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sV 4 i. v#7 a "V •v V- 1 ?S i- lit Well, let's you ud I see that be does (hat and nothing elie. I'll have no one meddling with my own game." 8ome one aneesed, and everybody looked at hl» neighbor. The sneeie was repeated, but muffled, aa if some one was desperately anxious to avoid •neesing. "It came from above!" whispered Olga. "Don't lock up!" Bralne was cool. He walked idly across the room to where Vroon sat. "Very well, Paroff we givfc you free rein." To Vroon he aaid: "Some one Is watching ua from the room over* head. I thought that room belonged to us." "It does," said Vroon stolidly. Then how Is It that some one In watching from up there No excite^ ment I'm going to bid every one good-night, then I'm going to Invest!* gate. When I leave you will quietly send men to all exits to the building. I want the man who aneesed, and want him badly." Olga departed with Braine, only she Immediately sought the taxi that brought her and was driven home. It was always understood that when any serious exploit was under way here* •boats she was to make her depart* are at once. Vroon stationed his men at the ier oral exits and Bralne went upstairs. The man who had sneezed, however, bad vanished aa completely as If he had worn that Invisible cloak ont Norton Wanted to Klas Her. vends about In the Persian tales. At matter of fact, after the second aneese he had gone up to the roo^ ot out by the trap, and jumped-* rather risky business, too—to the next xoof and had clambered down the fire escape of the seoond building. He was swearing lnaudlbly. After all these days of cars and planning, aftet nil his cleverness In locating the ren dezvous of the Black Hundred, and now to lose his advantage becausq of an uncontrollable sneeze! He would never dare go back, and Just when h« was beginning to pick up line bits ol Information! So Jlorence Hargreave was going to have a new father in a day or so? There were some clevei rogues among this band of theirs but their clevernees waa well offset by an equal number of fools. Tea. there were some clever rogue* and to prove this assertion Braine secured a taxlcab and drove furiously aw«y, his destination the home of hia ancient enemy. Ho dropped the cab a block or two away and presently stowed himself away In the summer bouse at the left of the lawn. It would have been a capital Idea—that is, 11 the other man l|nd not thought of and anticipated this very thing. So he naed a public pay atatlom telephone and Bralne waited in vain, waited till the llghta in tho Hargreave house went out one by one and it became wrapped In darkness within and moon* shine without Bralne waa a philosopher. He re* tamed to his waiting taxlcab, drove home, paid the bill, smiling grimly, and went to bed. It waa going to be a wonderful game of blind man'a buff, and It waa going to bo sport to watch thla fool Paroff blunder Into a pit The next afternoon Florence and Norton aat In the summer house talk* tag of the future. Lovers are prone to talk of that Aa If anything elas In the world ever equals the present! They talked of nlco little apartments and vacatlona In the summer and how much they would aave out of his salary, and a thousand and one other things which would not Interest you nt all If I recounted them in detail. But they did love each other, and they were going to be married you may be eertain of that They did not care a snap of the linger what Jonea thought They were going to bo mar* Hsd, and that waa alltherejr|f tit it ••»•, By HAROLD MAGGRATH is thm Photo hp lit Tbmmbousmr Film Oeeertehfc 1H4 hv BaroM IteoOieik) Of course, Florence couldn't touch a penny of her father's money. If he, Norton, couldn't take care of her with* out help, why, he wouldn't be worth tbe powder to blow him up with. 'But, my dear, you must be very careful," he Bald. "Jones and I will always be about somewhere. If they really get hold of you once, Qod alone knows what will happen. It Is not you, it is your poor father they want to bring out into the open. If they knew where he waa they would not bother you in the least." "Have I really a father? Sometimes I doubt. Why couldn't he steal into the house and see me, just once?" "Perhaps he dares not. This house Is alwaye watched, night and dag though you'll look In vain to discover any one. Your father knows best what he is doing, my dear girl. Tou see, I met him years ago In China and when he started out to do a certain thing he generally did It. He never botched any of his plans. So we all must wait. Only I'm going to marry you all the same, whether he likes It or not. The rogues will try to impose upon you again but do not pay any attention to notea or personals In the papers. And it waa a lucky thing that I was on the freighter that picked-yon up at aea. I shall alwaya wonder how that yacht took Are." "So shall I," replied Florence, her brows drawing together in pussle* ment. "Sometimes I think I must have done it. Tou know, people out of their heads do strange thlnga. I aeem to see myself as In a dream. And this man Braine la a eooundrel!" "Yes and more than that, he Is the dear friend of the countess. But understand, you must never let her dream or suspect that you know. By lulling her Into overconfldence some day she will naturally grow careless, and then we'll have them all. I think I understand what your father'a Idea is: not to have them arrested far blackmail, but practically to extermli* ate them, put them In prison for suck terms of years that they'll die thera When you see a snake, a poisonous one, don't let it get away. Kill It Well, I must be off to work." "And you be careful, too. Yon are In more danger than I am." "But I'm a man and can dodge quick," he laughed, picking up hla bat "What a horrid thing money Is! IZ I hadn't any money, nobody would bother me." would," he smiled. He wanted to M"I bs her, but the eternal Jonea might, be watching from the wlndowa and so he patted her hand Instead and walked down the graveled path to the street. It was difficult work tor Florence to play at friendship. She waa like her father she did not bestow it on every one. She had given her Mend ship to the Russian, the first real big friendship in her life, and she had been roughly disillusioned. But if the countess could act ao could she and of the two her acting waa the more consummate. She could smile and laugh and jest, all the while her heart was burning with wrath. One day, a week or so after hef meeting with Norton in the summer house, Olga arrived, beautifully gowned, handsome aa ever. There was not the least touch of the adven turess in her makeup. Florence had just received some mail, and she had dropped the letters on the library table to greet the countess. She had opened them, but had not yet looked at their contents. They were chatting pleasantly about inconsequent things, when the maid came in and asked Florence to come to Mlsa Susan's room for a moment Florence excused herself, wondering what Susan could want She forgot the mail. As soon as she was gone the count ess, certain that Jonea waa not lurk* tag about picked up the lettera and calmly examined their contents and among them she found this remark* able document: "Dear daughter 1 have never seen: I must tun the treasure over to you. Meet me at eight in the summer house. Tell no one as my life Is in danger. Your lov* tag father." The counteaa could have laughed aloud. She saw this man Paroff's hand and here was the chaase to be fool and humiliate him and send him off packing to his cold and miserable country. She had made up once aa Florence, and she could easily do so again. The only thing that troubled her was the fact that she did not know whether Florence bad read the letter Coulton, Calif.—The good old days are gone. A lone bandit held up the day coach on Southern Pacific train number 101, the Sunset Limited, half mile west of here Friday night. He escaped by jumping through an open window after disgustedly refusing a collection of $1 taken up for him by a passenger, firing a shot to empha size his feelings. The bullet riccohet ed from the car ceiling and slightly in jured a passenger. The bandit was caught within a mile of the "holdup." .f* taixwrti* in foiin- /iVrmi There Waa Not the Least Touch of the Adventuress In Her Makeup* or not. Thusxshe did not dare destroy It. She first thought of changing* the clock then ahe conaluded to drop the letter exaotly where she found it and trust to luck. When Florence returned she ex* plained that her absence had been duo to some trifling household affair. Said the Russian: "I come primar ily to ask you to tea tomorrow, where they danoe. If you like, you may ask Mr. Norton to go along. I begin to observe that you. two are rather fond of one another." "O, Mr. Norton* is just a valuable friend," returned Florence with a smile that quite deceived the other, woman. "I aball be glad to go to the tea. But I shall not promise to dinoa" "Not with Mr. Norton?" archly. "Reporters' never dance themselves they make othere dance Instead." "I shall hanre to tell that" declared the counteaa and. ahe laughed quits honestly. "Then I have aald something wit ty?" "Indeed!you have and It la not only witty but tnithful. I'm afraid you're! deeper than the rest of us have any' Idea of." "Perhaps I am," thought Florence "at leaat, deeper than you believe." When the countoea fluttered down to her limousine—Hlorence hated the aight of it—and drowe away, Florence remembered her lettera. And when she came to the one purporting to be from her father, ahe read It carefully^ bent her head In thought and finally destroyed the missive, absolutely con-j fldent that It was only a trap, .and not very well conceived at that. Norton had given her plenty of reason for believing all ouch letters to be forger* lea. Her*father, If be really wished to see her, would enter the bouse he would not write. Ah, when would she see that father *of hers,i so myster ious, alwaya hovering near, always unseen? It must have boon an amusing ad venture tor the countess. To steal into the summer house and wait there, not knowing If Florence had advised Jones or the reporter. Ifrcaught, she had her excuses. Paroff the confl* dent, however, appeared shortly after, "My child!" whispered the qnan. And Olga atlAed a laugh but to him It sounded like a sob. "I am worn out," he aald. "I am tired of the game of hide andlaeek." "You will not have to play the gams long," thought Olga. "The money is bidden in my*office down town. And we must go there al once. When we return we will pack up and leave for Europe. I've Jonged to see you so" "You poor fool! And they• sent you to supersede' Leo!" she mused. She played out the farce to the-very end. She permitted herself to be pinioned and jogged and for what unnecessary roughness aho Buffered at the hands of Paroff he would pres ently pay. He took her straight to the executive chamber of the Black Hundred and pushed her into the room, exclaiming triumphantly: "Here la Hargreave* daughter!" "Indeed!" said Olga, tlirowlng\back her veil and standing repealed in^her mask. "Olga!" cried Braine,. laughing. And that waa tbe inglorious end^of the secret agent from Ruasia. CHAPTER XIV. Norton Makee a Dleeovery. Ferhapa tbe most amusing phase of' the secret agent's discomfiture was the fact that neither Jones nor Florence, had the least idea what had happened.' Florence regretted a hundred tlmea during the evening that ahe had not gone' oat to tbe summer house. It might really have been her father.. Hen regret grew so deep in her that just before going to bed she confessed to Jones. "You received a letter of that* sort and did not show it to me?" said Jones, astonished. "You warned mainover to pay* any attention to them." "No I warned you never to act1 upon them without first eon suiting me. And we might have made a cap* ture! My child, alwaya show mo these things. I will advise you whether to tear them up or not." "Jonea, I bellev» yon are going little too far," said* Florence haughtily. "It might haw been my father." "Never in thla wiortd, Mies Florence. Still, 1 beg your pardon tor raising my voice. What I do and have done Is only for your mm sake. There are two things! wish tograpress upon your GBArttte mind before 1 go. This can be made a comedy or a terrible tragedy. You have already had a taste of the latter and each time you eacaped because Qod was good to us. But he Is rarely kind to thoughtless people. They have to look out for themselves. I am act ing under orders alwaya remember that." "Forgive me I acted wrongly. But I'm so weary and tired of this eternal auBplclon of everybody and every* thing. Can't I go somewhere, some pjace where I can have reat?" "If I thought for a single moment it was possible to take you thousands of miles from this spot, it would be done this very night. But this 1b our fortress. So far it has been impreg nable. The police are watching it and that prevents a general assault the scoundrels. If we tried to save we would be followed and they play that game exceedingly well. Now, good-night. We'll have you out of all this doubt and suspicion one of these daya. There will not be any past that will be lopped off as you'd lop a Mmb from a tree." "Pleaae let It be quick. I want to see my father." Jones' eyes sparkled. "And you» have my word that he wanta to aeo you. But I dare not tell you." "Do you think he would objeot to Mr. Norton?" ahe asked, studying the rug. "In what capadty?" he countered, forcing her hand. "As—aa a husband?" bravely. Jonea in turn studied the patterna In the rug. "It is only natural for a father to. look high for his daughter's huaband. But, after all, an honest man la worth aa much aa anything I know of. And Norton la honast and loyal and brave." "Thank you, Jones. 1 Intend to marry him when the time comes ao yoa may aa well prepare father for thla eventuality." "There Is an old adage—" But ehe Interrupted him. "If yoa have a new adage, Jones, I ahouldn't mind hearing it But I'm only just out of school, where old adages are served from soup to pudding. Good* night" And Jones went to the' rear of the house, chuckling. In the paaslng it might well be ob served that the Hargreave house had a remarkable menage. There was a gardener, a cook, and a maid and the three of them reported to Jones each night before going to bed. They were all three detectives from one of the greatest organisations In America. Finding themselves unable to lure Florence away from the environs of the Hargreave home, the Black Hun* dred set some new machinery in mo tion. Thep proposed to rid the house of every one In it by a perfectly legl* cal device. But the first step in thia new move was going to be extremely delicate and risky. It was no small adventure to enter the Hargreave home and yet this must be done. So finally "Spider" Beggs was selected for the work. The man could practic ally walk over crockery without caua* lng a aound he could climb a houye by the window ledges and he could hold hie breath like thoae professional tank Bwimmera. Three or four nights after the Par off fiasco, Jones started the rounds, putting out the lights. He left thai one In the hall till the last, for it was bis habit, after having turned off that light, to stand by the door for several minutes, watching. One never could tell. On the other hand, "Spider" Begga never approached a house till an hour after the lights went out. Persons were likely to move about for some minutes later they might want some thing to eat, a drink of water. So he remained hidden behind the summer house till long after midnight. When at last he felt asaured that all In the Hargreave house were asleep, he moved out cautiously. Both his future and his pocketbook depended upon If Here Wae an Operation That Needed All Hla Care and Skill. the success of this venture. It took him ten minutes to crawl from the summer house to the veranda, and to have detected this approach Jones, had he been watching, would have needed a searchlight. Beggs hugged the lattice work for another ten min* utes and then drew himself up and wriggled to one of the windows. Here OSS. *£B*m "My Child!" Whispered the Man. was an operation that needed all hla care and skill to lift this window with out sound. But he was an old hand and windows with ordinary locks wera playthings under his deft touch. He raised the window, stepped over the sill Into the library, and crouched dowtf. He did not close the window house thieves never do. They leave windows and doors open, becauss sooner or later they have to make their escape that way. Presently he atood up, flashed his torch, found the library shelves, and tiptoed toward them. He then selected three or four volumes, opened them at random and laid neat packages of money between the leaves. It waa not real money, but only a bank clerk could have told that. This done, he moved toward the window agal^ "Stop!" aald Jonea quietly. "Spider" Begga gasped, It was so unexpected but at the same time al most Instinctively he plunged head long through the window, and the bul*. let which followed anipped a lock of his hair. He threw himself off the veranda and scurried across the lawn* zigzag fashion. But no more bullets followed. Jones turned on the lights and in vestigated the room, but he could not find anything disturbed, and naturally came to the conclusion that the in truder had been Interrupted before he had begun his work. He turned off the lights and sat up the major part of the nght. Nothing more happened. Florence came down, but he sent her hack to bed, explaining that some onq had attempted to enter the house and he had taken a shot at him. ''Spider" Beggs bad a letter to write, He was in high feather. He had tackled a difficult Job and had corns away without a scratch. But he hadi the misfortune to write his letter to the secret service officials In a hotel often frequented by Norton. And so Jim, on finishing his own letter, blotted it and casually glancejl at the blotter. A single word caught his eye. Being an alert newspaper man, always on the hunt for stories, he examined the blot* ter with care. It was an easy matter for him to read writing backward, having fooled away many an hour in the composing rooma. The word which had awakened the reportorial sense In him was "counterfeit" He held the blotter toward the mirror and read enough to aatlsfy himself that the Black Hundred had become active once more. And this was one of ths best ldeaa they had yet conceived. Hargreave had alwaya been somo thing of a mystery to his neighbors. Where he had lived in other days was unknown neither had any one the re motest idea from what aource hla riches had been obtained. And noth lng was known of Jones or the daugbi ter. It was a very shrewd method of clearing every one out of the houae and leavihg it to be examined at lete ure. And he had fallen upon thla thing he, Norton, all because hit tailor had written him a sharp note about his bill and he had been pro voked to reply in kind! Counterfeit money. There was quite a flurry these days over certain Issues of spurious paper. It was so good that only ex perts could detect It. There were two plates, one for a ten and another for a twenty. For awhile he was pulled b» tween duty and love. Well, It would only add another lntereatlng chapter to tbe general story when he published It. He started out to Rlverdale to ao quaint Jones with the discovery. "Humph!" said Jonea "not a bad Idea this. So that's what the aneak was doing here last night. I've been wondering and wondering. Let'a have look." He went through the books and al length came across the three volumes. These held a thousand in excellent counterfeit "Mighty good work that. What are you going to do?" aaked the r* porter. Jones rubbed his chin reflectively "How long may a counterfeiter be sent up?" "Anywhere from ten to twenty years." "That will serve. My boy, this time well go and take Mr. Black Hun dred right In his cubby hole. 'Tou know where it Is?" "Every nook and corner of it. Now you go at once to the chief of the local branch of tbe secret servioe and pul the matter to him frankly. I, Flop ence, Susan, and the rest of us musl be arrested. The wretches must be lleve that the housa Is empty. They'll rove about fruitlessly and will return %r' -s v. a WW ft their den id Report Iks the coup. All ths while some detectives win be In hiding up stairs, dictagraph and all that Whsa the time comes yoa will fellow. This will not reach tbe beada, perhaps, b*| It will demoralise the organisation i| auch away aa to make It hslplees lot several montha to corns. There Is a tunnel from the stables to thla hemes." "What a tunnel?" "Yes, Mr. Hargreave bad tt built aeveral years ago. I don't know whal his Idea was poasibly he anticipate^ an event like thla. Yoa and your men will find entrance by thla method It can be done without exciting thf suspicions of the watchers." "Looks aa If my yarn waan't going to be delayed so long after all. Joneey you ought to have been in the secret service yourself," admiringly. JoneB smiled and ahrugged. "I am perfectly satisfied with my lot—off would be if the Black Hundred oould be wiped out of existence." "I'll see the secret service people al once. I stand in well with them all." "And good luck to you. We'll need good luck." Norton was welcomed cordially by the chief. The secret eervlce men trusted him and told him lota of tales that never saw light on the printed page. The reporter went directly to the point of his story, without elabora tion, and the chief smiled and him the original letter. "Norton, I've been after thla of counterfeltera for months and theyi are clever beyond worda. I've never been able to get anywhere near their presses. And for a moment I thought thla note was from a equealer. Fva a dozen men scouring the country. They flnd the bogus notes, but the men who paas them. Yon It's new stuff. I know what all the old timerB are at but none of them has had a hand In thla lasuo. foreigners, I take It, onder the load ship of a man I'd very much like know. Now, what's your Am outlined It briefly. "It all depends," said the "upon the fact that they will be im* patient. If they have the ability to wait, we lose. Bat wo can afford to risk the chance. The man who wroto Ihls letter is not a counterfeiter. He's an old yeggman. We haven't heard anything of him lately. We tried to corner him on a poet office Job, bat he slipped by. He may be a stool. Anyhow, I'll draw him In somehow." "There'll be some excitement" "We're used to that you too. AH we've got to do la to looate this aat Begga. There are algns of spite la thla (Continued on pagre 10) KEEP THESE DATES OPEN The following are the dates and the attractions for the remaining numbers of the WillistOn Lecture Course: Tuesday November 17th—Professor H. R. Pattingill Lecture. Saturday November 26th—Col* Gearhart, Lecture. Tuesday December 29th—The Inter national Operatic Company Mixed Quartet and Accompanist and Piano Soloist. Concert. Thursday January 21st, 1915—The Nor fleet Sisters, Pianist and Violinist and Norma Schoolar, Dramatic So prano—Concert. All entertainments will be held in the Auditorium of the Congregational church and begin promptly at 8:80 P. M. Tickets and reserved seats at Kather's Drug Store—usually three days before the number. Reserved seats 75 cents for adults and 35 cents for children. Season tickets with re served seat privileges for the four remaining numbers $2.00 for adalts and $1.00 for children. "Mother, please write and get these dollies!99 —(our delightful, amusing rag dolls for 16 cents in stamps and 4 package tops from AUNT JEMIMAS FTLNCAKE FLOUR Bs*. C. S.Ftt.4 —the different flour that makes better pancakes. —or 1 doll for 1 pack age top and 4 cents in stamps, la tha bright rmd