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WIEi, let's you and I see that he does tL and nothing else. rI have no one rfddlIng with my own game." Some cno sneezed, and everybody locked at his neighbor. The sneeze w,3 repeated, but muiled, as if some one was desperately anxious to avoid snEcezing. "it came from above!" whispered Ciga. "Don't look up!" Braine was cool. He walked idly across the room to where Vroon sat. "Very well, Paroff; we give you free rein." To Vroon he said: "Some one is watching us from the room over head. I thought that room belonged to us." "It dces," said Vroon stolidly. "Then how Is It that some one is watching from up there? No excite ment. rm going to bid every one good-night, then rm going to invest! gate. When I leave you will quietly send men to all exits to the building. I want the man who sneezed, and I 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 scrioui exploit was under way here abouts she was to make her depart ure at once. Vroon stationed his men at the sev eral exits and Braine went upstairs. The rman who had sneezed, however, had vanished as completeay as if he had worn that' invisible cloak one . .~ .'4 . ... Norton Wanted to Kiss Her. reads about in the Persian tales. As a matter of fact, after the second sneeze he had gone up to. the roof, got out by the trap, and- jumped rather risky business, too-to the next roof and had clambered down the fire escapa of the .second, building. He was swearing Inaudibly. . After all these days of care and planning, after afl his cleverness In locating the ren desvous of the Black Hundred, and ~ow to lose his advantage because of an uncontrollable sneeze! Re would never dare go back, and just when he was beginning to pick up fine hits of Information! So Florence Hargreave was going to have a new father in a day or so? .There were some clever rogues ameng this band of theirs; but their cleverness was well offset by an eiqnaI number of fohls. Y 1es, there were some clever rogues, and to prove this assertion Braine secured a taxlcab and drove furiously away, his destinatidha the home of his ancient enemy. He dropped the cab a block or two away and presently stowed, himself away in the summer house at-the left of the lawn. It would have been a capital idea-that is, if the other man had not thought of and *anticipated this 'very thing. So he -used a public pay station telephone; and- Braine- waited in vain, waited *till the lights in the Hargreave house went out one by one and it became *wrapped in darkness within and moon shine without. . * Bralne was a philosopher. He re turned to his waiting taxicab, drove -home, paid the bill, smiling grimly. And went to bed. It was going to be a wonderful game of blind marts buff. and It was going to be sport to watch this fool Paroff blunder into a pit. The next afternoon Florence and *Norton sat in the summer house talk lng of the future. L.overs are prone to talk of that. As if anything else In the world ever equnals the present! They talked of nice little apartments and vacations in '.he summer and how much they would rave out of his salary, and a thonsand a::d one other thags which would not interest you at all if I recounted them in detail. But they did love each other, and they were going to be married: you may be certain of that. They did not care a snap of the finger what Jones thought. They were going to be mar ried, and that was all there was to it. Of course, Florence couldn't tcuch a penny of her father's money. If he, Norton. couldn't take care of her with out help, why, he w-ouldn't be worth the powder to blow him up: with. "But, my dear, you must be very careful," he said. "Jones and I will always be abouet somewhere. If they p'ally get hold of you once, God 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 was they would not bcther 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 always watched, night and day ISubscribe n ., Mystery." ITimes.' Get is paid up, ( *< Mill tbough you'll look in vain to discover any one. Your father knows best what he is doing, my dear girl. You see, I met him years ago in China: and when he started out to do a certain I 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 notes or personals in the papers. And it was a lucky thing that I was on the freighter that picked you -up at sea. I shall always wonder how that yacht took fire." "So shall I," replied Florence, her brows drawing together in puzzle ment. "Sometimes I think I must have done it. You know, people out of their heads do strange things. I seem to see myself as in a dream. And this man Braine is a scoundrel!" "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 overconfidence some day she will naturally grow careless, and then we'll have them all. I think I understand what your father's idea is: not to have them arrested for blackmail, but practically to extermin ate them, put them in prison for such terms of years that they'll die there. When you sc 3 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. You are in more dange'r than I am." "Dut I'm a man and can dodge quick." he laughed, picking up his hat. "What a horrid thing money is! If I hadn't any money, nobody would bother me." "I would," he smiled. He wanted to kiss her, but the eternal Jones might be watching from the windows; and so he patted her hand instead and walked down the graveled path to the street. It was difficult work for Florence to -play at friendship. She was like her father; she did not bestow it on every one. She had given her friend ship to the Russian, the first real big friendship in her life, and she had been roughly disillusioned. But if the countess could act, so could she; and of the two her acting was the more consummate. She could smile and laugh and jest, all the while her heart was burning with wrath. One cay, a week or so after her meeting with Norton in the summer house, Olga- arrived, beautifully 'gowned, handsome as ever. There was not the least touch of the adven turess in her makeup. Florence had just received some - mail, and she had dropped tte 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 incensequent things, when the maid came in and asked Florence to come to Miss 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 Jones was not lurk ing about, picked up the letters and calmly examined their contents; and among them she found this remark able document: "Dear daughter I have never seen: I must turn the treasure over to you. Meet me at eight in the summer house. Tell no one as my life is in danger. Your lov ing father." The countess .could have laughed aloud. She sa~w this man Paroff's hand; and here was the chance to be fool and humiliate him and send him off packing to his cold and miserable country. She had made up once as Florence, and she could easily do so again. The only thing that troubled Eer was the fact that she did not know. whether Florence had read the let;.er There Was Not the Least Touch ci the Adventuress in Her Makeup. or not. Thus, she did not dare destroy It. She first thought of changing the clock; then she concluded to drop the letter exactly where she found it and tr st to luck. When Florence returned she ex plained that her absence had been due to some tr' 'ing household affair. Said thb Russian: "I come primar ily to ask you to tea tomorrow, where they dance. If you like, you may ask Mr. Norton to go along. I begin to observe that you two are rather fond of one anot her." "O, Mr. Norton is just a valuable friend." returned Florence with a smile that quite deceived the other woman. "I shall be glad to go to the tea. But I shall not promise to dance." "Not with Mr. Norton?" archly. o0W to The Tin Remember TI in the game a )r you might b 0 ionI (CONTINUED;FROM LAST 1 "Reporters never dance themselves they make others dance instead." "I shall have to tell that," declare the countess; and the laughed quit honestly. "Then I have asid something wi ty?"' "Indeed you have; and it is not on] witty but truthful. I'm afraid you'r deeper than the rest of us have an Idea of." "Perhaps I am," thought Florence "at least, deeper than you believe." When the countess fluttered dow to her limousine-Florence hated th sight of it-and drove away, Florenc remembered her letters. And whe she came to the one purporting to b .from her father, she read it carefulli bent her head In thought, and finall destroyed the missive, absolutely coz fident that It was only a trap, and nc very well conceived at that. Norto had given her plenty of reason fo believing all such letters to be forge: les. Her father, If he really wished t see her, would enter the house; h ... ............'. le "My Child!" Whispered the Man. would not write. Ah, when woul she see that father of hers, so mystei bous, always hovering near, alway unseen? It must have been an amusing at venture for the countess. To stea into the summer house and wait there not knowing If Florence had advise, Jones or the reporter. If caught, sh had her excuses. Paroff, the conf dent, however, appeared shortly afte "My child!" whispered the man. And Olga stifled a laugh; but t him it sounded like a sob. "I am worn out," he said. "I a r tired of the 'game of hide and seek." "You will not have to play the gain long," thought Olga. "The money is hidden in my offic down town. And we must go there a once. When we return we will pac1 up and leave for Europe. I'ye longe< 'to see you so!" I"You poor fool! And they sent yo1 Ito supersede Leo!" she mused. She played out the farce to the ver: end. She permitted herself to b< pinioned and jogged; and for wha unnecessary roughness she sufferei at the bands of Paroff he would pres ently pay. He took her straight t< the executive chamber of the Blac] Hundred and pushed her into th< room, exclaiming triumphantly: "Here is Hargreave's daughter!" "Indeed!" said Olga, throwing beJ her veil and standing revealed in he: mask. "Olga!" cried Braine, laughing. And that was the inglorious end c the secret agent from Russia. CHAPTER XIV. -Norton Makes a Discovery. Perhaps the most amusing phase o the secret agent's discomfiture was the fact that neither Jones nor Florene had the least idea what had happened Florence regretted a hundred timel during the evening that she had no gone out to the summer house. I might really have been her father. He: regret grew so d!eep in her that jus before going to bed she confessed t< Jones. "You received a letter of that sor and did not show it to me?" sal Jones, astonished. "You warned me never to pay an: attention to them." "No; I warned you never to ac upon them without Eirst consultini me. And we might have made a cai ture! My child, always show me thesi things. I will advise you whether ti tear them up or not." "Jones, I believe you are going little too far," said Florence haughtlyj "It might have been my father." "Never in this world, Miss Florence Still, I beg your pardon for raisina my voice. What I do and have dona Is only for your own sake. There arl two things I wish to impress upon you mind before I go. This can be mad' a comedy or a terrible tragedy. Yo1 have already had a taste of the latter and each time you escaped becausa God was good to us. But he is rarel kind to thoughtless people. They hay to look out for themselves. I'am act ing under orders; always remembe that." "Forgive me; I acted wrongly. Bu I'm so weary and tired of this eterna suspicion of everybody and every thing. Can't I go somewhere, som place where I can have rest?" "If I thought for a single moinen It was possible to take you thousand of miles from this spot, It would b done this very night. But this is ou fortress. So far It has been imprei nable. The police are watching It and that prevents a general assaul tes, and getth te Pastime wi] and win the i e cut off in thc )ollar VEEK-LOOK FOR NEXT ISSUE by the scoundrele. If we tried to leave we would be followed; and they d play that game exceedingly well. Now, e good'night. We'll leave you out of all this doubt and sur,;:.ion one of these t- days. There will not be any past; that will be lopped off as you'd lop a F limb from a tree." e "Please let it be quick. I want to 7 see my father." Jones' eyes sparkled. "And you have my word that he wants to see you. But I dare not tell you." a "Do you think he would object to e Mr. Norton?" she asked, studying the e rug. , "In what capacity?" he countered, e forcing her hand. * "As-as a husband?" bravely. F Jones in turn studied the patterns L- in the rug. "It is only natural for a It father to look high for his daughter's a husband. But, after all, an honest r man is worth as much as anything I - know of. And Norton is honest and D loyal and brave." e "Thank ycu, Jones. I Intend to - marry him when the time comes; so I you may as well prepare father for this eventuality." "There is an old adage--" But she interrupted him. "If you have a nev,- adage, Jones, I shouldn't mind he:.ring 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 passing 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 organizations 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 logi cal device. But the first step in this 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 I finally "Spider" Beggs was selected for the work. The man could prootio s ally walk over crockery without caus Ing a sound; he could climb a house [- by the window ledges; and he could I hold his breath like those professional tank swimmers. I Three or four n4ghts after the Par B off fiasco, Jones statted the rounds, putting out the lights. He left the one in the hall till the last, for it was his habit, after having turned off that a light, to stand by the door for several minutes, watcbin& One never could k tell. On the other hand, "Spider" Beggs a never approached a house till an hour after the lights went out. .Persons Swere likely to move about for some t minutes later; they might want sdnie C thing to eat, a drink of water. So he Sremained hidden behind the wnmer house till long after midnight. When i at last he felt assured that all in the Hargreave house were asleep, he r moved out cautiously. Both his future 3 and his pocketbook depended upon 1 ..il,~sM En!miiiim n o Mil~l@4.' * , */ t...........miliid e! r summr hose.o.th .ve anda an t Her e Wasen OpatinTwouldehave . Anede Hi searegt and g Skill. Stesuccesn this drenturmelf It took h wimge ten minues o craw frnoms He r wsme hnoeato theaternda, and his havce adesi;tected t this ppro with-, ha hut bend wthing waanold have ; latidow wrk fordinotr tenk were Splathes nd ere hiself uh and Srigedtoef the windowspe Hvere r as antoprto thatrayedndllouhie don ca e d il tot lt th window;t r housoundieves ee was ane oleand awindows with dordia locksbecaus Bpathiongs orndaer this de toch mae rasetlheid ste pp led ethes B sillh inoun the librarysle, and oeej tiponediad nthm cloe thendelecte r thouse thieuvuese doe Themv wia rndos and doors opeat caeo t sooneryo aten they heaves t mae Presnl hae toodat Thishde hes tipoed toward them Hedo agin.slce St ranom sandidneat packatsly. e wonderful stc 1 show each cht 10,000. Be s Smidst of the st Myst .) "Spider" Beggs gasped, was so anexpected; bit at the same time al most Instinctively he plunged head long through the 1rindo*, and the bul let which followed ipped a look of his hair. He thrW himself of the veranda and seurried acemas the lawn, zigzag fashion. ]ut no more bullets followed. Jones turned on the lights and in estigated the room, but he could not find anything disturbed, and naturally came to the conclusion tMat 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 ught. Nothing more happened. Florence came down, but he sent her back to bed, eplaining that some one had attempted to enter the house and he had taken a shot at him. "Spider" Beggs had a letter to write. He was In'high feather. He had tackled a dificult Job and had come away without a scratch. But he had the misfortune to write his letter to the secret servioe offietals in a hotel often frequented by Norton. And so Jim, on finishing his own letter, blotted it and casually glanced 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 rooms. The word which had awakened the reportorial sense in him was "counterfeit." He held the blotter toward the mirror and read enough to satisfy himself that the Black Hundred had become active once more. And this was one of the best Ideas they had yet conceived. Hargreave had always been some 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 source his riches had been obtained. And noth Ing was known of Jones or the daugh ter. It was a very shrewd method of clearing every one out of the house and leaving it to be examined at leis ure. And he had fallen upon this thing; he, Norton, all because .his tailor had written him a sharp note about his bill and he had been pro-. voked to reply kind! Counterfeit mioney. The* - MfY these days over I Itmes of spuIoMn 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 a while he was pulled be tween duty and love. Well, it would nly add another interesting chapter to the general story -when he published t. He started out to Riverdale to a% quaint Jones with the discovery. "Humph!" said Jones; "not a bad idea this, So that's what the sneak was doing here last night. I've been wondering and wondering. Let's have a look." .He went through the books and at length came across the three volumes. These held a thousand In excellent counterfeit. "Mighty good work that. .What are you going to -do?" asked the re-1 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 we'll go and take Mr. Black Hun dred right In his cubby hole. "You know where it is?" "I~very nook and corner of It. Now you go at once to the chief of the local branch of t..e secret service and put the matter to him frankly. I, Flor ence, Susan, and the rest of us must be arrested. The wretches must be lieve that the house is empty. They'll rove about fruitlessly and will return to their den to report the success of the coup. All the while you and some detectives will be in hiding up stairs, dictagraph and all that. When the time comes you will follow. This wil not reach the heads, perhaps, but it will demoralize the organization In such a way as to make It helpless for several months to come. There Is a tunnel from the stables to this house." "What, a tunnel?" "Yes, Mr. Hargreave had it built several years ago. I dcn't know what his idea was; possibly' he snticipated an event like this. You and your men will fid entrace by this method. It can be done without exciting the suspicions or the watchers." "Looks as if my yarn wasn't going to be delayed so long after all. Jones, you ought to have been in the secret service yourself," admiringly. Jones smiled and shrugged. "I am perfectly satisfied with my lot-or would be If the Black Hundred could be wiped out of existence." "I'll see the secret service people at once. I stand In well with them all." "And good luck to you. We'll need good luck." Norton wa welcomed cordially by the chief. The secrdt service men trusted him and told him lots of tales that never saw light on the printed page. The rapes~r weat dtr'estly to the-point of -hi story, witheut elabora tion, and the chief smiled and handed him the original letter. "Norton, I've been after this gang of counterfeiters for mouths and they are clever beyond words. rye never been able to get anywhere near their presses. And for a moment I thought this note was from a squealer. rye a dozen men scouring the country. They find the bogus notes, but never* the men who pass them. You see. t's new stuff. I know what all the old timers are at; but none of them has had a hand In this Issue. Some foregners, I take It, under the leader ship of a man I'd very much like to know. Now, what's your scheme?" Jim outlined it briedly. iry, "The Mill pter as it app ce that your e ory. er . "It all depends," said the chief, "upon the fact that they will be im patient. If they have the ability to wait, we lose. But we can afford to risk the chance. The man who wrote this letter is not a counterfeiter. He's an old yeggman. We haven't heard anything of him lately. We tied-to corner him on a post office job, but he slipped by. He may be a stool. Anyhow, I'M draw him in somehow." "There'll be some excitement." "We're used to that; you too. All we've got to do Is to locate this man Beggs. There are signs of spite in this letter. Very well played, if you want my opinion. What's this Black Hun dred?" "I'm not at liberty to tell just yet. It's a strange game; half political. half blackmail. Wa a pretty strong organization. But if they're back of this counterfeiting, there's a fine chance of landing them all." Here the chief's assistant came in. "Got Beggs on the wire. Says he'll conduct you to the home If you'll . . . . ... "Stop!" Said Jones Quietly. promise him immunity for some other offenses." "Tell him he shall have Immunity on the word of the chief. But also say that he must come to see me in person." "All right, sir." "I don't believe it wou'd be wise for Beggs to see me here. I gave him a good send-off-Sing Sing-five years ago. Heo may recollect," said Norton. "Suit yourself about that. Only, keep in communication with me by telephone and I'll tip you off as to when the raid shall take place. Lucky you came in. I should have honestly gone there and arrested innocent people, and they would have had a devil of a time explaining. It would have taken them at least a week to clear themselves.' That would leave the house empty all that time." Norton did not reply, but he put the blotter away carefully. There was no getting away from the fact, but the god of luck was with him. "Do you know what's back of it all?" "I can't tell you any more than I! have," said Norton. "Then I pass. I know you well enough. If you've made up your mind not to talk a man couldn't get any thing out of you with a can-opener. And that's why we trust you, my boy. Don't forget the telephone. "I shan't. So long." That same night Braine paid the Russian woman a brief visit. "I think that here's where we go forward. The secret service will raid the house tomorrow and then for a few days we'll roam about as we bally please. I'm hanged if I don't ha':e every plank torn up and all the wafls pulled down. More and more I'm con vinced that the money is in that house." "Don't be too confident," warned Olga. "So many times have we been tripped up when everything seemed in our hands. The house should be guarded but not entered for a day or two; at least not till after the raid I cold. I'm beginning to see traps everywhere." "Nonsense! Leave It to me. We shan't stick our heads inside the Har greave house till we are dead certain that It is absolutely empty. Olga, you're a gem. I don't think Russia will bother us for awhile. Eh? Paroff will not dare tell how he was film Smmed. The least he can do to save his own skin is to say that we are fully capable of taking care of our selves." Olga laughed. "To think of his writing a note lilte that! Florence would have recognized-and no doubt did-a palpable attempt to play an ld game twice." "How does she act towards you?" "Cordial as ever; and yet ... "Yet what?" "I thought her an ordinary school irl, and yet every once in a while she makes what you billiard players call i professional shot. What matter? So long as they do not shut the door in my face, I ask nothing more. But 1 you want my opinion? 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