The Chase of the Golden Plate

and Hatch was positively finicky on the point. That's why his City Editor believed in him. If Hatch had come in and told his City Editor that he had seen a blue elephant with pink

ence in his profession. As a matter of fact, on several occasions he had demonstrated that it was really

was beginning to believe, strangely enough, that perhaps the police were right in their theory as to the identity of the Burglar and the Girl-that is,

e at Police Headquarters laboriously extracting from the Supreme Intelligence the precise things he had not found out about

l, what the deuce is it then?... SPELL IT!... M-e-r-e-d-i-t-h. Why didn't you say that at first?... How long has she been gone?... Huh?

nd was jotting down what Hatch imagined to

alking?" asked

nswer, he whistled his astonishment, after which he glanced arou

to make it public. It isn't necessary at all. I understand. I'll order a

carelessly as the detect

t to anything,

ous," remarked th

Intelligence sharply. He never did like Hatch, anyway. "It's one of those thin

issing! A red-headed girl missing! A red-headed girl missing since Thursday! Thursday was the night of the Randolph masked ball. The missing Girl of the West was red-headed! Mallory had seemed astonished when he learned the name

Suddenly he rushed off to a telephone and called up Stuyvesant Ran

give me the address of

see. I think she is stopping with the M

rked, by thunder!" he exclaimed to hi

sked ball Thursday e

he was i

't see he

ho is

, too, the quality of enthusiasm. It was no part of his purpose to tell anybody anything. Mallory didn't know, he was confident, anything of the girl

ive ideas-and wasn't in. Hatch handed a card bearing only his name, to a maid, and after a few minutes Mrs. Greyton appeared. She was a motherly, sweet-faced old lady of se

ed diplomatically, "to learn any details you may be abl

k into the matter. It is most mysterious-most mysterious! We can't imagine where Dollie

if it were a

bout Miss Meredith-who she is

ster's husband," she explained precisely. "She lives in Baltimore, but is visiting us. She ha

ittle, and Hatch was more a

man named Herbert-Richard

the reporter exc

g gentleman?" inquire

t we were classmates in H

e a nice

replied Hatch. He could speak with a certain enthu

elded to her father's wishes, she had clandestinely kept up a correspondence with Mr. Herbert. Last Thursday evening she went out unattended and since then we have not heard from her-not a word. We can only surmise-my husband and I-that they h

ask it, because he felt this dear, garrulous old woman would have hat

Miss Meredith attended the Randolph b

ly. "She receives many invitations, but I don't thin

porter

e. No, I am positive she has eloped with Mr. Herbert, but I should like to hear from her to satisfy myself

the hall and glanced toward the door. No one

that Miss Meredith has retu

d it-saying he would be here, probably to-night, and I-I haven't the heart to tell hi

s hand and excused himself. The

w if Miss Meredith went to the mask

, eh?" asked H

hrugged he

it worth?"

-dollar bill which lay there and secret

meet Mr. Herbert. They had arranged to elope from there and she h

wear?" asked

the maid responded. "She wore a sombrero

y swallowed