Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-24

amined the fiery cube: carried it TO
the window and held it against the
clear daylight Then he muttered be
tween his lips
Mon Dieu, But il is the Hamilton
amethyst, There cannot be two OF
them in the world
Il am amused that you should ad-
mire my glass paper weight" the
princess exclaimed. when she came
upon NJ Letouch in the window en-
hrasure still staring at the flashing
thing in his hand. But it is excel
lently shaped, do you not think. mon
Sieur?''
Excellent. indeed" the expert re.
piled. Would you mind telling me-
dear mademoiselle. where you were
so fortunate as to find it?''
But certainly. In the Rue de Riv-
oil, in one of the little shops there
where they sell you most anything
that is pretty and cheap. My friend
Georgette Leblanc, was even more
fortunate than | that day. She found
"A most delightful tortoise cigarette box
bound in gold. quite old and quaint
| assure you. The price was ridcu-
lous-a hundred francs because it was
cracked in several places | would
have taken that. too, hut Georgette
saw il first
And yet. mademoiselle | must in
form YOU said NJ. Letouch. that for
your few francs YOU purchased not
piece OF glass, as YOU imagine but
the most valuable amethyst in the
world-and the largest. Its worth
could be almost computed in millions
of francs
THE police We're called at once by
the princess. With them and NJ
Letouch she went into the Rue Rivoli
and identified the little bijoueterie
shop where imitation things and
cheap ornaments We're on display
The shopkeeper. when his suspi
cions had been banished, readily told
of the stranger, "a young man, and
an Italian, messieurs." who had come
into his shop one day and displayed
pocket fun of curios, a tortoise box
that was broken, an enameled frame
that reSembled those with which the
Louis used To border miniatures Of
their mistresses, a few other such
things and a square of very we'll cut
glass that could be used as a paper
weight-"the very glass you have now
in your hand, monsieur
NJ. Letouch went with the princess
to the home of the celebrated Geor-
gette Leblanc, once the wife of Mae
terlinck, and sister of Maurice Blanc,
the noted author. "Oui, oui. mes
sieurs" the volatile Georgette ex-
claimed You shall see the box. 1t
is quite old. l am sure. but it was
very reasonable
And so Marie Antoinette's tobacco
Ln -,
case, was discovered. Nine Leblanc
was happy that she had not already
given it away as a souvenir to some
friend. Always Nine. Leblanc is Civ
ing sentimental souvenirs to affec-
Tomato friends. 1t might have been
irreparably lost.
Scotland Yard was notified, and In
spector Savage, who had never for
gotten his puzzle, responded at once
From the shopkeeper's description he
recognized Orestes, the servant youth
who had brooded over the temporary
and informal suspicion of him.
Just for moment the inspector was
dubious. How could it be he? He
had served in the house five years,
was stupid and remained many
months after boarding his SiXpences"
He brushed this doubt away, however,
and started on the trail of the Young
Italian,
The inspector followed the youth to
London and to his first employer there.
This employer spoke highly of the boy
and of his character.
The inspector followed the youth to
London and to his first employer
there. This employer spoke highly
of the boy and of his character. The
inspector refused to listen He had
become by this time familiar with
dialects Of the crime centers on the
Continent. He concentrated upon his
memory of his conversations with
Orestes in the Hamilton Brandon cas-
tie and concluded he would be Nea-
politan. The inspector went to Ma
Piles and reported to Supt. Campinini
A fshmonger from the district of
Naples, who had a son when he left
but returned without one; perhaps
1t might be some seven years or so
since his return. He might have come
back and gone away, or not come
back at all. Perhaps, even, he was
not from Naples, after all. But let
us look around"
Signor Campinini has many records
at his finger tips. The police of Italy
keep the histories of all their citi-
zens from birth certificate to funeral
permit. On each record there is
space Tor blrthS and marriages, sons
and daughters and goings and com
ings. Many days later Sigrior Cam
pinini put before the man from Scot
land Yard a card. At the top was
he name Maxine Vannini, fish.
nonger.
LET us read it carefully" the signor
said, and bit by bit unraveled from
u maze of entries the history of one
Maxine Fannini, whose last name was
the same as that of Orestes, and who,
like the father of Orestes, was a fish
trader. Maxine has been bereaved
Of his wife shortly after the birth of
his only son-Orestes! He had dis
appeared from the Piazza Emmanuel,
where the fishmongers are, many
years before, when Orestes was quite
young. He had returned without his
boy, according to his passports, some
seven years before. In addition to