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Show " The Struggle Lasted Only for a Moment. "Teiy likely," said Orme dryly He was vondering whether this was some new counterielting dodge How easily most persons could be Induced lo make the transfer! A counterfeiter, however, would hardly work by so picturesque and noticeable a method, unless he were carefully disguised hardly even then Was Senor I'orltol disguised? (lime looked at him more closely. No, h could see where the roots of the coarse black hair Joined the scalp. And there was not the least evidence of make-up on the face. Nevertheless. Orme did not feel warranted In giving up the marked bill without a definite explanation. The little man was a comic figure, but his bizarre exterior mitiht conceal a dangerous plot. He might be a thief, an anarchist, anything. any-thing. "Please, my dear sir, please do not add to my alrendy very great anxiety," anxi-ety," pleaded the visitor. Orm spoke more decisively. "You are a stranger, Honor I'orltol. I don't know what all this mystery conceals, but l can't give out that bill unless I know more about It and 1 won't," he added, as he saw Senor I'orltol open his mouth for further pleading "Very well." sighed the little man. He hesitated for an Instant, then added: add-ed: "I do not blame you for Insisting and I suppose I must say to you everything every-thing that you demand. No, I do not smoke the cigar, please. Hut If you do not object " He produced a square of cigarette paper and some tobacco from a silver-mounted pouch, and deftly rolled a cigarette with one hand, accepting a match from Orme with the other. Closing his eyes, he Inhaled the smoke deeply, breathing it out through his nostrils. "Well " he hesitated, his eyes roving about the room as if In search if something "Well, I will explain to ,ou why I want the bill." Orme lighted a fresh cigar and settled set-tled himself to hear the story. Senor Se-nor Poritol drew a second handkerchief handker-chief from his pocket and mopped hi lamp brow. "You must know, my very dear sir," lie began, "that I come from a country wulch Is very rich In the resource of nature. In the unsettled Interior are very great mineral deposit which are little known, and since the day when the great Vega made the first exploration explora-tion there ha been the belief that the I'rluaba mountain hide a great wealth In gold. Many men for three hundred year have risked their most precious live to go look for It. Hut they have not found It. No, my dear sir. they have not found It until Put have patience, and you shall hear everything. ,"A few day ago a countryman of mine sent word that he was about to lie. He asked that I, his early friend, should come to him immediately and receive new of utmost importance, ite wa lying sick in the hotel of a mall city in Wisconsin. He was a tobacco agent and he had been attacked at-tacked by death while he was on a business trip. "Filled with the heartbroken hope to see him once more before he died, I went even as I wa. to a train and made all haste to his bedside." "What was his name?" asked Orme. 'ijopexV replied Senor I'orltol promptly; and Orme knew that the answer might as well have been Smith. Hut the little man returned quickly to hi story. "My friend had no strength left He was, oh, so weak that I wept to see him Hut he sent the doctor and the priest out of the room, and then and then he whispered in my ear a secret. He had discovered rich gold In the t'rl-naba t'rl-naba country. He had been trying to earn money to go back and dig up the gold. Hut. alas! now he was dying, and he wished to give the secret to me. hi old friend. "Tear streamed on my cheek " Senor Se-nor Poritol eye filled, seemingly at the remembrance. "Hut I took out my fountain pen to write down the direction direc-tion he wished to give. See this was the pen." He produced a gold mount ed tube from his waistcoat. "I searched my pockets for a piece of paper. None could I discover. There was no lime to be lost, fur my friend wa growing weaker, oh. very fast. In desperation I took a five-dollar bill, and wrote upon it the directions direc-tions he gave me for finding the gold Kven as I finished it, dear !.owx breathed his last breath " Orme puffed at his cigar. "So the bui carries dlr c,-n,,in tor finding a rich deposit In the I rinaba mountain''" moun-tain''" "Yes. my dear sir Put ynu would not rob me of It You could not understand un-derstand t'ie directions " "Oh. no." Orme laughed "I have r Interest in South Ametlcan gold mini's " "Then accept this fresh bill." Implored Im-plored Senor Poritol, at. I He ttie , back the one yearn for " j orme hes't.ifed ", moment more." j he said. "Tell tee, bow did Jim lose ! jxii.e!on of the marked bill?" The South Ameruan writhed In his ci air and leaned forward eagerly 'That is the nnt dlstresMiig part of all," he ex. -tainted. "I bad Kit t bi cngo at a time when my presence In this great cty wa very lrr.ortnt In deed Nothing but the call from a dy lnf trlcnd would have indjfl iu lo I SYNOPSIS. At th txpmn- of a soiled list Herbert Orms KV-s from srieM Mill I" l.lmh tmirliiK tur who lins caused H Iralfl.' im on Hlttts street, lie buys a new list unit Is Klveri a five dollar hill Willi: "Kemelll br ierun you pay llils to." wrttt.-n mi l A seemid time he helps Hi alii In the "Mailt car and leiirns Unit In Tom aiel llr-aalt. VValliiiKhain tlit-y have iiiiitutil tVlenils. but set tin further hint of her Montlty. in his mmim at th t't ra Mitr-juetl Mitr-juetl lis telephones Hfli Walluiaham nd Rare- lo golf at Arr.ell on tin-anrrow. tin-anrrow. Ilf discovers amith. r liiitcrtj tlnn on tlis marked bill, which. In a futfle tlempt to decipher. hf copies and pla. v th ccpy In a drawer CHAPTER II. Senor Poritol. When Orme answered the knock at the door a singular young man stood t the threshold. He wa short, wiry, vnd very dark. Hi nose was long and complacently tilted at the end. His eye were small and very black. His mouth wa a wide, uncertain slit. In lila hand be carried a light cane and a Ilk hat of the flat brimmed French type. And he wore a gray sack suit, pressed and creased with painful exactness. ex-actness. "Come In. Henor Poritol." said Orme, motioning toward a chair. The little man entered, with short, rapid steps. He drew from his pocket , a clean pout handkerchief, which he , unfolded and spread out on the surface , ef the table. I'pon the handkerchief , lie carefully placed his hat and then, ( after an Ineffectual effort to make It , etand against the table edge, laid his , cane on the floor. , Not until all this ceremony had been completed did he appear lo notice , Orme. Hut now he turned, widening j hia face Into a smile and extending hi , band, which Orme took rather dubiously dubi-ously it was supple and moist. f "Oh, this I Mr. Orme, I It not?" r "Yes," said Orme, freeing himself , from the unpleasant handshake. "Mr. Itobert Orme?" , "Yes. that ! y name. What can I . do for you?" t For a moment Senor Poritol an- j peared to hovr like a timid bird; then be seated himself on the edge of a chair, only the tips of his toes touch- , lng the floor. Ills eye danced . trlghtly. , "To begin with, Mr. Orme," he said, . "I 8n charmed to meet you very , v charmed." He rolled hi "r'" after ( 4 a fashion that need not be reproduced, j , m - rnprscs'fJb "et o St? pTW U . .. i Hold'' tied, "while actually I am a foreigner Hr In your dear country, I regard niyelf as In spirit one of your natives. I . came here when a boy, and wa educated edu-cated at your great University of j Princeton." , "You are a Portuguese I infer from v,. j your name," said Orme. t t "Oh, dear, no! Oh. no, no, no!" ex- ( i claimed Senor Poritol. tapping the ( ' floor nervously with his toes, "My f I country he freed himself from the i Portuguese yoke many and many a year ago. I am a South American, . Mr. Orme one of the poor relations . of your great country." Again the . widened smile Then he suddenly became be-came grave, and leaned forward, hi . hands on his knees. "Hut this Is not 1 the business of our meeting, Mr. . Orme." "No?" Inquired Orme. "No, my dear sir. I have come to . ask of you about the five-dollar bill . which you received In the bat shop , this afternoon" He peered anxious- ( ly. "You still have It? You have not apent It?" "A marked bill, was it not?" "Yes, ye. Where la It, my dear , !r, where Is It?" "Written across the face of It were the word, Kemember person you pay this to.' " "Oh, ye, ye." "And on the back of It" "On the back of it!" gasped the lit tie man. "Waa a curious cryptogram " "Io not torture tne!" exclaimed Senor Poritol. "Have you got It?" His fingers worked nervously. "Yes." said Orme slowly, "I still have It." Senor I'orltol hastily took a fresh Ave dollar bill from hi ocket. "See," he said. Jumping to the floor, "here Is another Just as gisral a bill. I give this to you in return for the bill which was paid to you this afternoon." He thrust the new bill toward Orme. and waved bis other hand rhetorically "That, and that alone, is my business with you. dear sir." Orme's hand went to his pocket The visitor watched he motion eag erly, and a grimace of disappointment central ted his features when the hand came forth, holding a clur case "Have one." Orme urged. In his anxb-ty the little man almost danced "Hut. ir," he broke forth. "I am In desperate hurry. I must meet a friend I mini c-itcb. a tram." "one moment." Interrupted Orme. "I can't very well give up that bill until I know a little better what it j means- You will have to show met that you axe entitled lo It and " he j sn.ii. 4 ' meantime you'd better ii.oke." St uor Pot i tol s-.gficd. "I can a-jre a-jre you of my bonssty of parjose. lr," he said I cannot teil you about It. I have iiol the time. Also, it is j not my scrt. This bl 1. sir. is jio-t as gvod a do other 1 nc " go away. My whole future In tht country depended upon my returning in time to complete certain business. "So, after dear tapes waa dead. I rushed to the local railroad station. A train waa coming In. I searched my pocket, for my money to buy my ticket. tick-et. All I could find waa the fivedollar bill! "It was necessary to return lo Chicago; Chi-cago; yet I could not lose the bill. A happy thought struck me. I wrote upon the face of It the words you have seen, and paid It to the ticket agent. 1 called his attention to the writing and Implored him to save the hilt if he could until I returned, and if not, to be sure to remember the pyyqn, he gave it to." f , Orme laughed. t "It doe seem funny.", id Senor Poritol, rolling another cigarette, "but you cannot Imagine my ipost frantic desperation. I returned to ihlcago and transacted my business. Then" I hastened back tbyhAVfteMClvrlty. oe I me! The ticket agent had paid the bill to a Chicago citizen. I secured se-cured the name of this man and finally found him at his office on I-a Salle street. Alas! he. too. had spent the bill, but I tracked It from person to person, until now, my dear sir. I bav; found It? So " he paused and looked eloquently at Orme. "Ho you know a man named Fvans?" Orme asked. Senor Poritol looked at him In bewilderment. be-wilderment. "S. It Kvans." Insisted Orme. "Why, no, dear sir I think not. Hut what has that to do?" Orme pushed a sneet of paper across the table. "Oblige nie, Senor Poritol. Senor Poritol was apparently reluctant. re-luctant. However, under the compulsion compul-sion of Orme'a eye, he finally took out bis fountain pen and wrote the name In flowing script. He then pushed the paper back toward Orme, with an inquiring in-quiring look "No. that Isu't what I mean," exclaimed ex-claimed Orme. "Print It. Print It In capital letters." Senor f'orltol slowly printed out the name. Orme took the paper, laying It before be-fore him. He then produced the coveted bill from bis pocketbook. Senor Poritol uttered a little cry of delight and stretched forth an eager hand, but Orme, who was busily comparing com-paring the letters on the paper with the letter on the bill, waved him back After a few moments Orme looked up "Senor Poritol," he said, "why didn't you write the secret on a timetable, time-table, or on your ticket, before you gave the bill to the agent?" Senor Poritol was flustered. "Why." he said uncertainly. "I did not think of that. Ilow can we explain the mistakes mis-takes we make In moments of great nervousness?" "True." said Orme. "Hut one more point. You did not yourself write your friend's secret on the bill. The letters whbh you have just printed are differently made " Senor Poritol said nothitg. He was breathing hard. "On the other hand." con tinned Orme. turtm.g iT.e bill 1 r and eyeing th. Inscription on its i.n, jour mistake mis-take in first writing He nan,., instead of prtntitiK it shows me that you did write the weirds on the !,-, of the bill" He returned the till to bis pmkeibiM'k, "I can t jtive you the bill." lie said "Your stmy doesn't hold together." With a queer little srr. am the Sou'h American bounded from bis fhsir and fl i g h !'; If at (!rme He strut k r.o blow, but t !n . tbuperafe ly at otr.t junket. The irui:K!e Listed onlv for a moment Orme, soiling the little mart by collar, .ir?i!'d him. wrigKiit.K, to t! e dair. "Now t out." said Oru.e. "If I find yon harging around 1 11 have you bwked up " Senor pot .tol whiskered, -jt i tut 1 secret. Why should I tell you the truth about It? You have no right to know," Orme retained bis hold. "I don't like your looka, my friend," he said. "There may have been reason why you should He to me. but you will have to make things clear." He considered. con-sidered. After all, he must make al luwnnce; so he said: "Come back tomorrow to-morrow with evidence that you are entitled to the bill, and you shall have it." He released Senor I'orltol. The little man had recovered his composure. He went back to the table ta-ble and took up hia bat and cane, refolding re-folding the handkerchief and slipping it Into his pocket. Once more he was .the Latin fop. !e approached Orme. and hi manner was deprecatory. "My most abject apologies for attacking at-tacking you. sir. 1 waa beside myself. Hut If you will only permit me I will bring up my friend, who I waiting below. He will, as you ay. vouch for me." "Who la lief "A very, very distinguished mnn." Orme pondered. The adventure waa opening up. and he felt Inclined to see it through. Hrlng him." he said shortly. When Senor Poritol had disappeared disap-peared Orme telephoned to the clerk. "Send me up a porter," he ordered, "and have him stand Just outside my door, with orders to enter If he hears any disturbance." He waited at the door till the porter appeared, then told him to remain in a certain place until he waa needed, or until the -visitor left. Senor I'orltol remained downstair for several minutes. Kvidently he wa explaining the situation to bis friend. Hut after a time Orme heard the clang of the elevator door, and In response to the knock that quickly followed, be opened his own door. At the side of his former visitor stood a dapper foreigner. He wore a long frock coat and carried a glossy hat. and hia eyes were framed by large gold pedacle "This la the Senor Aleatrante," explained Senor I'orltol. The newcomer bowed with suave dignity. "Senor Aleatrante? The name Is familiar." said Orme. smiling Poritol assumed an air. "He fa the minister from my country to these United States." Orme understood. This was the wary South American diplomat whose name had lately been so prominent in the Washington dispatches. What was he doing in Chicago? "I am glad to meet you," said Orme Aleatrante smiled, displaying a prominent row of uneven teeth. "My young friend. Poritol," he began, be-gan, "tells me that you have in your possession the record of a secret belonging be-longing to me. What that secret is, is itnmiiiei i.ii to you and me, take It. He Is an honorable yot.ng man excitable, perhaps, hut well meaning I would sugKest that you give him the five-dollar bill he desires, accepting from him another In exchange, or, if you still doubt him, permit me to offer you a bill from my own pocket." lie drew out a fat wallet. The situation appeared to be simplified sim-plified And yet Orme was dubious i There was mischief in the bill, so inn. h be f, it sure of Al atnuitc 's reputation was that of a fox, ami as for Poritol he wa. to say th least, a person of uncertain rpintftle. trme could not but -!n:irp ti.e subtle manner man-ner In wHth A't-atrante n deli-j deli-j c; t.-'y to limit hi doubts to the lucre I possibility that Poritol was try'i.i; to j 1 .! sf urnHis money He decided not to settle the question at this uionu tit 'This seem to be rather a mixed up aff.iir S-:i"r Aleatrante." be said "There is much more in it than appears. ap-pears. Call on trie tomorrow mt-tn li.g and you tUall have n.y de, .kh." |