Show 1 Y Y Y T V ta J nr bat RAY J 1909 V f SYNOPSIS at the expense of a soiled hat robert 0 ornie ame saves froni from arrest a girl in a black touring car who hau has caused u traffic jam on state street ile he buys a new hat anil and Is a elven div en in change a live dollar bill with remember aber the person you pay this to writt written e n on it A second time he tha the lady in n ill the b black ack car and learns that in tom and they have in mutual u friends but rains gains no further hint of her Iden identity Lity lie discovers another inscription on tile the marked bill which in a futile attempt to decipher it 11 lie copies and places tile ilia copy in a drawer in tits ills apartment senor south bouth american U ca calls and claims the marked bl bill 11 orme re re refuses fuses and a light fight ensues in n will which it Ilori tot Is overcome ile iia calls alls in senar benor minister from his country to vouch for him orme orma still refuses to give UP tile bill urine orme roes goes tor for a walk alk and sees two japs attack ile he rese rescues u e 3 him 1 tin returning to hta his rooms orme m Is a attached by two japs who etor lail fea lai l a forcible exchange of I 1 t marked bill for another orme indi finds the girl giri of the black car waiting for him she a also so wants tile the bill orme tells his story she bile re 0 g n lz we of the japs as tier her fat father tiers a mt cutler ll 11 1 duail she second inscription on oil the bill A V tho key to the hiding place of imports Im porta vi papers paper stolen from her fallier both jops and south americans amei leans want the papers orme orine and the tha girl start out in the bladt car in quest of the papers in the university grounds in mansion evanston the biding place I 1 Is s located and another jap are there orme tells fells alabu and the other jap jai escapes orme finds in pocket a folded slip of paper lie he lakes tile girl irl whose name Is still unknown to clym him to the home of a friend in blanston Ef Bv anston returning to the universo university t y grounds orme gets in conversation with it a fuard fouard at the lifesaving life saving station they titar ear a motor boat in trouble in the darkness ess on the lake they find the crippled boat in it are the jap with the papers all and d oarl she jumps into ormes ormea boat tout the he jap eludes pursuit CHAPTER VII VI 17 continued at the side of the girl orme now walked slowly through the deserted streets it was some time before she spoke afier after you left me at the home of ray my friends she began at last dont try to tell about it he interrupted quickly you are tired walt wait for another time they were kaising under a street lamp at the moment and she glanced up at him with a grateful smile pleased apparently by his thought of her that Is good of you she exclaimed but my story Is easily told let me go on with it I 1 explained myself to my friends as best I 1 could and went to my room then it suddenly oc burred to me that mahu and his friend might have come to evanston by boat just juet as later it occurred to me 1 I thought that the other man raight might be waiting for the motor car that we heard there was no good reason for thinking that our man WAS in it she paused 1 I know he said 1 I thought of those things too it flashed on me she went on that it if I 1 could find the man I 1 might be able to buy him off I 1 believe that he would dare to injure me there are reasons why he should nut not my aly car had been taken in but I 1 had them bring it out and I 1 told thern them well wela that part matter enough that I 1 made an excuse and went out with the car you should haye have taken some one with you there was a likelihood that the japanese would run it if I 1 had a companion As long as I 1 was alone ho he might be willing to parley I 1 thought at least he would not be afraid of me alone so I 1 went north on sheridan road to the upper end of the lowr er campus there Is a crossroad cross road there you remember cutting through to co the lake and I 1 turned in I 1 left the car near a house that Is there and walked on to the edge of the bluff Alo moored ored to a breakwater below was il R boat and a man was standing near her I 1 called out to him asking what time it was ito he answered don know and I 1 know knew him at once to be foreign and probably japanese so I 1 went down toward him when he saw that I 1 was coming he got into tho the boat lie ile seemed to be frightened and hurried and I 1 inferred that he was about to cast off and I 1 called out that I 1 was alone at that he be waited but he did not get out of the boat find and I 1 was standing at the edge of the tha breakwater just bove above him before he be actually seemed deemed to recognize me did you know him asked orme 1 11 I never saw h him im before to my knowledge but he made an exclamation which indicated that he anew me what did he do then 1 I told him that I 1 wished to talk to him about the papers papera ills his answer was voa tuat bat it if I 1 would step down into the boat he be would talk ile he said that he be would not leave the boat and tided that he was unwilling to da tuss tusa the matter aloud and 1 I was enough to believe his excuses it if be wished to wh laper spee I 1 said cold to my self why I 1 would whisper I 1 never felt so like a conspirator she paused to look up at the street s sign I 1 agn at the tha corner which ill they ey had reached and turned to the right on a shady avenue well I 1 got into the boat she continued 1 I told him that I 1 my father was prepared to pay him a large sum of money for tho the papers but he ha only shook his head and said no no I 1 named a sum then a larger on one e but money did not seem to tempt him though I 1 made the second offer as large as I 1 dared how much will you take then I 1 asked at last instead of answering ho he bent down and started the tha motor and then I 1 noticed for the first time that while I 1 was talking we had been drifting away from the dock I 1 made ready to jump overboard we were near the shore and the water was not deep anyway I 1 am a fair swimmer but he turned and seized my wrists and forced me down into the bottom of the boat I 1 struggled but it was no use and when I 1 opened my mouth auth to scream he choked me with one hand ard with the other pulled from tits ills pocket a handkerchief and tried to put it in my mouth she gave a weary little laugh it was such a crumpled unclean handkerchief I 1 have stood it so I 1 managed to gasp that it if he would only let me alone I 1 would keep quiet the brute muttered orme oh I 1 dont think he intended to hurt me what he feared as nearly as I 1 ean can make out is that I 1 might have him intercepted it ho he let me go BO free that must have been why he be tried to take me with him probably he planned to beach the boat at somo some unfrequented point on the north side and leave me to shift for myself when yur your boat came of course I 1 know who was in it I 1 never dreamed it would be you and I 1 had promised to keep still hardly a binding promise well before he stopped threatening me with that awful handkerchief he had made me swear over and over that I 1 would not call for help that I 1 would not make any signal that I 1 would sit quietly on the seat when you recognized me I 1 felt that all need of observing the promise was over naturally muttered orme she sighed it does seem as though fate had been against us she said fate Is fickle orme returned you never know whether she fihe will be your friend or your enemy but I 1 believe that she to Is now going to be our friend for a change tomorrow I 1 shall got get those papers CHAPTER vill VIII the trail of when tor for the second time that night he bade the girl adieu and saw her enter the house of her friends orme went briskly to the electric car line lie he had not long to walt wait A car came racing down the tracks and stopped at his corner swinging aboard at the rear platform he be glanced within there were four passengers a man and woman who apparently ly were returning from an evening party of some sort since he was in evening dress and she wore an opera cloak a spectacled man with a black portfolio in his lap a seedy fellow asleep in one corner his bis head sagging down on his breast his hands in his trousers pockets and was it possible orme began to think that rate fate had indeed changed her face toward him tor for the man who sat huddled midway of the car staring before him with beady expressionless onless eyes was under the brim of his dingy straw hat a white bandage was drawn tight around his head so tight that from its under tinder edge the coarse black hair bristled out in a distinct fringe the blow of the wrench then must have cut through the skin well that would mean one more sear scar on the face of the japanese Ja the other scar how bow had maim come by that perhaps in some battle with the russians in manchuria he seemed to be little more than a boy boyc but then one never could guess the age of a japanese and for that matter orme had bad more than once been told that the japanese had begun to impress very young soldiers long before the battle of mukden while making these observations orme had drawn his hat bat lower over his eyes ile he hoped to escape recognition for this opportunity to track to his bis destination was not to be missed lie he also placed himself in such a position on tho the platform orsi that his bis own orn face was waa partly concealed by tho the crossbars cross bars which protected the windows at the end of the car in his favor was the fact that would not expect to see bee him doubtless the japanese was more concerned with his aching bead than with any suspicion of pursuit though his somewhat indeterminate profile ns as visible to orme gave no indication of tiny any feeling at all so orme orma stood where he could watch without seeming to watch and puzzled over the problem of following from the car without attracting attention the refusal ot of the other japanese to accept the girls offer of money for the papers had given orme a new idea of the importance or of the quest and his friend must bo be japanese government agents just as aa and were unquestionably acting for their government this at least was the most probable eap exp explanation la nation that entered ormes mind the syn syndicate di then or concession or whatever it was must be of genuine international significance though orme continued to smother his curious questionings as to the meaning of the secret he could not ignore his general surmises to put his confidence in the girl to net act tor for her and for her alope that was enough for him but it added to his happiness to think that she might be leading him into an affair which was greater thin than any mero tangle of private v interests ile he knew too that upon pon the mesh of private interests public interests ate are usually woven tho the activity of a russian syndicate in norea korea had been the more or less direct cause of the russo japanese war the activity of rival american syndicates in fit venezuela 0 had bad been but a few years before productive of serious international ter national complications in the present instance both south americans and japanese were interested hut but orme knew in his soul that there could be nothing unworthy in any action in which the girl took part she would not only do nothing unworthy she would understand the situation clearly enough to know whether e r the course which offered itself to her was worthy or not in events such as she had that night faced with him any other girl orme had ever met would have shown moments of weakness impatience or fear but to her belonged a calm w which came from a clear perception of the comparative unimportance of petty incident sho she was strong not as a man la Is strong but in the waa wa a woman should be strong i the blood went to hla his cheeks as aa he remembered how hov tenderly no 0 had spoken to her in the boat ind how ednd plain he had made his big deal for her what should ho he call his fe ellig did love come to pien as suddenly anly as this she had not rebuked him there was that much to be handful hank ful for and she must have knolyn that hla his words wore were as involuntary as his bis action in touching her shoulder with his hand dut but how could she have rebuked him she was in a way indebted to him the thought troubled hirl had he unintentionally taken advantage adan tage of her gratitude by showing when sho she wished no more then comradeship rade ship and had she genty gentar said nothing because he be had bad done don something for her it her patient cp with him were thus to be explained it must have been based upon herve g anition of his bis unconsciousness aue L still the more he pon de erel the more clearly he saw that she w not net a girl who under the spell of frendly friendly good will would permit a false latua tion to exist ifer her sincerity wa wa too deep for such a glossing of fact lie strod durej assume then that her lyca ym pathy with him went even so far na as to accept his attitude when it was it a shade more than friendly more alore than friendly like a white light the truth flashed upon him na as lie ho stood there on oil the rocking platform of tile the car lie ile and she would have to bo be more than friendly ile he had never seen her until that day ilo ile did not even know her name hut but all his life belonged to tier her and would belong to her forever the miracle which had been worked upon him might it not also have been worked upon tier her lie ho felt unworthy and yet she might caro care might already have begun to care but lie he put the daring hope out of ills his mind anti and looked again at the japanese had not moved ilia is face still wore its racial look of patient indifference his hands were still crossed in his lap lie he sat on tile the edge of the seat in order that tits hla feet might rest on oil the floor for ills hla legs were short and with every lurch of the car lie he swayed easily adapting himself to the motion with an unconscious ease case that betrayed supple stipple muscles the car stopped at a corner and the man and woman got out but did not even seem to glance at them ormo orme stepped back to make way for them on the platform and its as they descended and the conductor rang tho the bell ho he looked out at tile the suburban landscape with its well lighted macadamized streets its vacant can t lots and its occasional houses which seemed to be of the better c lass class as nearly ns as lie ho could judge in the uncertain reys rays of the are arc lamps ile he turned to the conductor who met his glance with tho the look of one who thirsts to talk people used to go to parties in carriages and automobiles said the conductor but now they tako take tho the car when any distance to go it its s quicker and handler handier 1 I should think that would bo be so BO here in tho the suburbs said ornic oh this aint the suburbs wo we crossed the city limits 20 rI minutes luts ago you dont carry many passengers this ibis time of night that depends sometimes we have a crowd tonight theres hardly any one nobody else Is likely to get on now why la Is that well its only a short way now to the connection with the elevated road people who want to go tile the J 52 F gave no indication of feeling at all rest ot of the way by the elevated would walk and after we pass tile tho elevated theres other car lines more likely to take where the cars run frequenter do you go to the heart of the city no we stop at the barns say have you ou noticed that jap in there the conductor nodded toward what about him ile he was put aboard by a cop looks as though somebody had slugged him so commented orme ills head Is bandaged judging from the bandage it must have been a nasty crack continued the conductor but you know hed been hurt from his face say you cant tell anything about those johns |