“NOT SO DUMB.”

Waipa Post, Volume 41, Issue 3185, 7 August 1930, Page 6

“NOT SO DUMB.”

§ ADAPTED FROM THE PLAY "DULCY." .. : :■;.}'; K FOR AN ALL-TALKING MOTION ;, % , . PICTURE. ,_ _.. . ' CROOK IN THE ■'*-,V >.;--.,.;-house. # v % 5-■ -«What -? ." said Gordon, in a tone '- "' 6f : abject despair.' - - "- t* We'll" -play Baffle," Dulcy stated with" bes would love'it: you, Mr Forbes ?"• ' " - Mr Forbes did not look as.though he would love anyone or anything at that moment.. Only'Angela, and- Vincent looked interested, while Van Dyke . . air of amused tolerance. - is a Baffle, Miss Parker ? -■■■ : asked, breaking an awkward - Gordon sought to restrain her. He knew it would be better just to let the matter drop. Forbes stared at her defiantly as if he dared her, he just dared hereto go on and suggest / anything else after all he had been through.-.- ~ . ... ~ ".■■- But Dulcy,was aglow with enthu- ?■ her mistakes in the , past,,--she knew she was on the right llptrack' : Forbes had such an •' * analytical mind, h&rwould .just love r Baffle. "And - - the way; and leave ■ th© road- clear for k Vinceht; : i»;eiope. • _ \r?t """Wc-iy. Dulcy began,, with the air |£\'of a malfcian; "ybu*]Slay Baffle like ■fe-this" And, undeterred by Forbes Kktboy silence and Gordon's frantic BP™«is:'fpr;her to stop, she went right "'- ' -"'' YoiHiide something valuable, and | mmM '$- given a clue, and they >■ - rr-the clue where the object v" % hidden. They are allowed only five ';. --pr maybe ten : minutes would be betsmile '■' Jof undeistanding at Aiigela, who was •p in nervous : --. anticipation;'! /-'- =-...:; '-."" \ < «it's*,-very simple and lots of fun. '■- -Though- she addressed her last remark i- directly to Forbes, grunted : and slumped lower, in-his chair; " Let's see," Dulcy went on, com-pletely-ignoring his-definite antagonism; " we ijnust Have something very valuable." .-~ '- - As she glanced 1 at;Angela, who was . : nervouslyg^fihgering-her pearls, she ■i was seised "with an inspiration. " I've ; it. Just theVthihg:" ; With a business-like air she reached for the clasp On Angela's neck, while -Forbes; unable to believe his eyes, .looked oh in astonishment. ■ -"But, Dulcy," Gordon objected in a T. tone of utter horror, " they're valuable." /- ";'-- . "That's just the point, silly." She dismissed -him. with a wave of her hand.V'lt'is much, more fun if you hide Something really valuable. Nobody would really try to find anything that" was hidden if they didn't want " itback. Now, then-?". ">"' : : Dulcy "stood facing the others while "\§he ; wiggled' her fingers . behind her -;~b\ck;ih triumphant signal to Angela. she'explained: ■"" "-"■ On the evening of last Wednesday Mrs Godfrey' was robbed of her ■ x - pearls. -Asuspect has been caught, - but herefuses to talk. So it is up to ' the detectives to find the missing jewels. Now I'lffix everything while you sit -here and concentrate/' r' As she hurried out of the room, Gordon got up to go with her. " Dulcy," he pleaded. '■".' "Go back," she ordered as she patted him on the back. "Of course I love you, Gordie, but you mustn't spoil the game by following me." So it was just a game to Dulcy. She didn't realise that the whole week-end had turned into a ghastly nightmare. His business with Forbes ruined; his nerves shattered; and here she was setting .out to play an idiotic game with a necklace of real pearls when she had an ex-convict butler in the house ! Not a word was spoken after Dulcy *. left the room. All the guests seemed to be in a state of complete collapse; except Angela and Vincent, who stole fervent glances at each other when Forbes wasn't looking. Dulcy rushed up to her room, and into the closet, just as Perkins came into the hall with one of her coats on his arm. He waited a moment for her to come out, uncertain about what a butler should do under the circumstances. Dulcy had found just the place to hide the pearls. There was an open hat-box on the floor, full of just such bdds and ends as Dulcy was always collecting with an idea of making something from them. She dropped the pearls in the box, pulled off some of the feathers from a dress, and, leaving one conspicuously beside the box, skipped out merrily. At the door she paused to place another feather on the floor; then, seejjog the eompletely-bewildered Perkins, she whispered: * I want it there; don't tall anybody." By the time she was half way downstairs he was in her room hanging up her coat. He walked to the door, and glancing down, saw that she had disappeared. Puzzled, he started to pick up the feather; then, shaking his head, he muttered to himself: "No; she said to leave it there." Further down the stairs he saw that she had dropped another feather. These were strange goings-on. Suddenly he came to a decision. He went to the closet, and in a moment he had located the pearls and pocketed them. Whistling jauntily, he hurried to the back stairs and started down. CHAPTER XIII.—THE GET-AWAY. Dulcy fairly danced with glee as she approached the living room, and paused at the threshold to drop one last clue on the floor. , Anyone else would have been crushed by the appearance of the stolid, solemn faces before her, but not -Uulcy. Reminding herself, "Laugh, and the world laughs with you," she beamed at the gloomy circle as she stepped into the room. "Now," she called out, cheerily, is everybody ready ? "

'.'Here you have all the evidence in the great pearl robbery." She went across the room and dangled a wisp of "feather before Mr Forbes. " This was found on the suspect, and it is the duly clue. Now let's see what good detectives you are."

Forbes only stared at her blankly. " Oh, come, now, Mr Forbes. I just know that you're a regular Sherlock Holmes. You can play first. And after you've looked for a long time if you don't find them—oh, but I know you will! " Forbes would rather have done anything at that moment —or at any moment—than to join in any game suggested by Dulcy. He loathed games, and he loathed this chattering sprite who was always thinking of something to-make a guest miserable. But Angela's pearls were at stake. He must find them at once and see that they were in safe keeping. He would not let her wear them again until she had sense enough to hang on to them. Any way, he decided philosophically, as he shambled out into the hall, he would at least escape from Dulcy's continual conversation for a while. In the living room there was merry confusion, led by'Dulcy, who seemed to be all over the place at once. " Wasn't I clever the way I got rid of him ? " Dulcy asked, excitedly, hurrying after Leach as he went for the bags. Skipping back, she helped Angela into her coat; upside down at first, then wrong side out, but finally all right in spite of her fluttering fingers. Marshalling Bill toward the hall door and cautioning everyone loudly to be quiet, she was nervously giving him a few last directions, when Mrs Forbes' voice stopped them. "Oh, Angela, come back. I—I—I can't let you go like this. Your father—he will be furiious. He is furious."

" Mother, you're delaying us," Angela told her, coldly; but Dulcy went to Mrs Forbes, wheedling and cajoling her. She just couldn't let anything interfere with this romance that had blossomed under her very roof. " Go out to the garage with them," she urged. " You can get back before he comes down. He'll never know that you knew about it. I'll explain it to him. I'll tell him something." "You can be sure of that," Bill said.

"Shut up, Willie," Dulcy ordered, " and hurry." (She stood at the door a moment watching them hurry out. Vincent's mincing gait somewhat chastened by the heavy bags he was carrying; Angela light-heartedly skipping along; and Bill walking ahead like a bandmaster.

Forbes noticed that there was a sudden cessation of voices, but the peace of the upstairs hall was such a relief that he couldn't just deliberately forsake it. At first he had started out with the definite idea of finding Angela's pearls. Once he was assured of their safety he would go to his room and pack his bags preparatory to leaving. But the quiet hall was a haven of refuge. Just for a moment he would sit there and enjoy the silence.|

All at once he realised that he was intolerably weary. What a day he had been through ! He wondered why he had come, why he had let Angela and Mrs Forbes bully him into accepting' an invitation for a week-end visit.

As he thought of the events of the day he grew hot under the collar. That woman ! What wouldn't she think of in a whole week-end considering the start she had made in this one day. He slapped at a tickling fly on his hand and brushed something soft — the feather clue. Suddenly he was reminded that he was up there to find Angela's pearls. More of that woman's crazy ideas of entertainment! He fairly spluttered with rage as he looked along the floor. What on earth did she mean giving him this silly feather ? He'd find Angela's pearls all right, but just let anyone try to suggest games in his presence again ! "Oh, Mr Forbes!" Dulcy's gay, musical voice made him grit his teeth in anguish. " Haven't you found them yet ? I don't believe you're trying. We won't help you the least.little bit, and we'll give you only a few minutes more."

What was the use of hunting ? He could enjoy the peace and quiet up there for a few minutes more, and then demand that Dulcy come and produce the pearls. He hurled the feather to the floor and stamped on it viciously. The more he thought about the affair the madder he grew. He started pacing up and down, stamping as he wheeled about, making as much noise as a whole army on the march. "That's right, Mr Forbes," Dulcy called to him. "If at first you don't succeed—try, try again." Abruptly he stopped his pacing. Let her tell him what to do !

"Oh, Mr Forbes," Dulcy's voice called, cheerily, "you've had more time than you deserve. Are you getting warm ? "

" Hot! "he answered, explosively. As Dulcy hurried up the stairs toward him, he groaned. As well he might.

CHAPTER XIV.—A SHOCK FOR DULCY. " Oh, Ma: Forbos," she cried out, in disappointment. "You haven't been looking. And you are so close, too. The clues are all around you." Forbes looked round malevolently, as if he expected to see a pack of hungry dogs snapping at him. " Didn't you notice the feather down here on the floor ?' And match it with the feather I gave you for a clue. Why, when I put these clues down I said to myself, ' This is much too simple for a smart man like Mr Forbes. He'll go direct to the hidden treasure and the game will be over in a minute.' J never dreamed that you would be really baffled by our little game." Forbes was growing restive. He shuffled his feet anxiously, and waited for a chance to interrupt. " We've played Baffle lots of times with much harder clues than this, and the stupidest people have followed them without any trouble. I'm sur-

prised at you." But Forbes could stand no more. " Are you going to stand there talking all night? Or are you going to show me where my daughter's pearls are ? " he shouted, angrily. " Why, Mr Forbes ! " For a moment Dulcy was crushed, but her high spirits soon rose again. "I was sort of holding up the game, wasn't I ? " she asked, brightly. " Now, look here —" As she walked along the hall she picked up one feather and displayed it to him triumphantly; then another, and on the threshold of her room another. , , " See how simple it is ?" she asked, but a surly grunt was her only answer.

"I'm afraid you are a very poor detective, Mr Forbes." Now that they were in her room he vainly hoped that she was going to produce the pearls and let him go. But Dulcy couldn't let the moment pass without a few observations. " I always say that you never know how hard the other man's job is until you try it. Now, if we had hidden anything but jewellery, I wouldn't have expected you to be terribly anxious; but when it was your daughter's pearls I thought you would really take an interest in finding them. Don't you ever have any stock disappear in your business ? " she asked him, earnestly, leaning comfortably back against the door and settling down for a good long talk. "No ! " he bellowed. " Where are—"

But he could get no further. " I think that is marvellous," Dulcy cooed. " With all the things and people you have around, too. I always say that I would lose my head if it wasn't fastened on."

" Where are Angela's pearls ? " the irritated man demanded, too annoyed to say more. " Oh, right here ! " Dulcy told him brightly, as though that were the first time the subject had come up. " You see, here is the dress trimmed with ostrich feathers just like the clues, and here is a box right under it. " Now you will see what a good detective I am. By power of deduction and process of illumination I know the necklace is in that box. See ? "

Forbes pushed her aside roughly, and, burrowing through the accumulation of ribbons and lace, brought up an old bedroom slipper. "Look inside," Dulcy counselled. He did, thoroughly, announcing in an ominous tone, " The pearls are not there ! "

" Oh, but they must be ! " she insisted.

Consternation reigned while Dulcy flung the contents of the box on the floor and fished through every article. The pearls were not to be found. Forbes was stamping about in a rage. Her idea of a joke, most likely-' " Oh, I remember now." Dulcy spoke slowly, earnestly, as though a great light had just dawned on her.

" I saw the butler come up here just as I was going out. I told him not to dare to pick up the clues—" " Yes —yes ? " Forbes urged her on impatiently. " And, oh ! I trusted him. But it is just as clear as day. You see, he is an ex-convict. I got the judge to parole him because I always say that as long as we trust a man he will be worthy of—" " You mean to tell me"—Forbes fairly shot the words at her—"that you have an ex-convict in the house, and you play a silly game with my daughter's pearls! That you even saw him coming up here, and you cleared the way for him ? " Dulcy was gloating over her powers of deduction.

" Yes, I am sure lam right. It is no use looking any further for them," she assured him. " It's just as plain as day." The snort of an engine starting outside startled them, and Forbes ran to the window, followed closely by Dulcy. In the darkness they could just make out a Ford starting out of the garage. There went Perkins, and the pearls no doubt were with him. ' He's gone ! " Forbes gasped, incoherently. Dulcy was right at his heels as he fled for the stairs. " And he told me he had reformed! " she cried.

" I don't care what he told, you ! " Forbes shouted, as he fairly tumbled down the stairs. "All I care about is catching him. I'm going to chase him in my car."

Dulcy leaned weakly against the balustrade, furrowing her pretty brow. Suddenly she realised that there was another surprise in store for Forbes. Not only were the pearls gone, but by this time his car was gone, too. And his daughter ! She wondered how he would feel when he found out. (To be continued.)