parsons was quite
unknown to the Vandertyl family.
and Toosey Attrill had just reported
that Curate Sam had given her the
slip.
Now, will you explain this most
extraordinary situation to me. if you
please" demanded Mrs. woodworth
wv oAsih , VIC n1u d look over Ine
room OF that maid you call Lucille"
l announced. And I'd prefer that
you take me there yourself
can you tell me if Parsons was
away from this house on the same
afternoon that the Swartzdorp Star
was stolen?"
He went to MacMillan's in a taxi
10 see about some cases of sauterne,"
she explained.
Ana the same taxi brought him
back?"
can't be sure OF that. But he at
least came back in a taxi"
In another minute had Rabbitt
himself on the wire.
Babbitt. have your office yerify
that a phone call went from the Nor
man Woodworth house to Paddy
moran, on Van Dam street, who drives
taxicab with the state license num-
Der 7S91s AS soon as you're sure of
that get good reliable man from tho
city stan, in plain clothes. and the
TWO OF you come here to the Wood
worth house. And bring a tape line
with you. for you're interior deco
rators' and you've got a couple of
walls to measure up."
hurried back to the maids room
without the loss OF a moments time
and began to search.
napoitt and his plain clothes man
arrived. Two minutes later the Wood :
worth limousine also rolled up. with
PARSONS beside the chauffeur and tbe
req -llpped maid inside with Norman
"oodworth. BY the time thew had
entered the house. Babbitt and his hie-
plain clothes man were busv MAS
urlng the drawing room walls A
minute later Mrs. Woodwork was
soi"e"hat startling the plainly fret
1ui Lucille by requesting her to mack
her bag and precede her mistress to
the station to make drawing room
reservation. And she had only five
minutes to get ready.
TWO minutes later, by the watch.
MIS- Woodwork rang frantically for
her maid. AS the sullen-eyed Lucille
stopped in the midst of her prepara-
tons to answer the summons I stood
waiting behind the closed door within
ten PAGES OF her room. The moment
the coast was clear I slipped into that
room. turned the key in the lock and
caught up the almost completely FILL
ed travelling bag
But l found nothing beyond those
things which any fastidious- minded
maid might need and carry. This in
cluded one full jar OF pink tinted con-
coction bearing the label of "Ruvina
Face Cream" 1 turned this over in my
hand detected by what was clearly a
disappointment to me. Then, as l did
SO, l noticed that the bottom of this
jar, although unused. was stained, as
though by flame from a lamp or
gas
Then, quick as shot, I caught up
hatpin. unscrewed the top from the
jar of perfumed grease, and sent the
pin-point probing down into it's pink
tinted center. But that pink tinted
center, l saw. refused TO be probed.
Something much harder than face
cream stood in the way.
The next moment I'd unearthed a
glittering white srystal almost as big
as a crows egg. I knew as l wiped
it with my handkerchief and stared
down at it that it was the Swartz-