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Show 7 THE RICH COUNTY NEWS. RANDOLPH. UTAH Mardi Gras Mystery By H. BEDFORD-JONE- S Copyright by OOU1LIDAY, PAGE AND COMPANY FELL AND LUCIE SYNOPSIS. During the of the New Orleans carnivalheight season Jachtn Fell, wealthy though somewhat mysterious cltlsen, and Dr. Ansley, are discussing a series of robberies by an Individual known as the Midnight Masquer, who, invariably attired as an aviator, has long defied the police. Joseph wealthy banker, is giving a ball that night, at which the Masquer has threatened to appear and rob the guests. Fell and Ansley, on their way to the affair, meet a girl dressed as Columbine, seemingly known to Fell, but masked, who accompanies them to the ball. Lucie Ledanots, recently the ward of her uncle, Joseph Malllard, Is the Columbine. At the ball. Bob Malllard, son of 'the banker, again proposes to her and Is refused. He offers to buy some of her property. A Franciscan monlj interests her. He turns out to be Prince Gramont. In his library Joseph Malllard and a group of his friends are held up and robbed by the Midnight Masquer. Lucie Ledanots, the last of an old family, Is in straitened circumstances. Joseph Maillards handling of her funds has been unfortunate. Fell is an old friend of her parents and deeply Interested In the girl. Henry Gramont, really the Prince de Gramont, Is enamored of Lucie. Mall-lar- CHAPTER IV d, Continued. You saw him? repeated the girl, quickly. What was he like? Do you know who he is? Certainly I know, replied Fell, still smiling at her. Oh! Then who Is he? Softly, softly, young lady! I know him, but evea to you I dare not breathe his name nptll I obtain some direct evidence. Let us call him Mr. X., after the approved methods of romance, and I shall expound what I know. "The bandit did not enter the house during the evening, nor did he leave, nor was he found In the house afterward, he went on, tonelessly. So, Incredible as it may appear, he tyas one of the guests. This Mr. X.'came to the dance wearing the aviator's costume, or most of it, underneath his When he was masquerade costume. ready to act, he doffed his outer costume,' appeared as the Midnight Masquer, effected his purpose, then calmly donned his outer costume again and resumed his place among the guests. You understand? "Well, then Malllard yesterday received a note from the Masquer, brazenly stating that he intended to call during the evening. I have that note. It was written with an extremely hard pencil, such as few men cairy, because it does not easify make very legible writing. Last night I asked Mr. X. for a pencil, and he produced one with an extra hard lead mentioning that he had borrowed it from Bob Malllard, as indeed he had. What! Surely you dont mean ' Of course I dont. Mr. X. is very clever, thats all. Here 1 what took place last night. Mr. X. brought us another note from the Masquer, saying that he had found It pinned to the library door. As a matter of fact, he had written It on a leaf torn from his notebook. I took the note from him, observing at the time that the Probably paper had no pin holes. Mr. X. saw that there was something amiss ; he. presently went back downstairs, took the remainder of the torn leaf from hla notebook, and pinned it to the door. A little later I met him ind mentioned the lack of pin holes; he calmly referred me to the piece on the door, saying that he had merely tom oF the note without removing the pins. You follow me? Of course, murmured the girl, her yes wide In fascinated Interest. And he knew that you guessed him to be the Masquer? He suspected me, I think," said It is understood that Fell, mildly. 'you will not go about tracing these little clues? Dont be silly, Uncle) Jachin she You know Ill do nothing broke In. of the sort. Go on, please' Did you find the airplane? Yes. Jachin Fell smiled dryly. I was thinking cf that as I left the house and came to the line of waiting automobiles. A word with one of the outside detectives showed me that one of the cars In the street had been testing its engine about midnight. I found that the car belonged to Mr. X. How simple, Lucie, and how very clever! The chauffeur worked a powerful motor with a muffler cutout at about the time Mr. X., Inside the house, was making his appearance. It scarcely sounded like an airplane motor, yet frightened and startled, people would Imagine that It did. Thus arose the legend that, the Midnight Masquer came and departed by means of airplane a theory aided ingen'ousiy by his costume. Well, that Is all I know or suspect, my dear Lucie! And now said . the girl, Now, I suppose, thoughtfully, youll put that awful "reole of yours on the track of Mr. X.? Ben Chacherre Is a good chauffeur, and lies amusing enough hut hes a bloodhound! I dont wonder that he used to be criminal. Even if you have rescued him from a life of crime, you havent Improved his looks. 1 ! Exactly Beu is at' work, asserted Jachin FelL "The gentleman under suspicion Is very prominent To accuse him without proof would be utter folly. To catch him In flagrante delicto will be difficult. So I am in no haste, Besides, I can as yet discover no motive for hla crimes, since lie Is quite well off financially. Well, no matter Now that I have fully unbosomed myself, my dear, It is your turn. "All right. Uncle Jachin. Lucie took a large morocco case from the chair beside her, and extended It. You lent me these things to wear last night, und I No, no, Intervened Fell. I gave them to you, my dear In fact, I gave them to you two years ago, and kept them until now I You have worn them; they are yours, and you become them better than even did poor So say no more. Queen Hortense! Lucie leaned forward and imprint 1 a kiss upon the cheek of the little There! that is all the gray man. thanks I can give you, dear uncle ; the gift makes me very happy, and Ill not pretend otherwise. Only, I feel as though I had no right to wear them theyre so wonderful! Nonsense! But all this, Isnt why you summoned me here, you bundle of mystery ! What bothered you last night, or, rather, who? Lucie laughed. fThere was a Franciscan who tried to be very mysterious, and t(o read my mind. He talked about oil, about a grasping, hard man, and mentioned you as my friend. Then he warned me against a proposal that Bob might make; and sure enough, Bob did propose to buy what land Is left to me on Bayou Terrebonne, saying he'd persuade his oil company that there was oil on It, and that theyd buy or lease It. I told him no. The Franciscan, afterward, proved to be Henry Gramont ; I wondered If you had mentioned Heaven forbid ! exclaimed Mr. I never even met GraFell, piously. mont until last night! Do you like ten or spoken rather frankly, perhaps. Also, Bob may have blabbed to him. Bob atiU drinks prohibition has not hit him very hard I UnforNo, agreed Fell, gravely. tunately, no. Lncle, Ive discovered a most Important fact. Joseph Malllard did not own any stock In the Bayou Oil company at the time your land was sold them by him, and he had no Interest at all in the real estate concern that bought your St. Landry swamp lands and made a fortune off them. We have really blamed him most unjustly. I do not believe that he has profited in the least from you. His Investments In the companies concerned were made afterward, and I am certain he sold the lands innocently Lucie drew a deep breath. I am glad you have said this, she returned simply. Its been hard for me to think that Uncle Joseph had taken advantage of me; I think that he honestly likes me, as far as he permits himself to like anyone. Hed not loan you money on it, Raid Fell. Friendship Isnt a tangible security with him. Well, who really did profit by ray loss? Anyone? Fells pale gray eyes twinkled, then cleared In their usually wide innocence. My dear Lucie, is there one person In this world to whose fnults Joseph Malllard is deliberately blind one person to whom he would refuse nothing, in whom he would pardon everything, of whom he would never believs any evil report? You mean Lucie drew a quick Bob ? breath Yes, I mean Bob. That he has profited by your loss I am not yet In a position to say; but I suspect It. When I have finished with the Masquer, I shall take up his trail. Now I must be Jachin Fell rose. Will you dine with us off. my dear. tomorrow evening, Lucie? My mother commanded me to bring you as soon as possible him? Oh, your mother! exclaimed the The girls eyes met girl, contritely. Very much. I was so absorbed Do you? his frankly. In the Masquer that I forgot to ask Very much, said Jachin Fell. after her. How Is she? Lucies gray eyes narrowed, searched "Quite as usual, thank you. his face. Im almost able to tell Ill come tomorrow night gladly. when you're lying, she observed Uncle Jachin. And well take a look at the Proteus ball afterward, if you like. Ill send Ben Chacherre for you with the car, If youre not afraid of him. Im not exactly afraid of him, Lucie responded, soberly, but there Is something about him that I cant like. Im sorry .that youre trying to regenerate him, In a way. All life Is Fell shrugged lightly. an effort, little one! Well, gnodby. Jachin Fell left the house at three-fortTwenty minutes later the bell rang again. Lucie sent one of the servants to admit Henry Gramont ; she kept him waiting a full fifteen minutes before she appeared, and then she made na apologies whatever for J 1 the delay. Not that Gramont minded waiting; he deemed It a privilege to linger In this house! He loved to study the place, so reflective of Its owner. lie loved the white Colonial mantel that surrounded the fireplace, perpetually alight, with Its gleaming sheen of old "Poor Taste, Mademoiselle, to Grow Weary of Such Beauty! You said that a trifle too calmly. hastily. Uncle Jachin. Why don't you like him? Fell laughed, amused. Perhaps I have a prejudice against foreign nobles, Lucie. Our own aristocracy t is had enough, but "Hes discarded all that. He was never French except In name. You speak as though you'd known him for some time. Have you had secrets from me? I have! laughter dimpled In the For years and years! girls face. When I wns In New York with father, before the war, we met him; he was visiting In Newport with college frieuds. .Then, you know that father and I were In France when the war broke out father was III and almost helpless at the time, you remember. Gramont came to Paris to serve with Ills regiment, and met us there. He helped us get away, procured real money for us got us passage to New York. He knows lots of our friends, nnd Ive always been deeply grateful to him for his assistance then. Weve corresponded quite frequentI ly during the war, she pursued. mentioned him several times after we got home from France, but you probably failed to notice the name. Its only since he came to New Orleans that I really kept any secrets from you; this time I wanted to find out you liked him. Jucliin nodded slowly. HIS face was quite innocent of expression. Yes, yes. he said. Yes of course He's a geologist or engineer. I think? Both, and a gpod one. Well,, about last ( night he piobably guessed at some of my private affairs; Ive writ if to brasses, and the glittering fire-se- t one side. The very air of the place, the atmosphere that It breathed, was sweet to him. The Napoleon bed that filled the bow window, with Its pillows and soft coverings; the Inlaid walnut cabinet made by Sheraton, with its quaintly curved glasses that reflected the oldtime curios wltlfln ; the tilt tables, the rosewood chairs, the rugs, bought before the oriental rug market was flooded with machine-mad- e Senna knots about everything here bad an air of comfort, of long use. of restfulness. It was not .the sort of place built up. raw item by raw item, by the color frepsied hands of decorators. It was the sort of place that decorators strive desperately to Imitate, and ! t cannot. When she made her appearance, Gramont bent over her hand and addressed her in French-Yoare charming as ever, Shining One! And In years to come you will be still more charming. That is the beauty of having a name taken direct from the classics, and 'bestewed as a good fairy's gift Thank you, monsieur hut you have translated my name at least twenty times, and I am weary of hearing it, responded Lucie, laughingly. Toor taste. v mar emoiselle, to grow weary of such beauty ! Not of the jtame. but of your exegesis upon It. Why should I not be displeased? Last' night you were positively rude, and now you necry my taste! Did you leave, ail ivur manners In France, M. le prince? EftmctJ The Economy Slave tPGDWMIEfR Never fails to produce pure and wholesome bakings. ' y. H EEnacnllsG, You save when you buy it You save when you use it If you buy big can or cheap baking powder you don't get the Calumet quality. BEST BY TEST The World's Greatest Baking Powder The Sacrifice. Edith I dont see why you like that group picture of our society. It wasnt particularly good of you. Isabel I know it, but it had such a perfectly horrid portrait of that conceited Miss Gushing. Boscton Evening Transcript. West Texas Military Academy b.o.t.0. San Antonio, Texas sothYear Affiliated with the University of Texas, West Point, Annapolis and leading institutions of the United States Army officers detailed by War Department. Uniform equipment issued by Government. Separate Junior School. Swimming Pool. Athletic Field. Champions of Football and Baseball. Opens SEPT. . Write for new illustrated catalogue. J. TOM. WILLIAMS, Snpte WOULD TAKE HEARSES MANY DOES IT ALLENS FOOT-EAS- E When shoes pinch or corns and bunions ache, get a package of ALLEN'S FOOTa Firms That Have Died Since Drop in EASE, the antiseptic powder to be shaken Into the shoea It takes the sting out of corns Prices Would Make Large and bunions, gives instant relief to Smarting, Funeral. 1,600,000 pounds of Aching, Swollen feet. used by our Army powder for the feet were and Navy during the war. Advertisement. Suppose a funeral passed your house with 38,000 hearses, each hearse Curious Fire Engine. containing an American business Ann. Wlmt might be described as a It would be impressive, wouldnt it? andem bicycle, with four wheels arIr would also give you an accurate ranged like those of a wagon, and four idea of the number of business fail- seats for riders, two in front and two ures since prices began to tumble In behind, and carrying a hose reel, ro1920, they tary pump, etc., was exhibited recently May, notwithstanding liavent tumbled so very much for some in Paris. The machine is intended as tilings. But dont get gloomy oer it. a fine engine in small towns. When Standing on curbstones watching their the scene of fire is readied the pedals brethren go to Dun & Bradstreets are thrown into gear with the pump cemetery, are nearly 2,000,000 business the hose is unrolled, and the riders, reorganizations that have weathered the suming their seats, woik the pump by storm. In two years of severe de- means of the pedals. It Is claimed pression only one business in every that this machine can outstrip any fire fifty-thre-e has failed. The percentage engine drawn by horses on the way to or farmers that have gone broke is a conflagration, and tnat its pump is larger. Business failures have totaled at least as effective as those of the about $600,000,000 a year in liabilities. hand engines used in many towns. Skin Troubles Soothed With Cutictira Soap 25c, Ointment 25 GOLD nil 50c, Talcnm 25c. TEETH OUT OF STYLE Present Trend Is to Preserve Tooth and Make It Look as Much Like Original as Possible. Gold teeth are going out of style, according to practitioners and dental experts. The present trend is to preserve the tooth to make it look as near as possible like it was originally. If this can't be done the offending molar or incisor must be pulled out. The idea of pulling teeth is something comparatively new in American dentistry. The tendency was to save tlie tooth at all costs. But dentists have discovered that gold crowns are unhenlthfu! and permit foreign matter to get into the teeth. Bridge work also is not as popular ns it once was. To make a bridge two good teeth weie filed down as anchors for the mass of gold in between. If the bridge failed the two good teeth on the ends went with It. Now dentists "recommend a plate of false teeth instead of the bridge; Sugar-Bee- t Seed. These being removable, are easily t seed ImportMuch of the sugar-beeed Into the United States comes from kept clean. The dental science is now its energies more on servGermany, and Is received through the spending rather than on bridges iceable plates port of Galveston. Scientific or crowns. New York Sun. , double-t- Assets have averaged about enough to pay 50 per cent on the dollar. The net loss has been about $300,000,000 a year, or about $3 a per for each American. Might be much worse, remurks Cappers Weekly. No fewer than 20 women now hold More than 75,000 women are emYou dont have to associate with seats In the nutional body of Finland. electricians to hear shocking language. ployed in th British civil service. g - . is a regular three of the best food qualities of whole wheat flour and malted barley, carefully mixed and slowly baked GRAPE-NUT- u You ask anybody on th side if they ever heard Memphis Izzy Gumberts!" S To develop all their appetizing flavor, t To preserve all their yholesomeness. And to provide natures broom that keeps the diges tive system spick and span. Theres not a bit of artificial sweetening in Grape-Nut- s it just becomes sweet of its own accord in the long baking. And that enticing flavor how good it is with good milk cream! or Fruits, too, fresh or cooked, add to the delight of dish of Grape-Nut- s, morning, noon or sundown. in- food nd cooking needed. It is a compact, ready-to-ebreakfast? it for tomorrows not Why Jry at of - (TO BF CONTINUED.) , . , Daily Thought. ; Virtue Is bold and goodness never fearful. Shakespeare. , Back to the Grain Fields for Health , There s a Reason' t 1 , : ; v - Postum Cereal Co., Inc., Battle Creek, Mich. ' |