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Show "What Happened Then?" Inquired the Minister. asked mo to spend the night with her Instead of returning to Chicago. She promised to send her car for me. H was long enough coining, goodness knows, but If It had appeared sooner. I should have gone before you arrived." Ormo understood. The girl had telephoned to Hessle while he waited there on I -a Sallo street. She had planned a meeting that would satisfy him with full knowledge of her name and place. And the lateness of the car In reaching Arradale was unquestionably unques-tionably owing to the fact that It bad not set out on its errand until after the girl reached home and gave her chauffeur the order. Ornie welcomed this evidence that she hud got home safely. Hessle Jumped lightly Into the ton-neau. ton-neau. and Orme followed. The car glided from the grounds. Kastward it went, through the pleasant, rolling farming country, that was wrapped In the beauty of the starry night. They crossed a bridge over a narrow creek. "You would hardly think." said lies-sle, lies-sle, "that this Is so-called north branch of the Chicago river." "I would believe anything about that river," he replied. She laughed nervously. He knew that she was suppressing her natural Interest In the scene she had witnessed wit-nessed on the veranda; yet, of course, she was expecting lome explanation. "Resale," he said, "I am sorry to have got Into such a muss there at the club. The Japanese minister was the last man I wanted to see." She did not answer. "Perhaps your friend whom we are now going to visit will explain things a little," he went on. "I can tell you only that 1 had In my pocket certain papers which the Jap would have given much to get hold of. He tried It by accusing me of stealing them from him. It was very awkward." "I understand better than you think," she said, suddenly. "Don't you see, you big stupid, that I know where we are going? That tells me something. some-thing. I can put two and two together." to-gether." "Then I needn't try to do any more explaining of things I can't explain." "Of course not. You are forgiven all. Just think. Hob, it's nearly a year since you stood up with Tom and me." "That's so!" "How time does go! See" ns the car turned at a crossing "we art going go-ing northward. We are bound for the village of Winnetka. Does that tell you anything?" "Nothing at nil," said Ormo, striving vainly to give the Indian name a place in his mind. On they sped. Orme looked at his watch. It was half pant ten. "We must be nearly there," ho snld. "Yes, It's only a little way, now." They were going eastward ugaln, following a narrow dirt road. Suddenly Sud-denly the chauffeur threw the brakes on hard. Orme and Hessle, thrown forward by the sudden stopping, clutched the sides of the car. There was a crash, and they found themselves them-selves In the bottom of tho tonneau. Orme was unharmed. "Are you all right. Resale?" he asked. "All right." Her voice was cheery. He leaped to the road. The chauffeur chauf-feur had descended and was hurrying "TV the front of the car. "What was It?" asked Orme. "Some one pushed a wheelbarrow Into the road Just as we were coming." com-ing." "A wheelbarrow 1" "Yes, sir. There It is." Orme looked at the wheelbarrow. It was wedged under the front of the car. He peered off Into the field at the left. Dimly he could see a running run-ning figure, and lie hastily climbed the rail fence and started In pursuit. It was a hard sprint. The running man was fast on bis feet, but his speed did not long serve him, for he stumbled and fell. He did not rise, and Orme, coming up, for the moment supposed him to be stunned. Herding over, be discovered that the prostrate man was panting hard, and digging his hands Into the turf. "Get up," commanded Orme. The man got to his knees and, turning, turn-ing, raised supplicating hands. "Porltol!" exclaimed Orme. "On, Mr. Orme, spare me. It was an accident." His face worked convulsively. con-vulsively. "I I" Something like a sob escaped him, and Orme again found himself divided between contempt con-tempt and pity. SYNOPSIS. At the expense of a soiled hut Robert Orme. saves f rem arrest a girl In a black touring car who tint caused a trafllr Jam in Ktatc mrwl, He buys a new hut nl in given in chant; a five dollar hill with: "Remember the person you pay thin to." written on It. A second time he hi'lj the tatty In the black car, and learns that In Tom unci Hessle Walllngham they have mutual friends, but gains no further hint of her Identity. Kenor t'oritol of Rotith Amerlra and fietior Alcatrante. minister from the name country, ami some .1 n in try to tret possession pos-session of the hill. Two of the latter overpower over-power Orme and effect a forcible each ea-ch it new of the marked Mil for another. Orme. find the girl of the black car waiting for him. Hhu also want the Mil. Orme. tells hi story. Hhe recognise one of the Japs its her father' butler, Muku. A Heroin! Inscription on the Ml! I the kev to the hldlnic (dace of Important paper pa-per aloVn from her father. Orme and the "Olrt" start out In the Much cur Ifl quest of the paper In the university frrotimlH In Kvantnn the hiding place 1 ornteil. Makil anil another Jap are there. Orme, fell Makil and the other Jap escape. es-cape. Orme find In Maku'a pocket a folded llp of paper. He take the girl, whose, name I still unknown to him. to the home of a friend In Kvanatnn. Re. turning to the university grounds Orme ret In conversation with a guard at the life-saving station. Thev hear a motor boat In trouble In the darkness on the lake. Thev lln.1 the rrlppb'd boat. In It are the Jap with the paper and "Girl. Hhe Jump Into Orme' boat; but the Jap eludes pnriilt. rme finds on the paper bo took from Maku the nddres. "341 N. Patker str.et." lie (roes there Hnd And Arlma, teacher of )lu-tttti. I on the third floor. lie rails on Alia, clalrvovant. on the fourth floor, descend bv the fire, escape ami ronceal himself under a table In Arlma" room. Alcatrante. I'orllol sod the Jap minister enter. Orme find the paper In a drawer, under the table and substitutes mining prospectuses for them. He learns thnt the papers are of International Interna-tional Importance with a time limit for signature of that night midnight. The substitution I discovered. The girl appear ap-pear and leave again after being told tni the Am.-rlran has the paper Orme attempt to gel nwav. Is discovered and set upon bv Arlma and Maku. He eludes them and Is bidden In a rloset bv the rlalrvovant. Orme escapes during a seanre given bv Alls. On the sidewalk he encounter Alcatrante Orme goes to find Tom Walllngham. Alcatrante hangs on and tries to get the papers. During the el.'ltement caused bv one of Alca-trnnte's Alca-trnnte's tri.' to ddav Orme. the latter tbe girl and follow tier back to Wall'ngham's office. He and the girl are locked In a giant specimen refrigerator hv Alcatrante. Thev confess tbetr love and when thev had almost abandoned hope of escape Orme breaks the thermometer rolls and attract the attention of a late-going clerk. They are liberated Alcatrante 1 on watch. Thev get In a hired motor car to t'vanstnn. The chauffeur turns out to be Maku. He runs them to a nnlet spot where they meet another motor. Orme pretends to ronceal the paper tinder the seat, but drop them In the road. Orme fights Arlma. Maku and two other Japs. A pollreman Intervene. The girl drive awav In one rar with what Orme deceives .. her Into thinking are tba real paper. Arlma finds the real papers, elude the policeman and drives swav tn another rar. Orme. unnotlred. climbs In behind, thrnttlea the Jap. rerovers the stolen paper and goes to Arradale. Hessle Walllngham Wal-llngham Introduces him to the club mem-Van mem-Van and the Japanese minister. CHAPTER XVII Continued. "He thought himself safe," continued contin-ued Orme, "but my friend had caught the back of the motor car Just as it started. He climbed silently Into tbe tonneau, and throwing his arm around the neck of the thief, pulled him backward back-ward from his seat "The car was ditched, and my friend and tho thief were both thrown out. My friend was not hurt. The thief, however, had his leg broken." "What happened then?" inquired the minister; for Orme had paused. "Oh, my friend took tbe proxies from the thief's pocket and walked away. He stopped at the nearest farmhouse and sent help back." "Even In America," commented the minister, "the frlen'a of the Injured man might see that his hurt was avenge. The man who caused the accident ac-cident should be made to suffer." "Oh. no." said Orme. "If the matter were pressed at all. the correct thing to do would be to arrest the man with the broken leg. He had stolen the papera In the first place. Harm came to him, when he tried to escape with tbe papers after stealing them. Hut as a matter of fact, the average American would consider the affair at an end." "Your story and m?ne are dissimilar," dissim-ilar," remarked the minister. 'Perhaps. Hut they Involve a similar simi-lar questln: Whether a man should yield passjvely to a power that appears ap-pears to b stronger than hi gwn. In Amerlra w. do not yield passively unless we understand all tha bearings of the ease, and see that It l right to yield " At this muent a motor car rame up the drive. "There's our car, Sob." laid Hessle. "Walt a moment, bile I get my wraps. I know that you are Impatient to go." "I know that j-ett are a gwd frlenj," be whispered, as she arose. He did not cara to remain with tl group In Hesste's absence. With , tow, he turned to stroll by himself down the veranda. Hut the mlniht. r lumped to his feet and called: "Mr. Orme!" Orme looked bark. "Please be so good as to return." rer.tlnued the minister. min-ister. With mere politeness, Orme halted, and took a step back toward his chair. An air of startled ereetancy was snanlffst In the position aken by the aifferent members of th group. The minister's voice had uiided sharp and authoritative, and he row stepped Torard a rrp ,mo- stopping st a joint where the light from one of the clubhouse windows fell full on his tire. Clearly he was laborirg under great utttetnent. "Tou have something to say to me?" iMj ilred Orme. Ha foresaw an aSort to et.So tlm. "I am compelled to ask the ladles to leave us for a few minutes," said the minister, seriously. "There is a matter of utmos' Importance." He bowed. The women, hesitating in their embarrassment, rose and walked aw ay, leav ing the half dozen men standing In a circle. "I find myself In an awkward position," po-sition," begun tbe minister, slowly. "I am a guest of your club, and I should never dream of saying what I mus' say, were my own personal affairs alone Involved. Let me urge that no one leave until I have done." For a tense moment ho was silent. Then he went on: "Oentlenien. while we were talking together here, I had In my pocket certain papera of great Importance to my country. In the last few minutes min-utes they have disappeared. I regret to say It but, gentlemen, sonio one has tuken them." There was a gasp of astonishment "I mus' even open myself to the charge of abusing your hospitality rather than let the matter pass. If I could only make you understand how grave It Is" he was brilliantly impressive. impres-sive. Just tho right shade of reluctance re-luctance colored his earnestness. "I have every reason to think," he continued, "that the possession of those papers w ould be of Immense personal per-sonal ud vantage to the man who has been sitting at my right Mr. Orme." "This is a serious charge, excellency," excel-lency," exclaimed one of the men. "I am aware of that. Hut I am obliged to ask you not to dismiss It hastily. My position and standing are known to you. When I tell you that these papers are of Importance to my country, you can only In part realize how great that Importance It. Oentlenien. Oen-tlenien. I mus' ask Mr. Orme whether he has the papers." Orme saw that the minister's bold stroke was having Its effect. He decided de-cided quickly to meet It with frankness. frank-ness. "The papers to which his excellency ex-cellency refers," he said quietly, "are In my pocket." Several of the men exclaimed. "Hut," Orme went on, "I did not take them from his excellency. On the contrary, his agents have for some time been using every device to steal them from me. They have failed, and now he Is making a last attempt by trying to persuade you that they belong be-long to him." "I submit that this smart answer does not satisry my charge," cried the minister. "Do you really wish to go further?" demanded Orme. "Would you like me to explain to these men what those papers really mean?" "If you do that, you betray my country's coun-try's secrets." Orme turned to the others. "His excellency and I are both guests here," he said. "Leaving his official position out of the question, my word must go as far as his. I assure you that he has no claim at all upon the papers In my pocket." "That is not true!" The minister's words exploded In a sharp staccato. "In this country," snld Orme, calmly, calm-ly, "we knock men down for woras like that. In Japan, perhaps, the lie can be passed with rmpunfty." "Gentlemen, I ask that Mr. Orme be detained," exclaimed the minister furiously. "I will not be detained." said Orme. The other men were whispering among themselves, and at last one of them stepped forward as spokesman. "This Is a serious matter for the club," he said. "I suggest, Mr. Orme, that we go to the library" he glanced significantly at the other groups on the veranda "where no one can overhear over-hear us, and talk the matter over quietly." "Hi:t that r ill exact')- fit In with his si heiti"," t xchilined Orm, heatedly. "ILt knows that. In the interests of our own country" he hazarded this "I must be at a certain place before midnight. He will use every means to delay me even to charging me with theft." "What Is that?" Hessle Walllng-bam's Walllng-bam's voice broke In upon them. "U any one daring to accuse Hob Orme?" In her long, gray silk motor cloak, with the filmy chiffon veil bound about ber hat, she startled them, l.ke an apparition. The spokesman explained. "Ills excellency ex-cellency says that Mr. Orme has stolen some papers from him " "Then his excellency Is at fault," said Hessle, promptly. "I vouch for Mr. Orme. He is Tom's best friend, and Tom Is one of the governors of ihe club. Come, Hob." She turned away decisively, and Orme recosnUed the advantage she had given him, and strode after her. P.om noises behind him he gather d lhat the men were holding the minister min-ister back by main force. CHAPTER XVIII. The Coal. Tie i.aurTeur was opening the door of tbe waltlt.g car. It was a tla k car a tar with strangely familiar lines. Orme started. "Where did that coma from?" te demanded. Hessle smiled at him. "That la my surprise for you. My very dear friend, whom you so much dilre to see. telephoned tele-phoned me here !! weeing aa4 y tp II1 An Old Man, Costless and Slippered, Opened the Door. J |