Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1925-11-28
CHAPTER VII
IN Which Hugh Drummond
Makes a Discovery

Makes a Discovery
The prospect In front Of Count Ia
| dowa alias Mr.. Atkinson was not a
very alluring one, and the more he
thought about it the less he liked It.
Either the diamonds were blown to
dust, or they were in the hands of the
| authorities. In the first event he had
the Reverend Theodosius to reckon
with; in the second the police. And
for preference the police won In a
| canter.
He was under no decisions. was
the hunehback. This mysterious mau
| who signed all his communications
| by the enigmatic letter Y, and whose
real appearance was known probably
only to the girl who was his constant
/ companion, so wonderful and varied
were his DISCUSSES, was not a person
whom it paid to have any decisions
about With a shudder Count Zadowa
remembered the fate of certain men
he had known in the past. men who
| had been employed, even as he was
| now employed, on one of the innu-
| merable schemes of their chief. No
| project. from the restoration of a
monarchy to the downfall of bust
ness combine, was too great for the
man who now called himself the Rev
| erend TheOdOsius Longmoor All that
mattered was that there should be
money In It. Why he should he in
teresting himself In the spread of
/ Communism in England it was not for
/ Count ZadOwa 10 inquire. even though
he was the head Of that particular
| activity. Presumably he was being
| paid for It by others II was no bust
ness Of Count Zadowa's.
| And as he undressed that night In
the quiet hotel in Bloomsbury where
he lived the hunchback cursed bitter.
~ under his breath 1t was such
cruel stroke Of luck.
He had already decided that his
only method lay in going down to the
office next morning as usual. He
would find II, Of course, In the possess
sion of the police, and would be told
what had happened And then he
would have TO trust TO luck to dis
cover what he could
Principally at half-past nine the
next morning he arrived at 5 Green
street. AS he had expected, a con-
stable was standing at the door
who are you, sirT' The policeman
was barring his entrance.
MY name Is Atkinson" said the
count with well-feigned surprise.
May | ask what you're doing here?"
Haven't you heard, sir7" said the
constable. There was bomb out
rage here last night In your office
upstairs"
"A bomb outrage7" Mr.. Atkinson
gazed at the constable in amazement.
and a loafer standing by began TO
laugh.
Not ART, guv'nor." he remarked
cheerfully 1.-THE ole rudy place is
gone to blazes"
you dry up" admonlshed the po-
liceman Move along, can't your"
"Orl rite, orl rite" grumbled the
other stumbling off. "Not allowed to
live soon, we won't be-"
You'd better go up, sir" contin-
ned the constable 1.-THE Inspector IL
upstairs"
Mr.. Atkinson needed no second in
vItation. Viewed by the light Of dav
which came streaming In through the
great hole in the wall the ruin was
complete In the center-and II was
there Mr.. Atkinson's eyes strayed
continuously even while he was nc
knowledging the greetings of the In
/ spector-stood the remnants Of the
desk. And as he looked at II any
faint hope he may have cherished
vanished completely II was literally
split to pieces in every direction
there was not left a hldlng-nlace for
pea, much less a bag of diamonds.
The Inspector was speaking and Mr..
Atkinson pulled himself together. He
had a part TO play. and whatever
happened no suspicious must be
aroused
y feel quite staggered. Inspector"
His glance travelled to a sinlster-look.
ing heap in the corner-a heap rough
ly covered with an old rug. The wall
above II was stained a dun red. and
from under the rug stretched out two
long streams OF the same color
streams which were not vet dry.
"What on earth has happened?"
There seems very little doubt
about that. SIR" remarked the inspec
tor Evidently their idea was bur.
glarv. What happened. then. az
course. Il is hard TO say exactly. Pre-
sumshly they started using explosive
TO force your safe and explosive L
funny stun even for the expert
The inspector waved a hand at the
/ heap Ia the corner.