Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-10


Kemp controlled at one time a for
tune of Is 100000. or s25 900 .oO0-the
proceeds of gigantic robberies that
mystitied Europe and America. Yet
no crook was ever seen in his pres
ence, and the visitors to his imposing
| mansion in Upper Marylebone street
| were men OF literature, artists and
| other retired business men. But II
had been George Kemp who took
pretty Polly Carr out of the studio of
| Augustus John and sent her forth. his
chief representative, into the under.
world.
FOR more than two years Special
Agent Drake OF Scotland Yard
had capably performed her duties in
the Kemp residence. during the first
year as scullery maid: then having
earned her promotion by her knaCk
at learning what TO do and how 10 do
II, as the parlor maid. and for the
last few months in the most coveted
post In the British home. as upstairs
maid. As upstairs maid. "Bartha"
was closer TO the master, closer to
his personal belongings and to his
moods and his letters and kilograms.
Scotland Yard badly wanted those
letters and kilograms watched. In
them, hidden somehow. was the Sc.
cret of Kemp's method OF sending
forth his commands TO the 'apaches''
and "eScrockS and evening clothes
thieves who Unanswered for him stu
pendous jewel robheries. Scotland
Yard was certain, even. than his first
lieutenant, THE Swan" communi.
Gated with him regularly. reported to
him her coups and received his ad.
vice and instructions. But shadowing
3 Hl TtRtt =. y.
nation of his mail between the post
office and his door had given no re-
suits.
The upstairs maid watched the
Kemp mail closely during the next
"A hours. Letters came from Berlin.
from Brussels. and one with the Paris
postmark. II had been posted at
Place Nendome. 1t did not occur to
Agent Drake at that moment. how
ever, that Place Nendome fronts the
Hotel Ritz
As was his custom. Kemp ran
through his mail at the breakfa 81
table and then gave it to his upstairs
maid TO put on his bedroom desk.
Also, as was his custom Kemp then
went out for morning stroll through
the perfumed paths of Regents Park
When she heard the front door close
behind her master. Agent Drake
dropped her broom and buster and
read the letter from Paris 1t was n
hastily written note from some CORE
spondent who Signed her initials only.
a friendly note that spoke of such in
innate things as Grace'S music les
sons and her progress in French
A womans intuition warned her
that in her hand she held a letter
from The Swan" to her master. But
she saw only a bit of gossip about
the education Of an unknown Grace.
II Is the privilege of even a girl de-
tectlVe to be petu!ant. Special Agent
Drake exercised her right and flung
the battling letter onto the desk with
a very 1li-ten1pered flourish Then she
tlaooed her myers at it to straighten
II out beside the other letters. In her
temper she upset the masters bottle
of ink
me INK flowed over the desk blotter
and the haunting letter, which still
was spread open. In her panic Agent
Drake, no longer detective but her
master 8 upstairs maid, seized a sheet
OF plotting paper and mopped up the
ink puddle. When she lifted her blot.
ting paper from the surface of the
letter itself, which was totally ruined
Special Agent Drake almost screamed.
as is the way with women.
II X
IHROUGH the spludge of spilled ink
and from between the lines of the
scrubbed condolences about Grace
there was revealed the faint, wagering
tracery of letters that shone white in
the pale blue. hastily blotted ink stain.
The words of one perfectly legible line
almost burned into Agent Drake
brain: II have the Josephine pearls. "
And further down the page, between
two other lines of the original writ.
ing. was the sentence: II am at the
Ritz as Mile. Ducine"
Special Agent Drake lost no time in
speculatlng upon her discovery of the
secret she had sought for three years
nor In lndecision about her next move.
The urge of now or never" tugged at
her Kemp would be coming in within
half an hour. She decided to take a
chance"
Without stopping to doff her maid s
cap or her apron, Agent Drake slipped
out the servants door. hailed a taxi
and sped to the nearest telephone
booth. When she had been put
through to the commissioner she cried
out over the wire:
Don't ask me to explain, but act
quick. Surround Kemp's house and
shadow him if he goes out before l
get in. Wire Paris to hold Mile
Ducine who is at the Ritz. She has
the Roupin pearls. III be in within
20 minutes, but don't wait to move"
Before Agent brakes taxi had
threaded the traffic to the yard a cor
don of plainclothes men were stretched
around the Kemp house and the Paris
police had received their hint to call
upon a Mile. Ducine at the Hotel Ritz
in the Place Vendome.
Late that afternoon the commits
sioner of Scotland Yard gathered
around him his chief inspectors Close
to his desk sat the brown. haired girl
who had been kemp's maid servant
for three long years. Kemp himself
was in the detention cells below and in
Paris THE Swan" was in custody.
The Josephine pearls in the temporary
keeping of Inspector Maxim.
kemp'S manner of communication
With tho toalS II, tho ,lIa6ia,:,5.asld sassG3