The Argosy, Vol. 76, No. 3 — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

THE THING THAT WAS CAISAR’S. through the narrow streets to the dock offices of the South Atlantic Transport Company. “There is Mr. Hemingway now, and I do believe that Professor Errol has hold of him.” It was true, and the worthy pro- fessor would not release his new ac- quaintance even when Oakes and Mar- jorie claimed him. “You will make an affidavit, then, covering all the incidents that you know about. Thank you, Mr. Hem- ingway. Now just one more question ~—what?”’ But Marjorie and Oakes, not to be done out of a farewell to Heming- way, pushed the professor aside, and the four of them were almost upset by a cab that whirled up out of the gray sunlight and, stopping almost at their very feet, decanted—Mr. Norton. “It’s not there! ’’ he almost shouted, so obviously excited that the people in the street paused and looked at him and the “bobby” on the beat wan- dered toward that part in the most ostentatiously unostentatious manner. “Tt’s not there,’ he said again. Then, lowering his voice a little, he said to Professor Errol: “ Effendi Hashid was taken out of the cab very ill. He and Cardona left the museum in the same cab, and Ha- shid was taken ill. Cardona took him at once to the hospital. I telephoned there at once, and they said that he had just been admitted and that he was unconscious. Appendicitis is appre- hended, they said. He had nothing with him but an umbrella—no package at all.” “Then Cardona must have taken it,” said Professor Errol excitedly. ‘Kither Effendi Hashid or Cardona took it—there is no other way—where does Sefior Cardona Hve, Norton?” “No. 11 Oldham Terrace. I'll tele- phone there, sir.”’ He dashed into a neighboring tele- phone-bodth, and a few minutes later reappeared, casuaily smoking a’ ctga- rette. Pausing a moment to buy a 621 paper from a newsboy who ran be- tween his feet, almost throwing him _to the ground, he came back to the now excited professor, who was fairly raging at the enforced delay, and who was even angrier than before at the nonchalant manner affected by his subordinate. “ Well—well—Norton! Is this any time to—” “Tt’s all right, sir. I got ’em over the telephone. His landlady says that he gave her notice last week, and that he left her to-day to take the steamer to return to Mexico. She says that he has booked on the Nova Zembla to sail to-day.” Professor Errol gave a sigh of re- lief. Oakes and Marjorie, both talk- ing at once, were excitedly telling Hemingway of the happenings of the morning when they heard Norton, who had opened the paper and was scanning the head-lines, give vent to a suppressed exclamation, and they saw him grasp Professor Errol so tightly by the arm as to make that gentleman squirm. Well — well, Norton! What is it? Read it out. Nothing of more than ordinary interest, I presume — there’s our man, Cardona! See him! Over there—he is passing up the gang- plank now. Come, gentlemen, we will get him when he has gone on board and can no longer escape us. What was it in the paper, Norton?” Norton said slowly, quoting the head-lines of the afternoon paper: “War! Turkish troops cross the Bulgarian frontier.” The professor stopped as if shot, stopping dead in his tracks. “I might have known it,” he said slowly. “I might have known it. It was stolen this morning—to lift the curse—the curse of the world—what use to pray for international peace among the peoples? Come, gentle- men, we must get it at all costs. I will explain—it is our chance to make the peace of Dives come true.” He turned and dashed up the gang- COMicdoo S CO@