Show E R I 1 I 1 A L LLE ST STORY R P q re ME i 0 1 V E 17 S A A n lin A m a L V by JACQUES FUTRELLE zito hv M HETTNER cop erht gha 1908 az by the 0 abed bun a ay r mg haffiz noa law by the boble bb merr morr domany 7 SYNOPSIS count di the italian ambas bador Is at dinner with diplomats in the national capital when a messenger brings a note directing him to come to the embassy at once here a beautiful young woman asks that she be given ft a ticket to the embassy ball the tick et Is made out in the name 0 of miss Is abel thorne chief campbell ot of the secret service and mr grimm his head detective are warned that a plot of the batin latin races against the english peak speak ine ing races la Is brewing in washington and grimm goes to the state ball for information in a conservatory hie his at is ballod to miss isabel thorne who with her companion soon disep pears A revolver shot 1 la heard and campbell and grimm hasten down the hall to find that senor alvarez of the mexican legation has been shot A wo man did it and grimm Is assured it was miss thorne he vis ts her demanding knowledge of the affair and there arrests a man named pietro Petro miss thorne visits an old man luigi apcar antly a bomb maker and they speak of a wonderful experiment CHAPTER vill continued fa simultaneously the front door of the bouse house on the comer corner where hastings had been hiding and the front door of the house near the corner where blair had been hiding opened and two beads heads peered out As the car approach ed hastings hiding place he withdrew into the hallway but blair came out and hurried past the legation in the direction of the rapidly disappearing motor hastings joined him they spoke together then turned the cor ner it was about ten 0 clock that night when hastings reported to mr campbell at bis his home we followed the car in a rented automobile from the time it turned the corner out through alexandria and along the old baltimore road into the city of 0 baltimore he explained it was dark by the time we reached alexandria but we stuck to the car ahead running without 1 gats until we came in sight of druid hill park and then we had to shew show lights or be held up we cover co vereil ekl those forty miles going in less than two hours after the car passed druid hill it slowed up a little and ran off the turnpike into north avenue then into north charles street and slowly along that as if they were looking for a number at last it stopped and miss thorne got out and entered a house she was gone tor for more than half an hour leaving mr air cadwallader with the car while she was gone I 1 made some inquiries and learned that the house tas mas occupied by a mr thomas Q griswold I 1 don t kanom anything else about him blair may have learned something srm ething now comes conies the curious part of it and hastings inked I 1 aked a little sheepish when miss oborne came out of the house she was not miss thorne at all she was Seu senorita orita inez rodriguez daughter of the venezuelan minister she wore the same clothing miss thorne had worn going but her veil was lifted veiled and all muffled up one would have aiken oath it was the same woman she and cadwallader are back in V VI ashington now or are coming all except blair is still in baltimore awaiting orders I 1 caught the train from the charles street station and came back john son you know yes ive seen johnson inter erupted campbell are you absolutely positive that the woman you saw get into the automobile with mr cadwal lader was miss thorne 7 absolutely replied hastings with out hesitation I 1 saw her in her own room with her wraps on then saw her come down and get into the car that s all said the chief good night for an hoar or more he sat in a great comfortable chair in the buick ing room of his own home the guile less blue eyes staring and spidery lines in tha benevolent fore head on the morning of the second day da following senor rodriguez the min ister from venezuela reported to the secret service bureau the disappear ance of fifty thousand dollars in gold from a safe in his private office at the legation CHAPTER IX fifty thousand dollars mr campbell was talking for several months past he said the international invests ent corn coin pany through its representative mr cressy has been secretly negotiating with senor rodriguez for certain as ehalt properties in venezuela three days ago these negotiations were sue cess tully fully concluded and yesterday aft ernson mr air cressy in secret paid aid to senor rodriguez fifty thousand dol lars in american gold the first of tour four payments of similar sums this I 1 kil gold was to have been shipped to phil adelphia by express today to day to catch steamer tor for venezuela mr grimm nodded the fact that thia this gold was senor rodiguez Rodl guez s possession could have been known to more than a dozen persons as the throughout have been in strict se be crecy and mr campbell smiled be so 90 much now Se senor rod liguez has just telephoned asking that I 1 send a man to the legation at once the gold was kept there over night or perhaps I 1 should say that the senor intended to keep it there over night mr campbell stared at mr grimm for a moment then miss thorne you know Is s a guest at the legation that Is why I 1 am referring the matter to you I 1 understand said mr grimm and ten minutes later mr grimm presented himself to senor Seno the minister from venezuela hub bub bling with excitement was pacing forth and back across his office rut ruf fling his gray black hair with nervous twining fingers mr air grimm sat down senor he inquired placidly fifty thousand dollars in gold would weigh nearly two hundred pounds if it senor rodriguez stared at him blankly sl st senor he agreed absently and then in ili english yes I 1 should im agane so well was all ot of it stolen or only a part of ita mr grimm went on the minister gazed into the listless eyes yes for a time then apparently be mildered wll Wil dered walked forth and back across the room again finally he sat down all of it he admitted I 1 can t un der stand it no one not a soul in this house except myself knew it was here I 1 in addition to this weight of say two hundred pounds fifty thousand dollars would make considerable bulk mused mr grimm very well therefore it would appear that the person or persons who got it must have gone away from here heavily laden senor rodriguez nodded and now senor mr air grimm con linued it if you will kindly state the circumstances immediately preceding and following the theft A slight frown which had been I 1 ab aj 41 VJ p A no one not a soul in this house except myself knew it was here growing upon the smooth brow of diplomatist was instantly dissipated the money fifty thousand dollars in gold coin was paid to me yester day afternoon about four 0 clock he began slowly in explanation by mr cressy of the international investment company supplemented mr grimm yes go on the diplomatist favored the young man with one sharp inquiring glance and continued the gentleman who paid the money remained here from tour four until nine clock maille alle I 1 personally counted it As I 1 counted it I 1 placed it in canvas bags and when he had gone I 1 took these bags from this room into that he indicated a closed door to Ms his right and personally stowed them away in the sate safe I 1 closed and locked the door of the safe myself I 1 know that it was locked and all except this morning the money was gone every dollar of it safe blown inquired mr air grimm no senor exclaimed the diplo matist with mith sudden violence no the safe was not blown it was closed and locked exactly as I 1 had left it mr grimm R as idly twisting the seal ring on his little finger just as I 1 left it senor rodriguez repeated excitedly last night after I 1 locked the safe door I 1 tried it to make certain that it was locked I 1 happened to notice then that the pointer on the dial had stopped pre closely at number forty fine flie this morning when I 1 unlocked the sate safe and of coarse I 1 didn dian t know then that the mone bad had been taken the point er was still at number forty five he ile paused with one hand in the air mr grimm continued to twist the seal ring it was all like like some trick on the stage the minister went on like the magician magicians s disappearing lady or or it was as though I 1 had not put the money into the safe at all did youa inquired mr air grimm ami ably did 11 blazed senor rodriguez why senor 1 I 1 did he concluded meekly i mr grimm believed him who else knows the combination of the safe he queried no one senor not a living soul your secretary for instance not even my secretary some servant some member of I 1 our family I 1 tell you senor not one person I 1 n all the world knew that bombina jv u rii iri iiii alon except myself senor rodriguez insisted your secretary a servant some member of your family might havey seen you unlock the sate safe some time i and thus learned the combination senor rodriguez did not quite known know whether to be annoyed at mr grimm 8 persistence or to admire the tenacity with which he held to this one point you must understand senor grimm that many state documents are kept in the sate safe he said finally therefore it la is not advisable that any one should know the combination I 1 have made it an absolute rule as did my predecessors here never to un lock the safe in the presence of an other person state documents document st mr grimm si lips silently repeated the words then aloud perhaps there s a record of the combination somewhere if you had died suddenly for instance bow how would the safe have been opened there would have been only one way senor blow it open there la is no record well it if we accept all that as true observed mr mr grimm musingly it would rold seem that you either didn dian t put the money into the safe at all or please sit down there theres s nothing per bonal in this or else the money was 4 taken out ot of the safe without it being unlocked this last would have been a miracle al and this Is not the day of miracles therefore mr grimm grimms s well modulated voice trailed off into silence senor guez came to his feet with a blaze of anger in his eyes mr grimm was watching him curiously I 1 understand senor said the min ister deliberately that yo you believe that I 1 I 1 believe that you have told the truth interrupted mr grimm placid ly that is the truth eo so far as you know it but you have stated one thing in error somebody besides your self does know the combination whether they knew it or not at this time yesterday I 1 cant say but some body knows it now senor rodriguez drew a deep breath of relief the implied accusation bad had been withdrawn as pleasantly and frankly as it had been put forward I 1 ran across a chap in new hew york once for instance mr grimm took the trouble to explain who rho could un lock any safe that Is any safe ot of the kind used at that time twelve or fourteen years ago so you see I 1 doubt if he would be so successful with the new models with all their improvements but then theny y I 1 you know he ie would have made a an zilean ideal burglar hat that chap now senor who alveshere lives Ilves here in the legation with you my secretary senor diaz my daughter inez and just at the mo ment a miss thorne miss isabel thorne the senor informed him also four servants two men and two women I 1 ve had the pleasure of meeting your daughter and miss thorne mr grimm informed him now suppose we take a look at the sate safe certainly senor rodriguez started toward amo th closed door just as there came a biml alm id ld knock from the hall he ile glanced at mr air grimm who nodded then hei hel sailed called come in I 1 the door opened and miss thornel entered she was clad in some filmy gossamer like Ilke morning gown with hei her radiant hair caught upon her chita neck at fat sight of mr grimm the blued gray eyes opened as if in surprise 4 and she paused irresolutely I 1 beg your pardon senor el of i said addressing the diplomatist I 1 did not know iou were engaged andl and mr grimm she extended a slim white hand and the young man bowell bowed low over it we are old friends sh she I 1 explained smilingly to the minister then I 1 think I 1 must have dropped dropped my handkerchief when I 1 was in her hera yesterday with inez inea perhaps yol you found it st 81 senorita I 1 replied senor rod liguez gallantly it Is on my ray deskin here just a moment he ile opened the door and passed into the adjoining toom room mr grimm s eyes met those of miss isabel thorne and there was no listlessness in them now only interest she smiled at hint him tauntingly and lowered her lids senor rodriguez appeared from the other room with the handkerchief mil gracyas senor she thanked him no hay de que senorita he re turned as he opened the door for hen her monsieur grimm au revoir she dropped a little curtsey and still smil ing went out bhe Is charming senor the diplomatist assured him enthusiastically albeit irrelevantly such vivacity such personality such such she la is charming the sate safe please mr grimm reminded him TO BE CONTINUED |