Show thlu Milli oln dollar M aster y by HAROLD MAG MAC GRATH illustrated from scenes in ane photo drama of the same saine name jy by the mii film company Con sparty 1911 by carold rH CHAPTER APTER bragne tries trice another weapon what i want now said bald bragne na as he paced the living room of 0 the apartment of the countess coun ilia la revenge ive been checkmated check mated enough olga playing laying with us that T lint Is a nothing now new she replied shrugging at the beginning I 1 warned earned you I 1 never liked this affair after the first two or three failures nut but you would have your way you wanted revenge nt at that early date but I 1 cannot see that youve gone forward has it ever occurred to you that the organization may bo be getting tired too they depend solely upon your invention and each time your invention has resulted iri in touching nothing but zaro Thank sl v 0 im not chiding you ive railed too are you turning against me he demanded bitterly 60 do my actions action s point that way she bho countered ono no hut but the more I 1 view what hoa has passed the more dis heartened I 1 grow it has haa been a series of blind alleys and tit all we have succeeded in doing to Is knocking our heads I 1 can see now that ahat all our failures are duo to one ode mistake and what the devil to Is that he asked irritably we were in too much of a hurry at the beginning hargreave Harg reavo prepared himself for quick action on your part and if I 1 had not acted quickly he ha would have started successfully on one of his bis world tours again and that would havo have been the last of him and we should nover never have learned of the girls existence so bo theres your argument perhaps you are right out but tor for all that we have not played the game with any degree of finesse dahl braille lit a cigarette and smoked nervously 1 1 I cant even get rid of that meddling reporter tic ho has been as much to blame for or our failures as aa either jones jonea or flar greave I 1 admit that in hta his case I 1 judged hastily I 1 believed him to be juse hn an ordinary newspaper man and he was clever enough to lull my suspicions but im going to get him olga even it I 1 hayo have to resort to ordinary gunman tricks if t theres any final reckoning by the lord harry he shant ellan get a chance in the witness stand and I 1 begin to think that that little littie chit of a girl has been hoodwinking roe me all along hy by the way did you find out what that letter said she bho asked after a pause letter what letter she sprang from tier her chair do you mean to say that they have not told you about that olga oiga became greatly excited explain he said eald why I 1 was at the gard garden en day before yesterday and a roan man approached and asked it if I 1 was miss bliss becoming at once suspicious that something very important was about to happen I 1 signified that I 1 was mits hargreave the man slipped a paper into my hand band and hurried or ok I 1 took a quick glance at it and was dum founded funded tf to find it t utterly blank of writing at first V I 1 thought some loka joke had bad been played on me then I 1 chanced to remember the invisible luk ink letters you always wrote me understanding that you were to visit the cavo in the he morning I 1 had one diat at the garden take the note aud and you never got some one shall pay for this carelessness nehe ill cati call up tip and jackson at once once walt wait just jurt a moment ile he went to the telephone A low mutterers conversation took place olga could hear bear little or none of it when brains put the receiver back on the hook book his face nas as not pleasant to see roe that girl I 1 what now it seems she had been out horse 1 back riding that morning she had seen ono one of the boys cross the field and suddenly disappear and she was curious to loom levin what had become of him with her har usual tuck luck she stumbled oo on the method of opening the door of the cave and went in she must have been nosing about she have much time though as the boys came up to await me evidently she he crawled old chest and la in oame beroe inexplicable ma manner purloined the letter front from jacksons pocket they left to recon Dotter and it was then that jackson discovered ills his lost loss when florence heard them returning she bhe lumped jumped into the alt and lived through that tunnell the devil Is in rill I 1 or out of it since wo we consider him eipur friend and I 1 had her in my hands note nd allt all I 1 cut but with lill all that water there will pot not ha bo any writing left on the letter invisible ink Is generally indelible stud and impervious to the action of df wat ef ei at least the kind I 1 use is id five a thousand for a sight of that letter detter and it might bo be worth a ml meillon illon falta eti not the least doubt of it in my mind olga old girl it does look as it my star was growing dim well never get our hands on that million I 1 feet feel it in my bones so lets settle down to a campaign of revenge without any furbelows fur belows I 1 want wain to twist bar greaves heart before the game winds up u p you wish really to injure her 1 I do not wish to fidure lier her par far from it lie he replied sn smiling knilling illing evilly you want her dead whispered olga paling exactly I 1 want her lead dead aind nd so BO if all my efforts he here re como come to nothing not b so BO shall Ilar greaves ills ilia tit millions it will become waste paper to bilm revenge vengo ro the persian peach method met bod poison you shall hotl you shall not kill lierl vehemently tender hearted no if I 1 must in the end go to prison so be it but I 1 refuse to die in the chair very well then we cliant kill tier her but well make tier her wish she was waa dead I 1 was waa only trying to see how far you would go the basket of peaches Is lu fit the hallway halfway every peach Is poisoned no man in tho the country knows more abdat subtle poisons than I 1 do have I 1 not written books on tho the subject ironically and they will trace it back to you ou 11 in a at straight line she warned 1 I 1 will not have it 1 I can go elsewhere he replied coldly you would leave me the moment you cross my wt will it emphatically it became her turn to pace torn between tier her lov love 0 of the man and the danger which stared tier her in the face 4 H M he went to tho the telephone she was for the tha time being distracted all the time he watched tier her with malevolent curiosity that th at in the end she would concur wit with I 1 i ills his evil plans very well she said finally nut but listen wo we shall be found out never doubt that your revenge will cost coat u us both our lives I 1 feel it hahl bahl the law will have no hand in my end I 1 always carry it a pellet and that ring of yours oura would suffice a regiment she will not dlo die she will merely become a kind of parale etc the kind that can move it a little but not enough always wheeled about in a chair ill bring in the peaches rosy and downy one bite after a given time will do tho the trick if they suspect and throw them out we have lust lost nothing but the peaches A trusted messenger will carry them to the liar hargreave greave house and then well sit down and wait meantime in the library of the liar hargreave house florence and jim were puzzling over the blank sheet of paper ill wager said jim the water washed all the writing away the fire does doea not seem to do any good well turn it over to jones jonesel Jone sll find a way to solve it trust him what are you two chattering about asked susan who was arranging some flowers on the table secrets said jim smiling susan puttered buttered putt ered about for a few minutes longer then crossed to the reception room intending to go upstairs at that moment the maid was admitting a messenger with a basket of fruit I 1 for miss bliss hargreave Ilar greave said he be lie he gave the fhe basket to tho the maid touched his cap awkwardly and swung on his heel closing the door behind him ile he was wait in a hurry to deliver another message 0 what lovely fruit cried susan ira im coing to steal one ona site she laughed she abo selected a peach and began eating it on the way up to her room the maid passed on into the library this inquired florence as the maid hold held out the banket silo she selected a peach and was about to set tier white teeth into it when jim interposed ter tor posed walt wait a moment dear florence lowered the li each jim turned to the maid who sent it 1 I dont know air A messenger brought it saying it was for miss ala flar greave let me ine see ace it there Is a card cam but jim searched in ili vain tor for the card of the donor at 0 nee nce all ills hia suspicions arose dont touch them delter better let the maid throw them out fruit from unknown persons might not be the healthiest thing in the world what do you think that in all probability they are arc poisoned but the theres tie no need trying to prove my theory right or wrong ask jones hell tell you to throw thorn them away florence shuddered but they do not want to poison me ine im too valuable they want no me alive who can say returned jim gloomily they may have learned that they cannot beat us no matter what card they turn up I 1 may be wrong but take my advice and throw them away good lord that startled some oil one cried 0 miss bliss florence exclaimed the maid terror stricken as she recalled susans act miss alias susan took a peach front from the basket and was eating it on oil the way to her room good he avenal gasped jim 1 I 1 was right the fruit was poisoned jim had head enough to send for a specialist lie he knew the specialist arrived about twenty minutes after susans first cry to his keen eye it looked like a certain poison which had for its basis the venom of the cobra will she live 0 yes rut but shell be a wreck for some months send her to the hospital where I 1 can visit her frequently and ill take that peach along for analysis no police affair no wo we dare not call them in said jim your affair ill send bend down the ambulance keep her quiet shell have a species of paralysis but work off under tinder the treatment A strange business so it Is agreed jim grimly florence knelt beside tier her friends bed and cried softly you called me just in time an ali hour titter later nothing would have saved her she would have been paralyzed tor for life jim accompanied the doctor to the door and went in search of jones tie he found the taciturn butler eying the fruit basket his face ace gray and drawn though his eyes blazed with fury poison Polso nl A pretty bad poison too said jim we cant do anything weve lust just got to sit bit still but in the end well get them that she ahe devil no my friend that he devil the woman Is mail mad over him and would commit any crime at his bidding hut but this is his work we want him film lie he without courage id send this fruit knowing that I 1 would instantly suspect the sender yet I 1 have no definite proof I 1 could not hold fill him in court in law ile he will have bought the fruit piece by piece tho basket in a basket shop lie he will have injected the poison n himself when alove alone foor floor susan that messenger waa as without doubt some one over whom he holds the the threat of the death chair the way he works jim tra tramped roped the room while jones carried the fruit to the litchen kitchen the butler returned after a while what about that blank sheet of paper it has to bo be dipped clipped into a solution after that you can read it by heating I 1 have already dipped it into the solution the moment the heat leaves the all sheet act the writing disappears again the ink is waterproof ill show you jones got a caudle candle from the mantle lit it and held the sheet of paper very close to the flame gradually almost imperceptibly letters begun began to form on oil the blank sheet at length the message was waa complete D dear dar ar Ilar hargreave greave the russian minister of police Is at the blank hotel doiel under the name of henri lie le is investigating the work of the black d tit in this country and can tree free you from their vengeance it you supply the evidence needed now what evidence can he be want ant asked jim such as aa wll will prove braille bragne an ad wide cit citizen and then quietly pack him off to russia where lie he is badly wanted who sent this message one olour mysterious friend we have a few as you already know but ill go and make this man a visit I 1 have seen the real minister slid and it if this man mail is the same one something of importance may inay turn up I 1 shall want you somewhere about here ill let you have this letter remember heat brings it out and cold air makes it if vanish now ill go up tor foj a moment to see how bow that poor girl Is getting along we are lucky theres no gainsaying gain saying that youre a clever man jones said jim jones turned upon hira him his faro face grave the two men looked steadily lato into each others eyes cyca jones was first to turn it side its his glance as he had something to conceal and jim hud had nothing when the arif h to r aured susan away jones add addressed essed florenco florence gravely gra voly 1 I am going out and so eo Is mr norton do not leave via the house not even it if you have a telephone call from me or norton doth both of us ua will return so dont let anything bother or confuse you 1 I promise said aalde florence struggling with a sob bob jones jonea went downstairs again paused by window as if cogitating and suddenly throw threw it up and looked abroad A rustle among the lilacs caused a smile to flit across fits alb face so they had sent some one to learn the effect of the ills poison or to follow him should he leave the house ile he retired to the kitchen arid and gave some agomo explicit orders to the chef orders which did not in fit any way refer to letters began to form on the blank sheet cooking then jones slid and the reporter left the house each quite aware that they were vere being followed near the blank biank hotel they separated in order to confuse confuse the stalker he might dodder and follow the wrong man but it was evident that this time he had been directed to follow jones tor for he entered the hotel a minute after jones meantime a second spy whom jones had not seen had observed the transfer of the invisible writing and had immediately informed branne who was not far away that his poisoned fruit had stricken down an ou outsider isider troubled him none at all dut but that mysterious message he meant to have I 1 it t might be a life and death affair it might be a clue to the treasure or the whereabouts of ITar hargreave Harg greave reavo thus while only one man followed jones several kept a far eye on jim jones scribbled his name on a blank card and had bad it taken to the russians room the page eyed that card curl curiously it was different from anat anything tig lie he had ever seen before in one corner ner were written three or four words which resembled a cross between hebrew and greek ll humph muttered the boy chadda y know about that balck ilek on en scratches but I 1 guess the bell rings Ro flo on your way hortense lj la cried to the hall maid who wanted a look at the card up t th room sir hell sed aed yuh the boy kept the silver salver extended expectantly but jones went past without apparently noticing the hint the russian was standing by a window when jons jon s knocked and and was waa bloden to enter you are not Ilar hargreave greave 1 I N ither are you tho the russian minister of 0 police urbanely who fire are you yon 1 am ain hargreaves Hargreave a confidential man bir r the ilie two mm men eyed eed each other cautiously you speak Rus russian sinn no I 1 am able to scribble a few words that Is all the russian lit a cigarette and smoked let leisurely surely lie he was lit in no hurry I 1 I 1 INI no a I 1 cm not the minister but I 1 am his accredited agent I 1 am |