Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-23
Master Man-Hunters

replied. But YOU can help me--even
more than you have already done.
Cast about. search, fine me some OBJ
iect of art that would fit into that
beautiful room. that would strike the
fancy of that artistic taste YOU seem
TO see so clearly
The art dealer looked his bewilder-
ment In order that il may be
stolen by him."
Exactly Doorway exclaimed.
IN a week the art dealer brought
Doorway a golden chalice Of rides
cent glass OF exquisite Workmanship
and considerable value. THE man
would give his soul to have this in
that room Of his he said. Put il he
lays his clutches on it, YOU, or who
ever stands responsible for it, Will
have pretty penny to pay.
THAT has already been arranged
for" Doorway assured him.
And how are YOU going about 1t,
the art dealer asked curiously. "Ad-
vertise that it is ready for him to
come and steal it?'
Something very much like that, .
smiled Doorway. And you're going to
help me. The victims of these burg
laries have formed-at my suggestion
"a fund wherewith to get up this adj
vertisement."
Two weeks later the Paris news
papers carried accounts of lavish en-
tertainment at the home OF a newly
arrived. newly rich Brazilian mil.
lionaire, who had come to Paris for
his honeymoon and had set UP a
small but extremely elegant estab-
lishment in the Etoile section, where
he was giving a series of brilliant
soirees. The couple. Aragio by name.
were described as being different
from the usual nouVeau richie in that
he and his beautiful young wife both
had exquisite taste in matters ar
tistic. and showed it in the many
beauties of their collection or art OBJ
jectS.
Some of these were photographed
in the newspapers. Among these
was a chalice of iridescent glass
trimmed and worked with gold on
which a beautiful design of Arabesque
character was carved.
True to his artistic temperament,
the papers went on the say, Senior
Aragio was somewhat Bohemian in
his social tastes and so far from be-
ing socially exclusive he kept prac-
tically open house to all who had the
sensibilities to appreciate his art col
lection. The Latin Quarter f1ocked
to his parties; literally Paris was to
be- found there; several noted &C.
centres in the social life of Paris ap-
peared at the soirees and perpetrated
their amusing antics there. Alto
gether the Aragio salon became good
for series of sparkling minor stories
of the social and art worlds.
X X X *
THEN one morning it became a
- front page sensation. 1t had been
robbed, undoubtedly by the same gang
that had been looting the Etoile Sec
ton. But with what a difference of
technique this time! 1t seems that
about 2 in the morning the Araglo
butler a Frenchman who had come
with the Aragios to Paris. so 1t was
said heard a slight noise in the rear
of the Aragio apartment. How the
butler came to hear from his room on
the floor below such a slight noise
as he described, no one thought to
ask.
But he lay hidden In an Italian
Renaissance chest until the person
who was working at the latch of the
window to the room entered. Sudden
ly the electric lights in the room
flashed on; from the chest rose the
butler-our friend Dornay, a revolver
pointing straight at the head of a
young burglar who stood near the
mantel, his hand stretched to take the
golden chalice that had been so much
featured in the papers.
AS in the doors and windows of the
room appeared other men with re-
volvers, the burglar. who did not seem
possessed with great intelligence, and
was a deaf mute in the bargain. threw
UP his hands and surrendered. He
was taken to police headquarters, the
the long-sought Etoile burglar.
At the police headquarters the man,
who gave his name as Touchon, was
questioned by detectives versed in the
deaf and dumb alphabet. He told a
story to which he chung tenaciously
He admitted an attempt at burglary
But he did this particular job, he said
because a stranger he had met told
him he had set his heart on the golden
challice of which he had read, and
would pay him well for it. He had
met the stranger in a cafe, Touchon
insisted, but the man seemed to know
a great deal about Touchon. How,
Touchon could not guess.
The stranger convinced Touchon,
however, that he was no agent of the
police, and even gave the young burg
lar plans of how to enter the Aragio
home. The agreement was that the
stranger would call after the burglary
at Touchona home, and buy the
chalice for $1,000 francs
The police would have kept the rob-
berry secret. But something which &C.
Cured told them plainly that the