University of South Carolina Libraries
Th W',ML n&STR}. nWis^w* 5^^; COPYRIGHT, BY R t ! f SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I.?In a New York jewelry j store Philip Severn, United States con- ! SUiai liUUCfS a Mllilll UU.V ? 1UVU t attracts him. He purchases it. Later he j I discovers in a secret compartment a writ- ! j ing giving a clew to a revolutionary move- j j ment in this country seeking to over- j | throw the Chilean government. The writ- i I ing mentions a rendezvous, and Severn decides to investigate. I | I CHAPTER II.?Finding the place men- i tioned in the writing apparently deserted, I Severn visits a saloon in the vicinity. | A woman in the place is met by a man, seemingly by appointment, and Severn, his suspicions aroused, follows them. They go to the designated meeting place, an abandoned iron foundry. CHAPTER III. Within the Factory Walls. I stood as though paralyzed, with one foot uplifted, a hand pressed against the wall, unable to move. There was nothing I could do to avert discovery, no place in which I dfculd crouch in hiding. The newcomer moved swiftly, knowing his way through tihe darkness, and I had scarcely opportunity to even glance backward when he rounded the corner and bumped iuto me. "What the h?11!" he exclaimed, startled at the encounter. "Why, d?n it, Charlett, what are you slouching here for? Ycru're Charlett, ain't you?" "Yes," I muttered, the assent actually frightened out of me; then added lamely, "I couldn't remember the signal." The fellow laughed softly, releasing his grip on my coat. "If you attended more meetings you'd be letter perfect." he said, his English without an accent. "Where have you been the last month?out of town?" , "In Washington," I ventured, praying the swift answer might suffice. "Oh, I see," more heartily. "So you were the one Alva sent? Did the wornartAma ?aL- vjMfh rnn?" , aii Wiiiti uuvrn ?? icii vu j The woman! Who'could he mean 1 but the same girl who had been wait- i Ing in the saloon? I had ventured al- 1 ready too far to draw back; I must 1 take yet another chance, an answer. < "Not with me; that would be too ] risky. She is here, though." j "Good enough. That means mone^f. < Let's go in." i He pushed past, and I followed, to- i tally unable to determine in my own i mind what to do. The fellow in the darkness evidently mistook me for I some one of the gang. His confidence ' in my identity as Charlett might win me entrance?but what then? That I 1 i was not Charlett would certainly be revealed by the first gleam of light, and < I would be helpless. I was alone, un- : armed, and these fellows, beyond ques- I tion, were engaged in a desperate game. I am sure T should never have : ventured it had not my companion suddenly turned and grasped my sleeve. "You saw Mendez, of course?" "Sure." "And he vouched for her; he says she is all right?" "He chose her; that ought to be enough." "H?11. I suppose so, but even Mendez has made mistakes. Here's the door." He rapped lightly, his fingers still \ gripping my sleeve in a grasp of friend- | ship. I could have broken away, and j ran for ft, but something mysterious held me, some odd fascination of dan- ! ger. I saw nothing, heard nothing, yet . had an instinctive feeling that a nar- j row wicket had opened in the door, ! through wmcn our aim outlines were being scrutinized. I held my breath ! expectantly. "Who is there?" the voice was a mere whisper, so close as to startle me. j "Gaspar Wine," was the answer, in i the same low tone, "163." "What word?" "Cervantes." "But there are two of yoti." "Oh. this is one of us. It's all right, ; J nan; I'll vouch for him." The fellow inside grumbled someC!r\onich hnf 1 1 i 1 11 >C ill Ili'U.^llll^U. -IIKl.iV ... - opened the door silently, just far enough for us to slip through one at a time. I felt Wine press past me, and ! was aware that the guard dosed and i barred the door, hut could set- nothing; not even my own hand before my eyes. A latch clicked softly, and a dim ray of light broke in upon us from a revealed passage beyond. It was so faint as to scarcely render features visible, and. as my coat collar was still j upturned, I pressed forward close behind Wine without discovery. I could perceive something of the fellow now, ; \yjwijk imSSwsh )R OF ? INCZ CASE f CAVENDISH o. ILLUSTRATIONS" v4-WEIL ANDALL PAR.RISH I Could Perceive Something of the Fellow Now. i rather squat figure, concealed by a iong. shapeless raincoat, wearing a ?losely trimmed beard, and horn spectacles. His features were clearly for?ign, yet failed to bespeak the fighting type. I placed him as a theorist, a professor, perhaps, in some small college. But my thoughts were not so occupied with my guide as with the problem of how I was to escape from him. 1 dare not go on into the presence of others, where discovery that I was not Oharlett would be immediate. At any ?ost I must avoid such exposure?but iiow? The place in which we were ?ave me little inspiration. K was a ow passage-way, inclosed by rough 3oard walls, instantly driving home jpon me the impression that it had :> en constructed for the very purpose ?or which it was now being utilized? 1 i secret entrance to prevent any gleam 3f light from being seen without. This precaution, coupled with the tightly boarded passage, left the whole building apparently deserted and desolate, to any chance watcher without. This fvas evidently no common, vulgar band >f schemers, but men with a definite purpose in view, which they were engaged in carrying out with true secret efficiency. They were plotting revolution. Only a strange chance had given cue the clew, and only a reckless persistency had opened a way before me. Now my life was no longer my own; it belonged to my country. I must live to expose these men. But how? My heart failed me as I stared about at the bare walls, and forward to where a heavy curtain draped the end of the passage. This widened as we advanced, so as to form what evidently had been designed as a cloakroom. Wine stopped and removed his coat, appropriating an unoccupied nail, and I followed his example, rejoicing to observe that he still remained so confident of my identity as to not once glance around in ray direction. The fellow seemed obsessed with some special desire,.for he swept,his eyes over the swinging garments, and exclaimed: "Not half of them here yet. I want a word with Alva before. the show opens. Charlett. so you better go right on. in. See you later." He pressed something in the sidewall. sliding back a panel, and disappeared, the rough boards returning instantly into place. I was left alone, staring at the spot where he had disappeared. Beyond doubt the entrance awaiting me lay straight ahead, concealed by the hanging curtain. I stepped cautiously forward, listening for some guiding sound from beyond that barrier, afraid to draw it aside and take a blind plunge into the unknown. I could detect the murmur of voices, several of them speaking Spanish, yet in such low tones I could distinguish only an occasional emphasized word. There was no door between us: only that thick, hanging curtain, and I ventured far enough to draw this aside sufficient to peer through with one eye. Beyond was a reasonably large room, but so dimly lighted as to be scarcely visible from end to end. 1 could discern men pres1 - J* A 1 1 U O. ent, a rummer 01 mom, lounging jummii on chairs, their outlines being fairly revealed, but the light was not sufficient to give me any impression of their faces. It seemed quite possible that 1 might slip In unobserved, and pass among them unrecognized except through accident. Hut the risk of discovery was too great. I must find some other point of entrance. The private doorway through which Wine had disappeared* gave me the thought that there might also he others^ I dare not follow after him,, but i if thorp was another oprning to hr I i fount] I was perfectly willing to ex ( pi ore into its mysteries. The <earel < was brief, yet the very nature of tin 1 rough board wall mane com-ealment < impossible. Behind the danglim: coat* I unco?"red what I sought, and no? a umwent too soon. Even as my ham* t touched the exposed latch, a muniuir f s l of voices in ihe ( hut entry reached ui\ ears?there \v?-tv new arrivals he- ^ Uil questioned. and admitted. ^ The panei slid hark silently in its ^ grooves. and I peered through the revealed opciiiiiir into absolute darkness. v Ail I could be sure of, as exhibited by ^ i the dim light of the passage, was a single step downward, and then api pareiitly a strip of earth lloor. 1 dare not wait and meet those entering; there was but one choice of action. I j.| pressed through the orifice, forced the . i ii panel back into place, and stood erect : in the intense darkness and filer ce, u listening for the slightest sound. I was still motionless, my heart i beating fiercely, when several men en| tered tlie passage I had just left. | Pressing my ear against the thin crack I I distinguished words so as to piece i together scraps .of conversation. It seemed to me there were three voices | ?one speaking Spanish entirely, the I others using English. One of the lat| ter spoke first. " Tis a dirty night out, but good for 11 ! our purpose. You came by motor, p j Alorizo?" j "Nn.j Wine said that was too risky, t ; I walked from the car line. What's j | up? Do you know. Captain?" ! The fellow addressed exploded in I ! Spanish. 'j "Why you call me that? I tell you jj my name!" j "It's safe enough In here, but I'll be ; careful outside. What was this meet- /. ing called for?" / "It was a message from Washing- II ton, orders maybe, that we act soon. } I hope it." ^ "From Washington? Is Mendez 2 here?" 1 "Saprista, no! Can he move with- I y out a dozen spies at his heels? He find ; K a messenger no one ever suspect. She H bring the word." t "Slie? A woman?" i K "sure: tnar was netter. i\o one ; w know her; no one ever see her with ; y our people. It was a good trick, and ( it fool the pigs." i \ "But who is the woman?" ' ( The other uttered a gruff exclama- \ tion of disgust. j j "If I know, you suppose I tell? Not much, but I do not know. They trust I her?is it not enough? 'Tis my guess ! she come special for to do this." ; ? "She is a Chileah then?" "Maybe; maybe American, Spanish, i What difference if she be in our serv- h ice? They know what she is; tonight g I she is Marie Gessler?it has the sound s I of Switzerland. Beyond this I care n i nothing." o "But yrfti have seen her, perhaps?' f "Not a sight; none of the boys have. 1 She was to meet Alva at Times square 1 this noon. I went with him, but no s girl?just a messenger boy tfiere with " a note in code. Something had fright- o ened the lady, and she made a night i appointment over here." c "Here! How did she know the way t out?" \ d "She didn't, for the matter of that; b But she had been piped off on Jans' 1; place, and agreed to be there as soon as it was dark. I'm wondering if she t showed up; let's go in and see." l f The three moved off down the pas- v sage, still conversing in subdued tones, s i the sharp accent of the Spaniard most t prominent, and I became acutely s aware of the black silence in which I \ stood. There was no occasion for me t to risk my life farther in an effort to t learn more. I had located the secret b rendezvous of this gang of revolu- t fionary plotters. I was aware of their c connection with the Chilean Junta at s ; Washington, and it would be a com- t | paratively easy matter now to capture c I them red-handed. I saw therefore no t j reason why I should venture further, v or endeavor to learn in detail the na- I ture of this message intrusted to the c | girl for delivery. My duty now was t to report what I had discovered, when 1 the prompt arrest of Alva, and a few , others, would end the whole scheme, t | It seemed simple enough, if I could ; only find my way out safely. I But escape unobserved was far from s | being assured. Any retreat by way of v i the lighted passage was impossible; there were guards there at both ends; r the only hope lay in a blind effort for- E ward. jI accepted the only course possible, g and began to feel my way toXhe left, 1 skirting the wall of rough boarding, , j until it widened out into what was ap- j parently the larger room beyond. No t sound reached me from any direction, j 1 the silence and darkness oppressing ; ( me, as though they had weight. 1 ^ Yet one fact became more and more t clear?the deliberate purpose with f which this deserted iron factory had ^ been prepared for a secret rendezvous. c j Apparently, from without, it stood ] grim, desolate and deserted, yet the : interior arrangements were such that p conspirators could meet securely in- f ! side, protected from observation, in; _ 1 rooms through whose walls no gleam j i of light might be visible from either i j. | street or alley. Only an accident, or j j constant vigilance without, could re- s | veal the true use to which the building t was now being devoted. This knowl- i j ; edge rendered the peril of my own po- 1 ^ | sition the more intense. I could be . ^ killed, murdered, and no man would ; ( ever be the wiser. I would simply disj appear, vanish, and that would be the j end. At that moment I had no thought but j , to discover some means of escape. The j j knowledge of the danger I was in robbed me of all courage. I was like t a child afraid in the dark. I moved forward, inch by inch, feeling my way along the rough planking with., one ian<T, my limbs actually trembling u trior mo. If 1 could only find some ponimr; see some gleam of light; iroak away from this torrildo silent la rktioss. I snp*ms. '} I cms moving with tho utllosf ?-;iITI;??!!. ; Y?'!*v ISOl'VO Oil edge, k'eling a wu\ forward with hands and oot. Once. I stepped upon a shell of 01110 kind which crunched beneath the ' weight, and again my groping hand islodged a small Mock of wood, which * *11 with a slight clatter, I halted oth times, my in art in my mouth, yet othing happened, and I moved for- : "ard again confident of not being over/to r?rl KTtlL W. I could not have told what it was fiat halted me. I remember I stopped ^ s though shot, my very breath sus- J ended, one foot still uplifted in a step jrward, my eyes staring helplessly lto the black void. The silence was >iat of a tomb. I could feel the erspiration flow down my face in a tream; it was an instant of torture, 'hen an unseen hand gripped me and n electric flash-light glared into my yes. CHAPTER IV. I Become a Weil-Known Thief The sudden, unanticipated attack, lie hurst of dazzling light in ray eyes, endered me for the moment utterly io Tightly Grasped at the Throat as to j Be Nearly Strangled. lelpless. I was blinded, and so tightly j rasped at the throat as to be nearly j trangled. I only dimly realized that ay assailant was .a man, his grip that f a giant. Then, to my surprise, the ellow laughed oddly, snapping out his ? ight, and releasing his grip. "Well, if this don't beat h?11," he aid, in the tone of ctfieerful disgust. Come in here and let me look you iver." His hand closed on, the sleeve of my oat, and before I scarcely found time o catch my breath again I* had been [ragged through a narrow opening and ecame aware that a door shut silently behind me. The fellow gave me little opportuniy to either act, or think. A match lared, and was held aloft to a gas jet yhich instantly broke into a dull flame, ufficient to render visible the full ex- ; ent of the small room in which we tood. In some .semi-conscious way I vas aware of bare walls, of a small able opposite with some writing maerials on it, and a short bench covered >y a blanket. I suppose I saw these hings, yet all that ^I seemed to pereive was the man fronting me, who tared in my face, a quizzical smile on lis lips, as though still half uncertain if the reality of my presence. He was all, a trifle angular, but exceedingly rell-dressed, with closely trimmed ron-gray beard and peculiar eyes leeply set in a rather chalky face. He rcke the silence, evidently inclined to ook upon this meeting as a joke. "Don't recognize me, I reckon? Well, hat ain't to be wondered at, for likely enough you never saw me before. Seats the devil though why you liould drift in here; now I suppose it vill have to be fifty-fifty." His words and manner gave me a tew lease on life. Whoever the follow night be he was seemingly friendly. I rmct moat tha fcllnw in thflt Same pirit and endeavor to extract from lim some knowledge of whom he sup>osed me to be. "I do not quite get the drift of all his," I ventured. "You imply that you mow me." *"H?11, yes. Over in Bow Street, on he other side. The Hartlebury rob>ery case. I'd been hearing about you or years, and when that came on, I ook a chance and drifted into court >ne day just to see what you looked ike. You've shaved your mustache, ind look ten years younger, but I mew you, all right I never forget a ace. Say, who put you onto this game TTT_ 1 J ? waiuron : I nodded, taking a chance. "I'd have ' >et my life he was the guy. I might lave known he would double-cross me ;ome way. Of course a tip's a tip in his game, and I don't blame you for lorning in. Naturally you never knew his was my game?how could you? kValdron never said a word about me, lid he?" "Not once." < "That is how I had it sized up, so I " ion't hold any grudge against you. Sow listen." and he bent forward conidentially. lowering his voice, so I ,'ould barely distinguish the words. 'We'll talk it all over later, when we're done. "Tain't exactly safe 'here, for (Continued on page 6.) BmT n"!R*i Y ' ' CiU't,-r . " !> Carter n J I a U i i > I J. Carl Kearse Carter, Carter & Kearse .VlTOKNKVS-.Vi-l AW Do the right thing at t v right Erne Special attention given to setAct quiehiy in time of danger. t lenient of Estates and InvestigaIn tint" cf l*i iit'cv danger. Doan's tion of I.and Titles. Loans ne\id.n v Pii's are nits; effective. uotiated on Reai Estates. 1 u, -,r nf p> n L>U . U -J- ' . (, CI1UV.IIV*. >? h'-ir v. r;li. Coid.? Cause Grip and Influenza \Ir< P P Sr:r">on> Xrvv 13 r i I ? " ,V : * - J1 LAXATIVE PKoMO QUININE Tablets remove * i * ?* v ^^f> , * * * \* h *c* \ 1^1 i * " ^ ' the cans'*. There is only one "Bromo Quinine." .lie O h': I Y\ .]. I sOin 't? J*- 1, ; E. V?". GROVE'S signature on box. 3Uc. t) pr --s rev :ia::-I~ r.non it ir- en i he pain. The action of r.-.y kH'-o R. p. BELLINGER ivn^r't r:a!" cm1 mv ;?ti(T< ami nv' sv.^Lw] i v .-jo., - vtrr ' ATTOHXEV-AT-L A\V K\ Inov Pi:!s which I - ,r :r Vt-u-'. (General Practice in All Courts. *gt<ve Ir, a *' : while he'. Work a,1(* Civil Business a .V " / 'e f,,' V t . .. Specialty. Money to Lend. 'in me of a1 t . '< tr-m re. 1 * * rn .lT .. - F .. \t-v? o Offices in rear over Hoffman's Store. -r T-.\i.iou. HAM BE KG. S. C. "o . Mfr?.. X. Y. Read The Herald, ?2.00 per year. IHIIIII HHIHI I ! I MBMBII WMU?WLX'AatPKja? I II II11 I ??^ jji^ OWEN BROS. MARBLE fjl AND GRANITE CO. j J I DESIGNERS ^HHZm MANUFACTURERS ERECTORS A # vjp Tlie largest and best equipped j ,v\. monumental mills in tlie Carolinas. ^ GKKEXWOO D, S. V. i I The Uphill Road^^SH^B?! After Forty-Five *1^1 Jl In America, men age swiftly after their forty-fifth year. Digestive ? disorders, particularly constipation, are in many cases the under- IS lying causes for this premature aging of the system. 1| Physicians, recognizing the far-reaching dangers of constipation, advise against the indiscriminate use of laxatives and cathartics. |g Such drugs eventually make worse the malady for which they Nujol works on an entirely new principle. 1| Instead of forcing or irritating the systeni, it simply softens the food waste. This 111 enables the many tiny muscles in the walls of the intestines, contracting and ex- |?5 panding in their normal way, to squeeze the food waste along so that it passes H v, m naturally out ot the system. H ?|g Nujol thus prevents constipation because it helps Nature maintain easy, thorough H $8 bowel movements at regular intervals?the healthiest habit in the world. H M Nujol is absolutely harmless and pleasant to take. Try it. j|| I Nujol is sold by all druggists in sealed bottles only, bearing Nujol trade jsS mark. Write Nujol Laboratories, Standard Oil Co. (New Jersey), 9{| |'l 50 Broadway, New York, for booklet, "Thirty Feet of Danger". 12 I The Modern Method of Treating an Old Complaint I I \ Nuiol For Constipation IP ' 1 SUNDAY 1 i . ' F.Yfiirdftns UVUUllVl V UAVU1 U1VUV L \m TO CHARLESTON, S. C., ISLE OF PALMS, SULLIVAN'S ISLAND AND FOLLY BEACH. 4 $ *" V' SUNDAYS SUNDAYS 92.50 $3.00 BAMBERG TO CHARLESTON BAMBERG TO ISLE OF PALMS And return plus war tax And return plus war tax ' .'II SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM . Every Sunday to and including September 4, 1921. THE ISLE OF PALMS SPECIAL IX ORDER Excursionists may have an entire day at the Beaches or in Charleston. ; ' % SCHEDULES SHOWN BELOW. Lv. Augusta 2:35 A. M. 6:25 A. M. ?_ 7:55 A. M. 12:15 Noon. AI". ^UilJicoiuu Returning? ISLE OF PALMS SPECIAL. i i Sunday Only. Lv. Charleston 8:00 P. M. Ar. Augusta 1:30 A. M. Direct connection in each direction between Charleston, Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island and Folly Beach. SUNDAY EXCURSION TICKETS on sale to and including September 4th, 1921, for Sunday morning trains, good returning only on Isle of Palms Special, leaving Charleston S:00 p. m. on date of sale. No baggage checked. Not good in parlor or sleeping cars. Apply to > I , Southern Railway Ticket Agent, or or R. W. Hunt, District Passenger Agent, Charleston, S. C. 4 - Ji