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COPYRIGHT 1909 ty THE
COPYRIGHT 1909 iy THE
CHAPTER I.
Mist lubtl Th&rne.
All tie world robs elbows ia Wash
ington. Oetwardly it li merely a city
cf evactoa. of eoaveattoaaliUes, sated
with the coamospiace pleasures of
life. lljUese. blaxe even, and always
exqeisitely albeit frigidly, coarteocs;
bet beseatb the still.
suave surface
strange currents play at
cross par'
poses, latrlgue Is eadless. and the
raerelle war of diplomacy goes on
unceatfagly Oceaeioaally. oaly oc-
czalosaJly. a btibble coats to the sur-
.face, and when it bursts tae echo goes
crasaiag arouai tae earta. borne-
tirnM n.iir u AjVd-: a -ailcn
SSll'SiLi 22S- i.?
thi HmU. more aad I all Is olacld
ata So fk aJI'
t!aV:- .'"J?" ,l7.J?l. LJffi I
bappeas tbere, for
tbea he ouid
be diplomaUc maste;
of the world.
"There is plenty of red Wood ia
WablngOB." remarked a jesting leg
islative gray-beard, ooce upon a time,
"but lt' always frozen before they pt
It In circulation. Diplomatic negotia
tions ar conducted in the drawing
room, but loag before that the Sght
is fougat do-n cellar The dlplo
maUt nj"t at table and thre isn't
any broken crvVTy. but you can
always tell wh-t the player thinks
of the dealer by th way h- dra
thrre card? Everybody is after re
salts, and lot of monarch." of Europe
sit op nights polishing tbHr croons
waiting for word froia Washington "
So, this is V.'aghington And here
at dinner are the diplomatic repre
sentatives of all 'b nation Tbat la
the British ambassador, that Molid
f&ced, dlstlngiiihed-looklng, e'der'y
man; and this U the French ambassa
dor, dapper, volatile. plusorr-ct;
here Russia's highest representative
wags a bug", blond bard; and yon
der Is th palegmaMc GTaan ambas
sador. Scatte'ed around the table,
brilliant spotcheH of eo!or, are the
uniformed uvoy of th Orient the
FmalW the country tb nor brilliant
the splotch It Is a state dinner, to
be tfAUrwtt by a t! ball, and they
are all present
The Italian ambassador. Count di
Roslnl, vaii trying to interpret a
French boa mot into English for tbe
bennt of tbe daln'y, doll like wife of
the Chin- zdIoIb't who was edu
cated at RadHlffe when a servant
leaned over him and laid a sealed en
velope bes!4 bis plate. The count
glanced around at the srvi t. "X
cned hini!Mlf to Mr.. Quong M WI,
and opond rb eavlope Inside was
stagle hnt of embSHcy note paper,
aad a 'era line signed by bis secre
tary: "A lady Is walling for you here.
fine saya sb nuit ee you luimedlat
y, on a matter o the greatest Irn
XortaBe.M Tae count read the not1 twice, with
wiiaVled brow, then scribbled on It in
pencil:
- 'Vcjyoftsibl- to-nght THl her to
call at the embassy to-morrow morn
ing at half past ten o'clock."
He folded tbe note, banded It to tbe
servant, and resumed bis con versa
tlos with Mrs Wl
' lnlt an hour later th hid servant
plaH a second salcd envelope b
HMe bis plate Recognising the super
scription, the ambassador impatiently
rUovtl It aside Intending to disr
'gard It. Rut Irritatod curtosity fluitl
ly triumphed, and he opwied it A
white card on ftttlcn was written this
command whh bU reward:
"It la necessary that you come to
th embassy at ouco "
J TbTe was no signature. The hand
writing w;ih unmistakably that of a
woman, and Just ;ia unmistakably
Btrange to him 1I frowned a little
an he stared at It wonderlngly, then
idly turned the rani over. There s
no nam" on th reverse side only a
crest. Evidently the count recognized
thlH, for bin Impassive face reflected
surprise for an ImUant, and this was
followed by a keen, bewildered Inter
et Finally he arose, made his apolo
gies, and left the room. Ills automo
bile was at the door.
"To the embassy," he directed the
chauffeur.
And within five minutes ho was
there. His secretary met him In the
hull.
"The lady la waiting In your office,"
he explained apologetically. "I gave
her your message, but she said she
must see you and would write you a
line herself. 1 sent It."
"Quite correct," commented the am
bsssador. "What name did she give?"
"None," was the reply. "Hhe said
none was neceH.iary."
The ambassador laid I1 ht and
coat and entered his office with a
slightly puzzled expression on his
face Standing before a window, gaz
ing Idly out Into the light-spangled
night, was u young woman, rather
tall and severely gowned In some rich,
glistening stuff which fell away sheer
ly from her splendid bare shoulders.
Bhe turned and ho found himself look
ing Into a pair of clear, blue-gray eyes,
frank enough and yot In tholr very
frankness possessing an alluring, In
definable subtlety He would not
uuvo called her pretty, yet her smile,
ELUSIVE
mm
JACQUES fUTRELLE
Iy M.G.Ijrftrvs:r-
ASSOCIATED ,SUnDAY MA0A2UC3
BC3B3 - MERRILL COMPAIy
slight as it was, -was singularly charm
lag. and there rdiated from her a
something personality, perhaps
which held his gltace. He bowed low,
aad closed the door.
"I am at your serrice. Madam," he
said in a tone of deep respect. "Please
pardon my delay in coming to you."
1
It Is unfortunate that I didn't write
( the first aote." she apologized gra-
clotsslr. It would at least hare sared
a little time. You have the card?"
He aroducerf It sflntlv rr-st down.
j aad band jt 2r. Sae cj-uck a
j nu-td, ij?ated the card, and it cram-
. oIej np Ja her ?joVj 32Dd. n it
Uar HcraD tovBd refure in a silver'
. ' u t. ..'.,.. .
?J' 'b!:l: 'r1.. l.A
T 7u ZLmT . a"a".
",? '
"lta .
"The dinner isn't over yet?" she
Iaqoired. j He opened the door aad went out.
"No, Madam, not for another hoar, ' For a miaute or more Miss Thorne sat
perhaps " j perfectly still, gazing at the blaak
"Then there's no harm done." she j wooden panels, then she rose and
wrat on lightly. "The dinner Isn't of j went to the window azaia. In the din
any consequence, but I should like I tance, hazy la the soft night, the dome
very much to attend the ball after- . of the capitol rose mistily; over to the
ard Can yon arrange it for me?
"I don't know Just how I -a-ould pro-1 and out there where tbe lights spar
ceed. Madam." the ambassador object- kled lay Pennsylvania Avenue, a
ed dlfSdently "It would be rather un-,' thread of commerce. Miss Thorae saw
usual, dlfScolt I may saT and " ! ' aJI nd suddenly stretches cat her
"But surely you can arrange it some
way?" he interrupted demurely.
"Tbe highest diplomatic representa
tive of a great cation should not find
it difficult to arrange so simple a mat
ter as as this?" She was smiling.
"Pardon me for saggestinc it. Mad
am." the ambassador persisted courte
ously, "but anything out of tbe usual
attracts attention in Washington. I
dare ay, from the manner of your ap
pearance to-nlgbt, that you would not
care to attract attention to yourself."
She regarded him with an enigmat
ic smile.
"I'm afraid you don't know wom
en. Count," she aaid slowly, at last.
"There's nothing dearer to a woman's
heart than to attract attention to her
self." She laughed a throaty, silvery
note that was charming. "And if you
healtate now, then to-morrow why,
to-morrow I am going to ask that you
open to me all this Washington world
this brilliant world of diplomatic so
ciety You see what I ask now is
simple."
Tbe ambassador was respectfully
silent and deeply thoughtful for a
time. There was, perhaps, something
of resentment struggling within blm,
and certainly there was an uneasy
feeling of rebellion at this attempt to
thrust blm forward against all prece
dent. "Your requests are of bo extraor
dinary a nature that " he began In
courteous protestation.
There was no trace of impatience In
tbe woman's manner; she was still
smiling
"It Is necessary that I attend the
ball tonight," she explained, "you may
imagine how necessary when I say I
sailed from Liverpool six days ago,
reacbiug New York at half-past three
o'clock this aftornoon; and at half-
Tht Handwriting Was Unmistakably
That of a Woman.
past four I was on my way here. I
have been here less than one hour, I
came from Liverpool especially that
I might be present; and 1 even
dressed on the train so there would be
no delay. Now do you see the neces
sity of It?"
Diplomatic procedure is along well
oiled grooves, and the diplomatist who
steps out of the rut for an instant hap
pens upon strange and unexpected ob
stacles. Knowing this, the ambassa
dor still hesitated. The woman ap
parently undcrstcad.
"I had hoped that this would not be
necessary," she rornarked, and she
produced a small, sealed envelope,
"Please read It."
The ambassador received the en
velope with uplifted brows, opened It
and read what was written on a fold
ed sheet of paper. Some subtle work
ing of his brain brought a sudden
change In tbe expression of his face.
There was wonder In It, and amaze
ment, and more than these. Again he
bowed low,
"I am at your service, Madam," h
1 - - - -
! aa an mi
repeated "I shall take pleaswe la
ssakisg any arraagemeats that are
necessary. Again, I beg yoar pardon."
"Aad it trill sot be so Terr difflcult,
: after all. will cr she inquired, sad
' she smiled taaatiagly.
' "It will not be at all dIScalt, Mad-
v. ..v.....i .! v
. mmm ww..w. ..... mm -
She nodded. He folded the aote. re-
placed it la the envelope and reamed
it to her with another deep bow. She
1 drew her skim about aer aad sat
' down; he Etood.
"It win be necessary for your name
to appear oa the iaritatioa," the am
bassador went ca to explain. "If you
give me yosr name m have my sec
retary "
"Oh, yes, my aame," she interrapted
gaily. "V.hy. Count yon embarrass
me. Ton kaow, really, I have 00
I name. Isn't it awkward?"
"I understand nerfectlv. Madam."
1 responded the count. "I should hare
tsA a rai
' She meditated a moment.
. "tVell r r Thn n rrr r.
bl Thorne." sh- seczested at last.
, That will do Try nicely, don't yon
think T
-ivrrii, wt tv. - , v.
' w "' -"--. - w.--. "- v
! bowed agala, "Please ex-
- c a moment, and IU give my
tar7 InstrucUoas how to proceed,
! There wUl be a delay of a few mla-
ms.
right was the congressional library.
arms with an all-enveloping gesture.
She stood so for a minute, then they
fell beside her, and she was motion
less. Couat di Roslnl entered.
"Everything is arranged. Miss
Thorne." he announced. "Will you go
with me in my automobile, or do you
prefer to go alone 7"
"111 go alone, please," she answer
ed after a moment "I shall be there
about eleven."
The ambassador bowed himself out.
And so Miss Isabel Thorne came to
Washington!
CHAPTER II.
Mr. Campbell and the Cable.
Just as it is one man's business to
manufacture watches, and another
man's business to peddle shoe-strings,
so it was Mr. Campbell's business to
know things. He was a human card
Index, a governmental ready reference
posted to the minute and backed by
all the tremendous resources of a na
tion. From the little office In the Se
cret Service Bureau, where he sat day
after day, radiating threads connected
with the huge outer world, and en
abled him to keep a firm hand on the
diplomatic and departmental pulse of
Washington. Perhaps he came near
er knowing everything that happened
there than any other man living, and
no man realized more perfectly than
he Just how little of all of it he did
know.
In person Mr. Campbell was not un
like a retired grocer who had shaken
the butter and eggs from his soul and
settled back to enjoy a life of placid
Idleness. He was a little beyond mid
dle age, pleasant of face, white of
hair, and blessed with guileless blue
eyes. His genius had no sparkle to
It; It consisted solely of detail and
"yvem and Indefatlgablllty. coupled
with a motuory thp.t vas v.'cll nigh in
fallible. Ills brain was as serene and
orderly as a cash register, one almost
expected to hear It click.
He sat at his desk Intently studying
a cable despatch which lay before him
It was in the Secret Service code.
Leaning over his shoulder was Mr,
Grimm the Mr. Grimm of the bureau.
Mr Grimm was an utterly different
ype from his chief. He was younger,
perhaps thirty-one or two, physically
well proportioned, a little above the
average height, with regular features
and listless, purposeless eyes a re
plica of a hundred other young men
who dawdle Idly In the windows of
fhelr clubs and watch the world hurry
by His manner was languid; his
dress showed fastidious care
Sentence by sentence the bewilder
ing Intricacies of the code gave way
before the placid understanding of
Chief Campbell, and word by word,
from the chaos of It, a translation
took Intelligible form upon a sheet
of paper under his right hand. Mr.
Grimm, loosing on, exhibited only a
most perfunctory Interest In the ex
traordinary message he was reading;
the listless eyes narrowed a little, that
iwas all. It was a special despatch
from Lisbon dated that morning, and
signed simply "Gault" Completely
translated It ran thus:
"Secret offensive and defensive al
liance of the Latin against the English-Speaking
nations of the world 1b
planned. Italy, France, Spain and
two South American repabllcs will
soon sign compact In Washington.
Proposition Just made to Portugal,
and may be accepted. Special en
voys now working In Mexico and Cen
tral and South America. Germany in
vited to Join, but refuses as yet, giv
ing, however, tacit support; attitude
of Russia and Japan unknown to me.
Prince Bensdetto d'Abruszl, believed
to be In Washington at present, ha
absolute power to sign for ' '
France and Spain
Profound series
ed. I ,t brands
ujumcu uu Tu. 1 ,t uranas on
gravely. "I shall take steps at once 1 desk and -cith his legs daagliag read
to hare aa Invitation Issued to yon for ! the despatch a second time, aad a
to-night; aad to-morrow I shall be third.
pleased to proceed as yon may su- "If." be observed slowly, "if aay oth-gest-"
j er maa than Gaalt had seat that I
minister? Cabio instru" . Vanarsdell d. ,ate Pub. Co., Iuc.'L.
-50 Each!" cosimeated Mr. Cajap-
, feu,
He clasped his haads behlad Ms
, head, lay back la his chair and sat
j for a Iocs tine, staring with steadfast,
' thoughtful eyes lato the Impassive
face of his subordinate. Mr. Grimm
TrytA y.fmmW nn lh ?? of thf
I .
"onia save saw ae was crazy.
ite peace cc tpe worm is ta pe-ii.
Mr. Grimm." said Campbell impres
sively, at last. "It had to come, of
course, the United States aad Eng
land against a lrge part of Europe
and all of Central aad South America.
, It bad to come, and yet !
j He broke off abruptly, aad picked
up the receirer of his desk telephone,
j "The White House, please," he re
l quested cartly, and then, after a mo
ment: "Hello! Please ask the presT
dent if he will receire Mr. Campbell
immediately. Yes. Mr. Campbell of j
the Secret Service." There was a
pause. Mr. Grimm removed his im-
maculate person from the desk, and
took a chair. "Hello! In half aa hour?
So much!"
The pages of the Almanac de Gotha
i ly he leaaed forward aad studied a
. paragrapa 01 it cioseiy. nea ne
j hIs eyes agala m was
paragraph of It closely. When he
Jn them which Mr. Grimm had aerer
seea before-a settled, darkeaiag
J shzdov.
"The world-war has long been a
chimera, Mr. Grimm," he remarked at
last, "but aow now! Thiak of It! Of
course, the Ceatral aad South Ameri
can countries, taken separately, are
"If Any Other Man Than Gault Had
Sent That I Should Have Said He
Was Crazy."
inconsequential, and that Is true, too,
of tbe Latin countries of Europe, ex
cept France, but taken in combination,
under one directing mind, the allied
navies would be would be formid
able, at least. Backed by the moral
support of Germany, and perhaps Ja
pan ! Don't you see? Don't you
see?"
He lapsed into silence. Mr. Grimm
opened his lips to ask a question
Mr. Campbell anticipated It unerr
ingly: "The purpose of such an alliance?
It Is not too much to construe It Into
the first step toward a world-war a
war of reprisal and conquest beside
which the other great wars of the
world would seem trival. For the
fact has at last come home to the na
Mons of the world that ultimately the
English-speaking peoples will domi
nate It dominate It because they are
the practical peoples. They have given
to the world all its great practical In
ventlons the railroads, the steam
ship, elertrlrity. the telegraph and
''able all of them; they are the great
civilizing forces, rounding the world
up to new moral understanding, for
what England has done in Africa and
India we have done In a smaller way
In the PhlJIpplnes and Cuba and Por
to Rico; they are the great commer
cial peoples, slowly but surely winning
the market-places of the earth; wher
ever the English or the American flag
Is planted there the English tongue
Is being spoken, and there the peoples
are being taught the sanity of right
living and square dealing.
"It requires no great effort of tbe
imagination, Mr. Grimm, to foresee
that day when the traditional power
of Paris, and Berlin, and St. Peters
burg, and Madrid will be honey
combed by the steady encroachment
of our methods. This alliance would
Indicate that already that day has
been foreseen; that there Is now a re
sentment which Is about to find ex
pression In one great, desperate strug
gle for world supremacy. A few hun
dred years ago Italy or Rome was
stripped of her power; only recently
the United States dispelled the illu
sion that Spain was anything but a
shell; and France ! One can't help
hot wonder if the power she boasts is
not principally on paper. But if their
forces are combined? Do you see?
It would be an enormous power to
reckon with, with a hundred bases of
supplies right at our doors."
He rose suddenly and walked over
to the window, where he stood for a
moment, staring out with unseeing
"Given a yard of canvas, 'Mr.
Grimm," he went on finally, "a Span
ish boy will waste It, a French boy
will paint a picture on It, an 'Eng
lish boy will build a sail-boat, and an
American boy will erect a tent. That
fully Illustrates the differences In the
races."
He abandoned the didactic tone, and
".turned to the mater matter in
wd. Mr. Orimm . -tm the
are :Ch .ad he , engraved Cu
on the m oa a'
the m! o a' ' h-
1 7.
U . i'
J cos pact caa be prereated, bat the
j slgaiar of it on "Doited States soil caa
! be preveated. Ton will see to that,
Mr. Grimm."
j "Very well," the young maa a?
, carelessly. The magaltude of such
1 a task made, apparently, not the
! 1?ri?-t limnrpeslon On bid. He
I '
languidly drew oa his glores.
"Aad meaawhile I shall take steps
to ascertain the attitude of Russlaa
aad Japanese representatives ia this
city."
Ht. Grimm nodded.
"Aad aow, for Prince Benedetto
d'AbrnzzV Mr. Campbell went oa
slowly. "OfScially he is not la Wash
iagtoa, nor the United States, for that
matter. Naturally, on such a mission,
he would not come as a publicly ac
credited agent, therefore, I Imagine,
he is to be sought under another
aame."
"Of course," Mr. Grimm acquiesced.
"And he would avoid the big ho
tels." "Certalaly."
Mr. Campbell permitted his guile
J less blue eyes to linger inquiringly
J upon those of the young man for half
a minute. He caught himself wonder
ing, sometimes, at the perfection of
the deliberate Indifference with which
Mr. Grimm masked his emotions. In
his admiration of this quality be quite
overlooked the remarkable mask of
benevolence behind which he himself
hid.
"And the name. D'AbruzzI," he re
marked, after a time. "What does it
mean to you. Mr. Grimm?"
"It means that I am to deal with
a prince of the royal blood of Italy,"
was the unhesitating response. Mr.
Grimm picked up the Almanac de
Gotha and glanced at the open page.
"Of course, the first thing to do is to
find him; the rest will be simple
enough." He perused the page care
lessly. "I will begin work at once."
CHAPTER III.
The Language of the Fan.
Mr. Grimm was chatting Idly with
Senorita Rodriguez, daughter of the
minister from Venezuela, the while
he permitted his listless eyes to wan
der aimlessly about the spacious ball
room of the German embassy, ablaze
with festooned lights, and brilliant
with a multi-colored chaos of uni
forms. Gleaming pearl-white, translu
cent in the mass, were the bare
shoulders of woman; and from far off
came the plaintive whine of an or
chestra, a pulsing sense rather than a
living sound, of music, pointed here
and there by the staccato cry of a
flute. A zephyr, perfumed with the
clean, fresh odor of lilacs, stirred the
draperies of the archway which led
into the conservatory and rustled the
bending branches of palms and ferns.
For a scant Instant Mr. Grimm's
eye3 rested on a young woman who
sat a dozen feet away, talking, in play
ful animation, with an undersecretary
of the British embassy a young wom
an severely gowned in some glittering
stuff which fell away sheerly from her
splendid bare shoulders. She glanced
up, as if In acknowledgment of his
look, and her eyes met his. Frank,
blue-gray eyes they were, stirred to
their depths now by amusement. She
smiled at Senorita Rodriguez, in token
of recognition.
"Aren't they wonderful?" asked
Senorita Rodriguez with the quick,
bubbling enthusiasm of her race.
"What?" asked Mr. Grimm.
"Her eyes," was the reply. "Every
person has one dominant feature
with Miss Thorne It Is her eyes."
"Miss Thorne?" Mr. Grimm repeated.
"Haven't you met her?" the senorita
went on. "Miss Isabel Thorne? She
only arrived a few days ago the night
of the state ball. She's my guest at
the legation. When an opportunity
romes I shall present you to her."
She ran on, about other things, with
only an occasional remark from Mr.
Grimm, who was thoughtfully nursing
his knee. Somewhere through the
chatter and effervescent gaiety, min
gling with the sound of the pulsing
music, he had a singular Impression of
a rhythmical beat, an Indistinct tattoo,
noticeable, perhaps, only because of
Its monotony. After a moment he
shot a quick glance at Miss Thorne
and understood; It was the tapping of
an exquisitely wrought ivory fan
against one of her tapering, gloved
fingers. She was talking and smiling
"Dot-dash-dot! Dot-dash-dot! Dot-dash-dot!"
said the fan.
Mr. Grimm twisted around In his
seat and regaled his listless eyes with
a long look Into the senorlta's pretty
face. Behind the careless ease of re
pose he was mechanically isolating the
faint clatter of the fan.
"Dot-dash-dot! Dot-dash-dot! Dot-dash-dot!"
"Did any one ever accuse you of
staring, Mr. Grimm?" demanded the
senorita, banterlngly.
For an instant Mr. Grimm continued
to sure, and then his listless eyes
swept the ballroom, passing Involun
tarily at the scarlet splendor of the
minister from Turkey.
"I beg your pardon," he apologized,
contritely. There was a pause. "The
minister from Turkey looks like a barn
on fire, doesn't he?"
Senorita Rodriguez laughed, and Mr.
Grimm glanced Idly toward Miss
Thorne. She was still tal'tlng, her
face alive willi interest; ana the fan
was still tapping rhythmically, stead
ily, now on the arm of her chair.
"Dot-dash-dot! Dot-dash-dot! Dot-dash-dot!
Dotdashdot!"
"Pretty women who don't want to
be stared at should go with their faces
swathed," Mr. Grimm suggested, indo
lently. "Haroun el Raschld there
would agree with me on th,at point, I
have no doubt. What a shock he
would gat If lie should happen up at
Atlantic City for a -week-end in Au
gust!" "Dot dash-dot! Dot-dash-dot! Dot-
-Cua-dot!"
Mr. Grimm read it with perfeet un
derstanding; it was "F F V la the
Morse code, the call of one operator
to another. Was It accident? Mc.
Grimm wondered, aad wosderlng, he
went on talking lazily:
"Curious, isn't it, the smaller the na
tion the more color it crowds into the
uniforms of its diplomats? The Brit
ish ambassador, you will observe. Is
clothed sanely aad modestly, as befits
the representative of a great nation;
but coming on down by way of Spain
and Italy, they get more gorgeous.
However, I dare say as stout a heart
beats beneath a sky-blue sash as be
hlnd.the embellished black of evening
dress."
"F F F," the fan was calling In
sistently. And then the answer came. It took:
the unexpectedly prosaic form of a vio
lent sneeze, a vociferous outburst in a
bench directly behind Mr. Grimm.
Senorita Rodriguez Jumped, then
laughed, nervously.
"It startled me," she explained.
"I think there must be a draft from
the conservatory," said a man's vole r""
apologetically. "Do you ladies feel it?
No? Well, if you'll excuse me ?"
Mr. Grimm glanced back languidly.
The speaker was Charles Winthrop
Rankin, a brilliant young American
lawyer who was attached to the Ger
man embassy In an advisory capacity.
Among other things he was a Heidel
berg man, having spent some dozen
years of his life in Germany, where
he established influential connections.
Mr. Grimm knew him only by sighL
And now the rhythmical tapping of
Miss Thome's fan underwent a
change. There was a flutter of gaiety
in her voice the while the ivory fan
tapped steadily.
"Dot-dot-dot! Dash! Dash-dash-dash!
Dot-dot-dash! Dash!"
"S t 5 u t," Mr. Grimm read in
Morse. He laughed pleasantly at
some remark of his companion.
"Dasb-dash! Dot-dash! Dash-dot!"
said the fan.
"M a n," Mr. Grimm spelled it
out. the while his listless eyes roved
aimlessly over the throng. "S t 5
u t m a n!" Was it meant for .
"stout man?" Mr. Grimm wondered. Jl
"Dot-dash-dot! Dot! Dash-dot dot!" "
"F e d." that was.
"Dot-dot-dash-dot! Dot-dash! Dash-dot-dash-dot!
Dot!"
"Q a J e!" Mr. Grimm was
puzzled a little now. but there was not ,
a wrinkle, nor the tiniest indication of
perplexity In his face. Instead he be
gan talking of Raphael's cherubs, the
remark being called Into life by the
high complexion of a young man who
was passing. Miss Thorne glanced at
him keenly, her splendid eyes fairly
aglow, and the fan rattled on In the
code.
"Dash-dot! Dot! Dot-dash! Dot-dash-dot!"
"N e a f." Mr. Grimm was still
spelling it out.
Then came a perfect Jumble. Mr.
Grimm followed It with difficulty, a
difficulty utterly belled by the quizzi
cal lines about his mouth. As ho
caught It. it was like this: "J 5 n
s e f v a t 5 f," followed by
an arbitrary signal which Is not In the
Morse code: "Dash-dot-dash-dash!"
Mr Grimm carefully stored that
jumble away In some recess of his
brain, along with the unknown signal.
"D 5 5 f," he read, and then. on.
to the end:: "B f I n g 5 v e
f w h e n g g 5 e s."
That was all, apparently. The soft
clatter of the fan aga'nst the arm of
the chair ran on meanlnglessly after
that.
"May I bring you an Ice?" Mr.
Grimm asked at last.
"If you will, please," responded the
senorita, "and when you come back
'"11 reward you by presenting you to
Miss Thorne. You'll find her charru
ng: and Mr. Cadwallader has monop
olized her long enough."
Mr. Grimm bowed and left her. He
'tfe'a.f,'" Mr. Grimm Was Spelling It
Out.
had barely disappeared when Mr.
Rankin lounged along In front of Miss
Thorne. He glanced at her, paused
and greeted her effusively.
"Why, Miss Thome!" he exclaimed.
"I'm delighted to see you here. I un
derstood you would not be present,
and"
Their hands met in a friendly clasp
as she rose and mnvod y, T,-!th a
nod of excuse to Mr. Cadwallader. A
thin slip of paper, thrice folded,
passed from Mr. Rankin to her. She
tugged at her glove, and thrust the lit
tle paper, still folded, lnsido the palm.
"Is it yes, or no?" Miss Thorne
asked in a low tone.
"Frankly, I can't say," was the re
Ply. "He read the message," she ex
plained hastily, "and now he has goae
OL. ai j . . -. . 1
oub gBineren up aer treuiaa; skirts
iver one arm, and together they glide
.1W1V throiivk tfca ii to 'k.'L.iik
I
of a Straus 'wiRi' '' -v
1
,
Ju
(To be continued.)
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