Evening star., 1924-07-04
RIPPING RUBY
A Thrilling Mystery Story
By ]. S. FLETCHER

Copyright 1924 b, G. P Putnam. se..

minutes talked earnestly with him.
Get all that, If you can," he con-
cluded. and. of course, keep me
! posted"
spiller said good day to me. and
went off to catch a train home: Jif-
ferdene. after we had walked little
further. hailed a taxicab, and bade
its driver go to the Langham Hotel.
He turned to me confidentially when
we had set Off
I've ever been engaged in, MIR. Gran
because OF these orientals being
mixed up in it. Spiller tells me he's
fact that I know very little more!
But I've got an idea. Spiller told you.
didn't he, that it was the Chinese le-
cation who set me on to the track Of
known to Holliment in Portsmouth?
They did-but there's somebody be-
hind the Chinese legation, and that
| somebody, in my opinion, is an old
his own country. I think-who's now
staying at the Langham. I've seen
him once, in company with Mr.. Shen.
and you and I'll go and see him now.
He knows what it's all about. But
I'm damned if / do!'
But if this old gentleman really
knows what it's all about" I said,
cant you, in view of the present
state of things, get him to tell? Can't
you make him tell? Seeing that it's
got murder-"
AYE. but these easterns don't seem
to attach SO much Importance to hu-
man life as we do, Mr.. Cranage" he
answered. And as to persuading him
you wait till you see him! i haven't
seen her myself, but it's my belief
that the Sphinx would look as likely
to sing the last music-hall ditty as
this old atomy is to tell anything if
he doesn't want tor
And who is her I asked. You
say some big pot in his own country.
What's he doing here? And does he
speak English"
we'll as that Mr.. Shen does, and that's
good enough-been at one of our
universities has Mr.. Shen, under
stand" he replied. "As to what the
old gentleman's doing here, ! don't
seen that he's some big commercial
magnate. He's got a suite of rooms
at the Langham, and some OF our
leading fnanciers go there to see
and so on may be I don't know know
him and they know him at the Lang
ham. as Mr.. Cheng."
MT. Cheng-Tn remember" said
Ii. "And-how far Is Mr.. Cheng ac-
quainted with the details of this
case%'
"As far as that Holliment knew a
certain Chinaman in Portsmouth re-
Of Hoiliment's shop. saw a chinaman
look in at the window. that Holli-
ment was frightened to death on
hearing of that and that later a
chinaman, followed We .r.s,og BY gang s,u1 Of
ment ned. That." said Jifferdene, "is
what Mr.. Cheng knows up to now.
And now I'm going to tell him that Hol-
liment has been murdered"
ITO see II 1t will make him speak,
well. Perhaps that's in my mind"
unless he wants to. only wish I
could get at what's behind his old
Just then we pulled up at the Lang
ham. and presently Jifferdene sent up
his card to Mr.. Cheng. We were not
kept waiting very 1ong-within few
lish dress appeared greeted the de-
tective politely. and taking us up
stairs ushered US into one of a fine
suite of rooms and begging us to be
would see us personally before long.
Then he disappeared and we waited
five, ten minutes. A door opened, q
hed-looking man came out,
tas @saS hsd IT by
ferdene bent toward me.
know that man, Mr.. CrenAgeT he
asked.
II? Nov I replied. who is he?"
Lord Mickleborough-chai of
the Oriental Development Company
one Of the biggest financial pots in
the cisy!" he answered His
He suddenly interrupted himself,
twisting sharply in his chair and
then rising quickly to his feet at q
Slight. almost imperceptible sound
there, framed in the doorway which
Lord marlborough had just left,
stood q venerable Chinaman, clad in
his native dress. He made a strik-
| was neither the color nor the un-
usualnesa Of 1t that struck me 50
much as the apparent great age of
| the slightly bowed form and the
.hued. deeply scanned face