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FIRST INSTALLMENT "SANFORD QUEST, CRIMINOLO. OST." The young man from the West had arrived In New York only that titer noon, and hla cousin, town born and bred, bad already embarked upon tbe task of showing him the grea' city. They occupied a table In a somewhat insignificant corner of one of New York's most famous roof garden res taurants. The place was crowded with diners. There were many nota bilities to be pointed out. The town young man was very busy. "Tell me," the country cousin in quired, "who ls the man at a tabl'j by himself? The weitere speak to him as though he were a little god. Ia he a millionaire, or a judge, or what?" "You're in luck, Alfred." the New Yorker declared. "That's the most in teresting man in New York-one of the most interesting in the world. That's Sanford Quest.".. "Who's he?" "Sanford Quest- is the greatest mas ter in criminology the world has ever known. Ile ls a magician, a scientist, the Pierpont Morgan of his profes sion." "Say, do you mean that he ia a de tective?" "Yes," he said simply, "you can call him that-juat in the same way that you could call Napoleon a soldier or Lincoln a statesman. He ls a detec tive, if you like to carl bim that, the master detective In the world." When Sanford QueBt entered his house an hour'later be glanced Into two of the rooms cn the ground floor, In which telegraph and telephone op erators sat at their instruments. Then, by means of a small lift, h? aa* cended to tho top story and entered a large apartment wrapped In gloom until, as he crossed th? threshold, he touched the switches of the electric lights. One realised then that this was a man of taste. Quest drew np an easy ehalr to the wide-flung win dow, touching a ball as ha creased the room. In a few moments the door waa opened and closed noiselessly. A young woman enterad with a bundle cf-papers. Tho criminologist glanced through the papara quiekir- "No- farther BK quines, Lnufalr**" She lett the room almost noiselessly. "THE TENEMENT HOUSE MYS TERY." CHAPTER . "This habit of becoming late for breakfast." Lady Ashleigh remarked, as she sat down the coffee pot, "ls growing -upon your father. Any news, deaf?" Ella glanced up from a pile of cor* respondence through which she had been looking a.little negligently. "None at all, mother. My corre* spondence ls just the usual sort of rub bish-Invitations and gosaip. Such a lot of invitations, by the bye." "At your age," Lady,Ashleigh de clared, "that Ia the sort pf correspond ence which you should find interest ing." "You know I am net like that, mc th ar," she protested. "My music ls rea*ly ( . the only, part of life which absolutely i appeals to ma Oh, why doesn't Dela rey make np his mihd and let father know, as he promised! . . y?Here comes daddy, mum" Lord Ashleigh loitered for a mo ment to raise the covers from the dishes upon a eldo table. Afterwards he seated himself at the tabla. "I heard thia morning." he ssid, "from your friend Dela rey, Ella. He went into th* matter very fully. ? The substance of lt ls that for tba first year of your musical training he ad vises Now York. "I have not finished yet Thia cable gram," he want on, drawing a little ?lip of blue paper from his pocket, "waa brought to me this morning-". He smoothed lt out before him and read: To kord Ajshl?l?b, Hamelin Koos?. Dor set, England: ? find a magnifle?nt pro a-ram arranged for at Metropolitan Opera hausa thia JfafttV Have taken box for your daughter, engagea the beat profes sor, in the world, and secured an apart' ant st tb? Leland, our most select and nfortebU residential botet Understand y?ur brother is still In louth America, re tunupfc early apr?ag, bot win do our best talanaka your qauthter*? year of ?toar aa attisant aa- poMlMe. Advtee ber sall on saturday b? Isa ure tania. rS?n Saturday?" Vila almost screamed. . "I ahairfiow," Lord Ashleigh said, 'fefge yo? Ttd talk over and discuss : thia matter fer the rest of the day. ' At dinner time tonight yea can ten ms your dec!slrra, or rather wa will dla cuss lt together." CHAPTER IL ' - - "I am to take It, I believe." Lord j Ashleigh hogan after dinner that eve? ! nlng. "that you save finally decided ; ?Ila. to embrace our trisad Detsroy't ! suggestion and to leave us Saturday?* "ir you please." Ella mormurad with glowing ayes. "You will take y?vr own maid with you, of couree," Lord Ashleigh contin ued. "Lenora is a good girl and I am sure she will look after you quite well, but I have decided to supplement Le nora's surveillance over your comfort by aendlng with you, also, a sort of courier and general attendant-whom do you think? Well, Macdougal. He has lived in New York for some yearB, and you will doubtless find this a great advantage, Ella." Ella glanced over her shoulder at the two servants who were standing discreetly In the background. Her eyes rested upon the pale, expression less face of the man who during the last few years had enjoyed her fa ther's confidence. For a moment a queer sense of ap pro'.enslon troubled her. Was lt true, she wondered, that she did not like the man? She banished the thought al most as soon aa it was oonce'.ved. "You aro spoiling me, daddy." Ella sighed. "If you think so now." ne remarked, "I do not know what you wili say to me presently." He laid upon the table a very fa miliar morocco* case, stamped witta a coronet. "Our diamonds!" Ella exclaimed. "The Ashleigh diamonds!" The necklace lay exposed to view, tbe wonderful stones flashing in the subdued light, "In New York," Lord Ashleigh con tinued, "it is the custom to wear Jew elry in public more, even, than in this country. Allow mel" He leaned forward. With long, capa ble fingers he fastened the necklace around bis .daughter's neck. "It Is our fsrewell present to you," Lord Ashleigh declared. Ella, Impelled by some curious Im pulse which she could not quite un derstand, glanced quickly around to where the manservant waa standing. For once she saw something besides "Our Dlamonda!" 8he Exclaimed. "The Ashleigh Diamonds!" the perfect automaton. Hts eyes, In stead' of being fixed at the back of his master's chair, were simply riveted upon the stones. A.queer little feeling of uneasiness disturbed Ells for the i..cment. lt passed, however, ss in glancing away her attention was once more attracted by the sparkle of the Jewels upon her bosom. CHAPTER III. The streets of New York were cov ered with a thin, powdery snow ss tbs very Insurious car of Mrs. Dela rey drew up outside the front of the. Le land hotel. & little after midnight. Ells leaned over and kissed her hostess. "Thank you, dear, .ever so much, for your delightful dinner," she ex claimed, "and for bringing mo home. Ab for tho mosto, welt I can't talk about lt. I Om Just going upstairs Into tty room to sit and think." The car rolled off. Ella, a Iorgo umbrella held over her head by tho doorkeeper, stepped ap the little strip of drugget which led,into the softly warmed hall of the Leland. Behind ter came her maid. Lenora, and Msc dougal,'who had been riding on the pox with the chauffeur. He paused for a moment to wipe the snow from bis clothes ss Elis crossed the hall to tte left.' Lenora turned toward him. Re whispered something In her esr. For a moment she shook. Then she t?rned away and followed her mis tress upstairs. Arrived in her apartment, Ells threw herself with a little sigh of con tent into a big easy-chair before the oro add gave herself up for a few mo menta torreverie, A log ? stirred upon tah fire. She leaned forward lastly to replace lt and thea stopped short Exactly opposite to her was a door which opened on .to a back hall. It was used only by the servants. ?u*t as she waa in tbs act ci leaning forward Ella became conseioae ot a curious hallucination. "Lenora, como here at one*." Tte maid harrie) la from tho next room. EU? pointed to the door. ''Lenore, look outside. See lt sny ono is on that landing. 1 fancied that .the door opened." Lenora crossed the room end tried the handle. Then she turned toward? her mistress in triumph. "It is locked, my lady," she re ported. "Go down end ssk Macdougal to come up. I am going to have this thing explained." Something of her mistress' agita tion seemed to have become commu nicated to Leeor A. She welken quickly to the back part of the hotel and ascended to the wing In which the servants' quarters were situated. Here she made ber way along a corridor until she reached Macdougall room. She knocked, snd knocked again. There was no answer. She tried the door and found it was locked. Then she returned to the lift and descended once more to the floor upon which her mistress' apartments T -re situated. She opened the door ot the suite without knocking and turned st once to the sitting room. "I am sorry, my lady-" ahe began. Then she stopped abort. The lift boy, who bad had a little trouble with his starting apparatus and had not as yet descended, heard the scream which broke from her Pps end a fire man In an adjacent corridor ct>me run ning up almost at the ?ame moment. Lenora waa on her knees by her mis tress' side. Ella was still lying in the easy-chair in which she had been seated, but her bead was thrown back in an unnatural fashion. There was a red mark JuBt across her throat. Lenora shrieked, "She's fainted! And the diamonds-the diamonds have gone!" A doctor, hurriedly summoned, had Just completed a hasty examination when a police inspector, followed by a. detective, entered. "This ls your affair, gentlemen, not mine," the doctor said gravely. "The young lady is dead. Sbe has been cruelly strangled within the last five or ten minutes." The inspector made a careful exam ination of the room. "Tell me." he Inquired, "is this the young lady who owned the wonderful Ashleigh diamonds?" "They've gone!" Lenora shrieked. "They've been stolen! She was wesr lng them when I left the room!" The inspector turned to tue .tele phone. "Mr. Msrsbsm," he said. "I am afraid this will be a difficult affair. I am going to take the liberty of calling in an expert. That you, exchange? I want number one. New Yor?: city Mr. Sanford Quest." CHAPTER IV. There seemed to be nothing st sll original In the methods pursued by .tho great criminologist when con fronted with this tableau of death and robbery. His remarks to tho inspec tor were few- end perfunctory. He ssked only a few languid questions ot Macdougal and Lenora, who were summoned to his presence. Macdougal then turned to leave the room. Lenora was about to follow, but Quest signed to her to remain. "I should like to have a little con versation with you ' about your mis tress," he said to her pleasantly. "If you don't mind, I will , ask you to ac company me In my car. I will send the roan back with you." They descended in the lift together and Quest handed the girl into his car. They drove quickly through the silent streets. In a few minutes Lenora was In stalled In sn essy chair In Quest's sit ting-room. "Leen back and make yourself com fortable," Quest Invited, ss he took a chair opposite to her. "I must Just look through these papers." The giri did as she was told. She opened her coat The room waa de lightfully warm, almost overheated. A sense of rest crept over ber. She was conscious that Quest had mid down the letters which he had been pre tending' to read. His eyes were fixed upon her. There waa a queer new look In them, s strange new feeling creeping through ber veins. Quest's voice broke -an unnatural silence. ' "Tod are anxious to telephone some one," he ssld. "You looked st both the booths as we came through the hotel. Then you remembered, I think, that he would not he there yet. Tele phone now.' The telephone ls st your right band. Too know - the number." fibs obeyed almost at once. "Number TOO, New York etty." "You will ask," Quest continued, "whether he ls sll right whether the Jewels sro safe." There was a brief silence then the girl's voice. "Are you there. James? . . Yes, I ara Lenora. Are yon ufo? Have you the Jewels? . . . Where? . . . Ton are sore that you sro safe? . . . No, nothing fresh has happened." "You sro at the hotel," Quest said softly. "You are going to htm." "I cannot/ sleep," ?he continued. "I om coming to yon." She set down the receiver. Quest loaned a little more closely over her. TYou know where the Jewels are hidden." he said. "Tell ?no where?" *. Her Hps quivered. She made no sn ewer. . "Very good;" Quest concluded. "You need not toll me. Only remember this: . At nine o'clock tomorrow morning you will bring those Jewels to this apart ment. . . .. Rest quietly now. 1 weat y a to go to sleep.*' She- ??eyed without hesitation. Quest watched, for a moment, her regular breathing. Then he touched a hell by .his side. Laura entered sV mest st once. BS?BBIBS?SMRBS?SM9P? Together they carried the sleeping girl out of the" room Into a larger apartment. A single electric light was burning on the top of a square mirroi fixed upon an easel. Towards th. ? they carried the girl and laid her in \u* easy chair almost opposite to lt. "The battery is Just on thu left," Laura whispered. Quest nodded. "Give me the band." She turned away for a moment and disappeared in the shadows. When she returned, she carried a curved band ot flexible steel. Quest look it ?from her, attached it by means of a coil of wire to the battery, and with firm, soft Angers slipped lt ou to Lenora's forehead. Then he stepped back. "She's a subject. Laura-I'm sure of lt? Now for our great experiment!" They, watched Lenora in t nul \. "Lenora," Quest said, slowly and firmly, "your mind 1B full of one sub ject. You Bee your mistress in her chair by the fireside. She 1B toying with her diamonds. Look again. She lies there dead! Who was it entered the room, Lenora? I ?ok! lx>ok! Gaze Into that mirror. What do you see there?" The girl's eyes . had opened. They .were fixed now upon the mirror-dis tended, full of unholy tilings 'Try harder. Lenora.' he muttered, hts own breath laboring, "lt in there in your brain! Look! ' For a single second the smooth sur face of the mirror wus obscured. A room crept dimly like a picture Into being, a fire upon the hearth, a girl leaning back in her chair. A door in the background opened. A mun stole out. He crept nearer to the girl -his eyes fixed'upon the diamonds, a thin, silken cora twisted round his wrist. Suddenly she saw him-too late! His band was upon her Hps, bis face seemed to start almost from the mirror-then blackness! . . . Lenora opened her eyeB. She was still in the easy-chair before the fire. "Mr. Quest!" she faltered. He looked up from some letters .which he had been studying, fl "I am so sorry," he said politely. "I Veally had forgotten that you were here. But you know-that you hu ve been to sleep?" "Can I go now?" sho asked. "Certainly," QueBt replied. "To tell you the truth, 1 find that I shall not need to ask you those questions, after all. A messenger from the police Btu: 4 "What About the young Wor tion bas been here. He says they j have come to the conclusion that a ( very well-known gang of New York criminals are in this thing. We know how to track them down all right." "I may go now, then?" she repeated, with immense relief. Quest escorted the girl downstairs, opened the front door, blew his whis tle and his car pulled up at the door. "Take this young lady," he ordered, "wherever she wishes. Good-night!" The girl drove of?. Quest watched the car disappear around the corner. Then he turned slowly and made prep arations for hia adventure. . . . "Number 700, New York," he mut tered, half an hour Utter, as he left his house.< "Beyond Fourteenth street -a tough neighborhood." He hesitated for a moment, feeling thc articles In bia overcoat pocket-a revolver in one, a small piece of bard substance in the other* Then he stepped into his car, which had just returned. "Where did yon leave the young lady?" be asked the chauffeur. "In Broadway, slr. 8he left me and boarded a cross-town car." Quest nodded approvingly. "No fla es se," he sighed. CHAPTER V. Sanford Quest was naturally a per son unaffected ny presentiments or nervous 'fears of any sort, yet, having advanced a couple of yards along the hallway of the house which .he had just entered without difficulty, be carno to a standstill, oppressed with the sense of Impending dango;-. "Anyone here?" be asked, raising his voice. There was no direct response, yet from somewhere npntalra he heard the hair-smothered cry of a woman. He gripped his revolver tn his fingers. He took a quick step forward. The floor gave way beneath him. He was fall ing into blackness. . . The fall Itself wax scarcely a dosen feet He picked himself up, bis shoul der bruised, his head swimming a lit* tie. Suddenly a gleam ot light shone down. A trap-door above bl? head woo slid a few inches back. The flare ot an electric torch Bhone upon hla face, a man's vole?- addressed him. "Not the great Sanford Quest ? This (?..-. 'v cannot Le the greatest detec tive iu the world walking so easily in to the cpider's web!'' "Any chance of getting out?" Quest aaked laconically. "None!" WBB the bitter reply. "You've done enough mischief. You're there to rot!" "Why this animus against'me, my. friend Macdougal?" Quest demanded. "You and 1 have never come up aguinst one another before. 1 didn't like the lif*? you led In New York ten yearB ago. or your friends, but you've ; Buffered nothing through nw." if 1 let you go." once more came the man ? voice, "1 know very well in what chair I shall be sitting before a month hus passed. 1 am James Mac dougal, Mr. Sanford Quest, and I have gol the Ashleigh diamonds, and I have j settled an old grudge, if not of my own, o? one greater than you. That's all. A pleasant night to you!" . The door went down with a bans. "A perfect oubliette," he remarked to himself, as he held a match over his head n moment or two later, "built for.the purpose. It must be thc houBo we failed to find which Sill Taylor used to keep before he was shot. Smooth brick wally, smooth brick floor, only exit twelve feet above one's head. Human means, apparently, are useless. Science, you have been my mistress all my days. You must save my life now or lose an earnest disciple." Quest felt in his overcoat pocket and drew out the small, hard pellet. He gripped it lu his lingers, stood as nearly as possible underneath the spot from which he had been project ed, coolly swung his arm back, nod flung the black pebble against the sliding door. The explosion which fol lowed shook the very ground under his feet. For minutes afterwards everything around him seemed to rock. Then 8anford Quest emerged, dusty but unhurt, and touched a con st?hle on his arm. "Arrest me." he ordered. "I am Ran? ? ford Quest. I must bo taken at once to headquarters." They found a cab without much dif ficulty. lt was five o'clock when they reached thc central police station. Inspector French happened to be just nan?" the Inspector Asked. going off duty. He recognized Quest with a little exclamation. "Got your man to bring me here," Quest explained "so as to get away from the mob." "Say. you've been in trouble!" the Inspector remarked, leading the way into his room. "Bit of an explosion, that's all," Quest replied. "1 shalt be all right when you've lent me a clothesbrush." "The Ashleigh diamonds, eh?" the Inspector asked eagerly. "I shall have them at nine o'clock this morning," Sanford Quest prom ised, "and band you over. the mur derer somewhere around midnight." * . ' ' . . .'? ? Quest slept "for a couple of hours, had a bath and made a leisurely toilet. At a quarter to nine he set down to breakfast in his rooms. "At nine o'clock." he told his serv ant, "a young lady will call. Bring her up." The door was suddenly oponed. Le nora walked In. Quest glanced In iur prise at the clock. "My fault!" he exclaimed. "We are slow. Good-morning, Miss Lenora!" Sbo came straight to the table. She laid a little packet apo? the table. Quest opened it coolly. The Ashleigh diamonds flashed up at him. He Jed Lenora to a chair and rang a bell. "Prepare a bedroom upstairs," be ordered. "Ask Miss Roche to coins here. ... Laura." he added, ns his secretary entered/ *wfll yon look after this young lady?" Ai few . minutes later 'Inspector French was announced. Quest nodded lb a friendly manner. "Some coffee. Inspector?" "I'd rather have those diamonds! Quest threw them lightly across tho table. The Inspector whistled. "And now, French, will you be here, please, at midnight, with three men, armed?" "Here?" tho Inspector repeated. Quest nodded. "Our friend." he said, "1B going to be mad enough to walk luto bell, even, when be tiudH out wlial be thinks ha? happened." "lt wasn't any of Jimmy's lot?" Sanford Quest shook his head. "French," he said, "keep mum, but lt was the elderly family retainer, Mac dougul. 1 felt restless about him. Me has lost the girl-he was married to hei. by the bye-and the jewels. No fear of his slipping away, I shall "You've Had a Rough Time, Lenora." have him here at the time f told you." "You've a way of your own of dolnp: these things. Mr. Quent," the Inspec tor admitied grudgingly. "Mostly lucky," Quest replied. "Take a cigar, und so long, inspector. They want me to talk to Chicago on an other little piece of business." . . . It was a few minutes before mid night when Quest parted the curtains of a room on the ground tloor of his house in Georgia square nnd looked out into thc snow-white street. Theu he turned around and addressed the figure lying as though asleep upon the sofij. by the fire. "Lenora," he said, "I am going out. Stay here, If you please, until I re turn." He left the room.. . For a few mo ments there was a profound silence. Then a white face waa pf eased against the window. There was. a crash of glass. A mah covered with snow sprang into the apartment. He moved swiftly to the sofa, and something black and ugly swayed in his hand. "So you've deceived me, have you?" be panted. "Handed over the jewels, chucked me, and glvon me the double croBs! Anything to say?" Macdougal leaned forward, his white face distorted with passion. The life-preserver bent and quivered be hind him, cut the air with a swish and crashed full upon the head. The man staggered back. The weapon fell from his Angers. For a moment he was paralyzed. There was no blood upon his hand, no cry silence Inhuman, unnatural! He looked again. Then the lights flashed out all around him. There were two f detectives in the doorway, their re volvers covering him-Sanford Quest, with Lenora In the background. In the sudden Illumination Macdougall horror turned almost to hysterical rage. Ho had wasted his fury upon a dummy! "Take him. men," Quest ordered. "I lands up, Macdougal. Your number's up," The handcuffs were upon him be- j fore he could move. "What about the young woman?" the Inspector asked. Lenora st. - id In an attitude of de s pair, her head downcast. She bad turned a little away from Macdougal. Her hands were outstretched. It was as though sho were expecting the handcuffs. "You can let her alone," Sanford Quest said quietly. "A wife cannot give evidence against her husband, and besides, I need her. She ls going to work for me." Macdougal was already at the door, between the two detectives. Ma swung arouud. His voice wstn, almost clear-calm with concentration of hatred. "You are a wonderful man, Mr. Sanford Quest," ho said. "Make the most <:* your triumph. Your time 1? nearly up, there ts one coming whose W't and cunning, science and skill are all-conquering. He will brush you away, Sanford Quest, like a "*>'. Walt a few weeks." "You Interest me," Quest mur mured. "Tell me some more about this great master?" "I shall tell yon nothing,' Macdoug al replied. ."You will hear nothing, you will know nothing. Suddenly you wftl And yourself opposed. You will struggle-and then the end. It ls cer tain." . They led him away. Only Lenora remained, sobbing. Quest went up to her. "You've had a rough time, Lenora," he said, with ?trange gentleness. "Perhaps tho brighter days ara oom lng." " (TO BB CONTINUED.) . HB^BSBBSBSSBB^BI ? . ?y... Intelligencef NEW SERIES, VOL. 1, NO. ?. W??kly. l?tobU??e* 18?; Dal?* Jan. 18, !'./.<. _'_ ?_._ _ ANDERSON, S. C., MORNING, MA\32, 1914. PRICE $1.50 THE YEAR,