Ine office. What 'what do you mean, sir? Jeweler hesitated, quivering with an ague
Uren't you Mr. Moore? Did didn't you for a moment, then groaned softly and
fcome into the shop yesterday morning and crept into the little alcove dressing-room.
Lsk to have the studs sen here on ap- which had no window.
iroval this evening?" Moore closed the door quickly and
"Do you mean to ask if I-am Mr. F. F. turned the key.
"Vernon Moore is my name," was the rive on the scene, scare the customer Into
answer. "You have been careless in more a blue funk by finding the planted jewelry
Moore?" said Vernon Moore with, a pe
culiar, smirk.
The- man fumbled frantically in his
ocket, finally producing a card. "Yes,
Vis, he said hoarsely; "Mr. Frank X.
loore." .
'fWhat a peculiar coincidence!" mur-
lured Moore. "F. F. Moore has an apart-
lent in this building, just across the hall.
know him quite well, but I believe we
not related, although our names are
bpelled in the same way.
fNo!" he added sharply, his voice be-
boming suddenly harsh; "I did not call at
lour shop yesterday morning and I did
Lot order those studs. You do not even
low who I am, except that my name is
Moore, and you have only my word for
that.
"So far as I know, not a man in your
irge establishment knows me, and I havo
not been inside its doors for nearly a year.
it's more, I was not in New York yes
terday, and I can prove with -witnesses
Ihat I was in Boston until last night."
The jeweler's man went white with
Dsitive terror.
"What what are you going to do?" he
Eisped. "What kind of a game
"The question is, rather: What are yoti
joing to do?" replied Moore.
.With a sudden agile spring the man
lumped to the end of the writing table
id "seized the brass iml of the drawer.
With a leap far more agile and sw.ft
loore was upon him and had him in his
"Mind! Not a sound from you!" he
whispered through the panel.
The doorbell sounded; returning the
pistol to his pocket, he opened the door.
Two men stood in the corridor large,
plainly dressed men, not prepossessing in
appearance. -
"Mr. Moore," said one of them, "has a
package-rf jewelery been delivered to you
from Cobb, Frost & Cobb this evening?"
"Ah, yes; about half an hour ago," was
the answer. "What about it?"
The two men stepped into the room,
unimpeded by Moore, and one of. them
closed the door.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Moore," said the first
speaker gruffly, "but well, I'm fom the
central office," and he turned back the
lapel of his coat to disclose a shining badge
of authority.
ways than one, and that is disastrous.
Frank F. Moore lives just across the hall."
The men flushed uneasily and backed
toward the door;
. "I'm sure I beg your pardon, Mr.
in his house, and extort all kinds of money
from him by threats of arresting him and
making his life hideous with publicity.
"A man will do almost anything, you
know, to keep out of the police-court and
but you see "
"Oh, don't go now," protested Moore;
"we don't understand each other at all.
You see, I have the studs here that should
have been delivered to the other Moore;
and I have also a package containing
you say it's a diamond sunburst, so that
must be it. I was watching your accom
plice when he planted the package in my
table drawer I saw his reflection in the
window glass while I was looking out."
The man with the badge uttered an im
precation and made a sharp movement
with his hand, but Moore forestalled him,
jerking the pistol from his pocket.
"Hands up!" he ordered. "I have your
overtirnid accomplice locked in my dress-
You were in Cobb, Frost & Cobb's yes- ing-rootn, and now we will make ourselves
terday morning," he continued, "and while
you were looking at jewelry you took a
diamond sunburst from . the counter and
put it in your pocket. The value of it was
6,000.
"If you'd been an unknown man, the
store detective would havecsnrested you on
the spot, but the Arm prefers to act as
quietly as possible in such matters. We
havo been trailing you ever since, and
now, if you don't care to confess the theft
and give up the sunburst, I shall have to
place you under arrest and search your Frank F. Moore slepped In.
rooms.
"I represent the firm, sir," broke in the
He flung him away from the table other men, "and I want to say that, as
nd backed him against the wall by the you're a man of pretty fair reputation, we
replace. ' are 1404 exactly anxious to prosecute you.
"Hold hard, my man!" he said. "You'll Some men fall for such temptations in mo
nd no pistol in that drawer; I took it ments of you might say insanity. If the
ut and I have it in my pocket ready for sunburst is returned, sir, I think we may
ny emergency."
"What are you going to do?" the man
reiterated, his eyes staring wildly and
Limlessly about the room.
."The question becomes monotonous,"
lemarked Moore, "and it is not an easy
bne to answer offhand. I am taking time,
hU see, to think. When I decide it for
xyself, I shall act with great firmness of
burpose.
He took the ease of studs from his
be able to fix the thing up quickly for "
"Won't you give me a chance even to
admit the theft?" interrupted Moore. "You
haven't found the missing sunburst yet,
you know." .
"All right," said the man with the badge
impatiently. "We'll search- the place. Re
member, you were seen taking the stuff."
Moore," began the other with the badge;' the papers, no matter how innocent he ia."
"When I came in just now," said the
bewildered visitor, "the hallboy said that
a man had come here from a jewelry
shop, and that you had asked him if he
didn't mean me instead of you when he
called you up. I was expecting some Jew
elry, so I dropped in to- ask you about It."
"I was about to tell the boy that I was
not the man," explained Moore; "but I
suddenly recognised the peculiar 'symp
toms,' just as my young detective de
scribed them ""he jeweler's man calling In
the evening and all that. I was tempted
toliave a bit of fun and I hau certainly
enjoyed it."
"But weren't you afraid of getting Into
trouble yourself?" inquired Frank Moore.
"I am immune," answered the other,
with a peculiar smile. "They couldn't ex
tort momey from me, for I have none. If
they killed me it would not matter much.
The down-and-out man, my dear Frank,
fears no evil after he has reached' a cer
tain stage of ill fortune."
"Do you mean to say that you are
down and out, Vernon?" cried Frank
Moore, forgetting tho wild-eyed captives
in his surprise. "Why man alive! Why
didn't you let me know?"
"I have never burdened my friends with
my woes," said Vernon Moore simply.
"Well, then, I'll take up the burden vol
untarily," rejoined the other. "There'' a
$3,000 job open in my office. If you want
it, come in tomorrow and hang up your
hat. Now, let's get the police and have
them take this rubbish out of the way."
"Oh, yes, let's ge.t the police," echoed
Vernon Moore cheerily. "And you'd better
take a took at your studs, Frank, while we
are waiting."
Copyright by The Frank A. Munscy Co.J
comfortable and wait here for a policeman
with a real badge."
"I'll give you a thousand dollars to let
us go!" cried the man who claimed to rep
resent the jewelry -hou.
Moore smiled whimsically.
"That is a lot of money," he said, "but
I am not in your line of business, you see.
Every man to his trade!"
At that moment the bell rang again.
Moore backed to the door, keeping his
prisoners covered, and as he opened it
"Hello, Vernon!" said the newcomer
cheerily. "What why, great Scott! What
is all this a moving picture rehearsal?"
"You are just In time to assist me a
little, Frank," was the reply. "We need
the police. I have some very handsome
studs here for your approval, and, I bc-Heve-a
diamond sunburst for the approval
of no one in. particular. I took it upon my
self this evening to save you from what
might have been an annoying experience.
"I was dining at a little French res
taurant the other night," he continued,
"and I heard 2"young detective tell of the
latest scheme to blackmail reputable men
about town. The blackmailers,.get in ca-
"That's where you are off the track, my hoots with a poor but weak-natured con-
friends," said Moore blandly. "I was not
seen taking it, for I have not been in the
shop, and all day yesterday I was walk-
cket, opened It, and looked at the studs ing the streets of Boston. It may help
gain speculatively; and as the man made you to know yon have got, the wrong mac;
furtive movement forward he put his and, unfortunately for you, a penniless
Ither hand In his pocket and slowly drew man cannot be intimidated by any de-
lut the automatic
fldential man in some jewelry house.
"They wait until some well-known man
orders goods on approval; then the jewel
er's man arranges, to deliver the goods in
the evening when the shop cannot be
communicated with by phone.
"He does his legitimate duty, but while
You see," be said, "that neither of us
hould act too hastily. Almost all disas
ters are precipitated in that way."
The Jeweler" terror became pathetic
Let me goi" he cried suddenly. "IU
ve the things here "
Of course," interrupted Moore dryly.
Ill go away quietly and make no
rouble," the man promised. "I don't want
y. trouble."
Trouble is what we would all like to
Old." said Moore with a philosophic air,
but It is ever present, dogging us at
very step."
The telephone bell trilled, and both men
tarted nervously.
JNow Is the time," said Moore, "when
rouble will cease to be passive if you at-
iSapt a single move, my man."
fie held the automatic in a menacing
osition, replaced the studs in his pocket,
nd stepped to the telephone.
"Hello!" he called, keeping his eyes on
t man. "What? Two men to see me
O important business? That's odd! They
on't give their names? WelJ, that's not
odd! All right, Jack; send them up."
"Let me go, Mr. Moore," begged the
an again. "Let me get out before any-
ody gets here, I won't make airy trou-
Tm BUre you won't,' was the reply,
because I shall not let you. Step into
hat room quick! And if you t make a
mands upon his purse or threats against In the customer's house he plants a val
his business reputation." uable Jewel that he has borrowed for the
"You're Frank F. Moore!" exclaimed occasion from his firm. The other fellows
the man with the badge. " give him time to get away, then they ar-
THE GENIUS
(Continued from Page 1)
standing there, wringing his hands. Isi
dore opened his eyes and rolled his head
from side to side. A mutter of disjointed
words came from his bloodless lips. ile
was begging for rest, rest the planp was
bending over to crush him, it was coming
nearer, it was falling upon him, ah! The
terrified boy screamed in fear and fell
back again moaning.
Tm afraid it's the brain," said the
doctor calmly. "Better let me send him to
the hospital."
"The hospital!" croaked Isidore's fa
ther. "The hospital! No! Never to the
hospital!"
Mr. Strunsky came forward, his wrin
kled face stern and terrible.
was borne away to that rest for which he
had longed so.
4v.
Suspicious
eet," said the swain.
O thinik that if we got married secretly
your father would ever forgive us?"
"I'm sure he would, dear," replied tho
girl without hesitation.
"And would he give us a house of our
own?"
"Yea, darling."
"And an income big enough for us to
live in icomfort?"
The imaid nodded decidedly.
"And would he take me Into the firm?"
"Certainly he'd do that."
"And let me run the business to please
myself?" - X
"Why, of course he would, silly boy!"
She snuggled into his shirt front, but he
put her coldly from him.
can't marry you, Miss Brown," 'ha
said sadly. "Your father is too anxious to
get you off his hands."
I
IV.
F YOU go into a tailoring establishment
in Grand street, gear the corner of
East Broadway, you may sometimes catch
a glimpse of a pale young man who sits at
a sewing machine with a resigned, fright
ened Smile. There is something wanting
in the depths of his large eyes.
That Is Isidore Levine.
When he came out of the hospital his
musical talent had entirely disappeared.
The sight or sound of a piano still makes
him tremble with a vague feeling of dread.
Sounded Familiar
A
N Englishman was walking along cilf
of the principal thoroughfares
Washington and saw a curly-headed a
negro putting coal in one of the cellars .
the government" buildings. The negro
worked away industriously.
"What Is your name?" asked the inter-
ested tpurist at length.
The negro bowed in a pleasant way.
"My name's George Washington, sah; at
your service."
"Washington? Washington?" muttered
the Englishman. "It seems to me I have
which he does not understand, for he can
"You have killed the poor boy you, not remember what happened in the days heard the name before."
with your wicked greed you, with your that went before. "Shouldn't wonder, sah," rejoined tbe
insane ambition, Schule! Bah, I despise Herr Schule has found several other negro in a delightful tone. 'Tvefceen here
you despise youl" geniuses, but not another Isidore. doing ithis sort of thing for the last ten
"You aremad, Strunsky," said Schule. Strange to say, Isidore's best friend, in years."
"Do not speak to me," thundered the spite of the disparity in their ages, Is a
old man fiercely. "Doctor, take. Mm away, certain fierce old man, whose fierceness
and be so careful with him!" turns to tenderness when he comes near
The doctor nodded', looking from one to the tailor's shop in Grand street. You
bund before I give you permission the the other, puzzled. Oh, those artists, what might scarcely be able to recognize the
pal trouble will date from that instant." children they were! 614 man's tenderness, for facially it i3
He pointed the pistol full at the other's Jn a little while the ambulance came, manifested in a wrinkled grin.
ead and made an Imperious gesture. The and, Isidore, still muttering and tossing, ICopyright by The Fraefc A Monsey Co J
12
EASILY MADE.I
TPflt a I a 1 . , V I
Oct ready to make m nowf hl
nMr at pimtfea, filrs, park. Mm
Bwr (rurOenit, reaorta whmrr thir-'
tow1. Write for frea catalog x1t.
'art Guar Hw icata C, t7S tct 11
. lau !., aiivaaMa, vta.