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TFh down the steps, across the lawn. with Braine close at his heels. "Just a noment. Mr. Hargreave," he called ironically; "just a moment!" The man he addressed as Hargreave turned with lightning rapidity and struck. The blow caught Braine above the ear, knocking him flat. When he rega!ned his feet the rumble of a motor told him the rest of the story. By the dim light of her bedroom candle Florence read the note which had found entrance so strangely and mysteriously into her room. Her fa ther! He lived, he needed her! Alive but in dread peril, and only she could save him! She longed to fly to him at once, then and there. How could she wait till tomorrow night at eight? Immediately she began to plan how to circumvent the watchful Jones and the careful Susan. Her father! She -lept no more that night. "My Darling Daughter: I must see you. Come at e!ght o'clock tomorrow night to 78 Grove street, third floor. Confide in no one, or you seal my death warrant. "Your unhappy FATHER." What child would refuse to obey a eumn:ons like this? A light tap oa the door started her. "Is aLythius the matter?" asked the mild voice of Jones. *No. I gct up to get a drink of - water." She heard h!s factstcps die away down the corridor. She thrust the letter into the pochet of her dress, which lay neatly fcided on the chair r: the foot of the bed, then climbed buck into the bed itself. She must Lot iell even Mr. Norton. Was the child spinning a romance &ver the frst young man she had ever nct? In her heart of hearts the girl dd not know. Hcr fath..r! It was :,.. so terribly and tragically simle to match aK woman's mind againot that of a child. Both Norton and the sober Jones had explicitly warned her never '.o go anywhere. r-4:cive telophono e:!s or letters, with cut first coisulting one or the other ot them. Azid now she had planned to deceive t'em, with all the cunning of her sex. The next morning at breakfast there ; nothing unusual either in her ap --:&nce or mauners. Under the s!:rvwd scrutiny of Jones she was just L.or e-:eryday self, a fne h!t of acting for one vho ha -,et t'. -: t:3 stase. L'at it is born in woman to act, as it Is bern in man lo -ight, and Flor tnee was no exception to the rule. She was going to save her father. She read with Susan, played the piao sewed a little, laughed, hummed and did a thousand and one things ycoung girls do when they have the deception of their elders in view. All day long Jcnes went about like i.n old hound 'wi-tL his nose to the wind. There was comnething In the air, but he could not tell what it was. Somehow .or other, no matter which room Florence went into, there was Jones within earshot. And she dared not show the lcast Impatience or res tiveness. It was a large order for so young a girl, but she filled it. She rather expected that the re pcrter would appear some time during thie afternoon; and sure enough he did. He could no more resist the de sire to see and talk to her than he ,onM resist breathing. There was no She Tried the Doors. They Were Locked. use denying It; the world had sud derly turned at a new angle, present Ing a new face, a roseate vision. It rather subdued his easy banter. "What news?" she asked. "None," rather despondingly. "I'm sorry. I had hoped by this time to get somewhere. But it happens that I can't get any further than this house." She did not ask him what he meant b: that. --Shall I play something for you?" rhe Eaid -Please. i-e drew a chair beside the piano a: d watched her fingers, white as the Ivory kcyu. flutter up and down the board. She played Chopin for him, Mendelssohn, Grieg and Chaminade; at d she played them In a surprisingly scholarly fashion. He had expected ths usua: echoolgirl choice and execu tion; "T'itania," the "Moonlight So. n'ata" (which not half a dozen great pianists have ever played correctly), "Manstery Bells," and the like. He had prepared to make a martyr of Subscribe ii Mystery." Times. Get is paid up, < Mill himself: instead, he was distinctly and delightfully entertained. "You don't," he said whimsically, when she finally stopped, "you don't, by any chance, know 'The Maiden's Prayer'?" She laughed. This piece was a standing joke at school. "I have never played it. It may, however, be in the music cabinet. Would you like to hear it?" mis chievously. "Heaven forfend!" he murmured, raising his hands. All the while the letter burned against her heart, and the smile on her face and the gayety on her tongue were forced. "Confide in no one," she repeated mentally, "or you seal my death warrant." "Why do you shake your head like that?" he asked. "Did I shake my head?" Her heart fluttered wildly. "I was not conscious of it." "Are you going to keep your prom ise?" "What promise?" "Never to leave this house without Jones or myself being with you." "I couldn't if I wanted to. I'f1 wa ger Jones is out there in the hall this minute. I know; it is all for my sake. But it bothers me." Jones v. as indeed in the hall, and when he sensed the petulance in her voico his shoulders sank despondently and he sighed deeply if silently. At a quarter to eight Florence, being alone for a minute, set fire to a veil and stuffed it down the register. "Jones," she called excitedly, "I smell something burning!" Jones dashed into the room, sniffed, and dashed out again, heading for the cellar door. His first thought was naturally that the devils incarnate had set fire to the house. When he re turned, having, of course, discovered no fire, he found Florence gone. He rushed into the hall. Her hat was missing. He made for the hall door with a speed which seemed Incredible to the bewildered Susan's eyes. Cut into the street, up and down which he looked. Far away he discovered a dwindling taxicab. The child was gone. In the house Susan was answering the telephone, talking incoherently. "Who Is It?" Jones whispered. his lips white and dry. "The princess. . . ." began Susan. He took the receiver from her roughly. "Hello, who is It?" "This is Olga Perigoff. Is Florence there?" "No, madam. She has just stepped out for a moment. Shall I tell her to call you when she returns?" "Yes, please. I want her and Su san and Mr. Norton to come to tea tomorrow. Good-by." Jones hung up the receiver, sank into a chair near by and buried his face in his hands. "What Is it?" cried Susan, terrified by the haggardness of his face. I"She's gone! My God, those 'wretches have got her! They've got her!" Florence was whirled away at top speed. Her father! She was actually on the way to her father, whom she had always loved in dreams, yet never seen. Number 78 Grove street was not an attractive place, but when she ar rived she was too highly keyed to take note of its sordidness. She was rather out of breath when she reached the door of the third fiat. She knocked. timidly. The door was Instantly opened by a man who wore a black mask. She would have turned then and there and flownfout for the swift picture she had of a well-dressed man at atable. He lay with his head upon his arms. "Father!" she whispered. The man raised his careworn face, so very well done that only the closest scrutiny would have betrayed the paste of the theater. He arose and staggered toward her with out stretched arms. But the moment they clgsed about her Florence experienced a peculiar shiver. "My child!" murmured the broken man. "They caught me when I was about to come to you. I have given up the fight." A sob choked him. What was it? wondered the child, her heart burning with the misery of the thought that she was sad Instead of glad. Over his shoulder she sent a glance about the room. There was a sofa, a table, some chairs and an enormous clock, the face of which was dented and the hands hopelessly tan gled. Why, at such a moment, she should note such details disturbed her. Then she chanced to look Into the cracked mirror. In it she saw several faces, all masked. These men were peering at her through the half. closed door behind her. "You must return home and bring me the money." went on the wretch who dared to perpetrate such a mock ery. "It is all that stands between me and death." Then she knew! The insistent daily warnings eseo hcme to her. She un derstood now. She had deliberately walked into the spider's net. But in stead of terror an extraordinary calm fell upon her. "Very wcli, father. I will go and get it." Gently she rele'ased. herself from those horrible arms. "Wait. my child, till I see if they vill let you go. They may wish to hold you as hsu. When he. was pne she tried the dors. 'lhcy were loeced. Then she crossed over to the window and ioo'ked out. A leap from there would kill her. She turned her gaze toward the lamp, wonderning. The false father returned, deject edly. "It is as I caid They insist upon OW to The Tin Remember TL n the game a )r you might b 0 10 (CONTINUED FROM LAST N -end!ng some one. Write down t! directions I gave to you. I am ver: weak!" "Writo down the directions vc-rsch father; you know them better thaz I." Since she saw no escape, she wai determined to keep up the tragic farci no longer. "I am not your father." "So I see." she replied, still wit1 the amazing calm. Braine, in the other room, shook hii head savagely. Father and daugleter the same 6teel in the nerves. Coul< they bend her? Would they breal her? He did not wish to injure he: bodily, but a million was always i million, and there was revenge whicl was worth more to him than th; money itself. He listened, motionini to the others to be silent. "Write the directions," commande< the scoundrel, who discarded th4 broken man style. "I know of no hidden money." "Then your father dies this night Grange put a whistle to his lips "Sign, write!" "I refuse!" "Once more. The mowant I blov this whistle the men in the othe: X. 4 4' "She Has Thrown Herself Out of thi Window!" room will understand that your fathei is to die. Be wise. Money is noth ing-life is everything." "I refuse!" Even as she had knowi this vile creature to be an imposto: so she knew that he lied, that hel father was still free. Grange blew the whistle. Instantil the -room became filled with masket men. But Florence was ready. Sh< seized the lamp and hurled It to th4 floor, quite Indifferent whether It ex plcded or went out. Happily for her It was extinguished. At the same mc ment she cast the lamp she caugh1 hold of a chair, remembering the di rection of the window. She was su perhumanly strong in this moment The chair went true. A crash fol lowed. "She has thrown herself out of th4 v-mdow!" yelled a voice. Some one groped for the lamp, 111 It, and turned in time to see Florence pass out of the room Into that fron which they had come. The doo> slammed. The surprised men hears the key click. lSner wa fee But she was n< CHAPTER V. The Problem of the Sealed Box. "Gone!" Jones kept saying to himself that hi must strive to be calmn, to think, think Despite all his warnings, the warnings of Norton, she had tricked them and run away. It was maddening. H4 wanted to rave, tear his hair, breal things. He tramped the hall. It woul< be wasting time to send for the police TIhey would only putter about fruit lessly. The Black Hundred knew hov to arrange these abductions. How had they succeeded in doing It No one had entered the house that da: without his being present. There ha< been no telephone call he had no heard the gist of, nor any letters h< had not first glanced over. How ha< they done it? Suddenly into his mint flashed the remembrance of the candle light under Florence's door the nigh before. In a dozen bounds he was iI her room, searching drawers, pape: boxes, baskets. He found nothing. H< returned in despair to Susan, who during all this turmoil, had sat as I frozen in her chair. "S peak!" he cried. "For God's sake say something, think something! Thos devIls are likely to torture her, hur her!" He leaned against the wvall, hi~ ead on his arm. When he turned again he was calm He walked with bent head toward th( door, opened It and stood upon th4 threshold for a space. Across the street a shadow stirred, but Jones di( not see It. His gaze was attracted bI something which shone dimly white oz the walk just beyond the steps. He ran to It. A crumpled letter, unad dressed. He carried it back to th< house, smoothed It out and read its contents. Florence in her haste hat dropped the letter. He clutched at his hat, put it on ani ran to Susan. "Here!" he cried, holding out an au tomatic. "If anyone comes in that yot don't know, shoot! Don't ask ques tions, shoot!" "I'm afraid!" She breathed with dit ficulty. "Afraid ?" he roared at her. He pui es, and get th e Pastime wil nd win the i e mit off in the EEK-LOOK FOR NEXT ISSU: tho weapon in her hand. It snpped and thudded to the floor. He stooped for it and slammed it into her lap. "You love your life ind honor. You'% know how to shcut when the time comes. Now, attend to me. i I'm not back here by ten o'clock, turn this note over to the police. If you can't do that, then God help us all!" And I with that he ran from the house. Susan eyed the revolver with grow lIng terror. For what had she left the peace and quiet of Miss Farlow's; as sassination, robbery. thieves and kid napers? She wanted to shriek, but her throat was as dry as paper. Gin gerly she touched the pistol. The cold steel sent a thrill of fear over her. He hadn't told her how to shoot it! Two blocks down the street, up an alley, was the garage wherein Har greale had been wont to keep his car. Toward this Jones ran with the speed of a track athlete. There might bd half a dozen taxicabs about, but he would not run the risk of engaging any one of them The Black Hundred was capable of anticipating his every movement. The shadow across the street stood undecided. At length he concluded to give Jones ten minutes in which to re turn. If he did not return within that time, the watcher would go up to the drug store and telephone for instruo tions. But Jones did not come back. "Where's Howard?" he demanded. "lello, Jones; what's up?" "Howard, get that car out at once." "Out she comes. Wait till I give her radiator a bucket of water. Gee!" whispered Howard. whom Hargreave often used as his chauffeur, "get on to his nibs! First time I ever saw him awake. I wonder what's doing? You never know what's back of those mummy-faced headwaiters. . . . All right, Jones!" The chauffeur jumped into the car and Jones took the seat beside him. "Where to?" "Number 78 . . ." and the rest of it trailed away, smothered in the vio lent thunder of the big six's engines. During the car's flight several police men hailed it without success. Down this street, up that, round this corner, 50 miles an hour; and all the while Jones shouted: "Faster, faster!" Within twelve minutes from the time it left the garage, the car stopped op posite No. 78 Grove street, and Jones got out. "Wait here, Howard. If several men come rushing out, or I don't appear within ten minutes, fire your gun a couple of times for the police. I don't want them if we can manage without. They'd only bungle." "All right, Mr. Jones," said the chauf feur. He had, in the past quarter of an hour, acquired a deep and lasting respect for the butler chap. He was a regular fellow, for all his brass but tons. As Jones reached the curb, Florence came forth as if on Invisible wings. Jones caught her by the arm. She flung him aside with a strength he had not dreamed existed in her slim body. "Florence, I am Jones!" She stopped, recognized him, and without a word ran across the street to the automobile and climbed into the tonneau. Jones followed immediately. "Home!" The car shot up the dimly lighted street, shone palely for a second under the corner lamp, and vanished. "Ah, child, child!" groaned the man at her side, all the tenseness gone from his body. He was Jones again. Still she did not speak but stared ahead with unseeing eyes. No further reproach fell from the butler's lips. It waz enough that God had guided him to her at the appointed moment. He felt assured that never again would she be drawn into any trap. Poor child! What had they said to her, done to her? How, in God's name, had she escaped from them who never let anybody escape? Presently she wou'ld become normal, and thea she would tell him. "I found the lying note. You dropped it." "Horrible, horrible I" she said almost inaudibly. "What did they do to you?" "He said he was my father.... Hke put his arms around me ... And I knew!" "Knew what?" "That he lied. I can't explain." "Dont try!" Suddenly she laid her head against Ithe butler's shoulder and cried. It was terrible to hear youth weep In this fashion. Jones put his arm about her, and tried to console her. "Horrible!" she murmured between the violent hiccoughs. "I was wrong, reoag! Forgive me!" Uncoonsciously the arm sustaining her drew her closer. "Never mind," he consoled. "Tell no one what has happened. Go about as usual. Don't let even Susan know. Whatever your poor father did was for your sake. He wanted you to be happy, without a care in the world." "I promise." And gradually the sobs ceased. "But I feel so old, Jones, so very old. I threw over the lamp. I threw a chair through the window. They thought that it was I who had jumped out. That gave me the nece sary time. I don't understand howlI did it. I wasn't frightened at all till I gained the street." They found Susan still seated in the chair, the automatic in her lap. She had not moved in all this time! Braine paced the apartment of the Princess P'erigoff From the living room to the boudoir and back, fully twenty times. From the divan Olga watched him nervously. He wvas like a tiger, fresh in captivity. All at onceI he paused in front of her. e wonderful stc 1 show each ch~ ~1,000. Be s midst of the si Myst "Do you realize what that mere chit did?" "I do." "Planned to the minte. We had her; seven of us; doors locked, and all that. No weeping, no wailing; I could not understand then, but I do now. It's in the blood. Hargreave was as peaceful as a St. Bernard dog, till you cornered him, and then he was a lion, 0, the devil! Slipped out of our fingers like an eel. And across the street, Jones in a racer! I never paid any particular attention to Jones, but from now on I shall. The girl may or may not know where the money is, but Jones does, Jones does! Two men shall watch. Felton on the street and Orloff from the windows of the de serted house. With opera glasses he will be able to take note of all that happens in the house during the day. He will be able to see the girl's room. And that's the important point. It was a good plan, little woman; and it would have been plain sailing if only we had remembered that the girl was Hargreave's daughter. Be very care ful hereafter when you call on her. A night like this will have made her sus picious of every one. Our hope lies with you. Anything on your mind?" "Yes. Why not insert a personal in the Herald?" She drew some writing paper toward her and scribbled a few words. He read: "Florence-the hiding place is discovered. Remove it to a more secret spot at once. S. H."-He laughed and shook his head. "I'm afraid that will never do." "If she reads it, Jones will. The man with the opera glasses r~my see some thing. There's a chance Jones might become worried." "Well, we'll give it a chance." It was midnight when he made his departure. As he stepped into the street, he glanced about cautiously. On the corner he saw a policeman swinging his night stick. Otherwise the street was deserted. Braine pro ceeded jauntily down the street. And yet, from the darkened doors of the house across the way, the figure of a man emerged and stood contemplat ing the windows of the Perigoff apart ment. Suddenly the lights went out. The watcher made no effort to follow Braine. The knowledge he was after did not necessitate any such procedure. Of course, Florence read the "per sonal." She took the newspaper at once to Jones, who smiled grimly. "You see, I trust you." "And so long as you continue to trust'me no harm will befall you. You were left in my care by your father. I am to guard you at the expense of my life. Last night's affair was a miracle. The next time you will not find It so easy to escape." Nor did she. "There will be no next time," grave ly. "But I am going to ask you a di rect question. Is my father alive?" The butler's brow puckered. "I have promised to say nothing, one way or the other." She laughed. "Why do you laugh?" "I laugh because if he were dead there would be no earthly reason for your not saying so at once. But I hate money, the name of It, the sound of it, the si 'it of it. It Is at the bottom of all wa ..nd crimes. I despise it! "Th, root of all evil Yet it per forms many noble deeds. But never mind the money. Let us give our at tention to this personal. Doubtless it originated in the same mind which conceived the letter. Your father would never have inserted such a per sonal. What! Give his enemies a chance to learn his secret? No. On the other hand I want you to show this personal to all you meet today, Susan, the reporter, to everybody. Talk about it. Say that you wonder what you shall do. Trust no one with your real thoughts." "Not even you, Mr. Jones," thought the girl as she nodded. "And tell them that you showed it to me and that I appeared worried." That night there was a meeting of the organization called the Black Hun dred. Braine asked if anyone knew what the Hargreave butler looked like. "I had a glitr pse of him the other night; but being unprepared. I might not recognize him again." Vroon described Jones minutely. Braine could almost see the portrait. "Vroon, that memory of yours is worth a lot of money," was his only comment "I hope it will be worth more soon." "I believe I'll be able to recognize Mr. Jones if I see him. Who is he and what is he?" "He has been with Hargreave for 14 years. There was a homicidal case in which Jones was active. Hargreave saved him. He is faithful and uncom municative. Money will not touch him. If he does know wvhere that million is, hot Irons could not make him own up to it. The only way is to watch him, follow him, wait for the moment when he'll grow careless. No man is always on his mettle; he lets up sooner or later." "He is being watched, as you know." Vroon nodded approvingly. "The cap tain of the framp steamer Orient, by the way, was seen with a roll of money. He was in one of the water front saloons, bragging how he had hoodwinked some one." "Did he say whene he'd got the cash?" asked Braine. "They tried to pump him on that, but he shut up. Well, we have agreed that Felton shall watch from the street and Orloff from the window. Orloff will whistle if he sees Jones removing anything from any of the rooms. The rest will be left to Felton." "And, Felton, my friend," said Braine softly-he always spoke softly when he was in a deadiy hu~mor-"FelI m, you slept on dut.y the other night ry, "The M~i ipter as it ap]; re that your ;ory. isrgreave slole up, consulted Jones, and got a-:y after knocking me down. The nert failure will mean short shift. De warned!" "I saw only you, sir. So help me. I was n'ot asleep. I saw you run down the street after the taxicab. I did not see anyone else." Bra!ne shrugged. "Remember what I said." Felicn bowed respectfully and made his exit. Ie wished in his soul that he might some day catch the master mind free of his eternal mask. It was an iron hand which ruled them and there were friends of his (Felton's) who had mysteriously vanished after a brief period of rebellion. The' boss was a swell; probably belonged to clubs and society which he adroitly pilfered. The organization always had money. When ever there was a desperate job to be unde. iken, Vroon simply poured out the money necessary to promote it. Whenever Braine and Vroon became engaged in earnest conversation they talked Slav. Braine was never called by name here; the boss, simply that. Well, tei per cent of a million was a hundred thousand. This would be equally divided between the second ten of the Black Hundred. Another ten per cent would go to 80 members; the balance would be divided between Vroon and the boss. But his soul re belled at being ordered about like 60 much dirt under another man's feet. He would take his ten thousand and make the grand getaway. The next afternoon the prircess called upon Florence. Nothing was said about the adventure, and thIs fact created a vague unrest in the schem ing woman's mind. She realized that she must play her cards more care fully than ever. Not the least distrust must be permitted to enter the child's head. Once that happened good-by to the wonderful emeralds. Was it that she really craved the stone? Was it not rather a venom acquired from the knowledge that this child's mother had won what she herself, with all her cleverness, was not sure of-Braine's love? Did he really care for her or was she only the catspaw to pluck his hot chestnuts from the fire? When Florenced showed her the "per sonal," her vague doubts become In stantly dissipated. The child would not have shown her the newspaper had there been any distrust on her part. "My child, your father is alive, then?" animatedly. "We don't know," sadly. "Why, I should say :hat this proves it." "On the contrary, it proves nothing of the sort, since I have yet to dis cover a treasure in this house. I bave FlreceGry hutdineeynok rwe;Iv FTk li tonce tosoeray. an hurnte ofmyntr every kpdaeny ofit. sotrearchds patelloke in herueyes fordfaley botoms gnoting e, ting "Ther ifr coulflirY fin tocs"n bodAnd Iant oltou do witho it oferas the whlea ocumoresafe re turn foud mI at every penove t. braceur," tars gyatherng inwyers eys tad they would gnuitears, too.n "Yher aere bions in St eesburg, boyd der ann thouembas tere lofoi becaue bith legilsters." aveno "That foud cn't en poses-t asion. dauthngrbu ex et~rn h f anol baheletl adi m. Adthlers ayr rtbat thougt aold~y fm not eingan uhe re h dre'.ter." I"There's no doubt in my mind. I have only to recall Katrina's face to know v:hosoechild you are. But what will you live on? Here was a far greater mixup thain she had calculated upon. Supposing after all it was only a resemblance, that the child was not Hargreave's, a substitute just to blind the Black Itundred? To keep them away from the true daughter? Her mind gre bevldered over such pos ribilitie. " singl~e and only way to sete all d'..abts was to make this lion Dollar >ears in The mubscription For Infants and Children. The Kind You Have SALCOHOL 3 PER CENT.Bought ~4tAVgeRMm om Bears the Signature ."!jT: Promotes Digestion Ress RonttSiaO ~4t, OpiuaMiorphine nor NOT NAacoTIc. AperfedeedyfqrfO Use tlon,SourDvoacfiDtanboea WorsandLOSSOLEvs For Over SYOThirty Years Exact Copy of Wrapper. TECENTAUR C'UPANY. NCW YORK CITY Watch For The Big This will be the BIGGEST Season in Sumter's Business Circles. There are lots of things for you and prices Will be better than you have expected. Be Patient ! And then Rewarded. FOR HORSES, MULESI WAGONS. BUGGIES. SURRIES, HARNESS. ETC., baitt ce -u. e x<t gt nto get in a few cmore Fords soon. they cani make by Octob'er 1st. Also a fuji line of tires and parts. 10" s., u. C. SHA CO., T~.ER. 'Phone 553. BRING YOUR Job NWorik TO THE TIMES OFFICE.