Evening star., 1927-10-04
THE BLACK JOKER
BY ISABEL OSTR4NDER.

F., pocket. "I received this from your
| father Just before he sailed last sat
| urday. There's nothing in it you
shouldn't see-hut don't know where
our employees are all distributed AT
present. Several of them speak
French and shall have need OF them
now. every one"
He nut the letter into her hands.
and her eyes blurred at sight OF the
! familiar writing.
Dear Dune" she read. I'm off TO
! fnd my girl. You've got full lnstrnc
! tions. but if anything unexpected turns
/ up use YOUR own judgment. Can on
any one YOU want: YOU have fuii au,
/ thority; round them all up II YOU neeo
/ them. only see that there is no trouble
| before I get back. ! won't come till
| bring jamie with me. Yrs, DICK.
The sight of her pet name, which
her father of all on earth was the only
one TO use, increased her emotion, but
she choked it back. Dear Daddy knew
! now that she was safe, She returned
the letter to her companion and as
she did so another thought came to
her.
"Oh, I forgot, Mrs. Carlin stole
Daddv's letters from my bag in the
taxi while / was asleep. There was
nothing important to any one hut me
in them. so they could only want them
TOTO copy his handwriting"
Good Lord, how do YOU know
that" Burt demanded. his eyes open
ing wide You're sharper than any
one would think. Miss Dane
Its the only possible reason
Janet insisted You'd better look out,
Mr.. Burt. for any letters that may
seem 10 he from him.
You can bet / will" he declared,
But. then, there's the cancellation
and the poStmark?
He was staring down at the cnVel-
ope in his hands and she smiled.
"Oh, don't mean that one, but
rostmarks and the rest of II can be
forged can't they? I've heard about
that sort Of thing from another girl
ut the convent whose brother is con-
nected with tho c. |. u"
Scotland Yard" Eurt smiled also
and rose. Il guess a lot of romances
come from there. Miss Dane. And
now I'm going; can't wait for dinner.
III motor to town and start the bail
rolling at once to locate Afford ana
close in on that gang. and III find out
what happened 10 Marriott. Please
make my excuses to Mrs. Madison.
and don't ha surprised if YOU should
see me at any lime. although may
he too busy to do more than wire You
until your father gets back, II he
! catches the return steamer from
Havre tomorrow. Don't mention this
to any one and keep UP your spirits
III soon have news for you.
When he had gone Janet dropped
into n chair by th" hearth and saZed
ut the ferns which banked it. He was
rs bluff and outspcilen as Daddy, she
reflected, even though she did not
feel drawn to him as she had toward
the distinguished Afford, and he had
shown little if any interest in the vi.
qissitudes throa IN which she had
passed. except rs they bore on this
affair. which it seemed, after all, that
Daddy was concerned in. He called
Norman" rascal and said Marriott
was her fathers worst enemy, but he
had accepted with the utmost ccolness
The story of her treatment at the
hands of both. OF course. the fate of
his employers daughter was nothing
to him in comparison with this other
matter. but somehow she felt injured.
almost affronted.
II was thus that Mrs. Madison found