The Monmouth inquirer., 1922-06-22

l kow, because the very first intelli-
gence of it came direct to headquarters
only last night!"
Rutherford whistled.
Crowder smiled in a superior sort OF
way. "Would it change your views
II l told you something rather start
ling, Mr.. Rutherford. What would
YOU say if I told you that Helderman
was not a passenger on board the
Ccthic?"
"But he was" said Craiy.
"T-e was not" returned Crowder
positively "He was not on board the
Gothic. Ee was here present in New
York"
What" cried Rutherford 'Here.
IN Now York-fcr the past week. What
makes you think so?"
"Because," said Crowder, 81 have
seen him every night-every night,
mind you-for the past ton days, and
so have half dozen other men"
"Who are they?" queried Craig,
"Night watchmen," said Crowder,
"patrolling the Drive. Every night we
have seen Felderman-the real Hell
derman-through the windows of his
house l know the real Helderman
when see him. You can't fool me
about that And for ten days at least
for I've been reckoning him up for
at least that time-he has been home
every night"
"Reckoning him up," repeated Craig.
"Shadowing him." said Crowder, "if
It will suit you better"
"vThat fore" asked Craig.
Crowder shrugged his shoulders.
"To tell you the whole truth, Mr..
Rutherford" he said, 81 don't know
why Pm acting under orders. There
is big mystery connected with this
man Helderman, and I'm told to keep
him more or less > in sight. That's
how l know that he's been here in
New York That's how know he was
not on the Gothic"
! Craig returned home. He had not
been in his apartment hotel rooms an
hour when a message from the office
desk told him that lady had just
called Puzzled, he ordered that she
be sent up to his apartment. A mo
ment later she appeared.
without word he closed the door
and flashed on the light. The girl who
stood before him was not Miss Bal
lantyne, but Mile. Arany, whose dress
he had untangled from the desk chair
on board the Gothic.
Rutherford bowed.
Monsieur, / have reason to believe
that you have in your possession
"a diamond necklace?"
mo, Monsieur, know of no neck
lace"
She paused, with the first trace o.
! embarrassment she had shown during
the interview. AS he said nothing
size continued slowly:
81 have reason to believe that yol
have in your possession-a blue
buckle"
"Can you not give me some descrip
tion of it, so that I may know wha
ycu have in mind?" he replied eau
tiously
An envelope from which he hat
lately extracted letter lay upon thu
table near her. She seized it and be
gan, with a gold pencil. to sketch ar
outline rapidly upon the white reverse
side. Rutherford followed her with alb
sorbed attention. The buckle-theil
buckle-began to appear under the
deft strokes of the artist, and finally
stood complete. with one importan
omission, before his eyes.
THERE'S that it?' she asked
watching him.
He knit his brows, but gave M
sign of recognition. :
She placed slender, gloved fingel
along the upper and lower edge O
the sketch.
Was there anything-a pattern, Of
letters, along here?" she persisted.
The woman must be wizard tt
divine so much! How she could know
in the first place, that he had tn,
buckle at all amazed him.
'Tf there isl shall see," he re
piled slowly.
Mile. Arany took her pencil agail
and carefully sketched in the letters
OK BIvIE ALPS E
"That's a queer jargon," he com
mented. as though 1t were quite ney
to him.
Following plan he had conceived
he arose and went into smaller room
adjoining his sitting rooma sort o
! den, in which stood small desk an,
safe just beside it. He could see
without appearing to turn, that sh
had stepped silently in line with tn
door and was gazing curiously int
this room. The light shone through
the door. revealing the safe plainly.
Craig opened It's heavy door, an
seemed to examine something within
it uncertainty. He picked up a smal
object and returned to the front roon
with It in hts closed hand
Mademoiselle Arany had retreated t
her former place, and now looked u
with an appearance Of languid inter
est; but the quick dilation of her nos
friIs ehowad him how kannlv she wa