Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-03

4
the pearls into the left-hand tail pocket
of his dress coat. Riggs and Garter
were already removing the dessert
plates and a moment later they began
serving the coffee and liqueur, Riggs
handling the long handled coffee pot
ar Carter the carafe OF benedictine
Mindaton sa% that Ada was tapping
nervously on the table. She was
CHANGING from one guest to another,
and her anxiety was evidently multi
plying momentarily Presently she
caught the eye of Riggs and the put,
Ter went to her. She whispered 70
him. and he walked around the taLle
to Mindaton.
Carter, the underbutler, was filling
Mindaton's liqueur glass, and Riggs
stood still until this was done and
then bent over Eds shoulder and
whispered in his ear that ne pearls
had not been returned to Mrs. Min
daton. Ed rose, as if to make an after
dinner speech. Carter. with the liqueur
carafe, went behind the japanese
screen.
I'm sorry, folks" Ed said. "but my
wife passed her pearls around the
table, and they haven't come back.
They must have dropped on the floor;
just look, will you. please?"
X X
THERE was immediate confusion.
Every one looked on the floor,
moving chairs. bending down. Every
one moved such dishes as were left be-
fore him. Ed himself moved the nap
kir he had put on the table and
stepped back to look at the floor.
When he raised his head he saw
three things that were unexpected. He
saw the face of Cameo Merdin turn as
ashen as her ash-colored hal; he saw
the face of George Parloss-sitting
next Ada, at the far end of the table
turn pale, as he looked at Ada. and
he saw Ada herself, white as a ghost,
but for the splotches of rouge that
now appeared brick red against her
paleness.
Even as Ed looked at her. she put
her hand to her heart and would have
fallen. but George Parioss. on one side,
and big Will Turnbridge. at the other
hand, were quick to support her. Turn
bridge reached for water and Parloss
reached for wine. In moment Ada
was smiling, but she ignored Turn
bridge and leaned against Parloss.
clutching his arm with her hand. Even
this unexpected display of emotion did
not disarrange the hard tidiness of the
little woman. Cameo Merdin, on the
contrary, seemed to have aged 20
years, and appeared unkempt ana al
most slovenly.
The attention of the company turned
to Ed Mindaton, for he was still stand
ing.
well, well.' he exclaimed, trying to
carry on the affair as jovially as he
could, with the face of his half-faint-
ing wife before him. mo pearls? But
we won't let that worry us--not any
&C us. We're all honest folks. There's
no question of stealing. But that
string cost me a good $4,000, and
guess Ada don't want to lose 1t. What
l think is that somebody has been
having a little fun with us. VINO has
the pearls, folks?"
He looked around the table. No one,
it seemed, admitted having the pearls.
"All right" said Mindaton; there's
another way. Joke or no joke, none of
us wants to leave here with those
pearls missing: it might look as If one
of us were the thief. I'm going to lock
the door, and no one is to leave this
room; then I'm going to put bowl in
the middle Of the table. and I'm going
to ask everybody to walk around the
table slowly. while ! count one hum
dred. At one hundred Riggs will turn
on the lights. I hope the pearls will
be in the bowl. And that will be that.
Now"
AS Mindaton spoke, most of the
guests gave him serious attention. But
the young lawyer, Noble Haitian, went
to Mrs. Mindaton. Ed saw them con-
verse in whispers, but not so secretly
that young George Parloss did not put
in a word, now and then. Cameo Mer-
din, as Mindaton spoke, grasped the
bag she held in her lap and looked
hurriedly from side to side, as If seek.
ing a place to hide it,.
It was just here that Mindaton first
felt that his little jest might be
but it was too late to pause.
He took the silver bowl from the man.
tel, Ada and George Parloss and Noble
Haitian ended their confab. and Hat
tan returned to his place. Haitian seat
ed himself, but his eyes never left
face.
IN use this bowl, folks" Mindaton
said. "A good bowl to put pearls in,
huh? Shouldn't wonder If it had had
pearls in it before-I got it in Flor
ence; paid a lot for it, too. Solid sill
yer. I'll put this dolly in it. so the
pearls won't jingle jangle when they
drop into their little nest. Now the
doors
A DA MINDATON and Noble Haitian
watched every movement Ed Min
daton was making. One door was
double door, heavily paneled. drawing
together out of recesses in the walls;
but of this door Ada Mindaton knew
something Ed did not know--it had
no key; there had been no key in the
lock for years; but now Mindaton
walked to the door and appeared to
turn a key. This was the only door he
approached. The other door was that
back of the screen, behind which Car
ter had carried the carafe of liqueur.
Riggs" said Mindaton to the but
Ter, you'll turn out the lights when
count one. You and Carter will then
join us in the parade around the table.
We will all, please, take our seats
when l count one hundred, and you,
Riggs, will turn on the lights. Are you
all ready?"
mo, we're not ready said n hard
voice, and Mindaton turned to see
Noble Haitian standing. He was a
dark -browed man, and. as he stood
there, his jaw stuck out menacingly.
Across the table Hattan's young wife
looked at him with surprise. Ada
Mindaton, some natural color now in
her cheeks, picked at the tablecloth
nervously.
mo, we're not ready, and We'll stop
this nonsense here" said Noble Hat
tan. We've had enough Of it now: it
has gone too far Mindaton is my
host" he said, turning to the others.
land / appreciate that, but you see
what this implies--that some one here
is thief. 1t means I'm a thief. or
you're thief, or another of us is a
thief"
Riggs, at the light-switch, hestated.
IF we work this hocus-pocuscoun
one-hundred business that Mindaton
proposes, what comes of it?" Haitian
continued sneeringly. 1.-The pearls are
put in that bowl, and we go away. not