Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-31
INSTALLMENT XIX.

xV YOU'RE most limpid, Brush
~ Therefore, as un'
derstand it, at half past
4 this morning the disposition
of the members of the house
was as follows: Mrs. Bliss and Mr.. Sal
veter were in the breakfast room down
stairs; HAM was in his bed room on the
third floor; and DR.. Bliss was in his
study. Mr.. Scarlet was presumably a,
home And where were yov
and Dingle?"
"Dingle was in the kitchen, and was
between the kitchen and the breakfast
room serving"
And to your knowledge there was
no one else in the house?"
The butler appeared mildly surprised
ooh, no, sir There could not have
been any one else in the house"
But if you were down stairs" Vance
persisted, "how do you know no one
came in the front door,"
cit was locked"
'You are quite sure?"
positive, sir One of my duties Is to
see that the latch Is thrown the last
thing before retiring each night; and
no one rang the bell or used the door
this morning before 9 o'clock"
Every good" Vance smoked medi-
tatively for several moments. Then he
his eyes. by the by, Brush, how and
where Is the morning coffee prepared?"
1.-THE coffee?" The man gave start OF
establishment. but quickly recovered
himself. 1.-THE coffee Is fad of the
doctor's-if you understand me, sir. He
orders 1t from some Egyptian firm on
Ninth avenue. It's very black and damp
and somewhat burnt in the roasting. 1t
tastes like French coffee--if you know
how French coffee tastes"
UNFORTUNATELY I do" Vance sighed
and made wry face. AN excruciatin'
beverage. No wonder the French fill 1t
full of hot milk And do you
yourself drink this coffee. Brush?"
The butler looked trifie disconnected.
mo, sir. can't say that care for
the taste Of 1t. Mrs. Bliss has kindly
given me and Dingle permission to make
our own coffee in the old-fashioned
way"
DR.. BLISS coffee Is not made in the
old fashioned way?"
We'll. sir, may have used the wrong
word. but it's certainly not made in the
customary way"
"Tell us about it." Vance again re-
Taxed. There's so much pother IN this
world about the correct way to make
coffee. People get positively fanatical
on the subject. shouldn't be surprised
II one day we had civil war between
the boilers AMI the non-boilers, or per-
haps the drippers and the percolators
Of any 'i Importance. NOW. tea sSl1 on " the
other hand. But go ahead and
unfold the doctors ideas on the sub
tect."
Markham had begun beating an irri-
table tattoo with his foot, and Heath
was wagging his head with elaborate
Impotence. But Vance. by his irrele-
want loquacity. had produced exactly
the effect he desired. He had succeeded
In allaying Brush's nervousness and d.
verting his mind from the direct object
Of the interrogation.
'well, SIR" the man explained, "the
coffee is made in a kind Of percolator
like large samovar." !
And where is this outlandish ma
chine situated"
1T always stands on the end of the
breakfast table. It has a spirit
lamp under it to keep the coffee hot
after it has-has-"
'Trickled is probably the word"
"Triched, sir. The percolator Is in
two sections-one fits into the other like
piece Of filtered paper over the holes
and then put in the pulverized coffee
which Dingle grinds fresh every morn
ing. Then there's small plate which
you set over the coffee-Dr. Bliss calls
1t the water distributor. When that's
in place you pour boiling water into the
top OF the samovar, and the coffee drips
into the bottom. It is drawn of by
little spigot"
very interestin'. And II one
lifts OF the top section Of this appa-
ratus one would have direct access to
the liquid itself-what?"