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c!e of his intentions, to return, sealed
the letter and started to go to the
lower floor to mail it, when he
paused.
"It is room 77," he heard a trem
ulous feminine voice say.
"This is it, miss," was the reply,
evidently by the floorboy.
There came a timid knock at the
door. Rodney opened it A beauti
ful ypung girl, accompanied by an
anxious-faced lady of middle age,
stood there. Both directed quick,
agitated glances at Rodney.
"You are Mr. West," fluttered the
girl, and her evident distress, even
fright, almost pained Rodney, it was
so intense. "We received your note
and if you will call at our home to
morrow morning we will have the
money for you, provided you deliver
the papers.
"Yes, here is the address," flutter
ed the other, lady, and then her words
ended in a sharp cry. She had placed
a card with writing on it upon the
table. As she did so her eye fell upon
the letter Rodney had just addressed.
She turned white and faint She
- seized the arm of her companion,
swaying weakly, as though about to
faint
"Oh, Ethel," she gasped, "some
new mystery! Quick! get me away
from here."
"I am not " began Rodney in dis
claimer, but the two visitors had
hastened from the room. He was at
a loss to understand the motive of
the strange call? The fact that the
superscription on the envelope on
the table had caused the elder wom
an distress was palpable. He tried to
study it out as he placed the letter in
his pocket Then he hurried into
) the hall intent on overtaking the two
women, but they had evidently left
the floor on the elevator.
The incident gave him food for
thought There was a curtained al
cove at a bay window at one angle of
the room. Turning off the light,
Rodney seated himself there and
looked down at the street. Perhaps i
he might see the two women leave
the hotel. The face of the younger
one had impressed itself indelibly
upon his memory. Suddenly he was
aroused. Two men had entered the
room. The electric light was
switched on.
"No word at the office of the ho
tel," spoke one.
"Oh, well, we shall hear from them
by morning," returned the otker.
"Here are the papers," and he ex
tended a package.
And then the men indulged in a
brief, but enlightening conversation.
Rodney Blair had led a quiet, un
eventful life. The disclosure of the
two men fairly horrified him. They
were professional blackmailers. They
had discovered some scandal against
the dead husband of the elderly
woman who had called with her
niece. They had come to the town
to demand all the poor woman had
for a return of the ' incriminating
documents.
It was then tliat Rodney realized
that he had been shown to the wrong
room by 'the bellboy. The villany
of the two conspirators stirred him
up intensely. They parted without
discovering him. One of the men
placed the package and some other
belongings under a pillow of the bed,
put out the light and retired for the
night
It was a breathless experience
that Rodney Blair went through be
fore midnight, so foreign to the usual
humdrum system of his life that he
was burglar, fugitive and hero, all in
one, according to story-book pro
cess He was resolute to protect a
defenseless woman, however. He re
gained his own room, the precious
packet in his possession, grandly exultant.
More so, when he sought out Mrs.
Mary Winslow the next day and gave
her the papers that prevented a blot
being placed upon the name of one
dead, who had not been to her a good
husband, but whose name she felt it
disloyal not to protect
