I
(
SERIAL
STORY
PICTURES BY A. WEIL
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
(CoiJjrltjht lM7,Tb UoLilx-UeiTlll Co.)
J" SYNOPSIS.
"Mad" Dan Maltland, on reaching his
New Vork bachelor club, met an attrac
tive young woman at the door. Janitor
O'Hagan assured him no one had been
within that day. Dan discovered a wom
an's HiiKcr prints In dust on his desk,
nlotiR with a letter from his attorney.
Maltland dined with Hannerman, his at
torney. Ian set out for Greenfields, to
get his family Jewels. Maltland, on
reaching home, surprised lady In gray,
cracking the safe containing his gems.
She, apparently, took him for a well
known crook, linnlel Anlsty. Half-hypnotized,
Maltland opened his safe, took
therefrom the Jewels, and gave them to
her, first forming a partnership In crime.
The real Dan AniHty, sought by police of
the world, appeared. Maltland overcame
him. He and the girl went to New York
In her auto. He had the Jewels. She
was to meet him thnt. day. A "Mr.
Bnaith" Introduced himself as a detec
tive. To shield the girl In gray, Maltland,
shout to show him the Jewels, supposedly
lost, was felled by a blow from "Snalth's"
rane. The latter proved to be Anlsty
himself and he secured the gems. Anlsty,
wbo was Maltland's double, masqueraded
s the latter. The criminal Wept Malt
land's engagement with the girl In gray.
He gave her the gems. The girl in gray
visited Maltland's apartments during his
absence and returned gems. Maltland,
without cash, called up his home and
heard a woman's voice expostulating.
Anlsty, disguised as Maltland, tried to
wring from her the location of the gems.
A crash was heard at the f'ont door.
Maltland overwhelmed the crf-ok, allow
ing him to escape to shield the young
woman. The girl In gray made her es
cape, Jumping into a cab. An Instant
later, by working a ruse, Anlsty was at
her side. He took her to Attorney Dan
nerntan's oflice. There, by torture, he
tried fn vain to wring from her the loca
tion of the gems. He left her a moment
and she 'phoned O'Hagan, onlv getting In
the words: "Tell Mr. Maltland under the
brass bowl," the hiding place In the lat
ter's rooms, when Anlsty heard her
words. Bannermnn also was revealed as
I crook. He and Anlsty set n.it to secure
the gems and leave town. Tie girl was
till Imprisoned.
CHAPTER XV.
The Price.
Slowly Maltland returned to the
study and replaced the lamp upon his
desk; and stood briefly In silence, long
fingers stroking his well-shaped chin,
his face a little thin and worn-looking,
a gleam of pain In his eyes. He
sighed.
So Bhe was gone!
He laughed a trace harshly. This
surprise was nothing more than he
might have discounted, of course; he
had been a fool to expect anything
else of her, he was enjoying only his
Just deserts both for haviiiK dared to
believe that the good in 1 unian na
ture (particularly in woman's nature)
would respond to decfnt treatment,
and for having acted on that asinine
theory..
So she was gone, without a word,
without a sign!
He sat down at the desk sldewlse,
one arm extended along itj edge, fin
gers drumming out a dreary little tune
on the hard polished wnod; and
thought It all over from the begin
ning. Nor spared himself.
Why, after all, should It be other
wise? Why should she have stayed?
Why should he compliment himself
by believing that there vas aught
about him visible through the veneer
acquired in a score and oU years of
purposeless existence, to attract a
young and pretty woman's heart?
He enumerated his qualities spe
cifically; and condemned them all. Im
primis, he was a conceited oss. A
fascinating young criminal had but
to toss her head at him to make him
think that she was pleased with him,
to make him forget that she was what
she was and believe that, because he
was willing to stoop, she was willing
to climb.. And he had betrayed him
self so mercilessly! How she must
have laughed In her sleeve all the
time, while he pranced and bridled and
preened himself nnder her eyes,
blinded to his own Idiocy by the flame
of a sudden Infatuation how she must
have laughed!
Undoubtedly she had laughed;, and,
measuring his depth or his shallow
ness had determined to use him to
her ends. Why not? It had been her
business, her professional duty, to
make use of him In order to accom
plish her plundering. And because
she had not dared to ask him for the
jewels when he left her In the morn
ing, she had naturally returned In the
evening to regain them, very con
fident, doubtless, that even If surprised
The I
J BRASS
BOWL
a second time, she would get off scot
free, Unfortunately for her, this fel
low Anlsty had Interfered. Maltland
presumed cynically that he ought tc
be grateful to Anlsty. The unaccount
able scoundrel! Why had he returned?
How the girl had contrived to es
cape was, of course, more easy to un
derstand. Maitland recalled that sud
den clatter of hoofs In the street, and
he had only to make a trip to the
window to verify his suspicion that
the cab was gone. She had simply
overheard his concluding remarks to
the cabby, and taken pardonable ad
vantage of them. Maitland had footed
the bill. She was welcome to that,
however. He, Maitiand, was well rid
of the whole damnable business. Yes,
jewels and all!
What were the Jewels to him? Be
yond their sentimental associations, he
did not hold them greatly in prfze. Of
course, since they had been worn by
his mother, he would spare no ex
pense or effort to trace and re-collect
them, for that dim sainted memory's
sake. But in this case, at least, the
traditional usage of the Maitlands
would never be carried out. It had
been faithfully observed when, after
his mother's death, the stones had
been removed from ther settings and
stored away; but now they would
never be reset, even should he con
trive to reassemble them, to adorn the
bride of the Maitland heir. For he
would never marry. Of course-not.
Maltland was young enough to be
lieve, and to extract a melancholy sat
ifcatlon from, this.
Puzzled and saddened, his mind
harked back forever to that carking
question: Why had., she returned?
What had brought her back to the
flat? If she and Anlsty were confed
erates, as one was Inclined at times to
believe if such were the case, Anlsty
had the jewels, and there was nothing
else of any particular value so per
sistently to entice such expert and ac
complished burglars back to his flat.
What else had they required of him?
His pence of mind was nothing that
they could turn into cash; and they
seemed to have reaved him of nothing
else. .
But they had that; unquestionably
they had taken that. ,
And still the riddle haunted him:
Why had she come back that night?
And, whatever her reason, had she
come in Anisty's company, or alone?
One minute it seemed patent beyond
dispute that the girl and the great
plunderer were hand-in-glove; the next
Maitland Woke Up. "What's That?"
He Questioned Sharply.
minute Maitland was positively as
sured that their recent meeting had
"been altogether an accident. From
what he had heard over the telephone,
he had believed them to be quarreling,
although at the time he had assigned
to O'Hagan the masculine side of the
dispute. Hut certainly there must
have arisen some difference of opin
ion between Anlsty and the girl to
have drawn from her that frantic neg
ative Maltland had heard, to have
been responsible for the overturning
of the chair an accident that seemed
to argue something in the nature of a
physical struggle; the chair itself lay
upon its side, mute witness to a hasty
and careless movement on somebody's
part.
Hut It was all inexplicable. Event
ually Maitland shook his head, to sig
nify that he gave it up. There was
but one thing to do to put it out of
mind. He would read a bit, compose
himself, go to bed.
Preliminary to doing so, he would
take steps to insure the flat against
further burglarizing, for that night at
least. The draught moving through
the hall stirred the portiere and re
minded him that the window in the
trunkroom was still open, an Invita
tion to any enterprising sneak-thlef or
second-story man. So Maitland went
to close and make it fast.
As he shut down the window-sash
and clamped the catch he trod on
something soft and yielding. Wonder
ing, he stooped and picked it up, and
carried It back to the light. It proved
to be the girl's hand-bag.
"Now," admitted Maltland In a tone
of absninto candor, "I am damned.
How in the dickens did this thing get
there, anyway? What was she doing
in my trunk closet?"
Was it possible that she had fol
lowed Anlsty out of the flat by that
route? A very much mystified young
man sat himself down again In front
of his desk, and turned the bag over
and over in his hands, keenly scrutin
izing every inch of it, and whistling
softly.
That year the fashion In purses was
for capacious receptacles of grained
leather, nearly square in shape, and
furnished with a chain handle. This
which Maitland held was conspicu
ously of the mode neither too large,
nor too small, constructed of fine soft
leather of a gun-metal shade, with a
frame-work and chain of gun-metal
itself. It was new and seemed well
filled, weighing a trifle heavy in the
hand. One face was adorned with a
monogram of cut gun-metal, the in
itials "S" and "G" and "L" Interlaced.
But beyond this the bag was irritat
ingly nrm-committal.
Undoubtedly, if one were to go to
the length of unsnapplng the little,
frail clasp, one would acquire Informa
tion; by such facile means would much
light be shed upon the .darkness. But
Maltland put a decided negative to the
suggestion.
No. He would give her the benefit
of the doubt. He would wait, he would
school himself to patience. Perhaps
she would come back for It and ex
plain. Perhaps he could find her by
advertising it and get an explana
tion. Pending which, he could wait
a little while. It was not his wish to
pry into her secrets, even if even if
It was something to be smoked over.
Strange how it affected him to have
in his hands something that she had
owned and touched!
Opening a drawer of the desk, Malt
land produced an aged pipe. A brazen
jar, companion piece to the ash re
ceiver, held his tobacco. He filled the
pipe from the jar, with thoughtful de
liberation. And scraped a match be
neath his chair and ignited the tobac
co and puffed In contemplative con
tentment, deriving solace from each
mouthful of grateful, evanescent in
cense. Meanwhile he held the charred
match between thumb and forefinger.
Becoming conscious of this -fact,
he smiled In deprecation of his absent
minded mood, looked for the ash-receiver,
discovered it in place, inverted
beneath the book; and frowned, re
membering. Then, with an impatient
gesture impatient of his own In
firmity of mind for he simply could
not forget the girl he dropped the
match, swept the book aside, lifted
the bowl.
After a moment of Incredulous awe,
the young man rose, with eyes
a light and a jubilant song in the
heart of him. Now he knew, now un
derstood, now believed, and now was
Justified of his faith!
After which depression came, with
the consciousness that she was gone,
forever removed beyond his reach
and influence, and that by, her own
willful act. It was her Intelligible
wish that they should never meet
again, for, having accomplished her
errand, she had flown from the pos
sibility of his thanks.
It was so clear, now! He perceived
It all, plainly. Somehow (though it
was hard to surmise how) 6he had
found out that Anlsty had stolen the
jewels; somehow (and one wondered
at what risk) she had contrived to
take them from him and bring them
back to their owner. And Anlsty had
followed.
Poor little woman! What had she
not suffered, what perils had she not
braved, to prove that there was honor
even In thieves! It could have been
at no Inconsiderable danger a dan
ger not Incommensurate with that of
robbing a tigress of her whelps that
Bhe had managed to filch his loot from
that pertinacious and vindictive soul,
Anlsty!
But she had accomplished it; and
all for him!
If only he could find her, now!
There was a clew to his hand In that
bag, of course, but by this act she
forever removed from him the rlght
to investigate that.
WANTED: ANSWERS TO THESE
Can You Reply to Queries of Young
Readers?
The editor of the Children's En
cyclopedia hit on a happy idea the
other week when he Invited his young
readers to send him questions that
they would like answered. The ipies
tions sent In have proved a veritable
revelation of the strange paths into
which tne Juvenile mind wanders.
"What color was Adam?" is a prob
lem that will puzzle the anthropologist;
while the Psychical Research Bociety
may be interested In the question,
"Where do our spirits go when we go
to sleep?" In the latter connection
comes the startling query, "Why have
I dreamed the same thing every night
for two years?"
Among genuine puzzlers, which will
be read sympathetically by every wor
ried father, we may mention: "Why
does time never stop?" "What Is the
correct age of th skies ?" "Why don't
If he could only find that cabby.
Perhaps if he tried at the Madison
square rank, immediately
Besides, it was clearly his duty not
to remain in the flat alone with the
jewels another night. There was but
one attainable place of safety for
them, and that the safe of a reputable
hotel. He would return to the Bar
tholdi at once, merely pausing on his
way to inquire of the cabmen if they
could send their brother-nighthawk to
him.
Maltland shook himself into his top
coat, jammed hat upon head, dropped
the jewels into one pocket, the ciga
rette case into another, and on Im
pulse Anisty's revolver, with its two
unexploded cartridges, Into a third,
and pressed the call button for O'Ha
gan, not waiting, however, for that
worthy to climb the stair, but meeting
him in the entry hall.
"I'm going back to the Bartholdi,
O'Hagan, for the night. You may bring
me my letters and any messages In the
morning. I should like you to sleep In
the flat to-night and answer any tele
phone calls."
"Ylss, Misther Maitland, sor."
"Have the police gone, O'Hagan?"
"There's a whole bottle .full yet, sor."
"You've not been drinking, I trust?"
The Irishman shuffled. "Shure, sor,
an wud that be hosphitible?"
Laughing, Maitland bade him good
night and left the house, turning west
to gain Fifth avenue, walking slowly
because he was a little tired, and en
Joying the rather unusual experience
of being abroad at that hour without
company. The sky seemed cleaner
than ordinarily, the city quieter than
ever he had known it, and In the air
was a sweet smell, reminiscent of the
country-side reminding one unhappi
ly of the previous night when one had
gone whistling to one's destiny along
a perfumed country road.
"Good 'eavings, Mister Maitland, sir!
It carn't be you!"
Maitland looked up, bewildered for
the instant. The voice that hailed him
out of the sky was not unfamiliar.
A cab that he had waited on the
corner to let pass, was reined back
suddenly. The driver leaned down
from the box and in a thunderstruck
tone advertised his stupefaction.
"It aren't in nature, sir If yer'll
pardon my mentlonin' it. But 'ere I
leaves you not ten minutes ago at the
St. Luke building and finds yer 'ere,
when you 'aven't 'ad time "
Maitland woke up. "What's that?"
he questioned, sharply. "You left me
where ten minutes ?"
"St. Luke buildln", corner Broadway
an1"
"I know it," excited, "but"
" 'avln' took yer there with the
young lady "
"Young lady!"
" that comes outer the 'ouse with
yer, sir "
"The devil!" Maitland hesitated no
longer; his foot was on the step as h
spoke. "Drive me there at once, and
drive for all you're worth!" he cried.
"If there's an ounce of speed in that
plug of yours and you don't get It
out "
"Never fear, sir! We'll make it in
five minutes!"
"It'll be worth your while."
"Right-0 !"
Maitland dropped into his seat,
dumfounded. "Good Lord!" he whis
pered; and then, savagely: "In the
power of that infamous scoundrel !"
And felt of the revolver in his pocket.
The cab had been headed north; the
St. Luke rears Its massive bulk south
of Twenty-second street. The driver
expertly swung his vehicle almost on
dead center. Simultaneously It ca
reened with the Impact of a heavy
bulk landing upon the step and falling
in a heap on the deck.
"My worrd, what's that?" came from
aloft. Maltland was altogether too
startled to speak.
The heap sat up, resolving itself
into the semblance of a man; who
spoke in decisive tones:
"If yeh're goin' there, I'm goln' with
yeh, 'r yeh don't go see?"
"The sleuth!" gasped Maltland, as
tounded. (TO BE CONTINUED.)
spiders get caught in their own webs?"
"Why does white smoke make the tun
nels black?" "What is the use of
fleas?"
As a final query for our readers to
puzzle over come the questions: "Why
have Manx cats no tails?" and "Why
do the hens cackle when they have laid
an egg?"
Strange Marriages.
Marriages are sometimes solemn
ized in strange places. In Christ
church, England, a wedding took
place not a year ago In a church which
was already partially demolished to
make way for a new building. More
recently still, a church in which a
marriage was about to take place in
England was burned down, and the
firemen were still pouring water upon
the smoking ruins when a wedding
party made their way over the debris.
Woman'a Life-
TASTY MEAT DISHES
RECIPES THAT WILL APPEAL TO
ECONOMIC HOUSEWIFE.
Braised Beef Makes Dish That Is Fit
for a King English Wiggle Is
Worth Trying Mutton
Sausage Pressed Veal.
English Wiggle. One-half .pound
chipped beef put on in cold water and
let come to boll, then chop fine and
brown in three tablespoonfuls of but
ter; one shredded onion; over this
pour one can of tomatoes chopped
fine; add pepper and salt over toma
toes and bits of butter and two finely
rolled crackers. When . thoroughly
heated through, cover all with freshly
broken eggs. Cover and cook slowly
till whites and yolks of eggs are set
Serve on toast.
Braised Beef. Get from your butch
er five pounds of beef cut from the
round and In the bottom of your roast
ing pan place in a row five slices of
fat pork. On this slice a medium
sized onion and season with salt and
pepper. Now put In the beef, place
cover on roasting pan' and roast slow
ly in a moderately hot oven for two
hours. Do not remove cover from pan
until the two hours are up. When
ready to serve, cut in slices and ar
range on a platter; then remove bits
of pork from the liquor and make a
gravy, using a tablespoonful of flour
On each slice of meat pour a spoonful
of gravy and serve immediately.
You will have a dish fit for a king,
and there is no waste, as the manner
of roasting makes it sweet, juicy, and
tender. It is delicious sliced cold or
hashed on toast.
Mutton Sausage. Take one pound
of underdone leg of mutton, six
ounces of beef suet, one pint of oys
ters, two anchovies, and some sweet
herbs. Chop all these ingredients
fine and season with mace, pepper,
and salt. Add a quarter of a pound of
grated breadcrumbs and two well
beaten eggs. Mix well and pot it.
Use it by rolling Into ball sausage
shape ai.d fry. This makes a delicious
entree.
Pressed Veal. Three pounds veal,
boiled tender, then ground fine; sea
son with salt and pepper. Save a pint
of liquor after the mea'. has boiled.
Boll eight eggs hard, chop separately.
Dissolve nearly a box gelatin in the
hot liquor. Put a layer of veal (one
half of veal) In one-half gallon mold
and press down gently, then yellow of
eggs, then whites, and lastly another
layer of veal; press down again and
pour liquor over and set In cold place.
This makes a' nice luncheon dlh.
Clam Bisque.
Thirty clams, one cupful of milk,
and half as much cream, or two cup-
fuls butter and one of flour, three
eggs, a tab!poonful of onion Juice,
one cupful of boiling water, a pinch
of soda In the milk, and one cupful of
cracker crumbs.
Chop the clams and put over the
fire in the boiling water." Simmer
half an hour. Heat milk and cream In
another saucepan with the soda and
crumbs. Stir in the roux, boll one
minute, and pour gradually, beating
all the time upon the yolks, previous
ly whipped smooth. Heat in a double
boiler for two minutes, or until the
water in the outer vessel boils hard,
and turn into the tureen. Season the
boiling mince of clams with salt, cay
enne, and minced parsley, add to the
milk In tureen, and cover the surface
with the whites of tts eggs, beaten to
a standing froth.
Sausaga Rolls.
Form sausage meat into rolls , two
inches long and twice as thick as your
finger. Fry until done. Drain in a
heated colander. Have ready strips
of pastry, having each strip three
Inches wide and long enough to fold
about a Bausage roll. Wrap each sau
sage roll in a strip of pastry and bake
to a delicate brown. Eat while very
hot. Harper's Bazar.
Bouillon.
Round steak, no fat or bone, flv
pounds. Cut in tiny pieces and add
one quart of water to each pound of
round steak. Let it come slowly to a
boil, skim carefully and keep at sim
mering point from eight to ten hours.
Strain, set to cool and ext morning
skim again, and do not allow any sedi
ment to pass into the saucepan. Add
seasoning of celery, bay leaves, pars
ley, sage, bltof raw onion, salt, pep
per, whole peppercorns, two or three
cloves and boil for 20 minutes, then
strain through cloth.
Yellow Popovers.
One cup flour, one teaspoon salt
Ver U 8low'y one cup
milk, beat; add two beaten eites
yolks first, then whites last. . Bake in
hot muffin tins about 30 minutes.
Raised Muffins.
One and one-half pints of flour one-
half pint of milk, one egg, one-fourth
cup of butter, one-half cup of yeast
one and a half tablespoons sugar one
half teaspoon salt Mix at night. Id.
morning put Into muffin pans and lut
stand until light