Evening star., 1922-10-29

| again that next week, Volpe would be
right there. watching, before any
money passed.
| But next week when the big man
showed up again with his big neck
lace in his pocket to get his money
and have the substitution made Volpe
was surer than ever of the thing-for
| one reason. from the way he acted
| about the stones that were coming
out to lie there as a pledge for the
ten thousand.
You'll have them all here-the
after thein?" he asked. looking red
and anxious. There's no danger
they'll get mixed up any way?"
| Not a danger" Volpe told him.
For it would mean something to
me il there was mix-up on this" he
said. They're our luck"
| Lucky stones. huh?" said volpe,
| and smiled to himself when he had
| gone, surer than ever about the thing,
though curious, naturally, on what it
was all about.
! But about two weeks afterward the
man showed up again and wanted
another ten thousand on another third
of the stones.
| That was different,
Il thought you said ten thousand
was all you'd need?" said Volpe,
studying him. thinking fast.
Il thought it was myself. And it
will be this time. But you know how
the contracting business is, especially
now-up and down. mostly down.
! But it will be all right this time-I
can promise you that"
! Il guess you can when you get It,"
said Volpe to himself. getting under
way behind that soft, sweet jewelry
salesmans smile.
! Have you got them with your he
asked him, smiling.
/ No said the other man. getting
red and bringing in a new idea now.
And I've got to get you to do some
thing else this time. I've got to have
you make that next substitution Of
stones for me some night"
| Some night" said Volpe after him.
Yes. he said. getting redder STILL
You know how women are when they
get an idea in their head"
Whats this?" said Volpe to him.
self, with sudden sinking spell. won
dering what it was he had run into
! "Ail right" he said aloud smiling
more sweetly than ever. Bring them
! in
X X *
LIE couldn't make a motion that
| i l. would scare him-not if he was
coming back. For that was the first
thing now-to get him back with the
rest of the stuff: to get his hands on
| il. Then he could clear it up. what
ever it was-force a real showdown.
! What night?" said Volpe, more and
more polite.
| 'Tll call you up this evening just
before o'clock and tell you" he said.
Il might be able to. get in tonight
I hope So"
! He was excited. Volpe could see
that. If he hadn't been he wouldn't
have thought the change could be
made there right away without more
notice.
But that was a good sign. 1t made
it look pretty sure that he would
be in again. that his mind was set on
doing it at the earliest possible
minute.
! How'd he strike you?'' Volpe
asked his stenographer. She was
about as wise as he was. seeing them
coming in and going out.
{ Hes like the rest of them-all over
the lot, like the dandelions. He's got
something on his mind, all right. But
he's straight enough, I'll say. He's
! too thick to be anything else
| will he be back again?" Volpe
asked her.
/ He sure will. The battle fleet
couldn't chase him away. He's got
to have that money right now"
! Volpe thought the same. And the
man still looked honest to him. some
: how.
| But why a night?" he said to him
self when the girl was gone. "And
why this stall about the woman hav-
ing to have them? What does She
wear them at breakfast?"
1t was getting to him. There had
been a lot of husband and d-wife games
in the jewelry line lately. 1t had him
worried. And yet what could this one
be-robbery by piecemeal? How-what
| for?
! He sat and Tipped away a lot Of
cigarettes out the front window into
the avenue. looking down, thinking
as the light came on, waiting for
o'clock.
What could he be robbing piece
meal-a museum or a jewelry store?"
| he asked himself
| And then he jumped on his feet with
new idea.
Here" he said, getting hot in the
head. Suppose this wife business
was all stall. Suppose .he was
somewhere-in a museum, or a store
where he could have this thing just
, so long. and had to get it back at
such time. That might be it. He
might just have time enough to have
just so many changes made in the
setting. at night, for instance, like
| this, and have 1t back when things
opened up in the morning, and then
| later he'd take another bite of it," said
Volpe to himself, staring at his cigar
ette starting figuring the chances of
getting any of that ten thousand dol
lars back If it was stolen goods and
they traced them back to him. He
might get chance to dicker, too, if
he got him back in there and made
him give up where it had come from
get some reward in advance for turn
ing up a sixty or seventy thousand
dollar gem robbery.
And yet" he said to himself, hope
| striking him again, "how would it
be a museum or a jewelry store? He
would never have got away with that