Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 126: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

120 paused before Mrs. Creveling, who ac- knowledged his presence by a slight motion of her hand toward a chair. .“‘ I wouldn’t have come to you again today, but there are a few things I’d like to ask you—”’ ‘“‘T wish you to have all the information you may require, Mr. McCarty.” She spoke still in the cold, level, self-contained tones of the morning, but with a drowsy - under-note. The doctor’s medicine was evidently beginning to take effect. “I want only to learn who killed my hus- band.” . “Yes,-ma’am.”’ McCarty seated him- self on the edge of the chair and reluctant- ly relinquished his hat to the maid who had followed and held out her hand for it. ‘“* Maybe it ’1l seem to you that I’m asking a lot of foolish questions that have nothing to do with the case, but I'll ask you to an- swer them, just the same, without taking up your time now to explain. It’s come to our notice that some jewels were supposed to have disappeared from your house some time during this past winter. Is this true, ma’am?” ) CHAPTER XVIII. TOO STRIKING. “ S. The set of emeralds and dia- monds which I had taken from the vault at the trust company to wear at Mrs. Fales Ogden’s pageant in Feb- _ ruary,” Mrs. Creveling replied quickly, her apathy stirred by surprise at the question. ‘It was reported to the police, and one of the servants arrested and held for trial, but she succeeded in obtaining bail and then disappeared, forfeiting it. You remember the woman, Stella? She was a Swede, and of quite striking appearance.” She had turned to her companion, and the latter nodded with a cynical smile. ‘Quite too striking!’’ she murmured. “TI am always suspicious of servants who appear out of the picture!” “This lady is Mrs. Douglas Waverly,” Mrs. Creveling explained as if in an after- thought. ‘She is quite in my confidence, and you may speak unreservedly before her.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. McCarty bowed, but addressed himself still to Mrs. Creveling. “About this servant, ma’am: what was her name?” “ Tlsa Helwig.” ‘“'What does she look like, ma’am?” “You can find her description at your headquarters, I imagine,” replied Mrs. Creveling coldly. ‘‘ She was a huge, broad- shouldered, deep-chested woman with large hands and feet and great, thick ropes of tow-colored hair wound about her head. Her skin was very fair, and her eyes blue, I believe. One would call her handsome, in a coarse way.” There was a pause, and then McCarty changed the subject. ‘Did you recover your’ emeralds, ma’am?” | ‘“No. The police could find no trace of them, but the evidence was conclusive.” “The very fact that the creature jumped her bail was proof enough of her guilt, I should say,’”’ observed Mrs. Waverly. “ It is astonishing that the police have not lo- cated her if they are really making an ef- fort to do so. Those things were worth a small fortune, weren’t they, Myra?”’ “Thirty thousand dollars,” Mrs. Crevel- ing responded. ‘‘ I never cared particular- ly for them, but an example should have been made of the girl.” “What was the evidence against -her, ma’am?” McCarty inquired. | “No one else had an opportunity.” Mrs. Creveling settled herself back languidly on her couch. “I had brought the jewels home myself from the trust company vaults in a plain brown morocco case late one afternoon several days before the pageant was to take place, meaning to try their ef- fect with my costume. Its delivery was delayed by the modiste, however, and it did not arrive until a few hours before the affair. My maid, Yvonne, was ill, and I rang for Ilsa to assist me in trying it on. - While Rollins was taking the message to her I crossed the hall to Mr. Creveling’s room, obtained the morocco case from him —he had kept it in the small safe in his dressing-room for me—dand_ returning, placed it on my vanity table. Ilsa was waiting in my room for me and had un- ECOMRRIC OG SH Colin