The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-07-16
Jane Bunker

grily. Noise stopped.
Both persons waited for the other
to say something. AS the opposite
side didn't 1 called through again,
"Who L. itf'
"Police detective"
The words were Kissed through In
q stage whisper, and I noticed a for
eign accent on police" I thought I
[ might as well look at him, anyway
! which / did through the crack without
removing the chain-bOlt. l saw a
rather short, very slight man-pongee
colored, to be accurate-with an intel
ligent. honest-looking face, but very
common clothes-cheap ready-made
o~vercoat and hat. Yet the man had
very much Of IN air about him.
"Wellr" said / In as unwelc0ming q
tone as / could.
II wished to see you about Made
mOiselle de Ravenol-the young lady
who crossed in the steamer with you"
"WellY said L
"She has disappeared"
"Well?" And this last from nj left
him quite in the air, as l saw by his
frown. However, he made q fresh
start:
"Mademoiselle de Ravenol crossed
In the same steamer with you about
two weeks ago, did she notf"
"She may have"
"Her nam is or the passenger list
with yours-I have the list here"-he
produced some papers, but apparently
did not find that he had the list, and
with q gesture Of Impotence appealed
to NET am correct, am I not-she
crossed with you on the same
steamerT
What have / to do with thatr' !
asked CURLY, wondering what he was
driving at for Of course knew Claire
hadn't. disappeared since last night,
and if she had he wouldn't be asking
me about the steamer. Dozens of
people crossed on the same steamer
with me-"
Naturally" he admitted. trying to
lie pleasant. But this Madem0iselle
de Ravenol-she crossed in your care,
did she notf"
"She did not"
"She did not9" he asked in a sur
prised sort Of way, as IL he thought ]
was lying. "In whose, then, may l
, askf"
/ merely shrugged, as though to tell
him, 'Find out for yourself" Seeing
1t he did not pursue that line but
tried this: "You saw a good deal of
her on the steamer, did you not
talked with her frequentlyY'
l ignored this last and told him,
but l have no information to give
you! Nothing at all. She did not
come Over with mel had no charge
of her-no responsibility for her &C
tons on board the steamer, or for her
being met or not met or anything
else"
Certainly. / understand" He
gave the door a little push as a hint
20 me. "Rut do you not see that you
might furnish me With E valuable
clueT" He gave the door a harder
push, and as it clicked On the chain
bolt ne repeated, IF you allow me to
enter that we may discuss this in pri-
vate-"
/ thought I saw myself letting q
strange man enter with all those dia-
monds loose in a box with pens! And
at the thought Of them l saw that this
might be only another plot Of mon
sieur's!
/ looked at him in q way that made
him think / was considering my re-
sponsibilities, and then / asked as cas-
ually as l could, But at what time did
she disappear?"
"Ah, that is the question-when?"
, he cried, giving a tragic-Or what he
meant to be tragic-gesture to show
how utterly the girl had vanished.
And he stopped to consider what he
should tell me next, and ], seeing nc
chance to catch a clue for myself,
added, IF you are simply ~free-lancing
in the case 1 should not feel justified
in discussing her with y0u-but II
her father Is employing you-if 1t IL
he who has put the case in your
! hands-that Is q different matter, and
I see no objection to telling You all
/ know"
He took the bait, hook and sinkerl
ut is her father who has placed the
matter in my hands," he replied con-
| vincingly; and at the same time he
gave the door a shove as II to say.
snow you must let me in ]" and drop
[ ping his voice to a whisper: "You will
understand also why the greatest Sc
crecy must be maintained"
"Oh. Of course. Now, when did she
disappear9"
/ got this Off in a o n to indicate
that ! was thawing out. Not lost on
him! He answered with q quick but
vague, Shortly after landing"
sYou don't say!" I exclaimed. wish
- A. 49, Il --a k-~x9~- - |