Evening star., 1921-06-26

bling of the pipe had accompanied all
his thoughts: Constantly it would
pause, then recommence. The idea
which had been struggling uncon-
sciously in the detectives brain took
shape. The uneven bubbling pos
sessed a significance beyond the
pleasures of nicotine. 1t suggested
means of communication, a code.
The house was very old. 1t was one
of row built simultaneously before
the fire laws had amounted TO much.
He was sure that the dividing walls
fireproof AS nearly as he could tell
from the surface he examined. they
would probably be lath and plaster. with
perhaps, rubbie in the space between.
His next step was to measure as accu-
rately as he could with his eye the dis
tance between the entrance and the
curtain, which was like a ceremonial
background for the man in the fez.
STOPPING to inspect one OF the rugs.
he struck the flooring with his INST, as
II by accident. He was satisfied. There
was no cellar beneath this basement:
He dared hope that he would see what
lay behind the curtain.
Approximately as nearly as he could
the subtleties of a buyer. he promised
to make up his mind and return with
his decision the next morning.
He walked slowly to the corner.
studying the house on either side Of the
shoD, The one to the right was
cheap boarding house. The one on the
other side was evidently a private
dwelling.
At the nearest hardware store he
bought an auger and a screwdriver:
Then he entered the alley that bisected
the block, and, counting the houses,
knocked at the kitchen door OF the one
on the right of the oriental shop. The
servant who admitted him verified his
were at work. She was. for the present.
alone in the house.
Garth showed her his badge. warned
her to make no noise. and to stay close
to him. The girl. frightened and un-
abb able to Ha oaeed from the
front of the house along the wall to
point which, according to his calcula-
tions, was opposite the hidden portion
of the shop. He glanced up then with
satisfaction. Against thin and anti
quated partition was suspended one
of those heavy and unwieldy gas meters
which are found only in very old build
ings.
upon it, and examined the tnick
screws which held the contrivance IN
place With his screwdriver he COM
menced noiselessly to remove one OF
these. He thought 1t likely that the
screw hole would go all the way
through. If it did not, his auger
would complete the journey. He in
structed the girl to draw the blinds
and close the door SO 11s that the the xc1em room
from the rotten wall. The aperture
was sufficiently large. 1t admitted
the repellent odor he had noticed in
the shop; SO he put his eyes to the
hole.
The drone Of voices reached him.
but at first he could see very 1ttleIE
shadowy outlines circling a. dull,
glowing thing close to; the fioor-a
brazier, he decided. about which men
sat, Then he started. for he thought
he saw something long and white.
like a woman. But the smoke in the
aperture hurt his eyes. He had to
close it When he opened It again
the droning voices came words In
English with a foreign accent. and
he crouched against the wall, listen-'
ing. - =
He marveled that he should hear
Just these words at this particular
moment.
heard. $50 it's been put ahead. At 9
o'clock tonight. Two. raps on the
west door at Alsop's. The veiled
woman will open the door and take
the bomb, and then. by God, we'll
show them!.
He replaced the screw. He got down
from the table able to plan definitely.
Against her protests, he took the. girl
to Headquarters and warned the ma
tron to let her communicate with no
one before $50. He hurried to the
fiat then. and told the inspector and
Nora Of Browns death and Of his ex-
perience at the shop
That's where Brown was struck"
he ended, "and Brown was right.
They are after Alsop and his crowd
tonight with dynamite. and the veiled
woman's the figure of chief danger:
Do you know. chief. I'm going to let
them hand her that bomb, then I'll try
to handle her" E.
/. "It's taking too big chances to let
them get as far as the house with the
thing" =
"It's the. yelled woman, TIM thinking
Of" Garth answered. "Grab these
people before her. share commences,
and you'll probably never see her.
She'll bob up here and there. causing
infinite trouble, because everything she
does has the marks Of q fiendish- clever
ness. Let me take the risk and land
her.. ...-ss..z..s ~. ...:a.-......
THE inspector thought for long
.tira., - II ,a,axs !. she