Washington telegraph., 1920-04-09
CHAPTER llI.-continued.

I dlned in n little restaurant IN one
Of the side streets and walked home.
Immediately on entering the apart
ment ! decided to put my money in
temptation for me to spend it if l
carried only a little in my pocket
As | opened the safe by means Of
the combination l made the astound-
ing discovery that one Of the jewel
cases had disappeared.
And now | stood hesitating at the
telephone. Self-protectlon bade me
notify neither the superintendent nor
the police. Yet / must do Something.
The jewels entrusted to my care had
been stolen. The thief must be found
and the pearls recovered.
Why should not l myself play the
detectivel / had abundant leisure
now. Ny grest-unele had Informed
me that there WAS something wrong
in the house and had charged me TO
discover what It was. Here was the
opportunity for me TO fulfill the trust
he had imposed on me.
The thought flashed across my mind,
too, that perhaps the crafty old gen
tleman had deliberately planned the
disappearance OF the gems. Perhaps
he had devised an elaborate test TO
see II was honest, II | was of the
right caliber to be his heir. Maybe he
and his wife had not gone to Maine
at all. They might even be quartered
in another apartment In this very
house surrepttiously entering when
they knew l was absent There real
give me the combination of the safe.
They need not have told me anything
about the pearls. l wondered If they
themselves might not have taken away
the jewel box just to see If would
discover the loss and to ascertain
what | would do about it.
Another theory suggested itself My
aunt evidently priced her jewels high
ly. After they had started she might
have repented having left them behind
and have sent the old colored butler
back to get them. He of course
would have a key to admit him, and
they would have supplied him with
the safe combination, as they had me.
Probably he had been told to leave
some message for me and had forgot
ten TO do so. More than likely I'm a
day or two l would receive letter
from old Rufus that would explain
everything.
l was glad now I hnd not notified
the superintendent nor the police. Ny
second theory surely was far more log
ical than the first. 1t seemed prepos-
ferrous that they would risk hundreds
OF thousands OF dollars worth OF gems
just to test my honesty.
Still, determined TO make thor
ough investigation. II they had been
stolen, would set about In sclen-
tifc way TO discover the method OF
tlon. l would keep my investigation
secret, and II II turned out that the
pearls were safe, no one would know
Of my fright about the matter I be-
gan outlining my work as a detective.
First, would examine the safe
knob for possible finger prints.
Second. l would interrogate Mrs.
Burlie. would watch her carefully
for any appearance of 0ult would
try, without arouslng her suspicious,
TO asce' ain if she had let her key
out Of her possession.
Third, 7 would insert an advertise
ment Offering a reward for the return
Of the Jewels, so word2d that only the
thief and myself would understand.
Fourth l would try TO locate the
Gastons and would question the hall
boys and telephone girl as TO whether
they had surreptltiously returned,
Fifth. must try and discover what
was IN the mysterious letter that had
leG to my discharge. While this did