The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-07-01
: s'Ch II
 THE THEFT

s"h Yt tFi "CEa9tof II ( 'sf aii
 THE THEFT
 THERE was one faint hope. That was that whoever if was who rad killed so swiftly. so mysterious y, with such ghastly silence and Health. striking without warning here in the Dlackness of the old lotel and vanishing as mysterious. J as ne had whoever he was night possibly believe that. without hat token. aue would not be able Q convince her brother.
 But the faint hope was so very alnt that 1t vas almost untenab.e
 Sues only assurance of safety lay tl convincing Francis of her lden. ;iT. And she was going to him npty-handeG. without that token 'l which had beer placed such ill., isUportioned significance.
 gAt any rate, she had the birth Id marriage records: if Francis sere only inclined to be fair and '4asonable, those written records %iould go long way toward estab- shing her identity. H
 It was with taut nerves that saw francis appear in the doorway, and leard him call to Lovschiem, and saw Lovschiem, after a moment or .wo. emerge from the parlor and aaddfe fatty toward his own rooms. He's going to his safe. thought, and lit a cigarette and forced my self to wait quietly,
 If Francis would only credit the evidence of that long-ago marriage certificate and Sues own birth rec. ord. things might yet go we'll with Sue. Given time and luck, we might recover the token.
 But | was not exactly easy. II was somehow not really a shock to witness Lovschiem's hasty return, his fat Hurried hands. his agitation and his cries that he'd been robbed The safe had been opened. he cried. gasping and wheezing for breath Miss Tally's envelope was gone. Nothing else. Only the envelope
 The strange thing about it was that his agitation was not affected. It looked to me to be real.
 My opinion O. the Lovschiems was going up and up.
 felt sure. while Il watched the resultant commotion that brought them all-Francis and Sue and Lorn and Crethe-into the lounge. felt sure that neither Grethe nor Marcus had known of the theft of the envelope sue had entrusted to them. r Ae6
 1 was at last convinced that they had actually wanted Sue to have that envelope and to go away with her brother. Which conviction com, pletely reversed my whole train oi speculation regarding the Lov' schiems. ,.sfz fs,, s ss,
 At the same time. l was inter ested in discovering from the result ant conversation with its implica- tions that they undoubtedly had known more than Sue believed they had known about her inheritance and the conditions oft. For Fran cis was not guarded in his remarks even before my ears, and the Lpy- schiems were obviously not pug. zled by his allusions. ss.faA A ..LOWEVER." said Francis crisp ! T ly at last, interrupting Lov schiem's perspiring congratulations "The papers in the envelope were not of first importance. It's trus that my sister," He checked himself, glanced at me. and made his first allus'on to the secrecy oi the affair. T conclude that you've taken your-er-friends-" he ges tured toward me and the Lov schiems, an inclusion which, despite my rising regard for the Lov' Bchiems, l did not relish - into your confidence regarding this af lair"
 "Only MT. Sundean." said Sue FWho has"
 Well. we'll" Francis interrupt ed. "It's quite all right. The impor' tant thing"
 "But I did not tell anyone else. went on Sue firmly, refusing to pc interrupted. Francis glanced fieetingly at the Lovschiems. ] followed his glance and was caught by a curiously still expression on Grethe's face. She met Francis eyes directly. but there was look in hers 1 could no' fathom as she said very deliber ately and distinctly: 3 "Miss Tally's mother told uf Something of the strange conditions under which Miss Tally would In herit money from her father. Sht tnld ua fin confidence. hoping thai