| Show X W WA KP DUT TON g CO service SYNOPSIS vid I 1 I 1 out 11 ot of uniform at tho th of tile W orld war warl with the rank it major peter he amor aca lc young youn g all a n of wealth and faini fy is arg bed c d by english r c comrade in 1 arms E to visit the bonham ho m c ana meet s tile mother a nd and incidents inc identa drone Sol cose r mystery about whom there a an 11 muriel denham Den hani Evers bys alster becomes infatuated with poter but lie ho is ig interested only ill wh the ye gerlous urena brena Sel coss or of whom muriel MI ho he has haf had only ly a glim pee arkus him to forgot her warno warn t alst ng him that W it lahe she 11 rona should like f im 1 1 he is s in ill anger danger of vani ig like the ot others h or CHAPTER III at his hie london hotel peter at gets 8 a message se from brono ang 9 him to meet her ile ho does so and the meeting results ln in tho formation of a strung strong bond of f friendship r 0 o aln IV after a to tow nv days day companionship ill tho feeling between pesi ter and selena ro 1 IV I ens int into 0 love lie he asks abka her to marry marr hlin him and she con besses abea that at she is married marri ed and that her husband has hai vanished CHAPTER V barenas brenas life story la is out 1 u of ii the ordinary daughter or oc a greek l tather father and an irl irish sli arnoth mother ir her childhood and youth had boon A to one pi ifer V father ther learned but I 1 impractical had been forced to leave im his Is nativo native land because of revolutionary affiliations and his death following V quickly bickly upon that or of ills hla wife leaves urena r ens practically penniless at dallas te texas las she secures work and anal at her boa ding place keeto jim Henn hennegin hennepin epin he e talla falls in love with her and in ili her loneliness she becomes in a mannor manner attached to him iltis jlii tills tells hor her ho he has had a call and Is fiorni fiol t ni away i he 1 urges hor her to met meet ahto him n 11 in alway st L louis li s brena goes to that city charter CHAPTER VI brena returns to dallas alone compton Parin Varin aleo lien hen nept ns employer tm middle aged and wealthy visits hoi hev sc mcking king now iniba ot of jim who has disappeared parmalee tells brona B s intentions toward her wore dishonorable which she had bad suspected CHAPTER vil VII some months later parmalee nukes makes brna tn an offer of marriage 1 admitting that he seeks only her comp companionship and promising her freedom after reflection she aho accepts the offer they are married at the railroad station immediately following the cerer ceremony nony parmalee IB seized with apparently patently ly uncontrollable fear in explanation tin ha accuses drena brona of b being 0 ing in baom some way the cause of his feeling CHAPTER vill VIII on their wedding journey urana larena shows liar her husland a scrap of paper Henn hennegin hennepin epin had given her on it Is il a floure which Par hannalee inalee tolls tells heris her Is the th kukul kuk ul can symbol of the Nl mayas ayas lie he appears perturbed apter IX the rhe Parm lees alees settle down in new diew york ills nervousness and its alts of tear fear increase but ho he refuses to tell gna brn the ca cacao use 0 of f his ness nesa one n tn in the darkness he fires a shot at his his reflection in a picture belll drena brena he thought it was a burglar s abc e re allva ron llis lie he la Is the victim of some secret overwhelming rear fear CHAPTER X I 1 unable to purchase til a painting of B 1111 br by a 0 famous artist parmalie Par malce maice shows irr tation amounting convinced vincel almost to madness she Is con convinced now that he tears anra lecog recognition n either of her or himself but fan ean learn nothing from him ile ho hegins to drink heavily after ft a v sit to his lawyer klawier parm parmalee aleo disappears disappears leavin leaving g no word 0 of f explanation I 1 that wits was three years before peter and brena ment XI brena gives poter peter the C paper per with fill the mysterious sy symbol m hot against her protestations and w warnings arn 4 of f dringer lie he dOCI declares he will go to an america cerica int en 1 solve bole tile the mystery deolio Deol fo ills ia only I 1 ly characteristic t vividness if f expression lind aind once sald 11 there here lire are tarve kinds of ln lawyers ars dlly minus loin lean foxes aind bulldogs bull doRS was as distinctly a bull us dog I 1 landrew spiky no sentence flint lie lid did nt not byln will n low io growl lie he gme gave tile the to ills his clients per 3 by Intent that lio he wit MIS s the tier hr H r Iso aaion of wrath and of reckon ings and kiil nerce instrument of a I 1 herrl cilc and boufal J justice listl ce this vas n benr to him film iiii ony kilell lie he lilia kid rend read Il renas lett letter or lie he it or on it alir desk iltis glowering at peter ile bill ell 11 dewolfe beyna bexan 1 I cinie to TK isk i yes sl 7 tile alir obber interrupted will etli a lh i gi owl peter pointed pointe 1 nt the lie letter rm 1 11 I knott snarled int ln your service celce i you acre tile lift man who ever saw alce peter began 1 ile he callie to draw tin nn instrument in my lily olllie A will which acm lcm es to ills widow atlow 7 r legally dond dead yet alie ill e man inan said severely erdy i lie lias has ticen been suy say gone for several years apparently wiped out yes and there Is nothing a more ore to be done we every inon ns except that of publicity its futile it Is a rnell I 1 sq R forbse ar yon to enste your sour time V I 1 d d you vou meet I 1 mrs old frelond fr fir lond lend 1 I met her ln in london 1000 the old r arose thrust ills his jaw making it flexible and ready if out a ns s for long time nt at to bite and stared a peter are you tile the son fion of of tile the equity acs lot it alon ahm what alone this affair let sleeping dogs lie ile you are ii a young man denit or of well 1 I know who you are anro used to know your fattier father I 1 can talk to you bililly ill say this parmalee was a client s sent ent up tip to me fly by our texas correspondents and us as tar far as I 1 nm concerned I 1 care a if I 1 had never seen boon him peter nodded you saw the last insi of him looked out the alio window at tile harbor that tipp appeared eared to stretch out like a woolly gray blanket from the bases of ni monument onui nent buildings he wheeled suddenly upon DeN dewolfe vile lie came hero here that day the last he had biad tickets for some place find and spoke of taking his wife but lie ho was excited he spoke of an alternative lie ho drunk drank you kouw that was he no lie was nervous excited As if nf afraid no peter thought a moment before he said would you say lie he was thinking of suicide no I 1 replied londrew butting batting tile tassel of the window curtain e r tain with ills his stubby fingers ite he it had d something else on tits his mind lie he sio spoke ce vaguely I 1 give a d n what lie he lind on ills his mind it was something ile he spoke as it if it were some erran errand d ilko a man who had received a message what kind of a mess message rigo 1 I dont know I 1 got tale impression pres slon mind you now and mark me well I 1 dont say it was so soi I 1 got tile the lin impression that lie was engaged in some what shall I 1 say investigation 11 investigation repeated dewolfe in a startled voice L alfrow nodded tits hla bulldog liend head up and down as if there were oiled bearings in ills his invisible short neck he left no word for his wife peter asked shooting the question when lantress Lan Lanfre ws eyes had met his lie ho saw the lawyer flinch 1 11 I asked whether ho he left any message for ills his wife the other man coughed felt under ills heavy chin for tits hla concealed throat threat iia sat down in tits his desk chair 1 to ro be frank with you lie he did he sald said tills this of course Is confidential it was too brutal to give tier peter leaned forward ile he said too to brutal landrew said yes ile he said to me if I 1 make up my mind not to take tier away if I 1 go on el a little journey solf you tell tier her that ill ile be back in two weeks you tell her im going to cut it knot that im going to relieve the boll bell ive been living the two men sat silently looking at each other of course I 1 thought hed telegraph tier bur sald said lanfred 1 I take tits his message seriously it have done tier her any good to tell tier that brutal message eli eh and later well I 1 put the thing off it cleared no mystery it was incon peter risked then you thought he blamed tier her landrew throw threw up his hands handa a gesture which said there Is no question 11 for what aiken peter landrew clie cli cwi wv upon an all imaginary mouthful lie sald said li nally god knows some women beautiful women are poisonous ilare cases they carry a deadly polson poison dewolfe some influence some soine bane some corrosive withering devilish fatal fluid or vapor or aura what whatever you choose who atio knos s what it Is but she that woman when you find her will blast a man ilk like ilke e lie ile stopped peter drew a deep breath lie ile said almost incredulously did you tell me that you got the impression from mr air Il armalee that lie wits was going to investigate something yes keen been invited to something tile lawyer said diwolfe Ie stared at the carpet carpel after it i pause lie got up tip and hold held out tits ills hand let tills this alone Lan landrew frew nut but of nf course it if you want anything else come in again act petar cr went homo to his apartment ile iio found nn an envelope brought nes saenger from the office of pennington ning ton gould could and goodhue tue it contained co a n cable from ikena overseas do not go anny deeper I 1 beg you I 1 am in mortal fear it said 1 1 I 1 am coming to america all ray my love CHAPTER CHAPTER XIV by afternoon on friday rotor roter had certain information that he ith I 1 do not go any deeper I 1 beg you I 1 am in mortal rear it said had sought in addition to nc acquiring quIrIng the information that would load lead him to men lie ho had wrestled with the problem presented by Il branas renas cable lie ile lind find sent tier her word when lie he lind had arrived safely in new york that lie ho was full of hope and optimism wo we shall win he had find said because any other thought Is too terrible to bear ile he could not understand then what new facts site she had to justify tier her strange message to him unless it were an anonymous warning such as that which he find received in liverpool to accede to tier her request and to proceed no further along the lines of inquiry which lio lie had chosen as signi significant flen nt would moan mean delity delay and perhaps a loss of the thin threads that lie he had picked up to unravel peter had find in him film a great deal of tit the fiber of determination a good deal of a single track purpose that frowned upon film and made him wince when lie became tempted to postpone his plans and indulge tits hla desire in waiting idly for her to come ile ho kne knew NY from tho the beginning that this man was the side of self that would win lie he was only doing that which lie he knew in tits inner consciousness lie ho would do wit when C n lie cabled a reply to tier her that said do not come yet I 1 will cable you again it if you have leavo important news do not be afraid to send it ile he was glad when that was done there was an additional reason for it lie he was not nor yet prepared to meet drena for fop the second time lie ile must first clear tho the way for relationship that had in it no reservations the first tiling thing to be done was to confer with ono one joseph smallwood of drennan co the publishers when peter arst smallwood small wood he felt n little like one who has been sent to an armless dentist the man was pale find and like the cream sauce of cheap restaurants dewolfe had difficulty in believing that this was the man to whom ho be had b been eon referred ai mr dewolfe how can I 1 serve you he said in a low drawl draw as if lie he were pulling tits hla words like alho molasses candy into long strips straps to match tits his own long body 1 I understand that you not c only maintain n connection with brenn drenn drennan nn but undertake c commissions and pass upon technical questions ind independently pend smile was of the kind that snaps on and off like an electric light now lie snapped it on it was gone in a flash a string pulled smile oh yes lie he said wearily did you want to find 1 A book said peter what book the explorations of father carlos in the mescalero desert hero Is the whole story gave him a card card with the details 1 I want to buy a perfect copy v smallwood shook his head from left to right and then to left again with a sad bad expression followed by the camera shutter smile it will take a long time he said tenderly as if lie he bore the weight of all human suffering upon his heart it la Is a very rare book beoh anderson the sugar refiner owned n co copy py that Is how I 1 happened to know I 1 appraised his library perhaps it will tako take a year A week said peter no more A week repeated smallwood closing hla his eyes as if resigned to anything come what would 1 I thought it would be possible to telegraph to every dealer in the country pleast dont interrupt the other said in a whisper as it if peter had clattered into some funeral service 1 I am thinking when he had ceased tb thinking InkIng ho he looked up snapped on ills smile and stared nt at dewolfe out of 0 palo blue eyes tho the operation will cost a great deal of money peter waved his hand band 1 I think I 1 better say M began smallwood allwood Bm who appeared discouraged ue he paused he repented repeated 1 I think I 1 better say however that I 1 will mn make k e a trial provided that I 1 nin am able to bear any expense smallwood appeared surprised that any human being could have as much rise enso ile iio said the search will require several stenographers a long iong distance telephone bill of rather alarm lag sayo and 1 a price for the he book far Us in real value several times tile the probable amount it would bring at an auction 00 oo go ahead sold said peter 11 may I 1 say that the your desire for a copy of tills this book must bo be extraordinary maryr olt oh yes most extraordinary A week ago I 1 would not have paid two dollars for it men linves gambled away their lives on it I 1 cant tell how much I 1 want lt until I 1 got it dut but to got it I 1 will pay what it costs and if you call cabi locate a copy of the boot book c 7 1 11 I would lot you know tit nt once time counts I 1 would bo be grateful smallwood Sin allwood blinked only when his visitor wits was tit at the door did lie he say with a switched on smile olt oil by the way must the volume be in perfect condition r it can bo be n bundle of debris as far as I 1 nm ani concerned answered peter but all the pages must be the there re tho the other man was reaching for tile the telephone instrument with tits ills cold storage fingers as dewolfe left tile office from tho the publishers he wont went to one manfred eldegard nt at 0 6 bassou street eldegard Eld 11 Is n public mccoun accountant whose clients are tile tho surety and bonding companies tho the vice president of one of these companies had said to do wolfe you are not familiar with auditing and accounting as I 1 lint am peter bleter it if you were you would know that accuracy honesty speed reliability rell abil are qualities that can ho he lured hired in carload lots lota it la Is easy to engage expert in fi figures guros but tho genius among accountants Is the man who can read figures just as a pianist reads music that ninn man Is worth something been because tise lie he can translate into tile lie terms of ftfe theres one of those fellows that can moke circles round the rest heres tits ills letter licad head Is lie he willing to take a chanco chance on getting |
