'fte imperial gent? Mystery gf The SOU havo been brought here to exercise your far famed cleverness In an swering Just one ques tion, that mid no more," said the great man. He made- the remark -with a half Bneer on his Heavy face and as near a sniff as his hugo bulbous noso could express. Also an evil smouldering anger showed In tho eyes that had long surveyed tho finances of tho world from tho center of tho web of Wall Street and known that they held tho mastery of most of them and If they could maintain their power long enough and their mighty owner keep life within his body a sufficient length of tlmo tho contest would be completo and nearly absolute. Purdon was speaking to Lawrenco Rand and myself, but his half contemp tuous fling was directed at tho great professional Investigator. I saw a flicker of resentment In Rand's well governed face, but ho said very quiet ly: "What Is this question, Mr. Pur don?" "You seo this room?" We surveyed his spacious private offlco with Its rows of rare books and special reports, Its priceless tapestries. "You note that it has but the ono door and that is set in a forged steel casement and leads to outer offices, from which four or moro guards aro never absent. Also that door is locked, save when I am In this ofllce, by a double Belgian trick lock. I have tho two keys always with mo and even if cither of you or anyone else had them you would not know how to use them. You notice that there is only this ono broad, steel-casemented window, open ing, on a court sixty feet wide. It Is fifty feet down and fifty feet up and tnero aro no windows abovo or below that aro not grated and barred. Yet, gentlemen, yesterday afternoon I left a paper of a value to mo of more than forty million dollars lying on this desk. I went out, locked my door and returned In an hour. The weight I had placed on tho paper had been moved to one side and the paper was gone. "The question I ask you Is, how was that paper taken from my desk, and where is It?" "What was that paper?" Rand asked. "I don't Intend to tell you," ho thun dered. "You are employed to answer my questions, not I yours. If you can't, why here's your check and get out" "When was this room swept last?" "It was cleaned with a pneumatic suction cleaner yesterday morning." "Who has been in it since?" ' Purdon thought a minute. "General Thomas BIckle " "Who has an artificial leg?" inter posed Rand. "Yes. Mrs. Rcddlngton van Petries, Mr. Jenkins of my firm, my secretary and ray wife." "Will you send for Mr. Jenkins and your secretary, please?" Purdon opened his dictograph and nsked for them and they appeared at tho door In the fraction of a minute. "This gentleman wanted to see you," said Purdon, curtly. "Step threo paces Inside tho door, please, gentlemen, ono of you to tho .right and ono to tho left." They did so, their astonishment thinly concealed. "That is all, thank you," said Rand, his eye3 fastened on their feet. As tho door closed behind them he roso and bent over the tracks they had left in the deep, rich silk nap of the car pet. Under his magnifying glassthelr every characteristic was mado clear. Blowly he circled tho desk, going round and round, coming nearer and nearer tho walls each circuit. Rand completed his survey and then eald: "Thero was no ono In this office to tako that paper." Rand now carefully inspected tho desk, tho paper-weight, tho chains and tbo sill of tho open window. Ho scanned tho court abovo and below and then standing on tho ledge looked carefully over tho outer face of tho wall about tho window. "Also, Mr. Purdon, you can bo suro that no ono camo down from abovo by a rope or other dcvlco or camo' up by a ladder. Now you aro certain you placed tho paper under tho weight?" "I am." "Then, Mr. Purdon, I cannot answer your question unless you tell mo tho story of tho paper and let mo work toward tho thief through tho motive of tho theft." Purdon's brow grew very black. Ho reached fcr IiIb check book and drow ono quickly. "That I will not do. Hero la your c Silver Dodor retainer. Good morning, gontlomen." Over to Broadway and tho subway wo passed and In half an hour wo wcro In tho firm's apartment looking on tho Plaza. Tom Rahway, Rand's gi gantic Sioux student helper, was busy In tho laboratory and I went Into tho office to answer clients' correspond ence. Scarcely had I opened tho dicto graph when I heard a crash somo whero in the locality of tho laboratory. Wo never knew when tho assassin, the maniac or tho nvenger would visit us. In fact, for threo years wo had been expecting blood-thirsty calls from at least two men. Snatching my Luga magazlno pistol out of a drawer, I toro through tho place. It was deserted. Bcsido a powerful microscope lay Rand's hat, under tho scopo was whnt seemed to bo a tiny bit of feather as nearly as I could tell at a hasty glance. I did not recall having seen It as any of tho material evidence In any of our cases. In front of tho hall door lay Tom Rail way's laboratory apron torn In pieces as if it had been snatched from his body. Two chairs and a water-cooler lay overturned. I ran on down tho dark hall and stumbled over something so forcibly that I fell sprawling. A human body lay there. Turning on the hall light, I saw that It was neither Rand nor Tom,' but a tall, powerful young man laid out un conscious with a big purple bruise beginning to stand out on tho sldo of his face and a cut in his head. In one hand ho held a piece of Tom Rail way's apron and it was plain to mo that tbo Sioux's fist had stretched him there. Now It flashed over mo that I had seen that face twlco before with in a few hours. 1 felt suro of It, but I had hurried on down and nearly reached the street before I remem bered. Tho first tlmo hod been In the crowd In Wall Street before Pur don's door as wo camo out; tho second tlmo was on the platform of the sub way at ColumbuB Circle. By this time I was on tho sidewalk looking wildly about for signs of Tom and Rand, who doubtless had gone In pursuit of the second man. If Rand wanted to capture him, surely ho would wish to retain possession of tho man upstairs in tho hall. I should not have left him. Back I hurried with all speed and to my intense chagrin he was gone. I ran down tho steps and found a mite of a milliner's delivery girl there, staring stupidly down to ward Madison avenuo. Yes, she had nearly been knocked down by two men who brought a third out of tho door nnd put him in a cab, then drove away very fast toward tho east. Ono of them had a big brass thing In his hand. That was all she could tell. I returned to tho apartment gravely puzzled and only when I entered tho laboratory did I realize tho sig nificance of even that little. The brass thing tho girl has seen was tho microscope tho ono that bad had the bit of what seemed to bo feather under tho lens. Since I could not follow' and assist Rand and Tom In whatever they were doing, tho only thing was to bldo their return or word from them. I did not bavo long to wait. It was less than half an hour before Tom Labway camo In breathing heavily, but grinning. He did not stop oven when ho heard oftho escape of tbo man ho had floored and I did not blamo hi in for his amusement when ho told mo what had happened. As ho was at work over the Bunscn burner ho heard a door creak and looked just In tlmo to seo two men behind Rand, who was at tho micro scope. Tho short dark man dealt a mis-aimed blow at Rand with a black jack. Both Rand and Tom rushed tho pair and when Tom had stretched out his man in tho hall ho ran on after Rand, who was pursuing tho heavy dark man across tho Plaza. Tho pur sued dashed into tho Park and Rand, tolling Tom to continue tho chaso on foot, Bprang to a nearby taxlcab stand, whero wo knew nil tho drivers, caught a cap and coat from ono and Jumped into his cab running It Into tho Park with tho "Vacant" sign show ing. It wbb an easy thing to corao bowling along tho drive ahead, of tho pursued man, who hailed tho cab with Joy, climbed In and gavo orders for all speed uptown somewhere. Just as Tom finished tho telephono bell rang. When I answered It a heavy volco said: "Holla! who is this?" "Mr. Duncan." "To ninki sure you are Mr. Duncan, I will ask you what a friend of yours said this morning when someone clco mentioned General Blckles' narao?" "Ho said ho had an artificial leg," I replied, recognizing that I was talk ing to Purdon. ' I know now who you By Robert Naughton nro and you can bo euro this Is Mr. Duncan. What can I do for you?" "Somo other gentlemen Interested with mo In that paper wo wcro dis cussing havo told me I was very wrong In refusing to trust your friend. Also I hear tho very highest praise of him. I wnnt you to como down at once." "That Is Impossible. My friend Is not hero and I dare not leave." "Then I will como up." "You had better not." "I am going to send you as completo an explanation In written form as you need by a single messenger whom I trust absolutely and whom I bcllevo safo from attack." When Purdon rang off I looked at tho clock. It was nearly ono. Tom had gone back to the laboratory as If nothing had happened. I sat watching tho minute hand' crawl around, my brain at sea and my nerves on edge. Two o'clock, and still nothing! I went to tho cabinet and mixed a stiff Scotch highball. Just as I re sumed my scat tho bell rang and Tom Rahway ushered In Purdon's messen ger. Safo from attack? Sho was a tall girl of Btriking beauty a distinctly English typo with fine coloring, dark curling hair and unfatbomablo grey eyes, whllo her figure and carriage showed splendid physical vitality if not athletic powers. She opened a black bag hung to her waist and as sho drew out Purdon's doubly scaled letter I caught tho gleam of a large and ablo pistol there. This Is what I read in Purdon's own hand script: Tho missing paper was b copy of a new treaty with China opening the way to a huge loan, railway concessions and Amer ican financial contract In China. I am "NOT YET, SIR," SAID A tho only one outsldo of the president and Becretary of state who would liavo known of it beforo It was sent to the senate tor ratification. Whoever had it stolen need ed Its contents and the proof that I had It, to be ablo to defeat it. Its defeat means a loss of forty million at the least. Any one of my foreign competi tors would be interested In stealing It and then combining the others against me. The Rothschilds, the Russian Syndicate, tho Bank of England and one of these might be Interested. If you an use the messenger as an operatlvo I should be glad. Yours truly, R. P. PURDON. "Were you dolayed, Miss ?" I asked. "Miss Alexander. No, I left Mr. Pur don's olllco at 1:40 and camo hero directly." I was about to prepare Miss Alex ander for tho wait till Rand should arrive when tho boll rang and a mes senger boy appeared with n telegram: "Both como to Battery Park. Bring no papers or means of Identification If captured. "RAND." "Both come." Ho could know noth ing of Miss Alexander. Ho meant Tom. I called to tho Sioux and in five' minutes wo threo wcro In tho street and on our way to the taxlcab stand whero Rand bad executed bis lightning chango threo hours before. To tako a cab we had to shoulder out of the way an old man who looked llko a sea-farcr, a ship's chief engi neer in a bluo pilot cloth suit When we reached the Battery, Torn took ono sido of tho Park and Miss Alexander and I tho other looking for Rand, but after an hour ot searching and waiting It was plain that ho was not there. I read his telegram ngain and It flashed on mo that It bad been a trick of tho other sldo to got us away whllo they executed somo movo. Rand would havo said "Bring Tom." They not knowing his narao said "Both como." Again I cursed. Back wo hurried to tho Plaza and Instantly that I entered tho apartment perceived that somcono had been thero. Furniture had been slightly moved, a shado had been raised, pa pers had been shifted on tho desk, a blnck cigar butt still warm lay on tho hearth. They must' bo In posses sion of Rand, havo taken away his keys, used them on tho doors and searched tho place. Tho ono thing they could havo been after was Pur don's letter. I sprang to tho drawer In which I had placed it. Tho envelopo was there, but tho letter had been taken. Never In my life havo I been moro thoroughly exasperated, nonplussed and mystified. I related tho facts to Tom and Miss Alexander and I could seo the big Sioux's fingers twitch as If they itched to close around someone's throat. , Miss Alexander had risen and was pacing up and down from the win dow to tho back of tho room, evi dently seeking somo logical handle on which wo could lay hold. Suddenly sho gave a little cry and as I ran to her sldo sho pointed out tho wlndpw. "Look! See, that hansom In tho lino down there. Tho driver has tho cushion out and Is trying to clean it. He is trying to get out a blood spot Maybe ho took tho threo men away. Of course, they got tho cab hurriedly from the stand." It was but a minute before I was at his side, a handful of money be fore his eyes. "Hello, cabbie, did you drive threo SWEET, GIRLISH VOICE. men away from around tho corner about noon, ono of them without a hat and bleeding?" "What'll I draw down for glvln it to ye straight, sport?" said ho with cunning look in his watery eyes. "A ten spot and If it's very good, I'll raaka it moro." "Dey passed mo a V to keep mo mouth sewed up, but your money looks good to me. Come across with it Why, I was after comln back to tho stand from bein' on a shopping trip with an old mado over on Forty-foist when dey halls me and shoves In dls bleeding guy and yells for mo to drlvo for tho river. Dey was all up In tho air, but before I gits to Thold nvenoo dey wa3 glttln' their noodles workln' and foist it's mo to drlvo to a doctor nnd den it's mo to drlvo to CIO East Thirty-foist, and dcro wo goes. Next I goes after a sheeny doctor two blocks nway and fetches him back. I asts for mo bit and dl ono guy takes mo Into a gin mill to git a twenty changed and while wo was In doro dls mutt calls up ten thousand Cortland and asts for tho chief. Ho tells him somo fairy talo about de mlxup dey'd been In. I piped it off dey was tamo bulls and doy'd been licked tryln' to git divorce ovldenco. Do man ho was talkln' to says to stay wit' Hooloy and ho'll como up and seo him later. Now dls Hooloy is do guy what was la'akln' tho red stuff all over me cab. I got wlso to dat when we was runnln' him into de house. A little girl lets out a holler, "Oh, look, Chonnie, at Mister Hoolev: he's bolted hlsaelf' Well. den I gits tae coin and I pulls mb freight. Dat'B all." "Not yet, you can drive mo straight at CIO East Thirty-first," There aro certain tones of Lawrenco Rand's volco that nro very vibrant and tho Instant I set foot In tho hall of tho Thirty-first street three-story tenement I heard what I was jure wub his volco. I gavo ono of our signals, dropping my key twlco in quick succession, a very distinctive- and penetrating sound, and then I listened carefully. I ctill heard tho samo voice, but it was not Rnnd's. It was speech In somo badly broken dialect. "I am a pollpo surgeon," I said to n woman sitting on the stairs nursing a baby. "A man named Hooloy is hero and has been hurt Where Is he?" "Right there, mister." Sho pointed to tho ground floor apartment on tho right. "Go to tho back door." Tho door was unlocked and I stepped Inside, into ono of thoso little dark lnsldo rooms so common in cheap flats. In tho next room at least flvo men wcro talking earnestly. I could stand whero I was and hear perfectly. "Tho captain Is a good sport, Isn't ho, chief. GIvo him another drink, Myers. No, Hooley, you got to stay on tho water wagon till tho sign tho Indian put on you wears off," said a drawling volco. "That's right, Hooley," said another in a commanding tone. "All right, chief," responded Hooley feebly. "I wish I had just one to clear mo nut so I could git hold of this hero Rlng-a-round-a-rosy game. It's a peach of a case" "It Is that!" said tno cnier. "And wo havo played Larry Rand, the smart est man In this country, to a standstill at his own game, and got him on a wild gooso chaso around Battery Park this minute, thanks to. tho captain. Now, listen, Hooley, and got tho full beauty of this story point by point. "Beaucoup gits tho envelopo off Pur don's desk and I tako It to keep, per orders, till the Big Fellows asks mo to Bhow It to tho Wasulngton crowd and swear where I got It. You, Myers and Casey, keep an eyo on Purdon's moves from across tho court and use the microphone to hear all he's got to say. By George, that very micro phono Is the- ono wo slipped away from. Rand two years ago. Rand and Duncan got sent for. Rand picks up a piece of tho silver doctor. It Is up to us to get that pleco back, so you fellows trail Rand and Duncan up town and go In, but make a rough Job of it. You ought to bo ashamed of yourselves. Rand, tho Indian and Dun can all chase Myers after flooring our friend, Hooley, here and Casey and Dennett step In and cop tho piece of feather, microscope, Hooloy and all and mado a clear run for it Myers has a fine run for his money, Rand and tho Indian nearly get him, but ho falls into a taxi and getr away and tho driver being a pretty fly guy, tells Myers ho saw tho getaway from tho house and followed up to help Myers out, and if thero Is Bometuing In It he will put Myers next to an. old drunk who can toll him a lot. Say, I guess tho old fellow Is so far gono now that he won't mind a littlo thing like that said about him a rotten old rum- soak who is on tho lnsldo with Rand and Duncan. Great stuff! Myers makes a dato Jo meet tho man and In half an hour our friend tho captain here shows up. Myers asks him to show that ho can make good. He offers to get Rand and Duncan called back Into tho case by two minutes' tele phoning as a starter. They go to tho phone, then Myers gets in touch with Griggs and Leslie listening at the microphone to what is going on in Purdon's ofllco across tho court and they say, yes, that Purdon has Just telephoned Duncan that ho wants to ro-cngago them and will send a mes senger with instructions. Then Myers telephones mo and I tell him It Is worth a thousand to get that letter. Tho captain hero says he will show how good-ho is by plucking It out of Rand's desk half an hour after It arrives. Myers tells mo that a peach of a girl brought up tho letter. That tho captain got tho whole crowd away by sending In a fako tele gram and then ho and Myers sailed In, using false keys, and got the letter. Casey telephones for mo to come up hero and seo Hooley nnd I tell Myers to meet mo hero with the captain and I will glvo him his thousand for tho letter. Havo you seen tho letter, Myers?" "Only saw enough to say that It is on Purdon's stationery and is signed by Purdon himself." "My, my, bet tho Big Fellow will bo tickled to get It I don't know what Is In this ono I got, but I'll bet tbo second ono has got cold proof that'll nip a few yards of tuck out of old R. P. Purdon. Now Just put your hands lightly on tho old man's arms bo that ho can't mako a sudden movo, boys. I don't want him to jolt me one, feeblo as ho Is. Thero Is no uso forking over a thousand iron men for a pleco of paper that cost him nothing. I will Just lift It gently." Tbo crisis had como. For somo min utes I had seen that it was due soon, but I had not expected It so quickly. The forty million dollars' worth of In formation was "still safe, tho paper from Purdon's desk nnd Purdon's let ter ot Instructions to us that furnished the fatal proof had not yet reached tho "Big Fellow," whoever that was. In tho man called "Chief" I had recog nized John G. McGarrity, an ex pollco captain, tho head of n large, powerful and unscrupulous private dc'ectlve agency In tbo financial district Drawing my Luger nnd holding my pocket knlfo In my left hand as If It were the barrel of another pistol, I stepped In, covering tho crowd. "Hold on, McGarrity. Don't one of you move!" I said. "Duncan!" At least threo of them pronounced my namp In ono astounded breath. Tho old man ovec whom McGarrity was bending looked up drunkenly. It was the old Scotch seaman with dirty whiskers and the ear trumpet Ho began to whine nnd blubber and put ting up his arms drew the enraged Mc Garrity down half on him as if to shield himself from a possible bullet It was n fatal mistake for me to center my attention on them even for that second and forget that tho men with whom I was dealing were quick to think and quick to act One dived for my legs. Hooley hurled a pillow full In my face. Somcono I had not seen caught mo from behind and in a mlnuto I was down and being trussed up with straps ripped from a trunk In the corner. I caught a glimpse of the old Scotchman lurching out of tho door that opened Into tho hall. ''Well, we've got tho other bird fast and tight," said McGarrity, as he straightened up and brushed his hands. "Not yet, sir," said a sweet girlish voice and every one In the room turned to see standing in the hall door with a pair of our guns leveled on the crowd Miss Alexander and behind her Tom Rahway. "Cut Mr. Duncan loose before I blow for the police," sho said. McGarrity did not even swear as ho stooped and did her bidding. "Now, McGarrity," I said, "I will trouble you for the sealed envelopo in your pocket. Sing Sing for you If you don't, you know." He reached into his breast pocket for it and a look of blank amazement came over his heavy Irish face. "It's gone! I had it thero a moment ago." "Tom, catch tho old Scotchman, who Just went out!" I shouted. It wa,' now as clear as tiny to mo iAit old man represented a iiird interest work ing against R. P. Purdon and, playing a lono hand, nevertheless he had beat en us all. He had picked McGarrlty's pocket a moment before and fled in the melee. Outsldo sounded Tom's whistle sum moning mo. I hesitated a second be foro going. Wo had the compelling evidence against McGarrity and hi men, If wo needed it The Scotchman was now our prey. Telling Miss Alex ander to drop her muzzles, I said good evening to the mortified group and hurried out with the girl. Calmly sitting in a taxlcab In front of tho door was the old Scotchman smoking a fine cigar with evident relish. Ho held out toward mo Purdon's let ter and a sealed envelopo with a small jagged hole through It "Hollo, Duncan," Bald Rand's volco from tho bush of dirty whiskers. "I am tired of tho responsibility of forty million dollars' worth of Information. You keep It. Jump In, Miss Alexander, Tom, all of you; let us go homo and get In touch with Mr. Purdon and tell him tho good news." I stood a full ten seconds staring speechless at his makeup. By this tlmo I should havo been accustomed to Rand's marvelous acting and trans formations of personality, but I will confess that I was stunned Into stu plulty by this ono as I climbed In silently. A3 wo bowled away a feeling of anger and resentment camo over mo and then ono of curiosity. I rapid ly reviewed tho events of the day nnd say how ho had fooled McGar rity and his men. how ho had fooled us nnd how ho had achieved his end, t. T 1. . , I nil T 1 T-T" . ftyreTt ffllin 1 UUVU gut lb Ull, J i .a.ui'v ..uir tho "Big Fellow" Is and how they over got tho treaty oui ot mo onico. "Why, that Is simple, Dunk. You heard McGarrity say that a man named Benucoup did It. Well, It you remember tho Sportsman's Show last winter, ono of tho stars was Jean Beaucoup, a famous half-breed MIc-Mac-French Canadian guide. Ho Is employed on tho gamo preserves of Normand Bollnmy, tho American end of tho Rothschilds. McGarrity has dono lots of Bellamy's dirty work. Ergo Bellamy Is the "Big Fellow." Now. wo would bavo had to follow out the case through the physical evidence, two scratches on tho desk and a bit of feather I found caught In a corner of the filagree of the paper weight, but tho attack on us In tho apartment put us In direct touch with tho thieves and saved us a lot of trouble. When I got that bit of feather under the lens I found It was Indian dyed, a piece of a trout fly called tho silver doctor. Jean Beaucoup, from tho win dows across the court, cast a fly somo seventy-flvo feet, hooked the desired paper on tho second attempt and yanked it out into tho court, then reeled It up. He could havo done it at maro than a hundred feot Sea the hole mado by the bookl"
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers