"I rumpled my hair some more and gave him a blue glass stare. "'Sir,' says I, 'are you Cornelius T. Scudder? Of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania?' "'I am,' says he. 'Come out and have a drink.' "'I've neither the time nor the desire,' says I, 'for such harmful and deleterious amusements. I have come from New York,' says I, 'on a matter of busi--on a matter of art. "'I learned there that you are the owner of an Egyptian ivory carving of the time of Rameses II., representing the head of Queen Isis in a lotus flower. There were only two of such carvings made. One has been lost for many years. I recently discovered and purchased the other in a pawn--in an obscure museum in Vienna. I wish to purchase yours. Name your price.' "'Well, the great ice jams, Profess!' says Scudder. 'Have you found the other one? Me sell? No. I don't guess Cornelius Scudder needs to sell anything that he wants to keep. Have you got the carving with you, Profess?' "I shows it to Scudder. He examines it careful all over. "'It's the article,' says he. 'It's a duplicate of mine, every line and curve of it. Tell you what I'll do,' he says. 'I won't sell, but I'll buy. Give you $2,500 for yours.' "'Since you won't sell, I will,' says I. 'Large bills, please. I'm a man of few words. I must return to New York to-night. I lecture to-morrow at the aquarium.' "Scudder sends a check down and the hotel cashes it. He goes off with his piece of antiquity and I hurry back to Andy's hotel, according to arrangement. "Andy is walking up and down the room looking at his watch. "'Well?' he says. "'Twenty-five hundred,' says I. 'Cash.' "'We've got just eleven minutes,' says Andy, 'to catch the B. & O. westbound. Grab your baggage.' "'What's the hurry,' says I. 'It was a square deal. And even if it was only an imitation of the original carving it'll take him some time to find it out. He seemed to be sure it was the genuine article.' "'It was,' says Andy. 'It was his own. When I was looking at his curios yesterday he stepped out of the room for a moment and I pocketed it. Now, will you pick up your suit case and hurry?' "'Then,' says I, 'why was that story about finding another one in the pawn--' "'Oh,' says Andy, 'out of respect for that conscience of yours. Come on.'" THE MAN HIGHER UP Across our two dishes of spaghetti, in a corner of Provenzano's restaurant, Jeff Peters was explaining to me the three kinds of graft.