Evening star., 1927-10-16
ByH C. Bailey

| MI. FOILuuS StIllIeQ. NO, DOrlS
Not satisfied, but interested" HI
turned to her husband.
What did you make of the man.
II don't know what to think. be
lieve he meant to keep straight"
"Of course. he did," Doris cried. 81
hate your policemen, Mr.. Fortune
Yes. / wasn't asking for sympa
thy. | wanted medical opinion. Bill.
Medical? DIR. Davis stared. '']
didn't see anything-the mans suffer
ing from nervous strain. of course
that's to be expected. He's normal. >
Mr.. Fortune sighed. And once ]
tried to teach you anatomy
/ Il don't know what anatomy has
got to do with tt
"Oh, hush" said Mr.. Fortune.
A 4 Scotland Yard he found Stunt
Bell in conference with INSPECTOR
Fargo.
You've got something to tell us?'
asked Bell
"Yes. You'd better go into the
case"
| Pargo sat forward. I'D like to
know what you mean"
We'll. several things. For instance
you didn't mention he'd served in the
war"
II didn't know he~had."
oh, but you said you'd gone into
the case. It's time somebody did, Bell
You might look up his record, I'd Rut.
landshires.
Bell made note.
That's all very we'll" Fargo cried
II dare. say he did his bit. Lots of old
lags did. But I'm here to put down
crime. And burglars burglar
Yes. once burglar, always a bur.
glar. That's the hopeless sort of ar.
gument that got you into this mess. -
see no mess. We've got him sent
to trial with a clear case
For a burglary he didn't commit. /"
Ha, that's pretty good.' Fargo
cried. Il suppose You saw him not
NO. only. saw he couldn't do it,"
said Mr.. Fortune. Didn't you notice
that? His left arm is bent at the
elbow and stiff. His left hand won't
close. There's some injury to the
muscles and nerves, probably from a
wound in the war. It's Impossible
for that man to cross from Mrs. Davis
drainpipe to her window
How do you know he wasn't
shamming?" Fargo cried.
Il know. thank you" Mr.. Fortune
murmured.
If he's got weak arm, he'd have
said so'
And he said nothing That's what
clears him. He knows he can still
climb. He knows he could do a cat
burglary. What he doesn't know Is
| that he couldn't 90 this one. He'd
have to hang by the left hand. getting
| from the pipe to the window. THAI
proves he wasn't on this job, you
see.''
Does it show how the moonstones
! got in his box?"
No. That seems to be UP to you. -
What do you meano" Fargo cried.
He appealed to his superintendent.
Il want to know what he's limiting
| at"
You're so touchy." Mr.. Fortune
murmured. I'm limiting there is a
lot we don't know. Do you know the
Slug?"
"The Slug? What's that?" Bell
said.
My word" Inspector Fargo was
overcome. IF you're taking what
that fellow said for gospel, you have
got job on" He turned to his super
intendent.
The usual stuff. One of his old
pals has down on him because he
was trying to live honest. How many
times have we heard that
I've heard it when it was true. :"
Bell said. Some chap he called the
Slug came to him. eh? You don't
know who he meant?"
Not me. know most of 'em. too. :"
You'll have to go into it, Bell pro.
nounced.
Very good, SIR Inspector Pargo
went out.
MIR. Fortune went to the courtys rd.
His chauffeur had disappeared. He
exhibited no surprise and drove him.
self away.
IN the next day Mrs. Davis came to
see him. "Oh. Mr.. Fortune, I
orify wanted to ask you-the mag.
istrate said that poor man ought to
have a lawyer-and he hasn't money.
OF course-I thought we could get a
lawyer for him. / don't see why
shouldn't help him.
Don't worry. He's got a lawyer.
sent him one yesterday"
oh. you are kind" She was
prettily affected. But Mr.. Fortune
stared at her. "Oh, oh, well. that was
ALL" she faItered. THANK you. I'm
sure you're busy"
He did not deny it. He showed her
out. and took up the paper that was
tossed behind his desk, the Daily
Echo.
What interested him in it was an
advertisement:
"Lothario third. Blue eyes. Case al
tered. Auntie gone to grass. Wrong
number again. Take slip or cover"
He studied those sentences. then
copied them in large hand, and con-
tinued his studies. He took another
sheet of paper and worked out this
composition:
Lothario third. Blue eyes. Nothing
in it, Doing auntie proud. Meet all
off. Sweetbread on the pounce. Bought
the street. Lay him 10 to / or moth.
ing. Some biff"
Then he drove to the Office of the
Daily Echo. Thereafter he con-
ferred with the inquiry agent, who
had once been Inspector Morden, but
emerged pensive.
The next day he called Supt. Bell
and asked for an interview.
Bell came at once. You were right
about that fellows arm." he said. -
Fancy" Mr.. Fortune murmured.
Il had the prison doctor look at it.
And we've turned up his record. He
was in the Rutlands. Stopped some
shrapnel at Cambria. That clears him,
doesn't it? What beats me is why
his pals tried to put the job on him
when he was sure to get off,"
= "Oh. no, he wasn't. He didn't know
he couldn't have done it. IL / hadn't
seen the window. you'd never have
known. But don't think the chap
who put the moonstones in his lock.
er knew he'd been wounded"
II see.-, Just doing the dirty on him
because he was living respectable?
That's regular crooks trick"
Yes. What about his friend the
Slub?"