Evening star., 1921-10-16

day. The family and the maid piles
into automobeel about 3 o'clock and
the cook packs up and goes. The
cha1ffer he leaves the car in storage
in New York and he goes to hunt an
other job. That leaves you. and you
stay to lock up the house and put cut
the cat and the rest of the stuff
There is no cat" said James, sober
land then you telephone Dibdin to
again because the old man has made
up his mind to buy. Is that right?"
Quite" said James
"And me and Larry are on hand to
do the trick" said Mike. But what
cans see is what you want to run
the Beaut in on this for?"
Because" said James, "the i'm
portant moment is the moment when
open the front door and the man
from Dibdin's looks into the hallway.
That moment he must be unsuspi-
cious. open the door. he sees a
parlor maid going away from him.
She looks back and smiles He has
no thought of suspicion. He steps
across the doorsill and I close the
door. We all leap on him and gag
and bind him. We get the necklaces
and get away"
Like taking candy from a child"
said Mike. Say, it's almost too
easy"
THE morning on which Mr.. Adel-
helm and his family planned to
sail on the Germanic was an ideal
morning for beginning a voyage. The
sun was bright and the air was
sparkling and the day promised to be
hot. Early enough to permit the au-
tomobile to reach the Germanic's
dock. Mr.. Adelheim. his wife. Rosa
and Mrs. Adelheim's maid entered the
automobile under the porte cochere
and were driven away. James-in
street costume-saying the last fare
Well AS the car glided from the
driveway into Elm avenue. James
and entered the house. He walked
Immediately to the back door and
opened it. admitting Mike. Lop-ear
and the Beaut. and then he closed
the door and locked it.
The front door of the Adelheim
mansion opened inward and when it
it was fully hidden. Mike was placed
behind the door. On the opposite
side of the hall James placed a tall
backed Spanish oak chair. Behind
this it was easy for Lop-ear to con-
ceal himself. The Beaut. pile of
freshly laundered linen in her arms,
stood with one foot on the lowest
step of the stairway. James stood
by the door, ready to open it, When
the man from Dibdin's rang the door,
bell James would open the door and
the Beaut. looking back over her
shoulder, would smile and mount the
stairs. James would ask the man
from Dibdin's to enter. and as he
crossed the threshold Mike and Lop-
ear would throw themselves upon
him from behind and bear him down
and with the aid of James bind and
gag him before he could so much as
cry out. 1t was an admirable plan
Benny. the book agent. that same
morning left the Westcote Hotel
with his sample copy of AUNT
James Cook Book" under his arm
ready for a day of business. 1t was
his fifth day in Westcote and he had
done well there and was feeling fine.
Experience had taught Benny that
there was little chance of selling
books in the early morning. and he
walked slowly down the main street,
stopping now and then to look into
a window or to light fresh ciga-
rette and thus he came to Harger's,
where Abe Rosenheld stood in the
doorway.
Benny stopped to look into the
window where an array Of phono-
s,opHS anu Iecofos maze pleasing
display: With proper business alert
ness Abe stepped to his side.
I'VE just got in new lot of those
No. sizes" he said in a friendly
tone. Maybe you would like to
come inside and hear how good few
records sound on a low-price ma
chine like that?"
Guess not" said Benny. "Phono-
graph is something 1 can't use. 1
don't stay in one place long enough.
I'm book agent. see? 1 chase all
over the country. Unless you've got
up and fit in vest pocket I'd have
to carry a trunk. This is some morn
ing. isn't it?"
agenting?"
Cant complain" answered Benny
burg the once over and I've got rid
of over a hundred books. and that is
going some, believe me! Say, you
look as il you'd lost your last friend j"
A lover Is always ready to pour
his troubles into sympathetic ear
his assets. In three minutes Benny
was inside Harger's and Abe was
telling his Rosa troubles.
''And only this morning she is going
away" he said, land / feel rotten
and no mistake. How I should live
through it I don't know"
you got to do something to for
get it," said Benny wisely. Get
over to New York once in q while in
the evening and see a good musical
show. That's what cheers me up
when I've had a bad day with Aunt
James. I make tracks for the box
office. Say. why don't you let me
away from gloom some Of these even
ings? Maybe I'll be feeling pale