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DC |l ^?ijTheMiSonD . I By HAROLD I Illustrated from Scenes i I Same Jsiame by the The (Copyright. 1914, t This, the nineteenth episode of the interesting story will be shown at the Casino Theatre Thursday night CHAPTER XIX A olank Sheet of Paper. Florence was a fortnight in recovering from the shock of her experience at the masked ball of the Princess Parlova, who. by the way, disappeared from New York shortly after the fire, no doubt because of her fear of the Black Hundred. The fire did not destroy the house, but most of the furnishings were so thoroughly drenched by water that they were practically ruined Her coming and -. __ _ > going were a nine clays' wonder, and then the public found something else to talk about. Norton was a constant visitor at the Hargreave place. There was to him a new interest in that mysterious house, with its hidden panels, its false floors, its secret tunnels; but he treated Jones upon the same basis as hitherto. One thing, however: He felt a sense of security in regard ;o Florence such he had not felt before So, between assignments he ran out to Riverdale And did what he could to amuse his % sweetheart. Later, they took short rides in the runabout, and at length she became as lively as she had ever been. But often she would catch Norton orooaing. "What makes you frown like that?" "Was I frowning?" innocently enough. "I find you this way a dozen times in an afternoon. What is the matter? Are they after you again?" "Heavens; no! I'm only a vague isEue. They will not bother me so long as I do not bother them. It has dwindled into a game of truce." "Do you think so?" eying him curiously. "Why, yes." "What's the use of trying to fool me, Jim? If they haven't been after you, you are sensing a presage of evil. I'm not a child any longer. Haven't I been through enough to make me a woman? Sometimes I feel very old." "To me you are the most charming m an tnis wide world. No, you're not a child any longer. You are a woman, brave and patient; and I know that I could trust you with any secret I have or own. But sometimes a person may have a secret which is not his and which he hasn't any right to disclose." She became silent for awhile. "1 ,hate money," she said. "I hate it, hate it!" - ** *Tt's mighty comfortable to have it around sometimes," he countered. "As in my case, for instance. If I were poor and )...d to work 110 one would bother me." ; "I would!" he declared, laughing. "Come; let's throw off moods and go into town for tea at the Rose Garden; and If you feel strong enough we'll trip the light fantastic." They had been gone from the house less than an hour when a man ran Up the steps of the veranda and rang the bell. Jones being busy at the rear of the house, the maid came to the door. "Is Miss Hargreave in?" the stranger asked. "No," abruptly. The door began to close ever so slowly. "Do ycu know where I can find her?" The maid eyed him with covert keenness; then, remembering that the reporter was with Florence, said: "I believe she is at the Rose Garden this afterpoon." "That is in town?" X uo. "Thanks." The man turned abruptly and ran down the steps. The maid ran back to Jones. "Why didn't you call me?" he demanded impatiently. "There wasn't time." "Did you tell him where she was?" "Yes. But I shouldn't have told him If Mr. Norton had not been with Miss Florence." Jones ran to the front, dashed out, eyed the back of the man hastening down the street, smiled, and returned to his work, or, rather, to the maid. Ho took her by the shoulder, whirled her about, and shot a look into her eyes that quailed her. "Always call me hereafter, no matter what, I'm doing. That man has never laid eyes on Florence and has no idea what she looks like. Why did you drug my coffeo the night of that ball?" She stepped back. "And how much did they pay you for letting that doctor send Florence to Atlantic City? 1 know everything. Hereafter, walk straight. If you play another trick I'll kill you with these ollar Mystery ' MAC GRATH ? in the Photo Drama of thm inhouser Film Company y Harold MaoGrath) two hands. And listen and te?? thia to your confederates: I always know every move they make; that is why no one is missing from this house. There is a trait or T pt th mil ft ?i A him If f Vinir ' ? ?%.v *>1111 U I 111 II llivrjf can. Will you walk straight, or will you leave?" "I?I will walk straight," she fal- j tered. "The money was too big a temptation " "Did they give it to you?" "Yes. And more to stay here Tint this is the iirst bit of dishonest work I ever did." "Well, remember what I have said. ] Another misstep and I'd make an end to you. Don't think I'm trying to scare you. You've witnessed enough to know that it's life and death in this bourse. Now run along." At the Garden Jim and Florence sauntered among the crowd, not havg any particular objective point in i dew. 'Sh!" whispered Jim. "What is it?" "Olga Perigoff is yondeb in a box." j "Very well; let us go fchd sit with her. Is she alone?" "AnnarPlltlv. Put rirvn't vrm tntnlr I we'd better go elsewhere?" "My dear young man," said Florence with mock loftiness, "Olga Perigoff has written me down as a simple young fool, and that is why, sooner or later, I'm going to put the shoe on the other foot. You and Jones have coddled me long enough. Inas1 iftucli as I am the stake they are playing for, I intend to have something i i more than a speaking part in the play." "All right; you're the admiral," he said with pretended lightness. So tlie two of them joined their : subtle enemy, conscious of a tingle of zest as they did so. On her part, ! the countess was always suspicious of ! this sleepy-eyed reporter. She never | could tell how much he knew. But of Florence she was reasonably cer- ! tain; and so long as she could fool the pretty infant the suspicions of the rnorter were a negligible quan- | tity. She greeted them effusively and offered them chairs. For half an hour 1 they sat there, chatting inanities, all the while each mind busy with deeper! concerns. When the man in search of FlorOB on Ol'nntnollif n rr 5 ? ?-? /J v.** vu v i i vu at i ? ai i i > CU ailU UStV^U UltJ manager of the garden if he knew Miss Hargreave by sight the manager pointed toward the box. The man wound his way in and out of the idlers and by the time he reached the box Jim and Florence had made their departure. The man bowed, approached,: and asked if she was Miss Hargreave. For a moment the countess suspected a trap. Then it appealed to he? mind' that if there was no trap it might be well to pose as Florence, if only to learn what the outcome might be. "Yes. What is wanted?" she asked. The man took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Olga, saying: "Give this to your father. He knows how to read it." Before she could reply the man had. turned and was hurrying away. Olga opened the note, her heart. 1 beating furiously. It was utterly | blank. At first she thought it was a; hoax. Then she happened to remember that there was such a thing as invisible ink. At last! Ilargreave was alive; this letter settled all doubt in her mind on this question. Alive! ' And not only that, but the girl and Jones were evidently in communica| tion with him. She summoned a ; waiter, made a secret sign, and he bowed and approached She slipped i the letter into his hand and whis1 pered: "Show that at the cave tomorrow. It is in invisible ink and , meant for HarKreave." "He's alive?"" "Positively." "Very well." The waiter bowed and strolled away nonchalantly. Braine was in Boston over night, otherwise the countess would have taken the mysterious note at once to him. She remained for perhaps a ; quarter of an hour longer and then left ! the garden. She would have taken the | letter to her own apartment but for the fact that the chemicals needed | were hidden in the cave. Now it happened that Florence went out for her early ride the next morning, and crossing a field she saw a man with a bundle under his arm. i The sun struck his profile and limned it plainly, and Florence uttered a low cry. The man had not observed her. So, very quietly, she slipped from the horse, tethered it to a tree, and started after the man to learn what he was doing so far from the city. She would ! never forget that face. She had seen it that dreadful night when the note had lured her into the hands of her enemies The face belonged to the man who had impersonated her father. It occurred fo her that she might just as well do a little detective work on her own hock She had passed ' through so manv terrifying episodes i 1 THE HOBBY HERA that she was beginning to crave for the excitement, strange as this may seem. Like a gambler who has once played for high stakes, she no longer found pleasure in thimbles and needles and pins. She followed the man with no little skill and at length saw him approach a knoll, stoop, apparently press a spring, and a hole suddenly yawned. The man vanished quickly, and the spot took on again its virginal appearance. A cave. Florence had the patience to wait. By and b> the man appeared again and slunk away. When she was sure that he was beyond range, she came out from the place of concealment, crept up the knoll, and searched about for the magic handle of this strange door. Diligence rewarded her, and she soon found j herself in a large, musty, earth-smelling cave. Loot was scattered about, and there were boxes and chairs and j a large chest. Men evidently met here, possibly after some desperate adventure against society. She found nothing to reward her hardihood, and as she was in the act of moving toward the cave's door she beheld with terror that it was moving! She was near the chest at that mo ment The cave was not a deep one. There was no tunnel, only a wall. Resolutely she raised the lid of the chest, stepped inside, and drew the lid down. She was just in time. The door opened and three men entered, talking volubly. They felt perfectly secure in talking as loudly as they pleased. To Florence it seemed almost impossible that they did not hear the thunder of her heart? Strain her ears as she might, she could gather but little of what they said, except: | "If Hargreave had this paper we ! might all be put on the defensive. To an outsider it is a blank paper. But the boss will be able to read it. . . ." The speaker moved away from the vicinity of the chest and she heard - - no more. Very deftly Florence raised the lid Just enough to peep out. The man who had been talking was pitting the note in his hip pocket. As he turned toward the chest he sat down on the ; soapbox immediately in front of the chest. An inspiration came to the girl, an exceedingly daring one. She took her liberty in her hands as she executed the deed. But the dimness of the cave aided her. When she crouched down again the magic paper was hers. It seemed hours to her before the men left the cave. As she heard the llidllpn Hr?r\r Inr In r>1r\oin<* cVia rnlonfl , v.v.x/1. V4W i jut M > A ViV/Olilg DilC KUOtU the lid and stepped out, breathing deeply. The paper she had purloined was indeed blank, but Jones or Jim would know what to do with it. And wouldn't they be surprised when she J told them what she had accomplished all alone? Her exultation was of short duration. She heard the whine of the door on its hinges. The men were re turning. Why? They were returning because they had discovered a woman's shoeprint outside. It pointed toward the cave, freshly, and there was none coming away. To reenter the chest would be foolhardy. It would be the first place the men would look. She glanced about desperately. She saw but one chance, the well. And even while the door was swinging inward, letting the brilliant sunshine enter, she sum-j moned up the courage and let hersell down into the well, which proved to be nothing more nor less than an un-! derground river! The men came in with a rush. They upset boxes, looked into the chest, and the man who was evidently in command gazed down the well, shaking his head. Their search was thorough, but they found no one. And at length they began to reason that perhaps a woman had got as far as the door and then turned away, walking on the turf. Meantime Florence was borne along by the ewift current of the river, which gained in swiftness every moment. From time to time she bumped along, the rocky walls, but she clung to life! valiantly. In ten minutes she was swept to the other side of the hill, in to the rapids; but the blue sky was overhead, she was out in the familiar, For a Moment the Countess Suspected a Trap. LD; CONWAY, S. 0. world again. On, on she wae carried. Even though she was halt dead, she could hear the roar of a falls somewhere in advance. * Braine* thought he really had a clue to the treasure, and vlth his usual promptness ho set about to leain if it was worth anything. He procured a launch and hegan to prowl about, using a pole as a feeler. All the while he was being closely watched by Norton, who had concluded to hang onto Viraine's trail till he found something worthy of note. Braine was disguised, but this time Jim was not to be fooled. But what Ma he locking for, wondered the reporter? Braine continued to pole along, sometimes pausing to look over the gunwale down into the water. In raising his head after the last investigation he discerned something struggling In the water, about three hundred yards away. The current leisurely brought the object into full view. It was a young woman with Just power enough to keep herself ufloat. The golden head roused something in him stronger than curiosity. It might be! Braine proceeded to move the launch in the direction of the girl. It was this movement that turned the reporter's gaze. He, too, now saw the woman in the water and wondered how she had come there. When Bfriine reached the girl and pulled her into the launch Jim saw her face blainly. He flew from his vantage point, found a skiff, and started after Braine. "By the Lord Harry!" murmured the rogue. "Well, they tan thlk of manna from heaven, but this Is what I call luck. Florence Hargreave, out of nowhere, into my arms! The god of luck has cast another horseshoe and it's mine." He had r. flask in his pocket, and he forced some of the biting spirits l^l>'aWMl'llMIIWllll? ' ' ' ' ;:>< ;.;:;.v.^SL r<>>x. ^^m*^^Ss6?? Found Herself in a Large, Musty Cave. down the girl's throat She opened her eyes. "Well, my beauty?" Florence eyed him wildly, not quite understanding where he had come from. "1 rlnn't Iftinw hnw vnn err?t horfl *' ?? W ?v MV ?? j vru ^vv IAVI he said; "and I don't care. But here we are together at last. Where is your father?" "I?I don't know," dazedly. "Better think quickly," he warned. "I want lucid answers to my questions, or back you go into the water. I'm about at the end of my rope. I've been beaten too many times, my girl, to have any particular love for you. Now, where is your father?" < "I don't know; I have never seen him." Braine laughed. And Jim's boat ran afoul some rocks and into the water he went. He had not attracted Brjfine's attention, fortunately. He began to swim toward the drifting launch. "Where have they hidden that money?" "I don't know." "Well, well; I've given you your chance. You'll have to try your luck with the water again." Florence, weak as she was, set her lips. "You don't ask for mercy?" he said banteringly. "I should be wasting my breath to ask for mercy from such a monster as ycfu are," she answered quickly. "That damned Hargreave nerve!" he snarled. He rolled up his sleeves and stepped toward her. She braced herself but did not turn her eyes from his Suddenly, from nowhere at all. came a pair of hands. One clutched the gunwale and the other laid hold of Braine. A quick pull followed, and Braine began to topple But even as ne tell ho managed to fling.himself atop his assailant; and it was only when the struggle began in the water that no recognized the reporter. All the devil in him came to the surface and ne fought with the fierceness of a tigor to kill, kill, kill , In nearly every instance this meddllngf reporter had checkmated him This time ono'or the other of them should stay in the .vat or. Norton recognized that tie had a large order before him to disable Braine. The recognition between them was now frank' and absolute; there could never again be any diplomatic sidestepping. "You're a dead man, Norton!" panted Braine. as he reached for the reporter's throat. Norton said nothing, but struck the hand aside. For a moment they both went under. They came up sputtering, each trying for a hold It was a terribly enervating struggle. Florence could do nothing. The boat in which she sat continued to drift away from the fighting men. Once she tried to reach Braine with . 1 1 1 ] 1 I ? . ' . - J uio puie ?? iiuu ueen using, our ioiiea. From the shore came another ooat For awhile she could not tell whether It contained friends or enemies it was terrible to be forced to wait, absolutely helpless. When she heard the newcomer a call encouragingly to Braine she know then that the orave tight oS Uer sweetheart wp.s going to come to naught. She knew a little about nn .tors. She threw on the power and headed straight toward the rowboat. The men shouted at her, but she did not alter her course. The rowbcat had its sides crushed in and the men went piling into the water. "Jim," she cried. Norton suddenly flung off Hraine and began to swim madly for the motorboat, which Florence had brought about. Even then it was only by the barest luck in the world that Norton managed to catch the gunwale. The rest of it was simple. When they finally reached a haven, Florence, odd iv enough, thought of the horse she had left tethered nine miles from the stables. She lauglffed hysterically. "I guess lie won't die. We can send someone out for him. Now, for heaven's sake, how did you get into this? " ^ >CT "If ?. ' The Magic Paper Was Hers. Where were you? What have you been up to?" with tender brusqueness *T wanted to do a little detective work of my own," she faltered. "It looks as if you had done it You infant! Will you never learn tc keep outside this muddle? It's a man's work." Florence, thoroughly weakened by her long immersion in the water, be gan to weep silently. "You poor child. I'm a brute!" And he comforted her. Later that day, at home, she re I membered the blank paper. "I stole this from one of the men in the cave. He said this blank pa per would probably save father/' Jim took it. "Hm! Invisible ink and it's had a fine washing." ' "But maybe it is waterproof." "Maybe it is. Anyhow, Miss Sher lock, we'll show it to Jones and see what he says. TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK DRIVING RUSSIANS TO SECOND LINE The Teutonic rush eastward in Polan dis rapidly hurrying the Russians to their second offense line centuring upon the fortress of Brest-Litovsk Austro-German concentration of effort seems to be in direction of that stronghold, from which their forces are at at points now barely 40 miles distant. Opinion in allied capitals seem divided as to whether the Russianscan hold this new line. Petrograd military observers express confidence, but London is wondering whetehr a further retirement will be necessitated. The latest official report seems to show the Russinan lines rapidly yielding in the centre and to the south where von Maekensen's forces have penetrated to the Radzyn-Vladova line, while in the north the Russians appear to be making a more determined stand. 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