Show tee SERIAL STORY u I 11 TilE SMUGGLER IllS By ELLA MIDDLETON TYBOUT MI Illustrations by Ray Walters I teu ryrlgbt awl by J 1J Ul plncotl cot SYNOPSIS Three girls Elizabeth Onbrlcllp and < EIIsc eturtoil for Canada to spend tho uinmer there On l hpnnl steamer they were frlKhtenctl by an apparently demented dement-ed stranger who Undine a hag belonging to ono of them look enjoyment In scru Inlzini u photo nf tho trio Tin young omen met a Mrs Ornham anxiously iwnltlnK het husband who had a mania for siillliiK They were Introduced to Lord Wilfrid and Uidy Edith A cottage by the ocean was rented Two men palled They proved to be John C Blake and Gordon Bennett one a friend or > Kllzabeths father A wisp of yellow hair from Mr OrulininR pocket fell Into the hands of Elise Mrs OralwmB Hair wan black KenrlnK for tho safety ol onto gems Lncly Uillth loft them In a Safe at the cottage Mr Gordon Uennelt was properly Introduced explained his action on board ship EllA alone explored ex-plored the cellar overhearing u conversation conver-sation there between Mary Anne and a nan Tie pro nil to bo Ir son charged with murder At a supper which was held on the rocks Elizabeth rather mys erlotAtly lost her ring causing a search by the entire party Qabrlellu witnessed v stormy scene between Lady Edith and tonl Wilfrid Jealousy being tho cause Mary Anno brought back Elizabeths ring Ellso went sallliiB with Gordon lennett Ho tried to persuado her to return the Jewels left In the girls care by Lady Edith At midnight Kllso saw Iwo men ono Hiit them Gordon Uennett attempting to foico an entranco Into their boathouse She admitted to herself that she had nearly loved him and believed be-lieved herself used as a tool Mrs Graham Gra-ham sick told Elise of her husbands lovo for another woman Gordon Hen nett and Hlake returned with Mr Grahams Gra-hams body Ho had been murdered Lord Wilfrid grew sulky Lady Edith confided to Ellse that lllako and Bennett Ben-nett were thieves Lady Edith led her to where they were trying to break In The gIrls were awakened late at night by a noise In the cottage CHAPTER XVIContlnued Get your watch advised Gabrielle and your pins and things Ive got all mine In this chamois bag except tho gold beads they wouldnt go so 111 Just carry them Im not afraid but I would rather have my things with me somehow I collected my small store of valuables val-uables and wo formed a procession of three and ventured downstairs walking softly as though afraid to disturb dis-turb some one With every step our confidence returned re-turned We tried the front door and found it closed and bolted the windows win-dows In the hall and living room were securely fastened the dining room also appeared Impregnable and when wo found tho door to the safe tightly closed I was beyond measure relieved and almost ready to laugh at my suspicions sus-picions In the kitchen wo found the cellar door open and debated whether we should lock It and thus prevent Mary Annos return or wait and greet her in disapproving array Let us listen suggested Gabrlelle and sat down upon the top step to carry out her suggestion Then occurred tho accident to which I referred in the very beginning She held her gold beads In her hand and somehow managed to break the catch and away they went We could hear them rolling down Into the cellar step by step and Gabrlelle was at first motionless with surprise then as usual us-ual prepared for Immediate action On going after them she announced an-nounced literally rising to the occasion oc-casion Down there shuddered Elizabeth Oh no Wait till morning I spent every cent of Cousin Lucys chock on those beads said Gabrlelle folding her kimono about her and preparing pre-paring to descend and Im going to pick them up right away Walt till morning Indeed You might suppose they were pebbles Wo sighed apprehensively but prepared pre-pared to follow our intrepid friend feeling that we must share whatever fate was In store for her as well as help collect her property So wo went carefully down the steps holding our candles well before us Those miserable beads had rolled to the most remote places of course and wo got so Interested in looking for thorn we almost forgot to be afraid Suddenly however Elizabeth gave a stifled scream which was moro of a gasp after all and shrank back against tho wall There Is some one in here she whispered I know It How do you know Gabrlello tried to speak boldly but the hand which held tho candlo shook until a little shower of melted wax fell upon tho floor I was fooling under the stops Elizabeth found articulation difficult when I touched hairhuman hair Wo gazed at one another in abject terror unable for tho moment to speak or move then Elizabeth whose nerves were completely unstrung swayed suddenly as though she were going to faint Im afraid she gaspodawfully afraid It was hair andob dear what shall we do Sho began to sob In a hopeless kind of way In which I felt much Inclined I to Join when I heard a suppressed exclamation ex-clamation followed by a scrambling sound and tho simultaneous flash of two dark lanterns an a man advanced from tho back of the cellar whllo another an-other appeared from beneath tho steps Instinctively wo drew close together I and when we afterward compared notes found we had each tried to scream but could not Dont bo frightened said a voice which sounded strangely familiar Its only I us HlaUc and I The gills stared with mingled relief and amazement but 1 looked the other way for I felt a curious sensation of personal disgrace and as though I could not bear to meet their eyes Hut said Elizabeth at last but It Is odd isnt It said Mr Bennett Ben-nett with a laugh he tried hard to make natural ImI1I1 most awfully awful-ly sorry you happened to como down Wo did not want you to know anything any-thing about it Ho paused abruptly conscious that he was floundering badly I and turned to his companion Tell them Blake ho commanded This thing has got to bo explained and after all its your business not mine Yes said Gabrielle in her most high and mighty voice It docs seem to need explaining I admired her very much Just then for it Is not every woman who can look dignified and Imposing when enveloped en-veloped In a kimono with a spluttering splutter-ing candle in her hand and a dearth of stiff petticoats to sustain her moral backbone Mr Blake rust an anxious glance toward to-ward the recess from which he had emerged One moment ho said then disappeared dis-appeared into the darkness whence wo plainly heard a subdued whisperIng whisper-Ing Are there more of you demanded Gabrlelle but with rather a forlorn quaver in her volco instead of the note of stern Interrogation sho had intended in-tended Its all right said Gordon Bennett Ben-nett On my honor Miss Gabrielle its all right Your honor I had not Intended to speak the words escaped before I was awaro of L7 lif I I I alt d t 0 r 4 rr r 1r ° ill 3 I t t There Is Some One In Here I I Know It It He turned and looked at mo steadIly stead-ily and again I involuntarily averted my eyes On my honor he repeated Now said Mr Blake returning if you will kindly come upstairs I am ready to explain but I fear I must u waa well associated with a famous criminal named James Kllrny who gavo tho police n long hard chase before be-fore his capture Ho had many strings to his bow not tho least among them tho smuggling of diamonds and other articles none too honestly acquired ac-quired slnco his arrest this woman has directed tho business She is clover wonderfully clover There was sincere If unwilling ad mh atlon In his tone and he paused thoughtfully before resuming his story It has boon my business this summer sum-mer to look up this matter of smug gllug mid I have followed tho history of this woman as closely as 1 could After the arrest of her chosen companion compan-ion slit married tho man you know as Lord Wilfrid Campbell who Is a well known thief and a member of the smell nnd select band of smugglers but who Is far from being as clever as she Ho Is also the son of your servant serv-ant Mary Anno Brown Across my mind rushed the recollection recol-lection of the conversation I had overheard over-heard In the cellar and the memory of tho mans valet certain Inflections of vhlch had haunted mn with their familiarity fa-miliarity For sonic reason 1 looked across at Gordon Bennett only to thud him watching mu intently an anxious expression in his blue eyes where relief re-lief was mingled with sympathy I wondered If ho know what i had been thinking and Immediately looked away againTho Tho son of your servant continued contin-ued Mr lllakoo oven voice and a dangerous character wanted for murder mur-der In Montreal Those people young ladles have used you for their own purposes This cottage you live in belongs be-longs to them and you were put hero as a buffer to avert suspicion Your servant was sent here to watch you and drug you when necessary your boathouse was used to conceal their boats and your cellar to store their goods A passage at tho back hidden by tho empty dry goods box leads Into In-to the boathouse With tho mans mother as your servant and under their control It was easy for thorn to carry on whatever operations they chose and to baffle tho secret service Rut your safety oven your lives were in danger Ho paused as though there was more to como which he hardly knew how to say but Gabrielle interrupted him starting from her chair and standing stand-ing tall and erect before him And do you expect us to believe this extraordinary story she Inquired In-quired slowly I It Is true It Is not true We know there are Jewels in that safe Lady Edith put them there after tho robbery at the hotel because she was afraid of losing them But they arc pearls not cm eralds and tomorrow I will ask her to show them to you I do not wish to see them I do not know Mr Blake what you were doing In our cellar tonight It Booms a very strange place for a guest but no doubt you can offer some satisfactory satis-factory explanation of your Intentions We arc waiting for It your unwarrantable unwar-rantable attack upon our friends hardly hard-ly seems sufficient reason for your presence hero at this hour Mr Blake looked at his watch then replied very calmly Your friends he said with a slight emphasis will return hero tonight to-night Wo are waiting for them Ware W-are sorry as Mr Bennett has already said that you discovered us for we meant to conduct the thing quietly It Is Impossible said Gabrielle I wewhy I know you must be mistaken mis-taken You can seo for yourself ho returned re-turned I must ask you to allow m to put out tho lights I will not do It But Miss Gabrielle you really nust Interrupted Gordon Rennet ulckly l So much depends upon Itt It-t we aro wrong we will apologlxo In I ackcloth and ashes Tell her it Is I he only thing to do Miss Elizabeth Wo finaly agreed and hid behind he portiere at the dining room door eellng wretchedly guilty ourselves as veil as disloyal to our absent friends I do not know how long wo stood hero In tho dark but It seemed an ice as I distinctly felt the thumping It my heart and listened with strained ittentlon for a sound from tho stir minding darkness TO Ills CONTINUED > |