Show P Q r ti CM C zi AJA M AUTHORS odthe LIGHTING CONDUCTOR dramatized ano AND PRODUCED IN PICTURES acy THE J COMPANY COPYRIGHT NIN NINTH TH EP EPISODE ISObE I 1 the tae gold cold cigarette case christopher race L duld could not make head cr tali of the thing 1 in ili aa common envelope was a half sheet of thick and creamy parchment paper with a monogram in pale blue and silver on this half sheet written in a firm and somewhat original hand which might be that of a roan man or a woman were two sentences and martof part of another dear sir I 1 have heard 0 of you and your car and saw photographs of both I 1 know that you are a gentleman and can be trust trusted bd I 1 hope very much that you are free and can cocq here by thursday if possible early in tia morning as it I 1 Is s a matter ot of life and ana death to me to get away here the letter broke off giving no clue to the nature of the errand or to the whereabouts of the nameless writer but christopher was able to make out the postmark the scrawled cd envelope had been sent out from stoke westcourt dEst court in warwickshire Warwick shire of course he said to himself there wa was nothing to do about it perhaps the thing was a hoax he studied the monogram fancying that mean N 7 i he saw that it was a very hand some cigarette case V T L IL and though the handwriting was uncommonly strong for a woman the monogram was essentially fetna feminine then he looked up stoke westcourt dEst dEste court ourt on his road map and in a handbooks handbook of warwickshire Warwick shire A ills journey was smooth and uneventful vent ful and it was still early eaily in the murky evening when the blazing rays of his lamps illuminated the quaint front of the old inn of which he had rend read in the guidebook guide gulde book the first thing he did while chile his bis dinner was being prepared was to call for the local directory and pore over its pages in the hope of finding someone with the initials IV L 11 II 1 but he was Ai disappointed appointed the population of the kv village llla e find and the immediate neighborhood was was only a few hundreds and among the harrises the Har boroughs the hickles and the harveys there was none who owned the initials IV V L christopher on arriving had ostentatiously driven scarlet runner kunner I 1 through the whole length of the village high street and past the cottages and old queen anne or georgian houses which surrounded the famous green thus advertising his advent to whom it might concern and though the country air and strong ale made him sleepy he sat eat up late pretending to rend read old numb numbers ers of magazines in the hope of receiving a letter or word of some sort from his nameless c correspondent spon dent no word christopher wag up with the first gray hint of daw dan D by seven he was dress dressed gil and etwas it was not yet eight when lie he had breakfasted and was starting sc a before the door of the jan inn lie ile determined to drive scarlet runner blunner slowly temptingly through every aery street streetor of the village lage and past pasi the gates of the great houses bouses and even farms of the surround surrounding lii country then it if the writer rif of that unfinished letter were waiting somewhere in the hope of a response to the broken tip ap peal he or she would noibe disappointed ile he sounded bounded his new and singularly sweet toned musical siren unnecessary illy often I 1 ile he drove out of the th village and took the road which he had been told would tveit J i him past several houses lio uses and outlying farms past the ruit ruined tedcastle castle herec Te reland and there he caused his als siren to discourse shat snatches elies from the opera of la Trav traviata lata but when ho he came in sight of the castle he forgot to play ills own accompaniment even forgot for a few moments the business which had bad brought him to stoke westcourt dEst dEste court ourt it really was a very fine and striking ruin christopher drove very slowly to take in ili its full magnificence and finally stopped scarlet runner in the shadow of the dark towering walls though he did not stop her engine looking up from ills his seat in ili tile the gen aly purring car the huge norman keep loomed above him suddenly there was framed in a small ivy draped window a face as lovely as any for which a knight of old ever did battle A girl was gazing down dewri at him a girl whose yellow brown hair w was as bright gold against a background of darkness the large eyes met hl his in appeal tile the lips opened without speaking a hand and firm arm were ivere thrust through the aperture and something small that glittered as it tell fell was thrown to him A cry from the girl attracted his attention she was signing him to ride away it was not until the first turn when th the e castle towers wire were hidden from sight by an intervening hill that race ilace slackened the cars pace a and nd looked at the thing which the girl had thrown to him then he saw that it was a very handsome though small cigarette case ornamented with the letters al N in diamonds completely puzzled christopher stopped tor for a moment in the empty road to satisfy his curiosity by examining the cigarette case inside as well as out thero there was nothing in it not even a n cigarette but there was one peculiarity culi cul arity larity which caused christopher to jump to the conclusion that the thing had been made by special order and for a lady the inner part of the case was entirely covered on oil one side with I 1 a mirror set into the gold had and surrounded by a frame of tiny brilliants brilliantz brilli ants thus leaving place for cigarettes on the opposite side only ile he then put the dainty little affair into ills his pocket and drove along his intended route bouto in almost hopeless que quest of IV V L I 1 H ills his first thought on seeing the girl at the window of 0 the castle keep was that he had found V L II 11 that V I 1 L H had been wal waiting ting there for him in the hope of a rescue like some persecuted damsel of old iut but though she had certainly nung flung him a gage she had shown no desire to go with him when he had put away scarlet runner he shut himself up upeor for another look at the cigarette case opening it the broken pieces of glass fell out and he saw what lie he had not guessed at before the mirror concealed a false back to tb the case and hidden there he found a photograph of a young man and between the photo photograph grap ll 11 and the thin strip of gold which held it in place was a slip of paper on which were whitten close together and all la in capitals the letters A key to a cipher perhaps christopher said to himself was be intended to pluck out its secret and profit by what it taught him ile he could not tell and after staring atthe at the nine letters for ten or fifteen minutes on end hazarding all kinds of conjectures and trying to fit them together he was no wiser thau than before it cou could ild not be he thought that the girl had wished dished him to keep the cigarette case base for some reason it had 1 been ne necessary for her to get rid of the thing at the moment to hide it fro from m someone perhaps and seeing him pass she had believed him gentleman enough to help her of course she would count upon ills his taking the first opportunity to return her property and the only possible place where she could expect him to look for her was at keri ked castle he decided as the person pain from whom the girl wished to conceal the cigarette case might have seen a fleeing motor car that it would be well weI wellbor Ifor for her sake to fo appear on the scene next time la in the guise of an of ordinary tourist fo urist in balfan half an hour he had reached the castle and nd was knocking pit at the door of a cottage billt up against one of the half this was the dwelling of the ithe caretaker presently itly the door opened and an old woman appeared christopher said civilly that he had come to visit the castle they avent went from froia room to room many of which were open to the sky alth with mere stony suggestions of what the upper stories had been going up a steep stone stane stairway which would lead lie knew to a certain window ills heart began to beat rather more quickly than usual lie ile hoped and more moio than half believed that lie he would find a beautiful girl waiting for him at the top of the steps but he found stone walls and emptiness deeply disappointed christopher walked about pret pretending edding to be interested in I 1 the fhe ilif thickness chaess of the walls the old woman stood still watching him as he went to the window and looked out turning quickly he be caught or fancied that ho he caught a cynical expression on the dried apple face 1 I suppose you have a a great greaf many visitors here even at this time of the VOM 1 1 ite he anid hy s ivay any of working up I 1 to n point lie he hoped to reach i not ciany now sir his guide nn sav red stolidly 1 I saw a young lad looking out of tile alie tills this morning I 1 took to ro lie he till nil artist said christopher grow gi owing impatient very pretty with yellow yeli I 1 loningh asli brown hair fluid dirk dark eyes I 1 might have hern bevia brown or 01 violet I 1 think she had on oil a dark daik blue dress diess you havo been mistaken nit staken sir replied the old woman 1 I brIng tiny such young lady in this mo morning ining christopher asked no more moio leading questions but meekly allowed himself fiill to he be the lie usual things an and d will told the usual legends thon then lie he gave the old woman the usual fee with the usual extra tip and took his leave but bui turning tinning to glance back lit at tile the guardians cottage when the door was shut lie he saw ills late guide at the window peering inglut out behind her stood a man looking over the stooping shoulder sli and its as carl stop hers eyes met his he moved away dissatisfied with the result of his fils quest q nest lie he resolved to return to the cas cas tle tie after lark daik and linger about in the hope that the girl might return under cover of 0 dusk to demand lur her property and explain her strange wander manner of dis disposing g of it 1 1 when after nightfall he groped lilt his way through a thick mist toward the ell castle astle ruins lie had still no clew which night might help him to find file ho lady of tile the cigarette case sauntering as if aimlessly along the road dominated by the vast ruins christopher began softly to whistle the air from la Tra traviata vinta which scarlet runners new siren played once in a while lie he paused half expecting a call in ans answer iyer and at last ns as lie he mounted the rising ground which led to one wing of the castle farthest from the moat and tile the cottage he thought that lie he heard a balut rustling among the dead grass and bracken stopping to listen the sound was hushed again he whistled the same a clr ir while lie he lighted a cigarette which should also have hae its special meaning for the girl if she were near its as well as giving her a hint of ills his whereabouts yes there was the sly rustling once more perhaps she wanted a reassuring glimpse of ills his f face ace before speaking well she should have it lie he held up the lighted wax match to the cigarette until its flame began to burn down then as it flared up before the end suddenly there came to his enis ears a hiss sharp and wicked as a snakes and at the samp same instant lie he was conscious of a stinging pain in ills left arm away went natch and cigarette theli their sparks drowned in the wet welt grass and christopher surprised and pricked to anger realized leall zed that lie he had been shot at with an all gun search for ills his assailant proved fruitless so choosing discretion as has guide christopher returned to tile the inn it was after nine nind next morning when he be waked and lie he was much annoyed with himself for wasting time in bed when he might have been better employed in playing placing detective but when by his request a london newspaper and breakfast were brought to his room loom a paragraph aph in the personal column colman of the dally daily recorder Reco ider turned his attention in an instant from people and events at stoke dEste ourt IT T V B stared at him in large black capitals at the head of that famous co column lunin whoever can supply information as to these letters and those following will be richly reward id ed if communicates box 2001 dally daily recorder office he read with a keen stab of excitement quick forkl christopher said to himself for foi he did not doubt that lie he was the person for whose benefit the paragraph had been put in print he pd paid hib hla bill atthe inn n and departed with scarlet runner en route to town he concocted a telegram which he be got off from a small town eliere ho he stopped to lunch should the advertiser wish to hear anore more of T V B the only way of doing so will be to call nine tonight friday on christopher race who may be able to give information but will accept no row reward ard he arrived at homo home late in the afternoon ter noon but found no letters tin rhe hist flaat thins thing lie ho in III tin the I 1 li ornim was ns to open tile the dally recorder ind cast cart lila ills eyl eyes es down doin the personal col IT V it IS wit was s conspicuous only lit in absence but toward the lead end of tile the appeared appealed something else alch caught attention at it glance IV V L II 11 Is if earnestly implored to immediately with alth one mio ja hoped to meet on thursday nt at address V L 11 II knows knos great anxiety cant bear suspense so christopher race ilace was ais not tile only person who ho had been gl given en reason til lo count upon meeting V L 11 on oil eliy 1 christopher winfied very ardently that lie ai 03 well all its as V L 11 II knew gnp tile add of the anxious advertiser but as lie he did not and could think of no nicais means of fill finding allig it out lie he could do nutting to match the pieces of the puzzle together when the four post bi ought brought him the offer of an immediate engagement fo fat scarlet runner therefore lie he was as inclined to accept A mr air warren wan en lockwood Lock wrote from ft om tile the laurels Lauie ls pleasant Ilca sant avei avenue lue barnet saying that friends fi lends had recommended ilace and ills car ire he mr lock woo 1 had been suffering from bronchitis and ills his doctor advised him not only to escape london fogs as soon as might be but to escape ina in a motor would mr race be so excessively kind ua as to drive ills his scarlet runner out to the lam laurels Is arriving as near eight its as lie he could make inake convenient stalling from scarlet runners gai garage age nt at seven lie ho found the fog so densely thickened that lie doubted if lie he could find the way ay suddenly at what seemed to be a corner coiner of the wide ide country rond road not far outside barnet a voice cried to him scarlet Sc ailet runner it shouted lind and race astonished lefore before lie he had stopped to think yes next instant a black figure was silhouetted ed strangely in the alie pale haze of the car and three short reports barked dryly lit in the night someone had fired it revolver at his driving arh lug wheel tires and two shots had taken tulan effect hot avith ith fury tit at tile the out rag lageRa cRace cc leaped from ills his seat to the roadway As lie touched the ground something thick and soft was thrown over oer ills head from behind and twisted tightly round ills his neck tearing tit the hood lt one liand hand and striking out fiercely if wilf wildly fly with the other christopher h knew blew that lie ho had got in a blow mew liere ill in another second lio lie nv was is free fice of the enuf fling hood but at the nun nitin lie had flung off did not wait to be attacked lie III fled swallowed up in the fog panting from the struggle |