BILLY MAKES A CALL
Josie told not a soul of her experience on her first night spent in
the Higgledy-Piggledy Shop. She felt as though perhaps she should have
taken Chief Lonsdale into her confidence, but on the other hand was so
afraid a mere man might bungle the thing. Besides she felt a pardonable
pride in the possibility of being the one to solve a mystery that had
been puzzling the wise heads of the secret service for some time.
Thefts were constantly being reported from wealthy persons, high in
the social world, from every city in the union. All kinds of household
goods would disappear most mysteriously, pictures, bric-a-brac, rugs,
books; sometimes even furniture heavy enough to take two strong men
to move, would be spirited away in a style uncanny to say the least.
Unsuspecting people would lock their apartments and go off for a
pleasant week-end in the country, perhaps leave servants in charge, and
come home to rooms bereft of all valuables. The thieves always showed
excellent taste and never stole anything but the best. Similar losses
were reported from East and West, North and South.
Of course our little detective had many misgivings on the subject of
the intimacy between her dear Mary Louise and the Markles, which seemed
to be growing closer and warmer as the days went on.
“I am as sure as sure can be of their perfidy. I certainly did not go
to sleep under the bed and dream that they came in and did and said
what they did, but I must bide my time or they will get off without my
proving anything of importance on them,” she would say to herself when
she saw Hortense with her arm around Mary Louise, making a great show
of affection.
Hortense Markle knew very well how to make herself both agreeable and
useful. She would spend hours playing chess with Colonel Hathaway
or she would go to the greatest trouble to match some bit of lace
for Mary Louise. She spent much of her time engaged in matchless
needlework for the prospective bride. She was so pleasant, so agreeable
and so very pretty that one could not help liking her. Most of Mary
Louise’s friends found her quite as charming as Mary Louise did. Irene
MacFarlane was the only one who did not succumb to her fascination.
Poor Irene! She had many a struggle with herself on the subject of
Hortense Markle. She felt that her dislike was unreasonable and
endeavored in every way to hide it, but she was of such a truthful
nature that it was impossible for her to dissemble. In the meantime
preparations for the wedding were under way and all of the group of
girls chosen to be bridesmaids were busy over their frocks. Irene was
willing to assist in any way, but Mrs. Markle was the one whose help
was oftener asked.
“It is not that I am jealous,” Irene would say to herself. “It can’t
be that. I have never been jealous in my life. I have an instinct of
distrust that I can’t overcome. Her husband affects me the same way.
What am I that I should set myself up as a person whose instinct is of
any value? They must be all that they seem or so many persons would not
be attracted by them.”
She rather hoped Josie O’Gorman would feel like discussing the matter
with her after their little talk concerning Hortense Markle on the day
the Higgledy-Piggledy Shop had its house warming, but the astute Josie
did not mention it again and Irene felt that she must not be the one to
approach the subject.
The Higgledy-Piggledy Shop was getting on its feet in great shape.
It was a novelty in Dorfield and found its customers because of its
unusualness at first and then those customers returned because of the
efficiency of the young shopkeepers.
Elizabeth Wright was kept quite busy hunting up facts for students
on many and various subjects. She had typing to do and even obituary
notices to write and sometimes love letters to compose for bashful
young men and maidens. It was her lot to write club papers on every
subject from Shakespeare to the musical glasses.
Josie had felt it necessary to take Elizabeth into her confidence
concerning her being connected with the secret service, but never
once had she divulged her suspicions of the attractive Markles. The
one little talk she had had with Irene was the only time she had let
herself go in the least concerning those persons whom she hoped to
catch up with in some of their supposed villainies. Elizabeth was as
enthusiastic about the beautiful Hortense as were all of the young
people of her set, in spite of the fact that her sisters and mother
declared the young married woman had an inclination to monopolize the
eligible young men of their acquaintance. Billy McGraw certainly was
very attentive to her, although his liking for Elizabeth was growing
day by day.
“She’s such a good fellow,” he would say to himself, never thinking
of her as anything but a pal, however, while he spent many a wakeful
night tormented by the thought of Hortense Markle, for whom he had
a chivalrous pity because of being married to such an unsympathetic
middle-aged man. Many were the calls he made at the Markles’ charming
apartment, when Mr. Markle would make himself obligingly scarce and
leave the young man to delightful tête-a-têtes with his charming young
wife.
“You promised to let me see the orchid pin when I came to see you,” he
remarked on his first call, which was on the very next evening after
the luncheon at the Higgledy-Piggledy.
“Why, of course,” she responded readily. “But I am so sorry it is not
here. The catch was a little weak and Felix took it yesterday afternoon
to the jewelers to have it strengthened. I would not lose it for worlds
with all of its tender associations. I know you think I am sentimental.”
“Not at all! That is just the way Vi Thomas felt about hers, the one
that was a counterpart of yours. By the way, I heard from Jerald Thomas
only yesterday afternoon. It was something of a coincidence that we
should have been talking about him at luncheon. I have not heard from
him for ages. He tells me that he and Vi went off to Atlantic City
several months ago for a breathing spell, leaving their apartment in
charge of a trusted butler. They had wonderful furnishings, rugs,
etchings and so forth. When they came back their place was cleared of
everything in the least valuable. The butler had gone out to dinner
with some friend he had picked up and had been drugged and not able to
get back to his place, and while he was sleeping off his drunk, thieves
had simply lifted the whole blooming business. Vi’s jewels had been
taken from the safe too. I don’t know whether they got her orchid pin
or not.”
“How terrible!” cried Hortense. “I can’t think of a greater calamity
than losing my precious household goods, things that Felix and I have
so carefully selected and for which we’ve denied ourselves so much.”
“You have some fine etchings too, have you not? I don’t know much about
etchings, but I like them a lot.”
“Yes, but don’t look at them now. Felix adores showing them to people
and he knows all about them. The next time you come he will take great
pleasure in showing them to you. Just talk to me now.”
“Sure!” said Billy quite flattered that such a beautiful lady cared
to talk to him. “Jerry and Vi Thomas were quite keen on etchings too.
They had some rare signed proof ones, and Jerry was very particular
about the frames too. He had some wonderful ebony frames made that were
almost as valuable as the etchings.”
“How lovely they must have been,” said Hortense. “Let’s go out on the
balcony. It seems warm in here to me.”
“Why not come for a spin in my car? It’s parked around the corner.”
“All right! You go and get it and I’ll be down directly.”
She ushered her caller out and ran back to a small den in the rear of
the apartment where her husband was busily engaged trying to find the
key to Detective O’Gorman’s cryptic code.
“I’m going out for a ride with Mr. McGraw. While I am gone, for
goodness’ sake take down from the walls those signed Rembrandts and
Whistlers, the ones in the ebony frames, and put something else in
their places. This callow youth, Billy McGraw, is a great friend of the
Thomases and has a liking for etchings.”
“Good girl! You didn’t let him see them!”
“Not I! I had to make him look at me instead.”
He pinched her cheek affectionately and looked at her with admiration
shining in his eyes.
“Please get the mark off the orchid pin soon, dear, as I need it sorely
for my new dress.”
“I’ll do it this afternoon,” he promised. “I guess this code can keep.
It is deucedly hard. I may have to get you to help me. You are a
clever pet and can jump at a conclusion it takes a clumsy man days to
reach.”
Hortense smiled happily. “There is one thing I don’t like about this
business, Felix.”
“And what is that?”
“I don’t like this thing of having to pretend to these foolish youths
that you are a stern middle-aged person who is not in the least en
rapport with me. You are so much more wonderful than any man I ever see
anywhere.”
“Well, pet, we trust each other--eh?” and he looked searchingly in her
eyes.
“Oh, Felix, what a question!” and she kissed him lightly on his smooth,
iron-grey hair and ran off for her ride with Billy McGraw.