The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-08-12
- John AfnSleX
f3MaSteK Ifli&t
!!!!! s$oM ne Isl; Re 6
TO CATCH A THIEF
Copy1i4m 1914 NEA Service Inc

bristling whiskers, and also asked
him to observe the hirsute trophy
which l was supposed to have torn
from his face, fear began to give way
to panic. And the gold pencil with
the broken links which fitted to his
watch chain, and his visiting card
were final proofs calculated, he was
:, well aware, to convince any court in
the world.
For moment he must have be-
lieved that he had been walking in
his sleep; but suddenly his hands
4 felt at his waist, where, had reason
to know, he wore a money-belt.
81 am innocent" he cried. II am
the victim Of plot. 1t is l who
have been robbed!"
He was standing beside his bed,
pajama clad, shouldered my way
in front of the others, and stared
him in the eye.
| "Monsicur states that it is he who
has been robbed" said softly. "May
l ask Monsieur of what?"
His mouth opened; but words did
I not come from it for Il moment. For
J nearly half a minute, widemouthed.
! he stared at me. And if he had
looked venomously at Beresford ear
lier tonight, his regard of the young
| Englishman had been friendly as
compared with the glance he gave
me. Then he replied: "Of nothing,
monsieur"
1--WE shall take him at once to the
jail" cried the clerk. 1.-TWO robber-
les in the same night in this hotel!
But this thief shall not go free!"
| wait" l told them, raising. my
hand in protest. | turned to the
Prince.
Zone forgives repentant sinner"
l told him. I spoke in English. "You
! are thief caught practically in the
| act. Nothing can save your name.
But you can save your skin. If you
will state to these gentlemen the
truth about Monsieur Beresford's en-
trance into your room, |, who have
recovered the property which you
stole from me, will forget the mat
ter"
He stared at me. $50? Some day,
monsieur, we shall meet again"
~"But not at Monte Carlo" | told
him. | looked at my watch. at is
now four o'clock. At four thirty the
de luxe from Rome stops here en-
route to Paris. If you take that
train, after having confessed your
vile plot, the matter is ended"
."Monsieur is great detective" he
sneered. "Set thief to catch a
thief"
81 am waiting for your answer" I
INTERRUPTED him sternly.
And there could only be one an
swer. He accepted. He withdrew his
charge against Bcresford, packed his
things, and took the train dc luxe.
l left an order to be called at
seven. / wished to take no chances
of missing the Beresfords. True,
the young man was cleared Of the
charge of crime, but in his humiia-
tion at being unable to pay his bill,
he might slip quietly away. And at
eight l Knocked upon his door.
The management had already apol-
ogized for last nights contretemps,
but it was a harassed- looking youth
chat admitted me to the apartment.
-! am an older man than you,"
l told him, "and wish the privilege
of age"
His wife laughed. "Youre not
day over thirty" she said.
I froWned ut her. Nevertheless,
that is old enough for. my purpose,
which is to extract from you young
stcrs promise that you will never
gamble again. In return for that
promise l make you present of ten
thousand francs. Some day, you will
see some unfortunate whom few
hundred dollars will save from mis-
cry. Give him the few hundred, and
consider paid, your debt to me-"
he was proud; but she-bless her
heart!-had common sense. She bade
him take the money, then looked at
me.
eve can't thank you. You've clear
ed Jacks reputation, and you are en-
abling us to return to England. /
think, Mr.. .Ainsley, that you are the
finest man we know
And l think that those words Of
hers were source of more gratifica-
ton to me than even the sight of
the pearl necklace Of the Baronpe
d'Esterelle.
What? But of course! In the
Princes money belt. That was why
he, cried that he had been robbed.
And it was also why, when l asked
him Of what he had been robbed, he
had replied, "Of nothing"
Even rage against me could not
blind him to the fact that if he ac-
cused me of stealing the necklace
from him, he would convict himself
of having stolen it from the Baronne.
1t was also why he had said: "'Set
thief to catch thief.''
Naturally, he would say that. A /
common thief cannot appreciate an
artist.