Evening star., 1922-08-10

|
! you call-mad!'
! Our visitor spoke in hurried
, nervous tone, with marked foreign
accent, which was not at all unpleas-
! ing. She was a young woman, un-
! mistakably beautiful, Of the dark
| Spanish type and apparently South
F, American.
II am Senorita Inez de Mendoza
Of Lima, Peru" she introduced her
| self. as she leaned forward In her
chair in a high state Of overwrought
excitement. I'VE have been in
this country only short time--my
| father and I, with his partner In
mining venture, Mr.. Lockwood. Since
the hot weather came we have been
/ staying at the Beach Inn at Atlantic
! Beach"
tated, as though in this strange land
| of the north she had no idea which
| way to turn for help.
Perhaps I should have gone to
see a doctor about him." she con-
sidered, doubtfully; then her emo
| tions got the better of her and she
went on passionately. but, Mr.. Ken
nedy, 1t Is not a case for doctor.
1t Is a case for a detective-for some
one who is more than detective.
She spoke pleadingly now. in
soft, musical voice that was far more
pleasing to the ear than that of the
usual Spanish h-American. I had heard
for their beauty and melodious voices.
Senorita Mendoza surely upheld their
reputation.
There was an appealing look in
her soft. brown eyes, and her thin.
delicate lips trembled as she hurried
on with her strange story.
II never saw my father In such a
Sha murmured All
he talks about is the big fish
whatever that may mean--and the
curse of Mansiche. At times his
eyes are staring wide open. Some
times / think he has violent fever.
He is excited-and seems to be vast
ing away He seems to see strange
visions and hear voices. Yet / think
he is worse when he. is quiet in
dark room alone than when he is
down in the lobby of the hotel in
the midst Of the crowd"
A sudden flash of fire seemed to
woman at the hotel. too" she went
on, "a woman from Truxilo. Sonora
de Moche. Ever since she has been
there my father has been growing
worse and worse"
"Who is this Sonora de Moche?"
asked Kennedy. studying the senor-
ita as IL she were under lens.
"A Peruvian of an old Indian fam
ily." she replied. she has come to
New York with her son Alfonso, who
is studying at the university here
l knew him in Peru she added. as II
by way of confession. when he was
a student at the University of Lima" ,"
There was something in both her
tone and in her manner that would
lead one to believe that she bore no
enmity toward the son-indeed. quite
the contrary--whatever might be her
h Of a
Moche.
Kennedy reached for our university
catalogue and found the name, AL
fonso de Moche, a t-graduate stu
dent in the school of engineering. and
therefore not in any of Kennedy S
own courses. l could see that Craig
was growing more and more interest
ed.
"And you think" he queried, that
in some way this woman is connect
ed with the strange change that has
taken place in your father?
II don't know" she temporized, but
the tone of her answer was sufficient
to convey the impression that in her
heart she did suspect something. she
knew not what.
ITS not a long run to Atlantic
Beach," considered Kennedy. Il have
one or two things that l must hnish
up first, however.
"Then you will come down to-
night?" she asked, as Kennedy rose
and took a little white silk -gloved
hand which she extended.
Tonight surely" answered Craig,
holding the door for her to pass out.
We'll" l said when We were alone.
what is it-a romance or a crime?"
both, 1 think" he replied alb
stractedly. taking up the experiment
which the visit had interrupted.
II think" he remarked late in the
nS% I,n nj H.
stained smock. that l will go over
to the university library before 1t
closes and refresh my mind on some
of those old Peruvian antiquities and
traditions. The big fish or psje
name given by the natives to one of
the greatest buried treasures about
the time of Pizarro's conquest If l
remember correctly. Mansiche was
the great cacique. or some thing of
at that time. He is said to have
left a cruise on any native who ever
divulged the whereabouts of the
treasure, and the curse was also to
fall on any spaniard who might dis
cover it."
For more than an hour Kennedy
delved into the archaeological lore in
the library. Then he rejoined me at
the laboratory, and after a hasty bite
Of dinner we hurried down to the
station.
That evening we stepped off the
train at Atlantic Beach to make our
way to the Beach Inn. The resort
was Just springing into night life,
as the millions of incandeScent lights
flooded it with a radiance which we
could see reflected in the sky long
before our train arrived. There was
something intoxicating about the
combination of the bracing salt air
and the gay throngs seeking pleasure.
Instead Of taking the hotel bus,
Kennedy decided to stroll to the inn
along the boardwalk. We were just
about to turn into the miniature
park which separated the inn from
the walk when we noticed a wheel
chair coming in our direction. In 1t
were a young man and a woman of
we'll preserved middle age. They had
evidently been enjoying the ocean
breeze after dinner. and the sound
of music had drawn them back to
the hotel.
We entered the lobby of the hotel
lust as the first number of the even
ing concert by the orchestra was
finishing, Kennedy stood at the
desk for a moment while Senorita
Mendoza was being PACED, and ran
his eyes over the brilliant scene. In
a minute the boy returned and led us
through the maze of wicker chairs
to an alcove just off the hall which
later in the evening would be turned
into a ballroom.
On a wide settee the ,senorita was
talking with animation to tall,
clean-cut young man In evening
clothes, whose face bore the tan OF
a sun much stronger than that at
Atlantic Beach. He was unmfstak-
ohlv ~ tho tvne of American SOL