Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-09
Valentine West.
Continued from Fourth Page

test the disguises Amos and narrowly
escaped being kicked from my own
door. That was good enough for me
If You did not recognize me, ! was
fairly confident no one else would.
That stone, Amos, was for years,
for centuries, perhaps, the eye of a
one-eyed god in northern India Some
one looted it--perhaps not Col Hard
acre himself. that is uncertain, and
since lie has recently died will remain
uncertain, probably, but it came into
his possession, and he gave it to
Brandon to keep for him.
There is always unrest in India,
Amos. and in recent years some fanat-
les have preached another and
greater mutiny, to begin and be GER
tain of success when the eye of the
god should CLEAN again from its
proper setting, 1t was lost: no one,
strangely enough seems to have had
any idea of its hiding place or MUIR
der would certainly have been done
TO get possession Of it. SO through
the baZaars, whore news spreads like
hre in stubble, information was Cir
cuiated that certain prince, wish
ing to do honor to his god, would
pay great reward for the discoy-
cry OF the stone.
This came to Brandon's ears. as
was natural, seeing his close conncc-
uon with India. Until this time he
ignorant
the significance of the stone deposited
WIN nm for safety. He fell to the
temptation, and secret negotiations
were set on foot and worked so
cleVerly that, although the govern
ment was aware of the growing UNI
rest and the danger, and even Of the
sign which was to set light to the
olaze, they could not discover any-
thing. At last Brandon became sus-
pected and | was put on the track.
ana was nearly beaten by Brandon
pursilnS ms own safe, BY doing SO
ne took the part of victim so far as
Col. Hardacre was concerned. for he
old not know that he had died re-
cently, ana in case of the government
nhdlng out that the stone had been
IN ms possession he trusted the burZ
glary would prove that he had notb.
ing to do with the stone going hac,s
to India. '"N"
Had he not taken me for n con-
Splrator, ana accepted the bogus stone
lor the real one in order to protect thnse
10 Whom he had already given the real
stone in exchange for the reward a.
not see how he could have been nra,, "a
guilty. He had been robbed. and there
Would nave been an end of the ponttc,.
as FAR as he was concerned"
Amos nodded. He did not look in tho
so he nodded P'"Seo'
The house at Hampstead had long
oeen k $, as the resort of restless
spirits" West went on, 80 / triad A.
~ was leap in the dark. To surround
me house with police and raid il would
nave been futile. II the stone were
there, precaution would have been taken
10 nave notice of any such action We
might have got the men, but wa ahom,G
not nave found the stone. They wouid
nave been clever enough to hide Il seI
curey, and without the stone we had
tothlng to accuse them Of nothinr
against them whatever. So / toos '', n,S
chance as Hindu, and the bhue a,,,n my
AID is in the hands of the governnen, ~,
Yes. sir. May ask, slr@~~" ''''e''''
"How got away with their ,inooo
was born in India, Amos, hn6s
hands hurt when l tore them ON ~, s
Yes, sir; but they'll mend all r,sh,
What's troubling me is who's poins ~,
pay for mending those bullet Roles ~
the car" 'ieS III
i think we won't bother the govern.
ment about that" laughed West
"As you please, SIR" said Amos ana
he put the silver box Of cigarettes wiz
In his masters reach and left the ROOM,
Copyright 1919, by Mcclure syndicate1