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Show v- ' ' ";' -- - ;,777j 1"a;Sr. : " - . -- LlZi nlP ar..' ran V--. LsM?isi ' THE FR0VO;HE itujTkATwOCTAVEJ'flMeil 'AUTHOR, cr- - e$ys- ' - rjZ.WEILjz -7m MAN of r.ftpyg.ir,Mj ioat, fffiteM ":1J IE JZIBK HOUR Co" 9. 17w H- ftogfV5-AlfRR.l- Such woids, Warne-bolfec'.ly honest." looking at the garden faintly colored Winter, bv the. moonlight, while his mind was explained later to-coming from Kfatcham might be plying back and forth between half a v k: almost . as extravagant com- Aoteo' contradlrrttmls: mendation. "Your cousin's fortune is Ue went over the Jilght of the.al- made," he pronounced, solemnly ; "he tack on Keatcham; be summoned -can place;- - I matte-n- o pverv""1ook. every motion of J anet t " doubt." one In of Smilh; feeling" he phase Mrs. Winter thought, that "Mercer .cudgeled himself for a wooden fool was a very valuable mumST" who had been absolutely brutal to a ' "OrJy always so melancholy: I've defenseless" woman who trusted him; been at raid he had something serious he hated himself for the way he would The matier with his digest IbnT"1" It's nor"see K3rJ BeniRe"Ioolf ed toward these ahomtaable quick lunches that bim no JitljaAte Battened,' are ruining the health of all our steady and now: she absolutely avoidedlhlm! . buLihey jr oimg-me- n'. 3ai.; Ia a wit r&wilrioa-agaicst-- his are almost as .bad as chorus glrjand own softness. he:wa,s iostanliyjai'lng Sate" suppers," Well, Mrs. Winter, I'm on the blows as lustily because ot his afraid we shall no- t- haw another incredible; credulity. How chance at bridge until I see- you In absolutely simple the thing was! ' She "New-Yo- rk; Butp anyhow, we- stung cared forthis sconndrelof - an - Atthe colonel once and with Miss Smith kins who-ha- d first betrayed his em J)Iayingher" greatew jamv loo Pity ployer and thentrled to' murder nTm.l the can't induce Mr. Keatcham to Vgry likely they hadT been half enplay; but he never touches a card, gaged downther& in Virginia an he hardly ever takes anything to drink, had crawled out of his engagement; doesn't like, smoking especially, takes it would be quite like the cur! Later a cigarette once In a while only, never he found that just such a distinguished, plays the races or bets on the, run of charming woman, who had family and the vessel positively such Icy 'virtue friends, was. what he wanted; it would gives an ordinary sinner the cramps! be easy enough, for him to warm up Very great man, though, Mrs. .Winter, biR old passion, curse him! Then, he and arman we are ali proud to follow r had met "her and run in' a'bunch of he may be overbearing; and he doesn't plattsiblelies that had convjneed her -praise you :loo Tmich' hntr: somehow fhatrhe""had"beenaTegaiar"nngeriji you always - have the consciousness plain clothes; hadn't --done a thing to that he sees every bit of good work Cary or to her. Atkins was such a y On." do and is marking it up in your smooth. jdevllL- - Wiuter could. Just plc. to. the girl, putting lavor; and you won't- - be. the loser. ture There is no question he has a hold on bis life in her hands and all that rot; his -- associates; but he certainly is and making all kinds of a tool of her not what I call a genial man." why, the v. hole.: hand was on the yOnlyon thejday of hisjleparture did bbardi Soshe.was read- to" throw "lan them all- - overboard to aave "Atkins Warnebold, in .young Arnold guage, "loosen up" enough - to tell from getting his feet wetr That was Arnold and IBe colonel a vitanncidentT why she looked so pale'and haggard of The' night ot the" attack a mornlngsometknes, in pite of that was sent to Warnebold in KejtchanVs yhjr.lier confidential cipher directing thecam- - eyes - w'ereso wlgt f ul ; she wasn'ta paign against rracy to ne pusneq false woman and she sickened of her some squalid pare She loved Aunt Rebecca hard, ordering' -- the. dumping-o- f big blocks of stock on the market and and Archie all the same, she would arranging for their dummy purchasers turn them both down for him; while The naming of Atkins as the man Tri as to.Rupert Winter, Iflfe of lhe United lame, elderly charge was plausible enbugh, presum States army, a" worn-out- , ing there had been "no knowledge of idiot who had ilung away the profesthe break in his relations with Keatch sion be loved aud-evchance of a am. , The message was couched In futureFcareer?7in-order7- to have his Keatcham's characteristic erisp phrase handartojkeephar'outofjdanger wher were there words, blistering ology. But for - ths receiver's, .knowledge pf the break- - and -- butfor the previous long distance conversation,- it this point in his Jealous- imaginings the on had reached its mark. The associates pain in him goaded him j of Keatcham were puzzled. The hands he- were the hands of Esau, but the voice although his lame leg, which he had waft the voice of Jacob. There had been n si ng lfemorselessl v ; all day.-was -been a hurried consultation into which jending-jabs-ran- d twists -- of agony d '. t-Atilttg'- pig-heade- d I xt rt ,i - It .... pVI '. -- -- r I . - - him-whintng jdmjLeiaha(wat -- a, l- ' - - ' . ' ThcPrd At - Into Jh -- 'The atory open at Harvard where saw the BupertWlnter, II. 8. A.., visiting,met aulclde of young-- Mercer. He Cary " Mereerr brother of the- dead" student, ISM, In in Three years later, Chicago, Col. Winter overheard Cary Mercer ip-"".parentljr planning to kidnap Archte.rthe ";olonel's ward, and 10 gain possession of Aunt Rebecca Winter" million. A Mies apparen.Uy.as. a. .84th A great financial magnete 'conspirator. .was aboard the train on which Col. Winter met his Aunt Rebecca, Miss Smith nnd Arehlei Cet Winter learnod that the - financial magnate is Edwin 8. Keatcham. on the train. He took a trated a hold-u- p to. Mlsa, Smith, despite her liking great ' Archie Tnyeteri alleged kidnaping T)iot r ously dUappeared In Frisco. Blood in a ' nearbv room at the hotel caused fears for ' the boy's life. The lad's voice was heard the telephone, however, and a min;over ute later a woman's voice that ofMiss Smith. Col. Winter and a detective sex out for the empty mansion owned by Harvard graduate 'i n aDDeared. He assured Winter that Archie 'had returned. The colonel saw a. vision the supposedly haunted flitting - from house. It waa' Miss Janet Smith. Col. o himself admitted that he 4ovd Winter-tMiss Smith. Mercer told Winter that Archie had . overheard plans for a coup and had been kidnaped. One of Mercer's trieids on returning the boy to his aunt had been arrested or speeding and When tie returned from the police station to his .. auto tna lad was gone, mercer tumrawu he was forcibly detaining- - KeatcMim. Mercer, told his life . story, relating how. Keatcham and his scoundrel secretary, killing Atkins, had ruined him, " wife. Mercer was holding him prison-- his r ln order that was not get wntrolof . . oX railroad which, - the father of hia collegeJtl?tprowt fHenaraicotr saw Archie In ft Tracy. Aunt Rebecca he vanished. Then "men. cab with two She followed In itn auto Into the Chinese a mysterious of - district and by ' Chinese jade ornament she secured a influential Chinaman an promise from) Archie that the boy wouldhisbe returned. story, Atkins, .returned and told his being to Keatcham, secretary ' second kidnaper. Col. Winter and - Tracy returned to the "haunted house." They Col. -- , -- I , the-blo- w - -' ; - - - .Bi-r-at and not move; 6YNOP8I8. 1 Dutky Spact 'Belgw. - r - r- - g d. taWe-6uc- h-8 -- tong-distanc- patio. We have found a bolt and- - - the Boom lie-ha- d f asked tha "Don't you know how colonel. ''Well, IH tell you my guess sometime. .Who ia the girl who seema - uld htm-thro- pany;-He"wo- sitting-there," k - '" 'r , -the foot-hill- r"4'Oht-eertaiBly- we B -- put -- -- th; e, star-sown- self-deni- 1e Ihe-nrana- T - hot-heade- d - 1 " playing-cards.- - ; -- t He plum-treea- .- JiaijenlJiweuUhAJaaillU man. a k the-use-- I; toll-wor- n -r -- trouser.-Mrs.-Mimc- t ent al-k- nj -- ch -- directed-themselve- - -- yoir-kno- 'tinr nr mandiag-What-wewere-aboutr-what s - d how-eve- r, This-tlm- got-war- tostt n -- SLZ.ji,. - -- -- g L jmetJil STm-diai r Xi . ; B- ct hey-peered ahaftj-evealin- vine-n..ttic- d -- . JdljiiMJttiflBtteriofbaBto aspamaeawafdf-aayhowwexeu- said-w:eaT- cTy" was Ofiejvt.tQXJhy,TOQBt pa.tt,. H B chief: and when she roBe the white me, mamma, I didn't mean to swear. to no unreal creature that he turned, linen nartlr hid the thing ln Aerhan4 sowiui maa; brrtrtJrCoL Kupert Winter. , He w ouTJ" Only partly, because when she passed There was a girl who came, some- - address him with punctilious civility. around thrterracewallihe glow from npeaTPTf oMWhoserpresencetrhe V but as one Who was under- - some obll-- . aaeleclrle lanterartn an arch, fell full shrankfa girl hrhadliever seenr nor. gatioa : to-- assist hhnr aaylng, for- - In- . biauV-uf-ateef- InlIeea7FaTBTvernWI c: . once-jeio- "vrr summons. From the beginning of his shdwn a curious, inexillness pressive desire for the soldier's com liave" himr gitin-t- he weak to talk to loo room,'' although him, supposing he wished to talk, which was not at alt sure.-- be faltered tQiJlis nurse; : bed;-witb- for-m- er . - The colonel had hunted up'tne artisan mentioned, only to find that he had left town to take ft Job somewhere; no one seemed to know where. C Iurse he bad inquired of every bod". The name of the easterner was Atkins. , 'Atkins," cried Warnebold. at this jof the -- narrative, .'Keatcham s Kitrham"wasnoH-deadfntnM ever. .Cary Mercer appeared on the scene. secretary .Whyj he'a the boldest and sueplclous Winter believing his. actions cuffs . and slyest scoundrel In the United States! his and observing blood on Melville In let-- - He started' a leak in Keatcham's office that she tera to her husband, jr?vealed tnrnrmnfinn to - leak -- 4o AtRins. that made him a couple, of hundred at Atkins thousands and lost us a million and And," chuckled he, "there's a cheerSuspicions In the Keatcham assault. .Unknowingly "''u more if Mercer ful side to the affair, Atkins Is loaded h.H maiin hurself a tool for might have" lost hadn't got on to Elm." Keatcham to the guards ; with short contracts; , Atkins' dark scheme in stocks. ,, wouldn't believe he had - been done to the extenflie'was'HTJfst CHAPTER XV. Continued. rise conlfnueiThe cant cover without On their lnstantiFepre th Ijetter-o- f ';fcterr4tHnHa irer got , another-wllate t ..Ixl the.day lo see the hidden way, the coToiiet led of vanity I've ever been able to - them to the patio. He walked to the streak cold .SLJLiJLeajObatjs6hsd discover in him.; Otherwise,-he're engaged11 colama - which and keen aa-a razor on a irosty morn- 6tnictionsZSameadda- for answer, had Interested him;' be 'pressed e He was convinced enough, we- - thought we hadj laid a spring under the boldly carved ing. to "discharge Atkins; the next nice trap. But you can't reckon on a .him hotel we tir We of the cjoujubjis swung as- iSwXTaaheraslryiog iona 4io wf tng, Mr. Makers had telephoned for"his toihelpenZiG-us-ln8trudoor might swing. As oJo4 -dispatch and. got into confidence-Ithe fettowrstmply past ""Where did he telephone from- ?arm, his down had who put nel, knew-alas l we if the the orders "From his room In the Palace.: the "and button pressed an electric "I thought he utd given up" his preliminaries.- - Wonderful jnB,vMr. white light 'flooded the ol". Wfnter."--room?" ry iiD Ingenious dderof cleat flttedjn to Keatcham, Z He "Very. agreed the- colonel, dryly tfelephoutid teel uprights. secret time "is the warrior and the to the telegraph office from somewhere a this By "Here," said the colonel, in ttifr .hotel and got Mr. Makers' wire. way from He patio to the cellar. The man of finance were on easy terms. - BeYou caitsget pretty much everything three remained Warnebold days.' the patio cellar extends aJUUft beyond and there is a way down from, the jard fore be left the paint had been pro- except a moderate biH'out'Of a hotel' "I see," aaldsthe colonel, and Imto the cellar " I can " quickly show you, nounced but of dasher, and had revived enough to. giro some jsaccfnct mediately in hia bart compared him'1jZ-L--J-' "Xo. thank" you," replied Warnebold, business JiirWOQnscMerrerihad been self to the immortal "blind man;": for who was a man tr lull habit and older sent to look out. for the cement deal; his wits appeared to him to be tramprethan the colonel, "I will take your pep and KeatchatU appeared :ia little told ing round futilely in a maze; no aear-, he was when er theexltthai when the tramp began. and lieved brighter 4nstead. gonnl eicperlenee on was hia the Mercer, that way. out That night after Warnebold had deinto "Then if you will go ' ' can be if it where it willt lit) through; pat leaving most efTusive thanks ?how. parted, you with J jw 16 "WarneBnd expressions or confIdence'',Wrner put.'heBaid a charming pergola ends in a moderately smart and per- - was standing at his window absently of stone- - that you bold ; -- ' In . any before; nor did any one, in the house kgowrf theecretpassage.88 The colonel went on o sayythat on Questioning the" architect he averred that he had never mentioned thesecret passageojhls knowledge ex cept that very recently, only . a few days before, at a dinner, he had barely alluded to ' and one of the gentle men present, ah easterner,- - had asked him where he got a man to make such JSkilU e : 10-l-he ft lnto-motl- - air-shaf- t- feet Jronxjthe-Bha- Not' to "Let those 'Persona"' rAgaln You w a flto?"- -to make ' "I'm hot sure; I imagine it Is poor Mabel Ray; there were two of them Bisters; they made money out of their Tidewater-stocand went to New kin; and they got XorkLtoY,.8JtiMin. -?" when the stock"rTell and the" scared ; j thesecond telephone HhrdughhtrfcBiitfteM-IitUe- -ometImes""WInler "would Tle' con- ilividendsatopped ; and they aold out-- at from- San- - Francisco hrpke-- - like hailed again before the - easement scious' that the feebl creature la the a great loaa- .- They never did corn z ";" wlndowr 4lulsh-whlt- facer-wa- s thundexclapldeedibeih t ackt they bad . persuaded all their keep to their instructions and disreThe wide, darkening - view ; the staring at him. Whether the glassy Irrn to in vest; "and the stopping of tha gard the cipher dispatch. great, silent city with - its myriad eyes beheld his figure" or went beyond dividends made It difficult for some of lights; the shining mistof the bay; hlmtQuiunflnlshed . colossal . schemes the poor ones Mabel said she couldn't s the colonel asked.. with their sheer, straw- - that might change the fate of a con- - faee her old aunts. She went on the the - very Nawork-She-waa had sn- - address colored streaksth rough theverests tineirtrdrifdiaEkward to the povjge-4.Mrwasn't Palaceand the illimitable JohtTGi the depths hotel, very strong. Anygiven, vineyards; ferocious toil prettyL.she , violet - Bky all - these and the 'unending We wired Mr. Makers In of Makers. of way, you can imagine the end of the eoood-wlttrtouched his f youth on the PaclflTflope, 8toryY I aaw her ln the park last wintend to it,' I signed. And I wired to den calm. His unrest was quieted, as the dim gaze ga ve no clew- .- All that ter when Mrs. Winter waa in New her face away poor of theTiotel to notice ewhsfise8Tlreoed1)rTTfUn was apparent was that it was always ortrrsheturned ' man who took the dispatch. It wasn't nlng etream,- v on Winter, aa he curled his legs under Mabel!". ; .Si a man, it was a lady." "You southerner!" he up- his chair, wrote or, knitted his brow Through Janet Smith's knowledge "A lady?" braided imself,"don't get tip In the over rows of 7ri of her dead aister'r nelghbora, Wln-te- r ' "Yes, she had an order for- Mr. air without any real proof!" goadozenjpltlful; records of the-At the very first, Keatcham's mind Makers!telegrams. Mr. Makers gave Almost in the. flitting of the words had wandered; '.he used to shrink from wreckage of the Tidewater. ' ho "Mighty the order. Mr. Makers himself only through his brain he saw her. .The Interesting reading" thought, In were who the Imaginary people stopped one night and went away ln white gown, which was her constant room; he would try to talk to them, grimly, "but hardly likely to make tha : the morning and nobody seemed to re wear in the sickroom, defined her fighimself painfully, for he man responsible for them' stuck on himself!" member him particularly; he was a ure clearly against a clump of Japan distressing Then he would look at the was so" weak that his nurses turned his n.ondescriptjsort-jofpart- y drawn faceoa the pUlow-An-d listen, to Their purplish-re- d foliage the babblings of the boy who had no; r".8ld' and'i11?" vp''tin "n"naln be- felt dry, yoad made a delicate tinkle of water tions he would sometimes appeal, ln childhood; and' the frown would melt "The lady? She was tall, fine figure splashlng-.marble basin. Her face a changed, thini childish voice, to the off his brow. . well dressed,-darthe He did not always talk to his mothhair, telegraph .waa; bidden; OTtytaa"modnTlight gently obscure, pioneer woman who girl thought, but she didn't pay any drewthe otal of her cheek.. She was had died while he was a lad. "Mother, er when his mind wandered; several ' She had a very standing still, except that one foot was I was a good special attention. boy; I always got up times he addressed an invisible prespleasant, musical voice." groping back and forth as if trying to when you called me, didn't I? I Helped ence as "Helen" and "Dear," with aa "That doesn't seem to be very defi find something. But, as he looked, his you Iron when the other boys were accent of tenderness very strange on those inflexible lips." When he talked nite," remarked the "colonel, with a face growing tenderL she knelt on the pteyWg; crooked smile.-Tlll sod and pulled something out of "the old woman stay and cry herej-- Or he fto. this phantasm he was never angry" . It didn't look like a clew ground. This something she seemed would plead: - "Mother, tell her, say or distressed; his turgid scowl cleared; her son the austere lines chiseling hia cheeks either; but he was' convinced of to dust off with her handkerchief-- he you tell her I didn't-kno- w one thing,; namely : That it would pay could not see the object, but he would kill himself I couldn't tell he and brow faded;" he looked years eg -will nave no difficulty you "know-Y- ou In finding the right stone, because an dial: 'Mas inscription runs round-th- e vale tarde que 'nunca; and the stone is directly opposite 'nunca.l When you have moved away your dial you will see a - gently . inclining - tunnel, high enough fop a man W walk in .without stoop yVide' enough:: for two, and much ratter ventilated than the New York soway. That tunnel leads to a secret door opening directly Into the cellar, so skillfully contrived ; that it This door Is looks like an onlyTa-te- w fMust Beg "Cor. Winter, ery but press your foot on a certain stone, the whole on &, concealed tura-dial Bwings-rounmar-tu- -- - iHct looked-dow- n JuiJheiirijinhijJia-Hgbtedchkmb.e- r u Md :.suddenly she looked up straight at thewlndowi of the room where she thought he was sleeping; and. smiled, a dim, amused, weary,-teBd-er 8mUe.Thett:ahe;sped " WZcTci rahdjight "of foot; aadT the nvwm 4Ji . me urfftu took her.T'AII he" could see wasthe lawn; rnoonllght on the" blulsh-greei- r amLithe. white electric; light on the and.- - - dusty gleaming rubber-tree- s naltmr. He sat down, r He clasped his hands over, his knee. He whistled softly a little Spanish air. He laughed very gently. "My dear llttlegirl," said he, "I am going to marry you. You may bis jswJndJedJstoJhelpln 4ererst:but X to marryyou se nerunn In th wob')- fiot to me. : But you They annoy again. livedhad his never had but They ' neednTlerMei-ceirltiiow-thatPlease oriJLhem.' yps. fallen. attendrto" and it getyourself,: lhelr4presencg"a aa reaTltrhinraB says you wllL Ex- that of the people about him whom he away. Miss Smith could hear and touch and see. It did plaia to them- that when I get up I .will 4n vestigate" their claims, Tur toff"" '" to fi(k:"4akeWtatertr rmaglBatioalong ' "7 piece out the expfanatloh of these ap- anf or the" lpt-tha- him. - r -- theml t Btck-nowl? paritions; they were specter-o- f . tha characters in those dramas of ruthless conquest which Mercer had "culled out of newspaper "stories"; and affidavits andrurtcieportSZ"anfftlorc tth KgatchgnT8'"attcMtionr r; to Mm' although helped her , own Ignorance of Mercer's method was puzzling. "How did he ever know old Mrs. Ferris ?T ebe feald.He called her Ferris and he talks about always, did, wear a queer little basque and f ull sklrC alter all the world went into blouse? but how did he ever come across her? They had a place xn the James that -- MiBr-sm- n, (TO :omV. be " , "ii'rtjtLr'ii - From to Worse. i2--L- , Bad a - - A miner in Scotland was visited by ffiendT and among the places of ahowtt- - wa tha plt jwauthr Sc lng the cage lowered with ihe stout steel rope, the friend exclaimed "My I shouldn't like to go dowa word! there on that rope-."- '."Vby,' exclaimed the miner, "Aw wadna Ilk' to gang doon there wlthoot it!" - - - News. i7t j - - " : - - Cannot Boil Her, CHAPTER XVI. New York physicians an worrit The Real Edwin Keatcham. because .of a hospital inmate who 1; One Sunday after Mrs. MelviHe 'inter and Archie came to Casa Fuerte, had to ose on account of the Tidewa been disseminating typhoid germs f "Mr."KeatchanVsent for the"coIoneI, lefTaSil Kelson FCTrts brew 113 tratir--1 r.ff Tlays.-a- s "ft Is Ttgalnst tho-laNew York state to boil her. There was nothing "unusual la Such a out."- ws ' |
