he trick within three days, or you can boil my head for a corned-beef
dinner."

"Well, good luck to you, Brownson," said Indiman, absently. There was a
cab-rank here in Chatham Square, and we drove up-town to the Utinam
Club for a late luncheon. While we were waiting for our filet to be
prepared Indiman wrote a brief note and had it despatched by messenger;
it was addressed, as he showed me, to Madame L. Hernandez,--Division
Street. "I'm not going to have that booby upset the apple-cart for a
second time," he said, savagely. "Now we shall have to wait for at
least three days."

This was on Monday; on Friday we presented ourselves again to Madame L.
Hernandez. She received us politely, almost graciously; she sat in the
great chair behind the counter, engaged in the truly feminine
occupation of putting up her hair in curl-papers. A pad of stiff, white
writing-paper lay on the counter before her, and from it she tore the
strips as she needed them.

"I am tired of these bandeaux," she explained, smilingly. "My friends
tell me that curls will become me infinitely better."

"Your friends have reason," acquiesced Indiman; "but tell me, madame,
did you receive my note?"

"I did, senor, and I return you a thousand thanks. Ah, how these pigs
of detectives have tortured me!--you would never believe it. Twice my
apartments, at the back there, have been entered and ransacked from end
to end; I even suffered the indignity of being personally searched by a
dreadful newspaper woman who had answered my advertisement for
'Improvers Wanted.' Chloroformed in broad daylight in my own house!"

"But they didn't get the letter?"

"I was not born yesterday, senor."

"Good!" said Indiman, heartily. "What imbeciles policemen can be!"

"What, indeed! Behold, senor, I show you the ruin wrought by these
swine. This way."

L. Hernandez rose, waddled stiffly to the back room, and threw open the
door. "There!" she exclaimed, dramatically.

Evidently these were the lady's living apartments--a bed-chamber and a
smaller room at the left, in which were a gas-range and some smaller
culinary apparatus. It was plain that the intruders had made thorough
work in their search. The carpet had been removed and the flooring
partially torn up; the walls had been sounded for secret receptacles,
the pictures stripped of their backing, and the chairs and bedstead
pulled half to pieces. "Not a square inch of anything have they left
unprobed by their accurs