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Show Kjf' BULL-DOG 1 BDRUMMOND Bwl The Adventures of A WhJM B&L De"Kbilized Officer fM PjkVho Found Peace Dull 9 yfm IHuitrattoiM by W&BIm yJTkjKMH MYERS 1 ItV-Jliarai - Copyright by! Geo H Do ran Co 'Uo ii ml find htm this nflernoot. AIkjV onld UukIi rlslns. "And te.. him to keep hl mouth stmt IM come with jou. but It occurs to me that thj! ttrl9teil I'm. bah In tears ut the Carlton, Its hi need of sympathy. .So Ioiik. old dear. You'll hear from mo In n day or two." Drtimmoud nuntered hIoiik Pall. Mall. Ho lind told Longworth more or less on thi spur of the moment, knowing thnt Kcntlemnn's rnpnbllltlps to n nU'Ply. tJmlcr n clonk nf nn- umel flippancy he concealed nn Iron nerve which had never )et failed him; and, In spite of the fact thnt he wore an entirely unneccsMiiry eye-Clnss, eye-Clnss, he could see fuithcr Into a brick wall than most ot the people who called him a fool. It was his suggestion of I c) line Toby Sinclair thnt caued the smile. Kor It hnd started a train of thought In Druramond's mind which seemed to him to be pood. If Sinclair why not two or three more equally trusty sportsmen? Why not a Kong of the boys? Toby possessed a V. C, and n good (one for there are grades of the V. 0., and those (trades are appreciated to a nicety by the recipient's brother office If not by the general public. The show would nt Toby like a glove. ' . . . Then "there was Ted Jern Ingham, who combined the roles of an nmateiir actor of moio than aver-ago aver-ago merit with an ability to hit anything any-thing at any range with every conceivable con-ceivable type of flrenrm. And Jerry Seymour In the Flying corps. . . . Not a bad thing to have a (lying ninu up one's sleeve. . . . And possibly pos-sibly some one versed In the wa)s of tanks might come In handy. . . . The smile broadened to a grin; surely Itf was very good. And then the jrln faded, and something suspiciously sus-piciously like a frown took Its place. For he hnd arrived at tho Carlton, and reality had come back to him. "Mr. Potts will see no one, sir," remarked re-marked the man to whom he nd-dressed nd-dressed his question. "You nre about the twentieth gentleman who has beeu hero already today." Hugh had expected this, and (.mlled gentully. "Precisely, my stout fellow," he remarked, re-marked, "but I'll lay n binatl amount of money thnt they were nowspnper men. Now, I'm not. And I think that If you will have this note delivered to Mr. Potts, he will seo me." He sat down at a table, and drow a sheet of paper toward him. Two facta were certain: First, thut tho man upstairs was not the real Potts; second, Umt he was one of Peterson's gang. The difficulty was to know ex-actly ex-actly how to word the note. There might be some mystic pass-word, the omission of which would prove him nn Impostor at once. At length ho took a pen and wrote rapidly; he would have to chance It. "Urgent. A message from headquarters." head-quarters." He Healed the envelope and handed It with the necessary five shillings for postage to the man. Then he sat down to wait. After what seemed an Interminable delay he saw tno messenger mes-senger crossing the lounge. ! "Mr. Potts will see you, sir." Hugh followed his guide alon a corridor, and paused outside a door while he went Into n room. He heard a murmur of voices, and then the man reappeared, ' "This way, sir," he said, aud Hugh stepped Inside, to stop with an involuntary invol-untary gasp of surprise. The man seated In the chair was Potts, to all Intents and punwses. The likeness was extraordinary, and had he not known that the real article was at Goring he would have beeu com-pletely com-pletely deceived himself. The man waited till the door was closed: then he foao and atHeo: forward auspiciously. "I don't know you." ho said. "Who are youl" ' H8lnco when has every ono employed em-ployed nt headquarters known one anptherr Drummond returned guardedly. guard-edly. "And, Incidentally, your like-. nessi to our lamented friend is won-'derfiil. won-'derfiil. It very nearly deceived even me j The man, not Ill-pleased, gave a short laugh. "It'll pass, I think. But It's risky. These cursed reporters bne been badgering the wholo morning. . And I If M. wife or somebody come. 6ver, what then "J" AJj Rosea to bungle in Helfust Ilea never left a clue before. n'tb8nhnttnd plenty of time to do the Job prop- "'M." name Inside a breast-pocket might easily be overlooked," remarked Hugh, seltlng the obvious clue. I "Are you making excuses .for him! snarled the other. "M'"" failure U death. Such to pur rule. Would you have It altereur ' "Moat certainly not. Tho Issues are far too great for any weakness. . . "You're rght, my friend you're rlKlit. Loop, live tho Ilrothcrhood." He stored put of the window with smouldering eye, und Hugh preserved a discreet silence. Then suddenly the other broko out again. . . . "Have they killed that Insolent puppy of a soldier yet V "Er not yet." murmured Hugh mildly. "They must find the American nt once." The man thumped the tnblo emphatically, "It was Important before be-fore nt lenst his money was. Now with iIiIh blunder It's vital." "Precisely' said Hugh. "Precisely" "Precise-ly" "I've already Interviewed ono man from Scotland Yard, hut every hour Incrpnses the rinnger. However, you lime n mesiiiftp for me. What Is It?" HiiKh rose and casually picked up his lint. Ho had got moro out of the Interview than he had hoped for, and there was nothing to he gained by funloiiKlng It. Hut It struck him that Mr Pottft' linpersonntor was a man of unplensunt disposition, and that tactically a t'lnnklng mocment"to the door was Indicated. Aud, being of an open nature himself, It Is possible thnt the real state of affairs showed for a moment on his face. lie that as It may, something suddenly aroused the other's suspicions, and with a snnrl nf fury he sprang past Hugh to i lie door. "Who are you?" ne spat the words out venomously, nt the mime time whipping an ugly-looking knife out of his pocket. Hugh replaced his hat aud stick on the table und grinned gently. "I am the Insolent puppy of a soldier, sol-dier, dear old bird," he remarked, wutchlng the other warily. "And If I was on I'd put the toothpick away. . . . You might hurt yourself" As he spoke he wus edging, little by little, toward Uio other man, who crouched snarling by the door. Ills eyes, grim and determined, never left the other's fnce ; his hands, apparently hanging listless by his sides, were tingling with the Joy of what he knew wns coming. "And the penalty of fnlluie Is death, Isn't It, dear one?" He spoke almost dreamily; but not for nn Instant did his attention relax. Almost Imperceptibly, Imper-ceptibly, he crept toward the other man, tulklng gently. "Such Is your rule. And I think you have failed, hnven't you, you uu-pleasant uu-pleasant specimen of humanity? How will they kill you, I wonder?" It wns at that moment thnt the man made his mlstnke. Ho looked uway; only for a moment but he looked awny. Just as a cat's nerves give after a while and It looks round for nn uvenue of escape, so did the crouching crouch-ing man lake his eyes from Hugh. And quick ns any dog, Hugh sprang. With his left hand he seined the man's right wrist, with his right ho eelxed his throat. Then he forced him upright ngalnst the door and held him there. Even when Inch by Inch he shifted hts grip on the man's knlfo hand ho never took his eyes from his With His Left Hand Ho Seized tht Man's Right Wrist, With His Right He Selxed His Throat opponent's face; even when with a audden gnsp of agony the roan dropped his knlfo from llngors which, of u sudden, had become numb, the steady, merciless glare still bored Into his brain. "You're not very clover nt It; are your said Hugh softly. "It would be so easy to kill you now, aud except for the Inconvenlenco I should un- doubted! stirrer, It mightn't be n bad Idea. Hut they know mo downstairs, and It would lnit, t so awkward when I wanted to dine hero again. . . . So. taking cerythlng Into account, I think" There was n sudden lightning movement, move-ment, a heme mid n quick Jork. The Impersonator of Pottn was dimly conscious con-scious of iljing through tho air, and of hitting the tloor some ynrds from the door. He made a frantic effort to rise, but the pain was too great, and ho rolled oer cursing, whllo the soldier, his hand on the door-knob, laughed gently "I'll keep the toothpick." he remarked, re-marked, "as a memento." The next moment ho wns striding along the corridor toward the clo-vntor. clo-vntor. As a light It had been a poor one, but his hrnln wns busy with the Information he had heard. True. It had been scrappy In the extreme, and, In pnrt, hnd only continued what he hau suspected all along. The wretched Granger hnd been foully dono to death, for no other reason than that he was the millionaire's secretary. Hugh's Jaw tightened; It revolted his sense of sport. It wasn't as If the poor blighter blight-er hnd done anything; merely because he existed and might ask Inconvenient questions he had been removed. And as tho elevator shot downwards, aud tho remembrance of tho grim struggle he had had In tho darkness of Tho Elms the night before came back to his mind, he woudered once again It he hnd done wisely In not breaking Peterson's neck whllo he had the chance. He was still debating tho question In his mind ns he crossed the ten-lounge. ten-lounge. "Why, Captain Drummond, you look pensUe." A 'well-known volco from a table at hts side made him look down, and he bowed a little grimly, Irma Peterson was regarding him with a mocking smile. .-issViIlulLt. rie glanced at her companion, a young man whose face seemed" vaguely Familiar 1? tjifl, "iSi, Wl Mrt rested once more on the girl. Even his masculine, Intelligence could appreciate ap-preciate the perfection In a slightly foreign style of her clothes; und, as to her beauty, he had never been under un-der riny delusions. "The Carlton seems rather a favorite favor-ite resort of yours," she continued, watching him through half closed eyes. "I think you're very wise to make the most of It while you can." "While 1 can?'' said Hugh. "That sounds rather depressing.'' "I've done my best," continued the girl, "but matters have passed out of my hands, I'm afraid." .. Again Hugh glanced at her companion, compan-ion, but he bad risen and was talking to, syrae people who had Just come In. "Is he one of the firm!" be remarked. re-marked. "His face seems familiar." "Oh, no I" said the girl. "He Is Just a friend." She leaned forward sudilonly. "Why don't you Join ua Instead of so foolishly trying to fight us? Iielleve me. Monsieur Hugh, It la the only thing that con possibly save you. You know too much." "Is the invitation to amalgamate official, or from your own charming brain?" murmured Hugh. "Mado on the spur of the moment," (die said lightly. "Iiut It may be regarded re-garded us official." "I'm afraid it must be declined on the spur of the moment," he answered an-swered In the same tone. "And equally equal-ly to be regarded as official. Well, uu rovolr. Please tell Mr. Peterson how sorry 1 am to have missed him." "I will most certainly," answered the glrL "liut then,, tuon ami, you will be teeing him again soon, without doubt. . . ." She waved a churralng hand In farewell, fare-well, and turned to her companion. Hut Drummond, though he went Into the hall outside, did not Immediately leave the hotel. Instead, be buttonholed button-holed an exquisite being arrayed In gorgeous apparel, and led him to a point of vantage. "You see that girl," he remarked, "having tea with a man at the third table from the big palm? Now, can you tell me who the man Is? I seem to know his face, but I can't put a name to It." "That, sir," murmured the exquisite being, with the faintest perceptible com at such Ignorance, "la tho marquis mar-quis of Laidley. Uls lordship Is frequently fre-quently here." "Laidley I" cried llugti, In sudden excitement. ex-citement. "Laidley I The duke of Lampshlre'a son! You priceless old atuffed tomato t lie plot thickens." Completely regardless of tho scandalized scan-dalized horror on the exquisite being's face, he smote hkn heavily In the stomach and stepped Into Pall Mall, For clear before hlu memory had come three lines on the scrap ot paper he had torn from the table at Tho Elms thnt first night, when ho had grabbed the dazed millionaire from under Peterson's nose. art neckluce and the are at present chess of Lamp- The duchess of Lampshire's pearls were world-famous; the marquis of Laidley was apparently enjoying his ten. And between the two there seemed to be a connection rather too obvious to be missed. THREE. "I'm glad you two feliswa came down," said Hugh thoughtfully, as be entered tbo sitting-room of his bungalow bunga-low at Goring. Dinner was over, and stretched In threo chairs were Peter Darrell, Algy Longworth. and Toby Sinclair. "Did you know that a man came here this afternoon, Peter?" "I did not. Who wns It?" ".Mrs. Denny bus Just totd me." Hugh reached out a hand for bis pipe, and proceeded to stuff It with tobacco. "He came about tho wnter. And ho told her that I had told him to come. Unfortunately, IM done, nothing of the sort." "What do jou mean, Hugh?" asked Toby Sinclair. "It's pretty obvious, old boy," said Hugh grimly. "I should soy that about ilvo hours ago Peterson found out thnt our one and only Hlnini 0. Potts wns upstairs." "Clood Lordt" spluttered Darrell, by now ery wldu nwnke, "what do we do, sergeant-major?" "We take It In turns two at a time to sit up with Potts." Hugh glanced at the other three. "D n It I you blighters wnke up I" "I don't know what It Is." Darrell said, rubbing his ejes, "I feel most Infernally In-fernally sleepy." "Well, listen to me confound you . . . Toby I" - "Sorry, old man." With a stnrt Sinclair Sin-clair sat up In his chnlr and blinked nt Hugh. "They're almost certnln to try and get him, tonight," went on Hugh. "Hnvlng given tho show awny by leaving n cluo.on the wretched secretary, secre-tary, they- must get the renl man as soon os possible. It's for too dangerous danger-ous to luave tho leavo the " His head dropped forward on bis chest: a short, half-strangled snore enmo from his lips. It hnd the effect of waking him for the moment, and he stnggered to his "feet. Tho other three, sprawling In theln chulrs, wero openly and unashamedly asleep; even tho dogs lay In fantastic attitudes, breathing heavily, Inert like logs. "Wnko up I" shouted Hugh wildly. "For God's sake wnke up I We've been drugged I", Ing down on his cyollds the JJSJjre for sleep grew' sl?6'hjrer and stronger. falnj " noptHMwJy, Jtasnaffinjjljf: wblTe his ieg8's3enifd not to" belong1 to him, and there was a roaring noise In his ears. And then, Just before unconsciousness overcame him, there came to his bemused brain the sound of n whistle thrice repented from outside out-side the window. With n last atu-pendous atu-pendous effort he fought his way toward to-ward It, and for a moment he htared Into the darkness. Them were dim figures moving through the shrubs, and suddenly one seemed to detach Itself. It came nenrer, and the light fell on the man's face. Ills nose and mouth were covered with a sort of pad, but the cold, sneering eyes were unmlstakuble. "Lnkliigtonl" gasped Hugh, and then the roaring noise Increased la his head; his legs struck work altogether, alto-gether, lie collapsed on the floor and lay sprawling, while Lnklugton, his face preyed ugulnst the glass outside, watched In silence. (Continued Next Week) |