Show The Million Dollar Mystery By HAROLD MAC MAG GRATH I L Illustrated from Scenes in the tle Photo Drama of tho Same Name by the Film Company ht 1814 b by Harold h r CHAPTER VI i Did Did you get th the range asked th YO Braine that night countess when late recounted his adventure Range nance he snarled My 1 Al E girl that I had to told toM haven't I just you than in St boat was fight for my life My NY for it till Ull names flames We had bad to swim Loan Island by a Long we were ero picked up became I what barge tug I dont don't know must have hae He lie of or the motorman And I Im I'm m headed beaded straight for lor shore 1 I howl be hed he'd I glad he did Otherwise another boat of another leg Ing for the price had to time Ive I've Olga for the first have a look a ai at ati let one of ot the JOYs boys the name know face tace Doesn't i my y stumble St hell he'll but t one of or these days be blackmail black black- will well result across It and the tie off into the pall mail unless I push him klar Mark dark It was accidental 1 The Tho countess leaned forward her hers lands ands tightly clinched But Dut the box I e Braine made a gesture of ot despair these Leo are you using any drug Iday days ays s Dont make fun tun of me Olga im patiently Did you ever see me drink Imore than a pint of at wine or smoke more than two cigars In an evening fools What let my brain go gonto Into nto the tho wastebasket for tor the sake of ot otan No an hour or so of r exhilaration and never will I Im I'm keen about the about the gray matter Ive I've got and by the Lord it Theres There's Harry Im I'm going to keep ply only one dope fiend In the Hundred and hes he's one of or the best decoys we have have so we let him have his bis coke whenever he really needs it But this man Felton has seen my face Some Someday Iday c day ay hell he'll see it again ask questions I and then I Then what 1 A burial at sea he laughed The laughter died swiftly as It came Threw It into eight hundred feet of ot water on a bar where the sands are always shifting shirting Hell He'll never find it it even if It he be took the range He could not have got a decent one The sun sun was dropping and the shadows were tong long He threw the chest Into the water and nd then began pegging away at us cool as you pI please and fir fired d It oo o hC es he a red ed his Ms time times time Th ThaT 1 dei depends ds Between yo you you and me and the post gate Ive I've a sneaking a Idea ildea that this man Jones whom nobody no no- body h as given any particular attention attention atten atten- tion tion is a deep clever man He may have been honestly attempting to find finda a n new hiding place the advertisement In tn the newspaper may have drawn him He may have thrown the box over over In pure rage at seeing himself checkmated Again the whole thing may have bave been worked up for our benefit a blind bUnd But if It f that's the case Jones has us on the hip for we cant can't tell But we can do what In all probability he expects well we'll cease to todo do watch do-watch watch him just as shrewdly as before Olga caught his hand and drew him down beside her I wasn't going to bother you tonight but it may mean something vital What alertly For reply she rose and walked over overto overto overto to the light light button She pressed it and the apartment became dark Come over to the window quick She dragged him across the r room om Over the way the house with the marble frontage A man emerged lit a cigarette and walked leisurely down the street No she cried as Blaine Elaine turned to make for the door doubtless with the intention of finding out who this man was Every night after you leave he appears Does he follow tollow me No And nd that's what bothered and me meat at first I believed he ho was watching some apartment above But regularly when I turn out the lights he comes forth So theres there's no doubt that he watches you enter and takes note of or ory y your ur departure But doesn't follow rollow me That's odd What the devil is s his Idea Id give a good deal to learn The shadow and the glowing cigarette cigar ette disappeared around the corner and the lights in the apartment were were ler turned on again lies Hos gone You really think hes he's watching me He Ho Is watching this apartment I know that much And even at that moment the watcher watch er was watching from his vantage behind behind be be- hind the corner Suspicious he murmured tossing the cigarette Into the gutter They're watching me for tor a change Ill I'll drop dropout dropout out I know ft what hat I know Its It's a great world Its It's fine to be alive aUve and kicking on top of it He went on without haste and took the subway train for tor downtown Is there any way I 1 could get set near him 1 asked Brains Braine Tomorrow night y you U- U might leave by the Janitors Janitor's entrance Ill I'll keep the tho lights on till Ull youre you're outside Then I Ill I'll ll turn them ort oft and you can follow sand learn who he Is e eIta It Ita mighty 1 important f Dont s so scowl owl l. l At Al your our age a wrinkle Is la apt to remain if It you once get it started He laughed Wrinkles She Sho could talk of wrinkles They more are Important than you OU think Every ery morning I rub out the wrinkle I go to bed with I 1 wish you OU could rub out the general gen gen- general eral stupidity which Is wrinkling my brain I Ive I've ve made three moves and failed In in each What's come over mo Perhaps youve you've had too many suc sue ceases The wheel of chance Is always al al' always ways turning around May II I sr a st tili Thanks n At least it p proves s you still have sons om consideration for me You would smoke whether it was agreeable or 01 not But Dut I like the odor of a good And it always helps you to think 1 Brains Braine lit the tho cigar and began his customary pacing At length he ho paused Suppose we e have a real old old old-fash fash- fash coaching party out to the old mansion mansion we know about And what shall we do there Make the mansion an enchanted castle where sometimes who enter cant can't get out Do you think you could get her to go go I can try Olga Oiga I must have that girl and I 1 must have her soon Sometimes I find myself mightily puzzled over the whole whole thing If It Hargreave Is s alive aUve why doesn't he turn up now that Its It's practically known that his daughter presides over his household I might understand It if I didn't know that Hargreave is really afraid of nothing Where is the man with the five thousand thou sand picked up at se sea What was the reason for Jones carrying that box out in broad daylight Who is the chap watching across the street Sometimes I believe e in my soul soul soul-If if I Ibave have bave one that one that Hargreave Is playing with us playing Well flinging the half consumed cigar Into the grate the Black Hundred always goes forward forward for for- forward ward win or lose and never forgets forgets' We are a fine pair said the woman wo woman woman man bitterly We w ar arje exa eza fy 4 nw bod d. d A crooked m nd- nd They y wrote rue nie down as the toe devil n doomed to roam earths earth's top till Im I'm killed Killed Why yes Im I'm not the kind of chap who ho dies in bed surrounded by bythe bythe bythe the weeping members of the family doctor nurse and priest Im I'm a scoundrel but it has this saving gr grace graceI I enjoy being a scoundrel Now Im I'm going up to the club Theres There's n nothing like a game of billiards or chess to smooth that wrinkle which s seems ems to worry you rou In In the great newspaper office there was a mighty racket Midnight always al ways means pandemonium in the city room of a metropolitan dally daily Copy boys were rushing to and fro messengers and printers with sticky galleys in their hands reporters were banging away at their typewriters and Intermingling you ou could hear the ceaseless click from the telegraph telegraph tele tele- v graph roomy room y i Th The managing g editor editor came out of his office and approached the desk of ot the night city editor Editorial page gone down Twenty minutes ago said the night city editor I wanted a a. stick sUck on that Panama rumpus rumpus Too late Wheres Jim Norton At the chamber of ot commerce ban banquet The major Is going to throw a bomb into the enemy's camp campt Nothing on the Hargreave st stuff tr that In Inthe inthe No Guess Id I'd better put the cubbyhole Hes He's dead No will found yet Not a piece as big as a postage stamp That will leave the girl In n a tough place No will no birth certificate and worst of all aU no photograph of or orthe the old man himself I dont don't see why Jim sidestepped this affair He the only man in town who knew anything about Hargreave Ho hasn't given it up but he wants to cover it on his own turn the tho yarn over when hos ho's got it no false alarms Ah Au So that's the game Yes and Jim Is the sort every paper paper pa pa- per needs When the time comes the tho story turns up if it there is one Here he e Is now Looks like an actor in tho the fourth act of a drama looking Good chap ha though Norton came earn in through the outer gates He was in evening clothes top hat A dead cigarette Q tangled dangled between between be be- tween his bis lips How much do you want 7 asked the night city editor Column and a half Off Ot with your glad rags Anything good asked the managing managing manag manag- ing ng editor The Tho lid has been jammed on tight No wine in any restaurant after atter one ono Therell There'll be a roundup of or ev- ev every jery Iry gunman In m town Good work wark Go to it it f- f It It was was s. s ono o o'clock clock Yi when el Norton r 1 I I turned in his last sheet of cope copy r. r started for Cor home Just Justo ou sid th n entrance to the build building In a L man y r ith a aI I slouch Blouch hat drawn down over ey eYs e stepped forward Mr Norton j Yes Norton stepped b beck back ck BUS BUS- t s 4 The other chuckled raised and lo 1 ered eyed his hat swiftly J 1 j 4 1 Good Lord murmur murmured murmured- tile reporter re re- re porter j Will you take a n ride with In a a taxi 1 i 4 All the way to Syracuse It if you say so BO Well Ill I'll be tinker d d-d d dr d dT r rNo J No nn names es please y j a What took tool place in m that uli was fas as never generally known t ten n o'clock the next morning Norton surprised surprised sur Bur tho the elevator boy by going out Norton proceeded downtown the national bank where ho d de sited ted in bills of or large denorn nl The Tho teller had Imd some Borne difficulty In c ing them They stuck together a arid td d retained re reo tamed the sodden appearance ol of money recently submerged In water II Florence was was' delighted at it tl th a idea of a n coaching party Often dur during n ni her schoolgirl days she had seen tb the tash fash fashionable coaches go careening ol along olon nt the thed road d with tho the sharp clear note not note phe the bugle rising about the thunder of ot and rattling of or wheels Jones wd's w S not enthusiastic neither was he a n But nut you OU are to go along too Sald Florence I Miss Florence jf j The countess invited you especially especially You will go with a hamper fa J Ah in my capacity as butler good Miss Florence To her lie he gave no sign of his secret satisfaction n The hour arrived and the gay party b bowled away They Thoy wound In and out of the streets toward the country to the crack of or the whip and the blare of ot tho the horn Florences Florence's e enjoyment Would I I Z 4 Florence asp t tt ng kElie have been perfect had It not been for forthe forthe forthe the absence of Norton Why tl hadn't he been Invited She did not ask because because be be- because cause she did not care to disclose to the countess her interest in the reporter re porter They were nearing the limits of or the city when the coach was forced to take a sharp turn to avoid void an automobile auto automobile mobile In trouble The man puttering at the tho engine raised his bead head U- U t. t was Norton and Florence waved her hand vigorously A coaching party he ho murmured and your Uncle James was not not invited ed cd Oh very well He laughed laugh il and nd suddenly grew serious It would not hurt to find out where that coach was going He set to work savagely lo located ate the trouble righted it and set off for tor forthe forthe the Hargreave Hargrave home He found Susan and bombarded her with qu questions ns which to Susan came with the of ot rain upon the roof So Jones went along x M MIn In his capacity of ot butler only Norton smiled Well Nell Ill I'll take a Jaunt out there myself You ar are sure of the location Yes Well good good goodby by Ill I'll go as a waiter walter since they wouldn't Invite m me met t Im I'm Imone Imone one of the best little waiters alters you ever heard of and all things come come cometo to him who waits walts L What a pleasant affable young man he was thought Susan as she sho watched him Jump Into the car and and go lying go-lying lying flying up the street Jones was a good deal deaf suri surprised when Norton turned up at at atthe the old Chilton manor What made you come here dressed like this the butler demanded Im a suspicious duffer maybe that's the reason I IDo Do you know anything I Well no I 1 cant can't say that J I do o. o But hang it I just bad had to como come out here Maybe Its It's just as well you did said Jones moodily I know lenow this place The housekeeper housekeep er used to be bo my nurse e and If still on the Job she may be bo of service to us You dont don't think they'll question or recognize me j Hardly Ill I'll put In a word for tor you Ill I'll say I sent for you not knowing ing if It we had enough servants to take care of ot the luncheon And now Ill I'll go and hunt bunt up Meg eg Sure enough his old nur nurse e w S still sUll Jn to n charge of ot the house and when her ber baby disclosed his identity identify y she poll oil but fell upon his neck doing f 1 But nut what are aro you OU doing hero here dressed up as a waiter waller Its a little secret Meg I wasn't Invited fn and the truth Is Im I'm very desperately in fn n love with the ioune oung lady in whose honor this cc p is being lve en And l I J J 4 der I maybo mabo bo she's in danger Danger hat about The Lord only knows But show me about the house Ive I've not be been m here In so long Ive I've forgotten the run of it ft I remember on ono one roam room with ith the secret panel and another with a painting that turned Have they changed them No It is s Just the tho same here as It t used to be Come along and Ill I'll ll show you Norton inspected the rooms carefully carefully care caro- fully stowing away In his mind every detail He might be worrying about no nothing but so many str strange things had happened that It was vas better to be beon beon beon on tho the side of or caution caution than han on tho side sido of carelessness lie left the house and ran across Jones carrying a basket of ot wine t tHere Here re Norton take this tills to the party parly I want want to to- reconnoiter All right Say Jones Joncs how much do you think Id I'd earn at this Job comically r 4 Get along you you ou Mr tr Norton It may bo ho the the- time lime me- me meto to laugh and then it Jt may not J J Im going back back Into the house and hide behind a secret panel Ive I've got my revolver er You go to the stables and take a tr try at m my car see it if she works smoothly We may have to do some Borne hiking Where Js is the countess c in this Leave that to me Mr Nort Norton n said ad the tho butler with his grim smile tie Be I off they are moving back toward the tho house J So Norton carried carrl carried d the basket around to the tho lawn where It was taken from frolD his hands bands by the regular servant He Ho sighed as he saw Florence laughing and chatting with a man who was a stranger and whom he lie heard hoard addressed addressed ad ad- dressed as count Some Somo friend |