Evening star., 1922-08-12
The Evil Eye
By Arthur B. Reeve.
The Stars Week End Fiction
The Last of Three Installnaents.


on US. AS 1 naQ eApeCteu, tHc pio
fessor told me that he was an excel
lent student. though very quiet and
reserved. His mind seemed to run
along the line of engineering and
mining, especially, and l could not
help drawing the conclusion that per
haps. he, too. was infected by the
furore for treasure hunting, in spite
of his Indian ancestry.
Nothing further occurred, however,
during the day to excite suspicion and
Craig listened with interest. though
without comment, when l related
what had happened. He divided his
time during the rest of the day be-
tween some experimental work of his
own and fits of deep reverie in which
he was evidently trying to piece to-
gether the broken strands of the
strange story in which we were now
concerned.
The package of cigarettes which
he had ordered was. delivered late in
the afternoon. Kennedy had already
wrapped up a small package of a
powder and filed a small atomizer
with some liquid. Slowing these
he could. with little vial which he
sho.ed into his waistcoat pocket. he
announced that he was ready at last
to take an early train to Atlantic
Beach
We dined that night, as Craig had
requested, with the Mendozas and
Lockwood up in the sitting room Of
Don Luis suite. 1t was a delightfully."-
situated room. overlooking the board
walk and the ocean, and the fresh
wind that was waited in from the
water made it quite the equal of a
roof garden.
Dinner had been ordered but not
served. when Craig maneuvered to
get few minutes alone with 1nez.
Although could not hear. l gathered
that he was outlining at least part
of his plans to her and seeking her
cooperation. She seemed to under
stand and approve, and l really be-
lieve that the dinner was the first
, thing in long time that the distract
ed girl really had enjoyed
While we were waiting for it
suddenly became aware that she had
contrived to leave Kennedy and my
self alone. in the sitting room for a
moment Sit was evidently part Of
| Craig's plan. Instantly he opened
large case in which Mendoza kept
cigarettes and hastily substituted for
| those in it al equal number of the
cigarettes which he had had made.
The dinner itself was more like
| family party than a formal dinner,
! for Kennedy. when he wanted to do
so. had a way of ingratiating him.
self and leading the conversation so
that every one was at his ease.
T"ervthins progressed smoothly un
til We came to the coffee. The
scnorlta poured. and as she raised
attention to a long line OF -eolliers
just the edge of the horizon, slow
ly making their way up the coast.
I was sitting next to the senorita.
not particularly interested in colliers
at that moment. From fold in her
dress j saw her hastily draw little
F, vial and pour bit of yellowish
sirupy liquid into the cup which she
! was preparing for her father.
1 could not help looking at her
lips with an explanatory glance at
Kennedy. who was keeping the others
| interested in colliers. Instantly 1 rec
ognized the little vial that Kennedy
had showed into his vest pocket.
| More coffee and innumerable cigar
cites followed. l did my best to aid
/ in the conversation, but my real in
terest was centered in Don Luis him
self. whom l could not help watching
closely.
was it a fact or was it merely
Imagination? He seemed quite diff
ferent The pupils of his eyes did
not seem to be quite so dilated as
they had been the night before. Even
his heart action appeared to be more
normal. I think the senorita no.
ticed it. too.
Dinner over and darkness cutting
off the magnificent sweep of ocean
view. 1nez suggested that we go down
to the concert, as had been their Gus
f. tom. 1t was the first time that Ken
nedy had not seemed to fall in with
! any of her suggestions. but I knew
| that that, too, must be part of his pre-
! concerted plan.
IF you will pardon u.s." he excused
Mr.. Jameson and I have some friends
over at Stillson Hall whom we have
| promised to run in to see. I think
! this would be a good opportunity
i Well join you-in the alcove where
we were last night. il possible"
! No one objected. In fact. I think
! Lockwood was rather glad to have a
! had monopolized a great deal of her
attention.
| We left them at the elevator. but
| instead of leaving the inn Kennedy
edged his way around into the shadow
! of a doorway. where we could watch
| Fortunately the senorita managed to
get the same settee in the corner
{ which we had occupied the night be-
fore.
! A moment later I caught a glimpse
of familiar face at the long window
opening on the veranda. Sonora de
Moche and her SON had drawn up
chairs, just outside.
| They had not seen us. and, as far as
we knew. had no reason to suspect
that we were about. AS we watched
/ the two groups I could not fail to
note that the change in Don Luis was
really marked. There was none of
| the wildness in his conversation as
! the keen eye of the sonora, but it did
T not seem to have the effect it had had
on the previous occasion.
/ What was it you had the senorita
! drop into his coffee?" I asked Craig,
; under my breath.
| You saw that?" he smiled. ut was
| pilocarpine jaborandi, a plant found
largely in Brazil one of the antidotes
! for tramonium poisoning. 1t doesn't
work with everybody But it seems
| to have done so with Mendoza. Be-
| sides, the caffeine in the coffee prob
! ably aided the pilocarpine. Did you
notice how it contracted his pupils
| almost back to normal again?"
/ Kennedy did not take his eyes of
the two g1pups as he talked. I've
got at the Case from a brand-new an
gle. I think" he added. Unless I am
mistaken, when the criminal sees Don
Luis getting better 1t will mean an
arettes doped with that drug"
Satisfied so far with the play he
! wa sstaging, Kennedy moved over
/ to the hotel desk, and after quiet
conference with the head clerk
found out that the room next to the
suite Of the Mendozas was empty
The clerk gave him several keys and
with last look at the sonora and
her son. to see whether they were
! getting restive, I followed Craig into
! the elevator and we rode up to the
eighth floor again.
The halls were deserted now ano
We entered the room next to the
Mendozas without being observed. II
was a simple matter after that te
open a rather heavy door that com.
/ mn nj II he turn
Instead of switching on the light
Kennedy first looked about carefully