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Show PATRIA ("MANNING MRS. VERNON CASTLE C,,, J C L,, noxAi.o parr jnunx sii.ls rv ?ttn trp a ifory ana scenario by ADAi!::::::::::::::::::::":::::i5aoTH? 8 jD) M HP 1CD if A LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE And a cast of exceptional merit. I y-- ! 1 3" IS ?eaJ 7iis Sfory AW 7ien Sec " -m"""- - Jl fc- i " ixternatioxal .film service mc. " Lniier the direction of YWiarton. Inc. It All in Motion Pictures. - A ROMANCE OF PREPAREDNESS Coir!&ASSSr'r- INTRODUCTION. Baron Huroki, chief of the Jap-' Jap-' anese secret service in America, conspiring to embroil Ihe United States with Mexico, desires control of the great Charming munitions plants owned by Patria last of "The Fighting Channings" and sole executrix of the $100,000,000 trust secretly created by patriotic progenitors to combat the national perils inherent in "uuprepared-ness. "uuprepared-ness. " His schemes failing through the opposition of Patria and her fiance, Captain Donald Parr, Huroki in revenge causes the destruction by fire of vast stores of munitions in the Charming freight yards near Bayonne a hoiocaust in which Patria Pa-tria and Donald escape annihilation by the narrowest of chances. I EPISODE IX. CAT'S PAW AND SCAPEGOAT. The Conventional Thing. f-T-HAT night had been sultry, a night f heat rendered tho more op-rj op-rj pressive by humidity, a true Manhattan night of August. But the day that followed broke upon the uneasy city in dawnlight so pitilessly clear that at least ono De'ated wayfarer, way-farer, semi-sodden senses of a suiklen stirring to appreciate that the friendly cloak of darkness was no more for him, was seized with a little fit of shivering, as if chilled. His trembling fingers strove to draw together the front, of his coat, a fruitless fruit-less effort. Looking down angrily, he discovered a wine-spattered expause of white gaping .between the edge of his dress coati something, of course, not built to be buttoned. Mumbling pettishly an inane oath, the belated one glanced furtively round to see whether, by mischance, anybody else were abroad to be a witness to his witlessness; then, reassured to find himself him-self the lonely tenant of an empty side street, pulled himself together after a fashion and resumed a desultory course towards his lodgings. This was the figure, in the role of rejected re-jected suitor for the hand of Patiia ('banning, cut by Mr. Rodney Wrenn in his sober senses not inaptly to be termed a gentleman, at present the wretched victim of want of imagination imagina-tion his mentality failing to inveut any means of assuaging the pangs of his discomfiture other than by doing the conventional thing, pursuing the path unhappy lovers followed consistently since tune out of the memory of man. As his misguided feet wove their uncertain un-certain way upon the sidewalk, a motor mo-tor car of the touring type overtook him, rounded the next corner, and disappeared. dis-appeared. Mr. Wrenn was aware of its transit, but was likewise sufficiently aware of his condition to wish not to be seen even by strangers. He held h'vfc averted till the car had passed, he looked up he would have rec-aognized rec-aognized the face of the woman he loved; or thought he loved, but the rec-Nognition rec-Nognition would have been one-sided. f She lay, with eyes closed, as if she syd, in the arms of vJaptaiu Donald Parnier head pillowed on his shoulder, her body enveloped in a coarse; damp blanket, her hair framing in a disorderly disorder-ly tauglo a face whose pallor resembled that of parchment. Captain Parr was scarcely less pale, though his eyes were open wide and his face set in a cast of grave solicitude solici-tude for the woman in his arms solicitude solici-tude that alternated with grimly fixed determination to pay out roundly those who were responsible for her present plight. With him in the touring car were two operatives of Miss Channing 's recently re-cently organized secret intelligence bu-rcnu bu-rcnu Mr. Ryley and a subordinate, both showing the effects of an experience experi-ence scarcely less trying than that which Miss (Jhanniivg and Captain Parr had patently undergone. If any of these identified the man in the street as Mr. Wrenn, he kept it to himself. Alter an indeterminate duration in his befuddled consciousness he found himself unexpectedly at home, the door to his sitting room shutting out the wakening world. He shivered again, bethought him of a eortain decanter whoso contents ought to provide temporary relief for jangled nerves, and in search for it came abruptly upon a framed photograph photo-graph which decorated his study table. Tho face that was pictured "therein was the face of Patria, smiling, exquisite, ex-quisite, provokiugly coquettish. A phase of mock Hohriety possessed tire mind of liodnev Wrenn as lie picked up the photograph and stood siaring hungrily at it. He recalled a day that was scarcely six weeks old, whin Patria, the selfsame self-same girl whose counterfeit presentment present-ment was smiling into his eyes, had seemed to be wholly Ins, pledged to become be-come his bride by an understanding no less complete if tacit. They had been light-hearted lovers on that day; and on mauy a day that had gone before. Then, in a twinkling, Donald Parr had stepped between them. A damnable damna-ble conspiracy of circumstances had brought him into Patria 's life, and from that instant the girl had begun to change in her attitude toward her more bovish lover. It was as if, in the space of a dozen heartbeats, she had distanced Rodney in the race toward maturity; in one bound had arrived at womanhood, leaving him still an unproved un-proved adolescent. In the opinion of Rodney his subsequent sub-sequent sufferings had aged him swiftly swift-ly to full manhood. But he was herein here-in self-deluded; he remained a boy, of man 's stature but of youthful mentality. men-tality. As he was presently to prove. His ftok grew still more morose as he reviewed the events which had followed fol-lowed the coming of Captain Parr. There had been a brief time when Donald had seemed to be high in the favor of the girl. So constantly were the two together that the gossip of Newport had excuseably bruited their engagement. And that was something which Rodney, for all his resentment, had been able to understand. The boyish boy-ish hero-worship which he had always accorded Donald Parr still maintained its sway upon his thoughts. It was quite conceivable that the girl should become perhaps only temporarily infatuated in-fatuated with such a man. But all the time she was changing, her very nature was changing incomprehensibly. incom-prehensibly. Hardly had society settled itself to accept Captain Parr" as the fortunate suitor when, following one of Patria 's business trips to New York, all that was off; Donald was in deep disfavor, and Baron Huroki, that sly, suave Japanese, and his constant associate, asso-ciate, Senor Juan de Lima, the iankv, crude Mexican millionaire, were constantly con-stantly at Patria 's elbows, with Fanny Adair forming a triumvirate of her intimates. in-timates. Coincident had been the banishment of Rodney and his mother, who since Patria 's childhood had stood in loco parentis to the girl, managing her several sev-eral households in town and country, supervising su-pervising her education, chaperoning her social life, in all but fact her mother; something of which this changed Patria made nothing wlrrn she chose to consider con-sider the presence of Mrs. Wrenn a hindrance hin-drance to her freedom. At one stroke, in five minutes, without warning, she had broken the bonds of twentvvears by peremptorily desiring Mrs. ' Wrenn and Rodney to leave, her house now that she was "of age" and "her own mistress! ' ' And now, but a few weeks later weeks unmarked by any token of contrition con-trition from Patria or even of remembrance remem-brance of their existence the papers were publishing formal announcement of her betrothal to Juan de Lima! It was all incredible to Rodnev. Such heartlessness, such inconstancy," passed comprehension. Rage clouded his wits and senses. "Jade!" he muttered sullenly. Heedless of risk to his hands, he shattered shat-tered the glass fn the frame with a blow of his fist, ripped out the photograph photo-graph and tore it across and again. Then, as the fragments fell to the floor, he sank into a chair, dropped his head on a forearm on the table and sobbed gustily. Almost immediately he fell asleep. At precisely tho same time Donald was carrying the semi-conscious girl into the sitting room of his own lodgings, his assistant, Ryley, hovering in attendance, at-tendance, ready 'to 'lend a hand if needed need-ed or permitted. The door was opened bv a half-frantic woman of middle age Patria 's maid who took the girl to her maternal bosom as soon as Parr relinquished her. "O my dearie!" she cried. "Whore have you come in such a state?" " 'Out of the jaws of death, out of the mouth of hell,' " Parr answered for Patria. "If you had obeved orders, Anne, and stayed awake till she was asleep, this would never have happened. She followed me to the Bayonne doi'ks last night; there was a fire caused by those accursed Japs and we were caught in it. How we escaped ask Kyley. I don't know. But don't, stand there staring. Get Miss Channing to bed immediately get her out of those wet clothes and wrap her up warmly. Don't talk! Do as I bid you ! " I The girl had revived sufficiently to walk. As, supported by the maid, she disappeared in the direction of the bed chamber, Parr turned to Ryley. -Non-that the strain was over, his features were blurred with fatigue, as with a mask of grayish vapor. "It's six," he announced, taking out his watch. "Don't sleep till you get hold of a magistrate and swear out warrants war-rants for the arrest of Huroki and de Lima on charges of criminal conspiracy conspira-cy and causing the Bayonne explosions. Bring the warrants here to me at 1 o'clock. I'll execute them personally." "At what time?" "One o'clock I must get a little sleep. ' ' "To your hotel!" "No here. I'll call here about 12:30, to take Miss Channing to break-fast. break-fast. If we're not in, Anne will tell you where to find us." "Very good, Captain Parr. " The door closed behind Ryley. Too Ultra tu liiiiii, uutuuai.iuuD u v. fact that he still held his watch between be-tween thumb and forefinger, Donald dropped into a chair to await Anne's return. Naturally, it was impossible for him to leave before he received first-hand assurance that Patria was resting comfortably. His head touched its deeply-upholstered back. His eyes closed. He was instantly asleep. It was high noon when he awoke. Profoundly fatigued as he had been, a constitution inured to all manner of hardship and fatigue had profited tremendously tre-mendously by those scanty hours of repose. re-pose. If his muscles ached a trifle from resting in an unaccustomed pose, his head was clear and all his faculties alert almost with his first blink. He started to his feet with an exclamation ex-clamation of dismay; by the watch that remained in his grasp the hour was twelve. "The deuce!" he grumbled anxiously- It was too bad; to have turned himself him-self out of his lodgings to provide Patria Pa-tria with a safe hiding place from Huroki, Hu-roki, to have moved ostentatiously to a hotel in order to forestall evil-minded gossip if it ever should by mischance transpire that the girl had used his rooms, and then to have this happen! Nothing, not even the utmost liberality in the matter of tipping, would avail to stop the tongues of the hall attendants attend-ants from clacking! And it couldn't be remediod. "Why didn't you awake me?" he demanded angrily of Anne when that one appeared from the direction of the bedchamber. "You were so tired, poor dear!" she told him, with a beaming affection that disarmed his temper. "I just, couldn't bear to disturb you, after all you 'd been through." "Well," he grumbled un-eomfortablv. un-eomfortablv. How is Miss Channing?" "Still asleep the lamb!" "I'll run over to the hotel Or, wait a minute." A hapchance glance at himself in a pierglass had shown him a figure clothed in garments shockingly the worse for close contact with fire and prolonged immersion in salt water. He was in no shape to be seen in the streets. "You'll find a change of clothes for me in that hall closet," he said. "Please fetch it instantly. I want to clear out of this with the least possible possi-ble delay." The woman bustled off, brought back all he desired, made herself scarce. He effected the change with all possible expedition, but was still in his shirtsleeves, shirt-sleeves, knotting his tie, when a knock sounded on the hall door. Donald hesitated only an instant before be-fore opening the door. This would undoubtedly un-doubtedly prove to be Ryley, a bit ahead of time. And Rvley was both intelligent and trustworthy. But it was Rodney Wrenn who stepped in over the threshold. lor a moment embarrassment blinded Donald to Rodney 's condition. But as foon as the latter spoke it was unmistakably unmis-takably mauifest. "Look here, Don; . I'm sorrv to trouble trou-ble yon, but . . . Well, "it's this way, mother's all broken up about this row with Patria and . . . Andso'm I. It's driving me mad. I've alwavs been foolish about her and and all that and it seemed prettv tough to be cut out even by you. But you were at least white. And now the papers say she's going to marry that damn ' greaser '! " The boy paused. Donald regarded him uneasily. There was no questioning question-ing the evidences of his furred enunciation, enuncia-tion, his abnormally flushed face and unsteady eyes; he had been drinking, and drinking heavily. A dangerous caller, call-er, one to be got rid of with all possible possi-ble haste. "Well?" Donald suggested coldly. "Well ... J just wanted to a?k you for Patria 's address. She was at the Ritz, but she's left and ... I thought, you might know where 1 could find her." "I'm sorry T can't help you out." There was a little pause. "Rodney's gaze wandered past Donald and became fixed. His face even more deeply congested. con-gested. "You liar!" he said thicklv. With a groan of dismay, Donald rounded on his heel, to see. poised lightly light-ly on the threshold of the adjoining bed chamber, Patria a charming vision of innocent loveliness iu the negligee which she had donned over her lii'eht dress when roused by the sound "of voices in the sitting room, but a vision of disastrous omen v. Donald's sight. "So this !" Rodnev began ""furiously. ""furi-ously. It he failed to complete what he would have said, it was thanks only to the hand with which Donald forcibly sealed his lips. "Be quiet, you young idiot!" With an oath, the bov broke awav ainied an uncertain blow'at Donald arid ran from the apartment. Without daring to look in the direction direc-tion of the girl, Donald snatched up his font and. shrugging into it, pursued. Overtaking the younger man on the steps outside the front door of the bunding. Donald caneht his arm and hold it against his strnegles. "Rodney!" he pleaded. "Listen to me. He reasonable. You 're wrong al' wrong! I can easily explain " "l.iar!" The epithet .-ounded simultaneously with the impact of a gloved hand on Donald's lips. Instinctively this last released Rodney, who promptly took to his heels and pelted up the street. Remembering that he was hatless and wore an unknotted cravat, Donald reluctantly relinquished further pursuit for the time being. "I'll find him at his rooms," he reflected re-flected moodily as he turned back into the house. "I'll make him listen. It oughtn't to be difficult; Rod's sensible sensi-ble enough sober! " "The Plant." It was nearer 2 o 'clued-; than 1 when Mr. Ryley found Donald "and Patria breakfasting in the name of luncheon in the grill room of a quiet hotel. "I'm sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I'd have been on the dot onlv for Mr. Huroki. Looks as if he's got' wind of these warrants already, somehow or else he suspects it's high time we were taking some drastic action in his case."" "How so?" asked Donald. "He's been flying around pretty lively all morning. ever since 9 o'clock calling on the Japanese consul, visiting vis-iting his bank and a couple of lawvers' offices, and things like that. We h'ad a man after him all the time, of course. Here's his report." The detective offered Donald a leaf from a socket note-book blackened with memoranda in a minute hand; the majority ma-jority of which were a simple, concise record of an active man's busy morning, morn-ing, all going to indicate hurried preparations prep-arations toward a change of address. The final item alone excited uueommon interest on the part of Donald. "Stopped at Walton," he read to himself "lunched in grill with woman he picked up in lobby, llcadwaiter says woman is Iris Mavne, common to the town. (Qy.: Is this the Badger Queen?) Joined at lunch by boy with hang-over whom Mayne called" from the other side of the room. Couldn't find anybody who knew boy. Mayne and boy hurried away before Huroki finished. H. then returned to residence. resi-dence. ' ' "Is he still there?" Donald inquired, in-quired, returning the memoranda. "That's all I was waiting for to get him bottled up. We've "got cops and plain-cdothes at both ends of the block in addition to our own men. He won't get awav from us this time." "And de Lima?" "At last accounts, still abed in his hotel. If Huroki 's planning an evasion, eva-sion, he evidently means to leave de Lima to shift for himself . . Here are the warrants," Ryley pursued, pur-sued, delivering tho papers, " "and here's a note that came tor you just as I stopped at the house to ask' Anne where to find you. Thought perhaps I'd better bring it along." "Thank yon." , With a word of apology to Patria, j Donald opened the note. ' Written in Rojluey's unsteady hand, it read as follows; fol-lows; ''Dear Don: "I'm frightfully sorry I was such an ass. I ought to have known better. But I'm so broken up about Patria and everything, 1 couldn 't see straight. As soon as 1 get over this katzenjammer, I 'm going to ask her to forgive me. For the present, I must ask you not only to overlook my boorishncss, but" to help me out of a bad scrape I'm in. "It's a woman, and it isn't my fault. I'm just iu wrong thnt's all. Only it'll get me in bad all 'round if anything gets into the papers. Please don 't say anything to anybody just come sceretiv to this address as soon as you can. "Regretfully yours, ' ' Rodney. ' ' The address was written below the signature: "Hotel Baltimore. Ask for me by my name." Thoughtfully, Donald refolded and pocketed the note. He was fond of Rodney, and could not refuse the boy 's request. At the same time, its urgency complicated matters a tritle. Summoning the waiter, he settled his account. "Please take Miss Channing back to my rooms," he requested Ryley. "Then go on to Huroki 's. I '11 join you there m the course of half an hour or so. Don't do anything pending my arrival. ar-rival. " k" The Baltimore was too well-known to Donald by unsavory repute which tallied tal-lied well with the boy s confession of entanglement in the toils of a demi-mondaine. demi-mondaine. A sardonic clerk delivered Captain Parr to the guidance of a cynic bellboy, bell-boy, who left him at tho door of a room on the fifth floor. His knock was answered by a handsome creature of some thirty animated years, a woman whose complete self-possession and alluring al-luring negligee assorted well until the implications latent in Rodney's note. ' ' C'.lj tain Parr? " Her tones were as professionally dulcet dul-cet as her smile was worldlywise." Donald Don-ald bowed coldly. "I am looking for Mr. Wrenn. " "He is expecting you. Won't you please come in. " Donald entered. The woman closed the door and i-aused momentarily with back to if. He swung around sharply, suspecting that she had turned the key and withdrawn it for the first time suspecting that Rodney's note might have been n forgery. . "Where is Mr. Wrenn?" he do-mandefl. do-mandefl. "He was called away unexpectedly, but will be hack at any moment. Please sit down. "Thank you no." Donald moved quickly to the door. -The woman sought to interpose herself between him and it, hut he was too quick. A twist of the handle confirmed con-firmed his surmises; he was locked in with this dangerous animal. "Be good enough." he said brns-quc-lv. "to open that door without delay." de-lay." "But surely you can wait " "I have no time to waste. Do as 1 say!" "Am I so repulsive, then?" He shrugged impatiently. "I'm in no mood for nonsense. " Open that door! " "But listen to me " " She came closer, with a sudden lithe movement threw herself upon him, arms clasping his neck. "You're right: it is a plant, dearie. (Continued on Following Page. PATRIA- (Continued From Preceding Pago.) Mr. Wrenn isn't here won't be. 1 sent you that note because I'm mad about you wanted to get you here 1 0 rot ! ' ' Donald ejaculated in disgust, and, breaking her hold, threw her from him. "I:ll give you one minute min-ute to unlock that door! " For an answer he received a mocking mock-ing laugh. "Do you hear?'' he asked. She laughed again. Impatiently he turned from her and looked around the room for something to aid him to break open the door. A stand of fire irons near the chimney piece offered a substantial sub-stantial brass poker. Seizing this, he made for the door. Behind his back, the woman soized the tedephone and screamed into the transmitter: "Help! Help! A strange man has me locked in here! " By the time she had said that much, Donald had wrested the instrument from her. y She relinquished it without much resistance, re-sistance, then darting beyond his reach, paused and again laughed in his face while hurriedly disordering her hair and attire in such manner as to indicate in-dicate a struggle. This time Donald answered her laugh with a quiet smile. This time Donald answered her laugh with a quiet smile. "Well," he said, dropping the poker, , "You've got me Mrs. Maynel' j That was a shot at random, suggested , by sudden suspicion; but it told. The woman's hands fell limp; she stared and gasped. "How did yon know?" He gave a gesture, signifying that her question was immaterial. At the same instant a thunder of heavy blows sounded sound-ed on the door, and it yielded to a pass key, admitting three sturdy and willing porters. They made for Donald in a concerted rush, but only to bring up with lifted hands at the point of his pistol. "Easy! ' he ordered. "Steady! " Into that room there all of you. Step lively, live-ly, and don't crowd! You, too, Mrs. Mayne! " Herding the quartette into the adjoining ad-joining bedchamber, he locked its door, and tossed the key out of the open window win-dow an instant before three policemen entered. At sight of these Donald quiet- lv showed the bade of a special officer of-ficer of the Xew York police department. depart-ment. ''You'll find the people vou want in there." he said, jerking hi3 thumb toward to-ward the bedchamber door. "Take the four of them to the station house and don't let them po till you've put the fear of God into their hearts." He walked out, summoned the elevator, eleva-tor, and paused on his way through the lobby long enough to communicate confidently con-fidently with the sardonic clerk. 'Jtfst one more break like that, my friend, ' he said, smiling Bweetly, "and you'll lose your license. Kemember, I have warned you." Without waiting for response, Donald left the hotel. As he did so, a taxicab drew up at the carriage block and Rodney Wrenn jumped out and turned to help Patria, who uttered a little cry of pleasure at sight of her betrothed a cry that, drawing Rodney's attention to' Donald, struck the former limp with surprise and dismay. "Why, Don! I didn't expect to find you here I Rodney persuaded me to come with him to see Mother Wrenn and " "Just wait!" Donald interrupted, signalling the taxi-man. To Donald he said quietly: "Do I understand you told Patria your mother was stopping at this hotel f Or is the truth of the matter that Hu-roki Hu-roki put vou up to this trick, and you brought Patria nere to see me led away under arrest disgraced?" The boy could neither find words to answer him with or endnre his eyes, but stood with head bowed in shame. Still no answer; but Donald knew that he had guessed shrewdly at the truth. "Come, dear," Donald said to Patria, and assisted her to re-enter the cab. Exeunt. . That modest little dwelling in the middle of that quiet block of the Murray Mur-ray Hill quarter, wore a look of the most ingenuous innocence. One of a row of houses built by the same contractor from the same set of architectural plans, its windows aud the plate-glass panel of its front door, were dressed with the conventional lace curtains; its doorsteps and areaway were as scrupulously clean as persistent persis-tent washings and sweepings could make them. Nothing -whatever in the face the house presented to the world hinted that the establishment it housed differed in any material respect from its neighbors. There was, in short, superficially nothing to excuse the deep interest taken in the house bv the half dozen hard-faced and sturdy citizens who had been patrolling the block since early morning. It is true that they dissembled their interest to the best of' their rather limited lim-ited histrionic ability. None the less is it true that nobody entered or left the house without their knowledge. They saw Baron Huroki go out in his smartly appointed town-car; they witnessed his return. And he knew it; no less than they at pains to pretend ignorance of anything untoward iu the aspect of the block, this Japanese gentleman gen-tleman masked with the serene countenance coun-tenance of his race a seething exasperation exasper-ation that would have moved an occidental occi-dental to grind his teeth and utter the blackest of curses. for by the presence of that patrol in the street the baron knew that the term of his tenancy of those unpretentious but comfortable and convenient premises prem-ises was drawin" swiftly to its close. So persuaded was he of this that, when permitted to drive away unmolested, unmo-lested, he did not venture to return till he had made telephonic arrangements arrange-ments with those who served in his home. A countryman of his was stationed behind the curtains of each ground floor and first story window when he came back. Had anybody attempted to binrlpr him then it wnnM tioi-o nrfti-n the signal for the shattering of those windows from within by a hail of bullets bul-lets from modern magazine rifles. Happilv, nothing of the sort occurred. Once the door had closed behind him, he dropped his semblance of nonchalance nonchal-ance for the time, his manner becoming ale.rt and tense. "Senor de Lima?" he demanded of his familiar, that skulking creature who answered to the name of Kato. "We have telephoned his hotel a dozen times; he is out, excellency!" Huroki frownc-d and shrugged. "Upon his own head be it," he said. "T onlv hope he keeps his own head sufficiently, sufficient-ly, when they arrest him, to hold the tongue that, inhabits it! Not," he added, "that he knows much, or could by keeping silent prevent our being be-ing dispossessed here! '.' "l'ou have seen his excellency, the honorable 'con?ul for Nippon? ' ' Kato ventured to inquire. Huroki nodded gloomily. "Of course. Equally, of course, he can do nothing. We have put ourselves beyond his protection. pro-tection. In the language of this abominable abom-inable country, we have double-crossed ourselves; thanks to Captain Parr and that wretched girl, the authorities have got the goorls on us. There remains for us only flight!" He stepped to one of the front windows win-dows and peered through its shield of lace. ' It is finished ! " he announced, turning back. ' ' Has everything boon removed by way of the secret '.passage? '.pas-sage? Kxcellency, everything! " "Let me make sure." A brief tour of rooms denuded completely' com-pletely' of all their costly furnishings and clecora.tions confirmed Kato 's report. re-port. There was nothing left within the shell of those walls but the screens which had served to hide them and so to enhance the Japanese atmosphere of the menage. "And the others ?" "Excellency, they have all preceded you to the other house, by way of the : passage, as ordered.' " ; Huroki hesitated, consulting his j watch. "We dare wait no longer," he said. "But I wish De Lima were here. " In one wall of what had been the dining room had the hou?e been tenanted ten-anted by any but orientals there was a sliding door. At a sign from the baron, Kato thrust this door open; obeying obey-ing a second gesture, he preceded his master into the dark passage that yawned beyond that threshold. ; Pausing as he in turn entered the passage, Huroki carefully reclosed the door, then, aided by the light of an electric flash-lamp in Kato's grasp, ad-' justed a switch fixed to the side of the door so that the first attempt to reopen re-open it would close a circuit. "1 am sorry," he said with candid sincerity, "for the infMuatd American Ameri-can who tries to follow us!'" The sounds of footsteps receding along the passage grew fainter, then died out altogether. For as much as five minutes the dwelling was thoroughly quiet. Then the drone of an eleclric beli bored through its hush, and after an interval in-terval of pause was stridcntlv repeated. re-peated. There was no response. On the doorsteps Senor Juan de Lima muttered witless oaths as he released the bellpush and felt for his keys in a spirit of simple gratitude toward Huroki Hu-roki for providing him with such means i of gaining admittance to the house in j an emergency suh as this. i His was not a high order of intelli- j gencp, and he was not norma llv a i quick-witted and observant ui;:n.' Hut j he had n"t failed to note the ominous j patrol of plain clof hesmen and secret ; service opera t i es in the street, and! he felt positively- asfirM that instant j arrest would follow did he tu rn a yva v from the dnor and try to leave the neighborhood. , There was nn alternative for him; h could do nothing but outer the hous and try to find out what had become j of Huroki and his stuff. Not that he I entertained much don hi as to the up- j shot of urh in vo -t i tjn iions ; he ! nw that thrp was a secret pasa'p f rom the dinintr room which ran undcro-round to the dwell int.' immediately behind j this, on the s-uvh side of the "block, and I be felt sure that his confederates had taken the alarm and fled by that route. As the front door closed on him a taxicab arrived at the avenue end of the block and pulled up. From it Donald Don-ald and Patria alighted, to be greeted by Rvley. "You're just in time," he informed them; "the trap is ready to spring. Nobody has come out since Huroki returned re-turned over an hour ago; but de Lima' has just gone in. " , "Did he see you, or suspect ?" "I "think not. Only one thing worries wor-ries inr; he ued a 'pass-key to open the front door after ringing the bell several times and getting no answer." 1 ' Wet your men together. We 'II waste no more t ime. ' ?yley 's whistle brought up half a dozen men, plain i-lothes detectives and subordinates of Patria s private force. Together tlirv moved toward that modest mod-est little residence in the middle of the block. As the y a p 1 1 r o a c h e d , 1 o n aid, se a r c h - ing its windows wil h suspicious eyes, detected a face at one a face that peered furtively, then disappeared. The brief glimpse he got of it reminded him of de Lima a badly frightened aud bewildered be-wildered de Lima. Then they were at the door. Ouo of the men produced a stout jimmy and stooped to apply it to the lock. Simultaneously a frightful dctonntion thundered within the building. It (Continued on Pago Eleven.) PATRIA. (Continued from Page Ten.) rocked upon its foundations. The glass panels of the door broke and fell outwards, out-wards, shattered by the force of the explosion. ex-plosion. When Donald 's party was able to enter, en-ter, the entire interior of the house was found to be in ruins, completely demolished de-molished by dynamite. Near the front door the body of dc Lima lay; pinned between two great timbers, its back broken: the man's death had been mercifully instantaneous. instanta-neous. (To be continued.) |
