Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 116: what you’re looking at

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that we met before. He scraped acquain- tance with Mr, Campbell and played bridge —- jn-our compartment coming down from = = - Chicago to New York. That night the room = ‘was entered and twenty-five hundred dol- jars taken from my wallet which I had _ placed under my pillow. == z “ He had left the train at an intermediate point, and I didn’t discover the loss until we reached New York. I have no evidence = __ against this man and we both have ex- changed greetings with him on board. I 2 feel sure I saw him dealing a card off the bottom of the pack in the smokeroom the other day and it is my personal opinion he is a crook. If he stole those jewels, it might have occurred to him to throw sus- -_ picion on us by hiding one of the pieces in our stateroom.” “Who is this man?” “I don’t want to say now. I’ve had experience enough of being suspected un- 3 justly without accusing some one else un- less I have some real evidence.” ~~ “ ¥ou better tell me, Pll have his state- = room searched without his kno wing it,” said the purser. =e “You may be sure you won’t find any- a ss “Mr. McGarry is right, ” declared the captain. “If this man is a professional ~ crook, he knows better than hide his loot oe in his own stateroom. The fact that you found anything in Campbell’ s room proves he’s an amateur, if he is a crook at all.” = —“"FPhanks for that admission, anyway,” said Howard. ~~ - “You gentlemen go to your stateroom — and stay “there, ” admonished the captain. “You are not out of the woods yet. Mr. Se _ McGarry may send that wireless. I'll have our agent see the president of this bank and confirm any reply which is sent to him. If _ everything is O. K., you will be released at once and we'll continue our search. Better tell me the name of the man you suspect.” “It’s Higginson.” The purser laughed. “Why Mr. Hig- _ginson has crossed with us half a dozen anes He never plays for high stakes and he never makes the slightest trouble.” __-“ Ever have any robberies while he was : on n board?” asked the Cepia ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Nothing was ever reported as lost. You would have heard of it if anything had happened.” “Of course, of course. Well, good morn- ing, gentlemen. I certainly hope you can clear yourselves.” 3 ‘ Escorted by the purser they returned to their stateroom. It was a lovely day out- side and their enforced seclusion did not appeal to them at all. “And they call this traveling for pleas- ure,” groaned Rod. “ Precious little pleasure I’ve had since I came into my money.” “We are in a hell of a fix,” declared Howard. “Supposing old Sanford refuses to come through in response to your wire- less.” ““He has got to. He’s only my agent. But you were talking yesterday of discover- ing who stole those ewelé: Now we've got to do it to clear ourselves. It’s ten to one it was Higginson because nobody else would have picked us out to hide his loot. He knew from experience that we were a couple of boobs.” ~“TYll get him if I have to push him in a corner and squeeze the truth out of him.” “ Find out where he has hidden the stuff, that’s the only way.” Rod sent his wireless and they spent several hours in fruitless discussion. CHAPTER XXI. MRS. THOMAS SHARES HER BAD NEWS, N the cabin directly above a different sort of discussion was going on. Gertrude had‘ been unable to talk to her mother the night before because seasickness had combined with her mental anguish to make her impossible. The young girl had been affected by the motion of the ship, but she forgot her nausea in caring for the older woman who also kept the stewardess running back and forth with hot water and other useless aids to such a condition. Toward morning, Mrs. Thomas fell asleep and Gertrude was so tired that she slept soundly also. In the morning, her illness had left her = 2 and she went on deck with a hope, unad-