The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-27

for me. lie came III JTe--l-AlIlS al
ove,. He looked at me almost with
awe.
Il believe you knew" he cried:
you knew who it was"
1 nodded. 1T was Harris, sup
pose?"
Reggie sank into chair. Yes!
it was Harris!" he said with little
shudder. do you SUI. e that it
was he whom [ Flowed to England?
Who stole the letter."
Not the least doubt about it," l
answered. THE shooting party was
a myth. He came back either with
or without, an accomplice, opened the
safe with the Embassy ,eys, or with
false one, which ne could easily
have made. He gaa ged and chloro-
formed your servant Shalders, and,
when he was helpless, got him some
how up in the attic. Then he
started for England, giving the name
of Shalders to put you off the scent.
He was followed by the secret police
you spoke of, and the woman with
whom he dined at the Savoy, and
who took him to her rooms in the
Soho, was a decoy in their pay. We
know that such things exist even In
these days. although we seldom come
in touch with them. Now comes the
question which is all important to us.
Had he your packet IN his possession
when he was murdered? If he had,
you may depend upon 1t the letters
writer If he had not. where are thew
are now on their way back TOTO >he
into whose hands have they fallen?
We must know this at once, Do you
think that he intended to hold them
for blackmail?'
Reggie shook his head. HE would
not dare. The risk would be too
great"
Neither did 1 think so! Frankly
Reggie If Harris has parted with
those letters, matters are in a very
critical state. Unless we can recover
them within the next twenty-four
hours | am afraid that we must give
I'D all hope. These is just one
chance, and l am going to follow II
out l want you to describe to me
the packet as carefully as you can
1T is about eight inches SQUARE
Reggie said. quite thin, and is tied
up with white ribbon. The packet
itself is of Japanese white silk.
stained good deal with violets. 1t
was a fancy of mine. I used to keep
it smothered with Parma violets.
The loose letter was just folded up
anu slipped underneath the ribbon.
The ring is inside, up in the left
hand corner.
nodded Thanks. that will do.
Now, go and telegraph at once.
There is just chance, you know,
that the package was recovered with
Harris"
1t was half past ten when they left
me. | had a bath and pipe, and at
Il O'clock ordered my horse around.
soon afterwards l was riding slowly
people whom | knew, but avoided
them all or exchanged the barest OF
greetings l was there for special
purpose, and as time went on | be-
gan to grow anxious. and looked al
my watch repeatedly. Just as ! was
turning at the corner, however,
came face to face with two girls
riding slowly, and followed by a
groom. The elder one, a dark,
moderately handsome girl, but with
-ou. any special distl-.c on, bowed to
me graciously and to her evident sur
prise | refined in my horse.
'tGood morning, Miss ogden" | ex-
claimed. Il was beginning to think
that you had given up your morning
rides. You were not here yesterday,
were YOU"
yesterday. and the day before,
and the day before that" she
laughed There are so many peo-
pie. and you seem to know them all.
You can't expect see everyone,
can you? You were riding with the
Countess of Appleby yesterday.
think that if / were a man, and rid
ing with the Countess Appleby. I
should not see anyone else. She is
very beautiful, is she not?"
She is my cousin, so l am scarcely
a fair Judge" l remarked turning
my horse MY | come with you a
little way"
They assented, somewhat surprised
Sir James ogden, their father, was
a politician who had worked his way
up from the ranks. He had been a
provincial manufacturer, Mayor of
his city three times, and knighted
for liberal entertainment of Roy
atty. He had gone into parliament
and, with the aid of a fluent tongue
and large business capacity, had
worked his way into office His
methods We're not altogether to the
liking if his party and he was yet
to a certain extent unproven. But
on the whole, his success had been
remarkable. Unfortunately he had
married early in life. and his social
prospects were handicapped by a
good natured, but uneducated spouse
1t was easy, therefore, to under
stand the somewhat anomalous posi-
ton in which lis dat .hters naturally
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