Evening star., 1927-04-26
tcontinued from Yesterday's star.l
Sixteenth Installment.
CHAPTER XIV.
Rettv Does Not Remember.

sleeping vagrant, stepped over the low
rails that separated the path from the
era ashland and walked toward it, flash
ing his lamp upon what appeared tC
be big bundle of rugs.
Not the least renia rkable feature oi
the discovery was that not only was
the girl, as 1t proved to be, swathed
in blankets and lying upon q hospital
stretcher, but in order to insure her
safety the rugs inclosed rubber water
bottles which were still hot when she
was found. The policeman had called
up an ambulance, and Betty had been
transferred to the nearest hospital.
81 suppose my disappearance Is In
all the papers?" she said ruefully. i
am beginning to suspect you Of an
intensive publicity campaign, Mr.. Hol'
brook
Bill shook his head.
THAT isn't the kind OF publicity
you'd get from me, Miss Carew," he
said quietly. you are sure you re-
member nothing"
NO, nothing" She was emphatic
on that point. II had some queer
dreams, but / remember nothing after
lying down in my bed until l woke
yesterday in the hospital"
This time Bullott was present at the
interview.
Ibid you drink anything before you
lay down." he asked.
Some milk" she said. MY land.
lady generally leaves me a glass in the
hall"
THAT, of course. could have been
got at IL the people were waiting for
you in the house. S / suspect they
were
He had found that the landlady was
got out Of the way by the simple proc.
ess OF sending her reserved stall for
the Lyceum. A messenger boy had
brought it in the afternoon.
Does DR.. Latin know" she asked
quickly.
Gle has been told, but he is not
very much interested" said Bill. HE
said that he thought you would turn
up sooner or later"
''Mr. Holbrook," she said, just be-
fore he went, was l dreaming last
night, or did Mr.. Lambert Stone see
me?"
You weren't dreaming this time.
And, Miss Carew, you're going to tell
me something about those dreams OF
yours, aren't you, when you're well
enough?"
I'll try: they were extraordinary.
I don't even know now whether they
were real or imaginary"
IF there was any about my kissing
w
''you can put that down to imagina.
tion right away" and grinned to see
her flush. mo. it was Lambert Stone
you saw all right. He's got some
news for you when he comes to see
you this evening"
'For me?" she said in surprise
"What kind of news?"
We'll" awkwardly, "it's pretty good
for you, that's air.
"This," said Bullott, when they
walked out through the shady
grounds OF the hospital, 'is the
craziest crime that has ever been
committed. The girl is unharmed;
she has obviously been kept under the
influence of drugs; the doctor suggests
scopolamin, which would keep her in
a state Of coma for two days, provided
she were kept in the dark; and when
she Is found she is wearing a white
silk robe over her nightdress--a robe
which her landiady has never seen be-
fore, and which 1 don't suppose Miss
Carew would recognize if she saw it.
Another point--when she is picked UP
by the officer she is lying on a
stretcher-an ordinary army streteher
that YOU can buy at any war depot for
q pound. That means that she's been
wherever she has been in an ambu-
lance or some car that was originally
used as an ambulance. I've had all
the hire depots investigated, and I've
had reports from the country constab-
ulary around London, but no anbu.
lance has been reported which cannot
be accounted for, though, If it carried
no distinguishing marks and travelled
in the night I should not expect re-
port"
'Do you mean to suggest that she
was two days and two nights uncon-
scious?" asked Bill, incredulously.
From her point of view, yes" said
Bullott. "If you were to see person
under its influence you would not i'm
agine that he or she was drugged. It's
effect is to destroy the recollection of
what passes few seconds before,
and our only hope is that there were
moments when the effects of the dope
were of and she can recall to US some
incident which will put us on the
track. What does this bird wish?"
This bird" was a shabby man who
had been waiting for them on the
street outside, and now moved as
though to intercept them. The face
was that of a weakling; his irregular
features, the small, unshaven chin,
the furtive look in his small, pale
eyes, said to Holbrook, something of a
physiopnomist, Criminal To Mr..
Bullott, with his amazing memory
for faces, it said two words.
We'll, Tinker, how long have you
been out?"
Tinker's jaw dropped
Tinker Lane" introduced Bullott
with embarrassing frankness, "a lad
der larcenist between voyages, eh,
Tinker? He's called Tinker because
he's a sailor-that is a peculiar form
of English humor which will not ap-
peal to you, Holbrook. What do you
waut?"
IT don't want nothing from you,
sir" whined the man, recognizing au-
thority in the inspectors tone "I
wanted to see this gent. Somebody
told me he was reporter"
'Me?" said Bill in surprise.
'Yes, sir"
Bullott drew off discreetly. leaving
them alone.
Excuse me, sir''-the mans
hoarse confidence was favored with a
strong smell of liquor-"but when /
was on voyage to Orstralia there
was fellow serving with me who told
me he got lot of money out of news
papers by telling 'em something about
D sea serpent that he'd seen with his
own eyes
IF you're trying to tell me sea
serpent story you're letting all that
good vinous breath run to waste"
said Bill good.humoredly.
mo. sir, it amt that
Bill was looking at him curiously.
He wore a pair OF corduroy trousers,
q ragged blue jersey up to his neck,
and the greasy cap on his head had
once adorned the head of a ships
officer.
i've got a story that's worth pots
of money" said Tinker I'm bet it's
worth thousands! Here, look at this,
mate"'