Page:The Master of Mysteries (1912).djvu/470

 specs and a little mustache and, gee! w'at a neck! De other was built like Jim Jeffries,—stocky an' heavy. Looked like he could punch, all right! Mout' full o' gold teeth, he had. De other chap called him Frank."

"Was there any one in the car when you left?"

"Dey was a ch'uffer dere, all bungled up so I couldn't reckernize him, wit' goggles and one o' dem hairy coats."

"All right. That's worth the ten you wanted, I think." And Astro passed over the bill and started down-stairs.

Mickey leaned over the rail and shouted, "Say, boss, de tall guy had a leather bag!"

Astro nodded and regained his car. "Drive to the nearest big automobile dealer," he ordered.

The car stopped before the Aeromobile warerooms. Astro got out and asked to see the automobile list. In two minutes he had found that the car registered number 11115 was owned by Frank Brigham of number 1212 Charles Street, in Greenwich village, New York. A look at the telephone book showed Brigham's business to be brokerage, and his office to be 1000 Wall Street. Astro reentered the cab and returned to the studio.

Valeska was not in the place. A boy in buttons informed him that she had left a half-hour ago, after having answered the telephone.

A package had come from Lieutenant McGraw. Astro opened it, and took out a burglar's jimmy and a note. It read:

"Be careful; but if you get in bad, let me know. Belg. Rub. Synd. O. K., as far as I can find out. ""