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Show Ol a gEM B BgMB I t B JuPPL.Sfx& Ojoti International Mazina Company BEGIN HERE TODY. For years thq brilliant mombor of tho EngllBh Soorot Sorvico has been known as ANDRE DUGHEMIN. Now to tho woman he loved, EVE DE IUONTALAIS, ho confessed that he was tho notorious cracksman, cracks-man, MICHAEL LANYARD, known to tho pollco of tho world as tho LONE WOLF. But tho confession camo only after Evo de Montalals had boon robbed of her jewels whllo Lanyard was a guost In her chateau, recuperating from a bullet bul-let wound Inflicted by tho Apache from whom ho had rescued Evo and her relatives. Evo bollovcs Lanyard innocent and accepts his offer to trace tho Jowolq. His mind immediately leaps back to a strange visit to tho chateau paid, by a party consisting of WHITAKER MONK; his secretary, PHINUIT, the lattor's brothor. JULES, who acted as chauffour, and tho COUNT and COUNTESS DE LORG-NES. LORG-NES. They askod clever questions about Eve's Jrwols and warned her oi inc iono won. GO ON WITH THE STOKY CHAPTER XL The Lone Wolf Tnkcs tho Trnll. Early In the afternoon Lanyard cxamlnod tho safe without exciting comment In the household. Ho was nearly an hour thus engaged, but brought back to the drawing room only a face of disappointment. "Nothing," ho retorted to Evo. "Evidently a gentleman of rigidly formal for-mal habits, our friend of last night wouldn't dream of calling at any hour without his gloves on . . . However, I'vo been thinking a bit as well, I hopo to some purpose." The woman nodded intently as ho drew up his chair and sat down. "You havo made a plan," sho stated stat-ed rather than inquired. "I won't call it that, not yet. Assuming As-suming for tho sake of argument that Mr. Whltaker Monk and his lot had a hand In this " "Ahl You think that?" "I admit I'm unfair. But flr3t they quarrel with my senso of the normal by being too confoundedly picturesque, pic-turesque, too sharp and smart and glib. What right had they to mako so many ambiguous gestures?" "Leading tho talk up to my Jewels, you mean?" "I mean every movo they made. Madame la Comtcsso do I-trgncs whoever sho is must get her feot wot. an excellent excuao for asking to bo introduced to your boudoir, ao she may spy out tho precise location of your safe. "Then Madame de Lorgncs guiding guid-ing tho conversation by secret signals which I intercept somebody recognizes recog-nizes mo as tho Lono Wolf; and you aro obliquely warned that, if your Jewels should happen to disappear it's more than likoly the Lono Wolf will prove to be tho guilty party. "On tho other hand; there's your ox-chauffour what's his name?" "Albert Dupont. Is he one of them, their employo or conferee?" "I fancy not. I may be wrong, but I believe he Is entirely on his own quite independent of tho Monk party." ' "And your plan of campaign Is based on this conclusion?" "That's a big name" Lanyard's smile was diffident, a pica for suspended sus-pended Judgment on his lack of Inventiveness In-ventiveness "for a lame idea. They hoped to shift suspicion on to my shoulders. Well, let them bcllevo they havo dono. so." The waiting hostility developed In a sharp negatlvo: "Ah, no:' "You will observe," he continued, lightly persuasive, "it ls Andro Ducho-mln Ducho-mln who will bo accused, madamo, not Mlchaol Lanyard, never tho Lone Wolf! For when I say ho will disappear dis-appear tonight, I mean It qulto liter-1 liter-1 ally; Andro Duchemln will nevermore never-more bo heard of In this world." She had a smile qulvorlng on her lips, yet shook her head. "Monsieur forgets I learned to know him under tho name of Ducho-min." Ducho-min." "If madame, In her charity, means to continuo to know me, it must bo Mlchaol Lanyard whom Bho auffora to claim a llttlo portion of hor frlondr ship." "More than a little, monslour, more than a littlo friendship only " "I know no way to thank you," he managed to say at lost, "For what?" "For everything: kindness, charity, nympathy " "What are thoso things?" 3he demanded de-manded with a nervous llttlo laugh. "Words! Just words that you and I uso to hido behind, like timid chll-dron chll-dron . . ." sho roso suddenly and offered him her hand. "But I don't think It's any uso, my friend, I'm qulto sure that neither of ua is deceived. de-ceived. No, say nothing more; tho timo ls not yet and we both can wait. Only know I understand tr. Go now" her fingers tightened round his "but don't stay away any longer than yoa must, don't be influenced in-fluenced by silly traditions, falao and foolish standards when you think of mo. Go now" sho frcod her hand and turned away-1 "but oh, como aafoly back to mo, my dear!" CHAPTER XII. Travels With An Assassin. Lanyard, gray with dust and weariness wear-iness of twonty leagues of heavy walking, trudged into tho sloeplng streets of the town of Tourncmlrc and purchased a ticket for Lyons. As tho ouglno began to snort, a man darted from behind tho tiny structure that housed the tickot-of-fico, galloped heavily across tho platform, plat-form, and with nothing to sparo throw himself Into tho compartment Immediately Imme-diately bohlnd Lanyard. This maneuver was performed so unexpectedly that Lanyard caught barely a glimpse of the fellow; but ono glimpse was enough. It was Monsieur Albert Dupont who had failed to assassinate the then Andre Duchemln more than three weeks ago. At Lyons fortune tavorcd Lanyard, The station was woll thronged, a clr-cumstanco clr-cumstanco which enabled him to keop Inconspicuously closo to his victim. Furthermore, Dupont was obviously looking for somebody and so distracted. distract-ed. Presently, a shabby, furtive, little rat of a man nudged his elbow, and Dupont followud him to a corner. Lanyard secured a berth and went about his business profoundly mystl-flod. mystl-flod. Beyond a shadow of fair doubt. Dupont was up to somo now devilment, devil-ment, but Lanyard would bo surprised If Its nature failed to develop on the train or at least upon Its arrival In Paris tho noxt morning. It was no lator than seven In the evening when ho lct a room which he had engaged In a hotel and left It a changed man. I The pointed board of Monsieur Duchemln was no moro The rough tweed walklng-ault had been replaced re-placed by a blue sorgo. The papers of Andre Duchemln wcro crisp black ashes In the fireplace fire-place of tho room which Lanyard had Just qulttod, all but tho letter of credit; and this last was onclosed In an envelope, to be sent to London hy roglstored post with a covering note to request that the unpaid balance bal-ance bo forwarded in French banknotes bank-notes to MonMeur Paul Martin, general gen-eral delivery, Paris, Paul Martin A Shabby, Furtlvo Little Knt of a Man. being the name which appeared on an entirely now set of papers of Identification Iden-tification which Lanyard had thoughtfully thought-fully secreted in the lining of tho twoed coat before leaving London. Lanyard had testimony to tho thoroughness thor-oughness of tho transformation In his looks twlco within an hour. Tho first was whon, leaving the hotel ho found hlmsolf suddenly face to face with Dupont. Tho beady llttlo eyes of the thug comprehended him In a glance, and rojectod him as of positively no Interest In-terest to Albert Dupont, a complete stranger and a cheap ono at that. Ho re-entered tho hotel and sought its restaurant, whero tho untiring Long Arm of Colncldcnco took him by tho hand and led him to a table Immediately Im-mediately adjoining ono occupied by Monsieur le Comto do Lorgncs. But now, Lanyard told himself ono know what had dragged Dupont In such hot hasto to Lyons. Somehow word had reached him, probably by ' telegraph, that monsieur le comtc was , waiting thore to keep a rendezvous And If you askod him, Lanyard would ' confess his firm conviction that tho other party to tho rendezvous would proo to bo the person (or persona) who had effected tho burglary at Chateau Cha-teau dc Montalala. 15 1, na trtrk nnaanrl t hftnnmn rvl dent that thcro had been a hitch somewhere; de Lorgnes was f rotting when Lanyard first saw him; bofora his dinner was half served his norvo was giving way. At length, de Lorgncs called for his addition and fled the restaurant. Lanyard Lan-yard arrived In tho foyer In time to sec do Lorgnos aottlo Ills account and hear him Instruct a porter to havo hln luggage ready for tho qne-twolvo qne-twolvo express for Paris. At midnight, do Lorgncs was wholly whol-ly In despair. Half an hour later wove an unsteady but most dignified way back to the foyer of tho hotel. Immediately Dupont and his fellow paid and left tho cafo. Lanyard returned to his room to got a new-bought traveling bag, and started for the train afoot. In tho Gare do Perracho Lanyara witnessed a farowoll scene between tho llttlo man and Dupont. And when Monslour lo Comto dc Lorgnoa had wavered through tho gateway In tow of a luggage laden porter and Dupont had torn himself away from his fond familiar and lurohed after the count, and Lanyard, after a little wait, had followed In turn ho waa ablo to ace for himaolf tha-t Dupont had contrived to bo berthed In tho samo carrlago with do Lorgnes, proving that ho did not moan to let tho count out of sight, dn,y or nlgju. "Well weary, Lanyard proceeded to his own compartment, in the car I ahead, and turned In I But .ho was not of thoso who sleep well on trains. Ho was awake at Dijon and again at Larocho, about a quarter after six. There, peering out 'of tho window to Identify the station, ,ho was startled to see tho broau, round-shouldorod back of Albert Dupont, Du-pont, making away across the rails (leaving the train It was not feasible to dress and pursue, pur-sue, even had It been wlso . The newspapers of Paris, that day, had a sensation. In a compartment which ho had occupied alono on the night express from Lyons, a man had been found with his throat cut, his clothing ripped to rags, even his luggage lug-gage slashed to ribbons Whether through chanco or Intention, Inten-tion, every posslblo clow to the victim's vic-tim's Identity was mlssinjr. (Continued In Our Is'cxt Issue) |