Evening star., 1924-07-07
RIPPING RUBY
A Thrilling Mystery Story
By J. S. FLETCHER


|
master of this something. escapes to
| England. He turns up at Portsmouth
perhaps he struck there from
southampton, having travelled by way
OF HaVre. He puts himself up at
| Holliments Temperance Hotel, and
| after time. being taken i'll, goes to
hospital. leaving all his effects in
Holliments hands. Coming out of
Hoiliment has appropriated that
| something. He goes for Holliment-
he gets gang of loafers together
and conducts an attack on Holli-
| Chuh Sin somehow gets on his track
Probably Chuh Sin has English
| friends in London-anyway. some
| body. murders Holliment and turns
| tic search for. that something All
that seems plain, straightforward,
precise. And out of it rise some
| queer questions.
What is the something
Why won't Mr.. Cheng tell the Eng
| liSh police what it is?
/ Were Holliment, Quartervayne and
| Neamore partners in the appropria-
tIon-in plain language-the stealing
| of it,
Did Neamore sell the something to
Lady Renardsmere for 10000?
| Did l. in utter innocence. carry it.
whatever it may he. from Lady Rem
ardsmere to Mr.. Pennithwaite?
Is it--this thing. which bids fair to
cause murder and all sorts of hor-
lorS and unrl"asantness-no safely
/ reDosing in Mr.. Pennithwaite's safe
| in Lincolns Inn Fields. while
| hloodthirsty Chinaman, shielded. no
| doubt. by some English associates. is
prowling about on relentless search
| for it?
| 1t seemed to me s 7 lay there. wide
| awake, staring into the blackness of
my room. that l knew more about the
whole thing than anybody. And the
| question forced itself again and again
upon me-Ought | to tell all l knew
| to the police. to Jifferdene. at once?
/ didn't know how to answer that
question. I didn't want to bring Lady
Renardsmere into this business-at
any rate, until 1 had seen and talked
to her. If only Jifferdene would let
me go back to Renardsmere l could
| tell Lady Renardsmere all | knew. all
I had found out about Neamore, who
ever he was. and about his undoubted
association with Holliment and Quar-
tervayne, and | would beg her to
| communicate with the police herself.
| For | was certain by that time that
! Chuh Sin and his English friends
would stick at nothing to recover
| that something, and we might be
| having murder done at Renardsmere
! House. Tell Lady Renardsmere the
whole story l would,-as soon as l
could get at her. And Peggie Manson
| too-perhaps Peggie first. For I had
seen enough of Pegsie to know that
if ever there was young woman
who had a headpiece screwed on
straight and tight, Peggie was she.
| But there was that Internal inquest.
l dreaded that business. I had
| never given evidence in my life-be-
fore either judge, magistrate or cor
oner. didn't know what they
| mightn't get out of il. l supposed
! being wholly ignorant of the pro-
cedure in their affairs-that the police
would have at any rate something to
! I'll n nrH nc rnh hah hlx--
Jifferdene would have already sug-
gested to the coroner that I knew a
| lot. I was afraid of having to in
! troduce Lady Renardsmere's name
| altogether, l didn't know with what
| questions l mightn't be faced. And
if l let things out. about Lady Rem
ardsmere and Neamore, Jifferdene
would turn on me and want to know
| why the devil / hadn't told him all
| that? Yes. certainly, l said to my
self as l tossed and tumbled about.
| [ knew a precious lot more than Jif-
| ferdene knew that I knew-and I
heartily wished I didn't.
! / rather oversight myself, out OF
sheer weariness in the end, and 1T was
past o'clock when | went down to
the coffee room for breakfast. Half
way through it. and while 1 was read
ing an account of the Holliment mur-
der, very guarded and concise one.
obviously inspired by the police. and
suggesting more mystery in the affair
| than l knew it to possess. was called
to the telephone. Jifferdene was at
| the other end He said that he was
busy about the opening of the in
| quest on Holliment at Paddington
| that afternoon and couldn't get on to
| see me for two or three hours-would
| I be in the hotel between 1890 and 1?
| l promised that l would-and then
! ask ed him a question.
| Amy developments"
NO" he answered. But may
| hear of one or two by noon. Look
! here-you keep quiet till 1 come
don't go wandering round; NUNS
| the word''
CONTINUED in Tomorrows Star.)