Show ELUSIVE ISABEL By JACQUES FUTRELLE l t nl by It M. M KETTNER M-i. M um br by Tl A S indar i T b by Ik Thi Company o Z 2 SYNOPSIS Count dl Rosini the Italian ambas- ambas eador Is at dinner with diplomats In Inthe Inthe Inthe the national capital when a Q messenger l a Q note directing him to como coma to lh the embassy at once Here Hare a Q beautiful young oung woman asks aRks that she be given givena n a ticket to the tho embassy ball The ticket tick tick- et tt is ma made e out In the name namo of ot Miss Is Isabel Isabel Is- Is abel bel Thorne 1 CHAPTER II p. j Mr r Campbell and the Cable Just as a's s It Is one mans man's business to manufacture watches and another 1 i mans man's s s 's business to peddle strings shoe so It was vms Mr Campbells Campbell's business to kno now things He was a human card index a tl governmental ready reference Tasted posted to the minute and backed by byJ byall byall all J the tremendous resources of a ana ana- na na- na tion Uon From the little office in the Secret Secret Secret Se Se- cret Service Bureau where he sat day efter day dar radiating threads connected the huge outer world and enabled en en- aWed him to keep a firm hand on the and departmental pulse of Washington Perhaps he came nearer near near- er yr knowing everything that happened there than any other man living and no man realized more perfectly than thane he e c just how bow little of all of it he be did didI knowin know know- I In p person Mr Campbell was not UnI un- un I like s a retired gro grocer er who iho had shaken the butter and eggs from his soul and settled back to enjoy a life lICe of placid Idleness He was a little beyond middie middle middle mid mid- dle die age pleasant of face white ot of bar tair r and blessed with guileless blue eyes His genius had no sparkle to toU It U It consisted solely of detail and system and Indefatigability coupled with a memory th that t was well nigh in In- fallible ramble His Ills brain was as serene and orderly as a cash register one almost expected t to hear it click He Ho sat at his desk intently studying A cable cable- despatch which lay before him It was was In the Secret Service code leaning over his shoulder was Mr Grimm Grimm- tb Crimm-tb hp Mr Grimm of the bureau Mr Grimm was an utterly different t. t type from his chief chie He was younger perhaps thirty one or two physically well ell eIt proportioned a little above the tho average a crage height with regular features end purposeless eyes eyes eyes- a re- re Jl jilica ca of a hundred other young men who bo dawdle idly in the windows of their clubs and watch t the e world hurry If by ly His manner was languid his dress showed fastidious care Sentence by sentence the bewildering bewilder bewilder- tag ing Intricacies intricacies' of the code gave way before lefore the tho placid understanding of Chief Campbell a and d word by word from rom the chaos of it a translation lonk intelligible form upon a sheet cf ef paper paper under his right hand Mr Grimm looking on exhibited only a most perfunctory Interest In the extraordinary ex ox- message be he was reading tie listless eyes narrowed a little that tras- tras aa all It was vms a 8 special despatch from h-cm Lisbon Lisbon- dated that morning and signed simply GaulL Gault Completely translated it ran thus Secret offensive and defensive alliance alliance al at- liance fiance of f the be Latin against the Eng Eng- speaking fish nations of ot the world is s planned ned Italy France Spain and two Iwo South American republics will wUl soon soon sign compact in Washington Proposition Just made to Portugal and may be accepted Special en en- now working in Mexico and anet Centra Central Cen- Cen tra and South America Germany in in- to Join loin but refuses as yet ing illg however tacit support attitude of f Russia and Japan unknown to me Prince Benedetto dAbruzzI believed to ko be In n Washington at present has power to sign for Italy France and Spain Profound secrecy and pre preserved I learned arned of or ofU it U by underground Shall I Inform our minister Cable Instructions So much commented Mr Camp Camp- bell lieU Ho clasped his hands behind his head bend lay back baak In his chair and sat lor for a long tIme staring with steadfast thou thoughtful eyes Into the Impassive lace fAce of his subordinate Mr 11 Grimm perched himself on the edge of the desk and with Ills his legs dangling read Ute lite despatch a second time and a third If f he ho observed slowly If any oti- oti vr man than Gault had sent that I h have ve said eaid he was ws crazy The rhe peace of the world Is In peril pern Mr Grimm said sald Campbell Impressively shelf Ively at last It had to come of course coune the United States and England England Eng Eng- land against a. a large part of ot Europe nod and all of tf Central and South America ft U had bad to come and yet yet yet-h V He e broke off orr abruptly and picked e fc the receiver o of his desk telephone The Tha White House pl please aae ho rastAd requested re ra- re- re quested stAd curtly and then after a mo me- went scent ent Hello Please ask the president pres It I- I dent t if it ho ha will wUl receive Mr Campbell Campb Yea Yes Mr Campbell Camp of Ule h Secret Service There was a e. e Mr Grimm removed his bis Im 1 maculate person erRon from tho the desk and took a chair ch He Hello Io In haIr half an hour So much The pages of ot the Almanac de G Gotha tha fluttered through h his hla fingers and finally finally finally final final- ly he be leaned forward and studied a paragraph of it closely When he raised lila his eyes again there was that In them which Mr Grimm had bad never neverseen neverseen neverseen seen before before before-a. t. t settled darkening shadow Tho world war has long been a Po chimera Mr Grimm he lie remarked at atI Think of It Of last but now now now-now now I course the Central and South American Ameri Amen can countries taken separately are Inconsequential and that is true too of the Latin countries of Europe except ex IX- I France but taken in combination I under one directing mind the allied navies would be would be-would would be formidable formidable able at t least Backed by the support of Germany and perhaps Japan Ja pan pan pan- pan pan-I Dont Don't you see Bee Dont Don't you see seo He lie lapsed Into silence Mr Grimm opened his lips to ask a IL question Mr Campbell anticipated It unerrIngly unerringly The purpose of ot such an alliance It Is not too much to construe It Into the step toward a world war a war of at reprisal and conquest beside which the other great wars of ot the world would seem For tho the fact act has at last come home to the nations nations nations na na- of the world that ultimately the speaking English-speaking peoples will dominate domi domi- nate nato It dominate it-dominate It because they are the practical peoples They have given to tho world all Its great practical inventions in in- the the railroads the steamship steamship steamship steam steam- ship electricity the telegraph and cable cable all all of them they are the great civilizing forces rounding the world up to new moral understanding for what England has done In Africa and India we have bave done In a smaller way ay ayin In the Philippines and Cuba and Porto Porto Por Por- to Rico they are the great commercial commercial commercial commer commer- cial peoples slowly but surely winning Inning the market places of the thc earth whenever wherever when when- ever the English r r I th tb American flag Is planted the the English tongue Is s being spoken n. n and there the tho peoples are being taught the sanity of right living and squire re d dealing It requires require no great effort of the imagination Mr Grimm to foresee that day when the traditional power If Any Other Man Than Gault Had Sent That I Should Have Said He I Was Crazy of ot Paris and Berlin and St. St Petersburg Petersburg Petersburg Peters Peters- burg and Madrid will be honeycombed honeycombed honeycombed honey honey- combed by the steady encroachment of our methods This alliance would Indicate that already that day has been jeen foreseen that there Is now a resentment resentment re re- re- re which is about to find expression expression ex ex- ex In one great desperate struggle gle jle for world supremacy A few tew bundred hundred hundred hun bun dred years ago Italy Italy or or Rome was Rome was stripped of at her power only recently the Unite United States dispelled the illusion illusion sion slon that Spain was anything but a asbell ashell ashell shell and France France- One cant can't help but jut wonder if the tho power she boasts is not principally on paper But if It their forces are combined Do you see It t would be an enormous power to reckon wih with a hundred bases of ot supplies right at our doors I Ho He rose suddenly and walked over overo overto overto to o the window where he stood for a moment staring cut with unseeing eyes Given a yard of ot canvas Mr Grimm he went on on finally a SpanIsh Spanish Spanish Span Span- ish boy bor will waste It ft a French boy bor will paint a picture on it an English English Eng Eng- Ush lish boy will build a sail boat and an American boy will erect a tent That fully illustrates the differences In the races He abandoned the didactic tone tone and returned to to- the material matter In hand band Mr Grimm passed him the despatch an and he sat at down again I Will soon sign compact in Washington Wash ington he read musingly Now I dont don't know that the signing of ot that compact can be be- prevented but the signing of ot It on United States soil can be prevented You will see to that Mr Grimm Very well the young man agreed carelessly The magnitude of ot such sucha a task made apparently not the slightest impression on him He lie languidly drew on his bis gloves And meanwhile I shall take steps to ascertain the attitude of Russian and Japanese representatives In this city Mr Grimm nodded And now for tor Prince Benedetto dAbruzzi Mr Campbell went on on slowly Officially he be Is not In WashIngton Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington nor the United States for that matter matter Naturally on such a mission he ho would not come como as a n. publicly accredited accredited accredited ac ac- ac- ac credited agent therefore I imagine he is to be sought Bought under another namo Of course Mr Grimm acquiesced And he he- would avoid the he big hotels ho ho- Certainly Mr Campbell permitted his guileless guile guile- guileless less leas blue eyes to linger inq inquiringly ly upon those of ot the young man for half balt a minute He lIe caught himself word r lug ing sometimes at the tho perfection of th the tho deliberate indifference with which I Mr Grimm masked his emotions In his his his' admiration of ot this quality he quite overlooked tho the remarkable mask of benevolence behind which he himself hid bid And tho name DAbruzzi he be remarked remarked re re- remarked marked after a timo time What does it mean to you Mr Grimm 1 It means that I am to deal with witha a prince of ot the tho royal blood of Italy was the unhesitating response Mr Grimm picked up the tho Almanac de Gotha and glanced at the open page Of course the first thing to do is to find him the rest will be enough He perused the page paso care care- lessly I will begin work worle at once CHAPTER III The Language of the Fan Mr Grimm was chatting Idly with Senorita Rodriguez daughter of the minister from Venezuela the while he permitted his hs listless eyes to wander wander wander wan wan- der aimlessly about the spacious ballroom ball bait ballroom room of tho German Gorman embassy ablaze with festooned lights and brilliant with a n multi colored chaos of ot uni forms forma Gleaming white pearl translucent translucent cent In the mass were the bare shoulders of woman and from far tar off oU came th tho plaintive whine of an orchestra or or- chestra a pulsing sense sense f rather than a living sound of music pointed hero here and there by the staccato cry of ot a flute A zephyr perfumed with the clean fresh tresh odor of lilacs stirred tho the draperies of the archway which led Into the conservatory and rustled tho the bending branches of palms and ferns For a scant instant Mr Grimms Grimm's eyes rested on a young woman who sat a dozen feet away talking In playful playful playful play play- ful animation with an undersecretary of the British embassy a a young woman worn worn- an severely gowned In some glittering guttering stuff which fell away from her splendid bare shoulders She glanced glance up as If it In acknowledgment of his bis look and her eyes m met mt t his Frank Franc blue gray blue gray oyes eyes they were stirred to their depths now by br amusement She smiled at Senorita Rodriguez i In token of recognition Arent they wonderful asked Senorita Rodriguez with the quick bubbling enthusiasm of her race What asked Mr Grimm Her eyes was the reply Every person has one dominant feature feature- with Miss Thorne Thome It Is her eyes Miss 1 Theme Thorne Mr Grimm repeated you met her the senorita went on Miss Isabel Thorne She Sh only arrived a few rew days ago the ago the night of the state ball She's my guest althe at al atthe the legation When an opportunity comes I shall present you rou to her She ran on about other things with only an occasional remark from Mr Grimm who was thoughtfully nursing his hs knee nee Somewhere through the an and gaiety galet mm rain gUng gling with the sound of the pulsing music he had a n singular impression o 0 oa oa a rhythmical beat an indistinct tattoo noticeable perhaps only because o oits 01 Its monotony After a moment h hE bE shot a q quick lck glance at Miss Thorne Theme and understood it was the tapping 01 oi an exquisitelY exquisitely wrought ivory far Car against one of ot her bel tapering glove fingers She wad was talking and smiling Dot dash Dot dash Dot dash dot dash dot said the fan Mr Grimm twisted around in hit him seat and regaled his listless eyes eres will willa witia a long look into the senoritas senorita's prett pretty face Behind the careless ease of ot re no repose repose pose he was mechanically iso Isolating th faint clatter of tho the fan tan Dot dash Dot-dash-dot Dot Dot dot dash-dot I IDid Did any anyone one ever accuse you o 0 of staring Mr Grimm demanded the senorita banteringly For an instant Mr Grimm continued to stare and then his listless eyel swept the tho ballroom passing olun Ir at the scarlet splendor f of the th minister from Turkey I beg your pardon he apologized contritely There was a pause The minister from Turkey looks like A 4 barn barD barnon barDon on fire doesn't he ITO i iTO TO BE DE CONTINUED |