The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-10-07
chalptet THE LiBhA..... ..

Chaptet '
 AT THE LlBh.,r. N1ESTA looked up at him-a side ways glance. anger in it, and something else.
 He said. How much money have got?"
 "You know what was in your pockets, don't you?"
 Ho said, "No." And then, But I could easily find out"
 "What do you mean?" ,
 q could ring up the hospital"
 A scalding rage swept over Nesta. If she had had anything to strike him with, she would have struck with all her might. She had nothing. She stiffened against ths rage, and it went by. s
 s Tt would be quite easy to find out" he said: and then, Do you want me to ring up in the morning?" He laughed a little. T don't think you do. How much was it? Fifty Ipounds?" He was watching her eyes. "Forty? Thirty? Twenty?" I All the lines showed in her face. I "Five-if you must know" Five? To take me abroad"
 She laughed harshly. You were going to Glasgow that's as much as you told me. You'd money to splash about as long as I knew you, but you never told me where it came from. If you want to know, you gave me ten pounds when you went away, and said you'd send me some more. And five pounds was what was in your pocket-book. That's straight. And I'm keeping what I've got. You can ring up the hospital if you like"
 He thought she was speaking the truth. He said. a.
 'I'll take the pocket-book."
 Nesta hesitated, made Q step to- wards the door, and turned again.
 "What do you want 1t foz?"
 "It's mine"
 "Im going to bed"
 As she passed the threshoie, she was aware that he was following her. She swung round angrily-
 What d'you want?"
 "That pocket-book."
 "IfI say no?"
 "I shall come and take IL. -on'd better hand 1t over-you haven't got leg to stand on."
 He thought she was going to strike him, but she governed herself. After moment she spoke. "You think a lot of yourself don't you. Suppose go to the po- lice." aesas m se esa
 Suppose you do."
 She turned with a jerk and went along the passage and up the stairs. He heard her go into her room, and minute later he heard her come out again.
 He was at the foot of the stairs to meet her. She snapped on the pas sage light as she came out, and when she saw him she stood still about half way down.
 There's your easel" she said, and threw 1t at him.
 I EDLINGTON has quite @ good L public library. At quarter past nine. in the morning Jim sat at a solid wooden table and turned over the leaves of fat pile of newspa' pers. He had asked for the file of The Daily Surprise, because it could be trusted to leave nothing out. Every available detail of the assault on Mr. Van Berg and the theft of the Van Berg emeralds would cer. tainly be found in it's columns.
 Jim turned the pages. He wasn't quite sure when 1t had happened. Nesta had been rather vague. per. haps purposely !. An! Here was a piece about the Alice Ardenl He had better read it. But it didn't get him anywhere; there was nothing he hadn't gathered from Nesta. He must go back bit. .. He came on a headline:
 VAN BERG NEAR DEATH
 He frowned, hesitated, and went on turning the leaves backwards Better begin at the beginning. He found it at last, and read, his face hard and expressionless. Tho village of Packham. twenty miles from Ledlington, has been the scene of most amazing crime.
 Elmer K. Van Berg, connoisseur of precious stones, was discovered | shortly after midnight in his H. brary at Packham Hall. uncon-
 tcnus. He had been shot at close