The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, December 10, 1916, SECTION FIVE, Page 8, Image 69

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THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, DECEMBER lO, 1916.
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Dramatlied and produced by
the Vltagraph Company from the
popular novel of the same name
by C. N. and A. M. Williamson.
Everything you read here today
you can Bee this week at leading
motion-picture theaters In vivid
motion pictures with Earle Will
lams as Christopher Race and
Miss Zena Keefe as Sidney
Chester. Next week another
story and new pictures.
(Copyright. 1916, by" the Star
Company. AH foreign rights re
served.) CHAPTER IX.
The Gold Cigarette Case.
CHRISTOPHER RACE, Motorist.
London," was scrawled In pencil,
and In an uneducated hand, on -a
common envelope; that, andt nothing
more: yet the powers that "be In the
postoffice Viad sent It to him without
delay. Tliis was a tribute to hia fame,
but it was not enlightening.
In the common envelope was a half
fiheet of thick andn creamy parchment
paper, with a monogram In pale blue
nd silver; a pretty monogram, but so
intricate, consisting, as it did, of three
letters, as to be almost impossible for
itti uninitiated person to decipher. On
this half-sheet, written In. a firm, and
romewhat original hand. wMch might
be that of a man or a woman, were two
sentences and part of another.
"Dear. Sir: I have heard of you and
your car, and saw photograpjs of both.
1 know that you are a gentleman, and
ran be. trusted. I hope very much that
you are free and can come here by
Thursday, if possible, early in the
morning, as it is a matter of life and
death to me, to get away "
Here the letter broke off. giving no
clue to the nature or t:ie errand, or to
the whereabouts of the nameless writer.
But Christopher was able to make out
the postmark. The scrawled envelope
bad been sent out from Stoke d'Est
court. in Warwickshire.
The handbook told him that Stoke
id'Estcourt waa a small but interesting
hamlet, situated about three miles from
a railway station. The church was
celebrated for its brasses and a Norman
font. The 16th century inn, still un
spoiled, attracted artists. There were
several fine old houses in the village
and on the outskirts, also a number of
picturesque cottages; and tourists were
advised to visit the ruins of a castle in
the neighborhood.
This description encouraged Chris
topher in th somewhite wild idea that,
by going to Stoke d'Estcourt and mak
ing inquiries, he might be able to find
out who had sent him the unfinished
letter.
His journey was smooth and unevent
ful, and it was still early in the murky
evening when the blazing rays of his
lamps illuminated the quaint front of
the old inn. of which he had read, in
the guide book.
The first thing he did was' to teuf
teuf conspicuously to the postoffice,
where he inquired if there were any
letters for Mr. Christopher Race. But
nothing of interest was forwarded; and
nobody at Stoke d'Estcourt had taken
this means of communicating for the
second time with the owner of Scar
let Runner.
"Do you ever get letters here for
anyone with the initiate V. L. H.?" he
ventured to ask of the postmistress.
who was too pretty and coquettish to-
nub such a polite and good-looking
man, even if he put eccentric questions.
No, so far as the young woman could
remember, none of her "regular people"
had such Initials. As for the transient
folk, she could not pretend to say.
Baffled, as if he had been the villain
of the piece. Christopher went out of
the postoffice with only one card left
In the game to play. He determined to
drive Scarlet Runner slowly, tempting
ly, through every street of the village,
end past the gates of the great houses
and even farms of the surrounding
country, weaving the car through from
road to road as his map made possible.
Here and there he caused his siren to
discourse snatches from the opera of
"La Traviata"; but when he came in
sight of the castle he forgot to play
his own accompaniment, even forgot
for a few moments the business which
had brought him to Stoke d'Estcourt.
It really was a very fine and striking
ruin. . Christopher drove very slowly to
take in its full magnificence, and final
ly stopped Scarlet Runner in the shad
ow of the dark, towering walls, though
he did not stop her engine.
Looking up from his seat in the
gently purring car, the huge Norman
keep loomed above him. From this
point of view the massive shape of the
castle showed no appearance of decay;
and a Christopher's lively imagination
pictured moving figures in quaint cofc
tumes and gleaming armor, suddenly
there was framed in a small, ivy-draped
window a face as lovely as any for
which a knight of old ever did battle.
A girl was gazing down at him a
jrirl whose yellow-brown hair was
bright- gold against a background of
darkness. Christopher had Just time
to catch an impression of. a beautiful
face, white and large eyed with terror
or some other emotion strange for a
peaceful Engfsh morning, and then an
extraordinary thing happened. The
large eyes met his In appeal; the lips
opened without speaking; a hand and
arm were thrust through the aperture.
, and something small. that glittered as
i it fell was thrown to him.
The thing, whatever It was, was
' flung with a woman's aim, and instead
of reaching Its intended destination
landed noiselessly in a clump of dead
i grasses and nettles by the roadside.
I Instantly Christopher was out of the
; car. Without minding the nettles
: sting, he thrust his hand and arm deep
among rough stems and prickly leaves.
' coming almost Immediately upon the
object of his search, which his touch
told him must be a metal cardcase or
cigarette case. Before his eyes had a
. chance to inform him further, a low,
Inarticulate cry from the window made
! him, still stooping over the bed of net
ties, lift his head to look up once more,
i The girk silent after the one faint
j sound which had drawn his eyes to her
again, was signing to him eagerly to
J mount and ride away.
Astonisnea, out ready to obey a
lady's command no matter how strange.
Christopher sprang into the quivering
car. ana taking off the brakes put on
aeed wnlcn sent Scarlet Runner flying
eiong me road like a red arrow.
It was not until the first turn, when
the castle towers were hidden from
sight by an intervening hill, that Race
slackened the car's pace and looked at
the thing which the girl had thrown
to him. Then he saw that it was
very handsome though small cigarette
rase, made rather flat to avoid bulg
lng out the pocket which held it, and
ornamented with the letters N." in
diamonds. There was one peculiarity
which caused "Christopher to Jump at
the conclusion that the thing had been
made by special order and for a lady,
The inner part of the case was entirely
covered on one side with a mirror set
into the gold and surrounded by
.frame of tiny brilliants, thus leaving
place for cigarettes on the opposite
side only. The . fall had cracked the
gla.s4 across and the loose bits would
have fallen out If Christopher had not
closed up the case, fastening It with a
snap. He then put the dainty little
affair into his pocket and drove along
his Intended route in almost hopeless
quest or "V. L. H.
Christopher was Inclined to believe
that her act. whatever Its meaning,
bad been one e sheer, desperation
that she had chosen a course because
she could see no, other.
She was so beautiful, so altogether
interesting, that Christopher would
gladly have seized upon the theory
that she was "V. L. H.," because if that
were so she imist'have known of him
and summoned him. But common sense
if common sense had any place here
did not support the theory. "V. L. H"
who had wished to make use of Scarlet
Runner for a "matter of life or death,"
would hardly have sent Scarlet Runner
Instantly away out of her sight.
In the circumstances Christopher felt
constrained for . the sake of V. L. H.
to carry out his original intentions.
But he made his round of the roads
and returned to the village by a dif-
ieient way, as ne had planned; and no
one had come forward to claim his
services, to say: "It was I who wrote to
you. . I am glad that you are here."
Nevertheless, Christopher had no
thought of leaving the neighborhood.
There were two mysteries instead of
one to be puzzled into clearness now.
He had kept on his room at the inn.
and when he had put away Scarlet
Runner he shut himself up for another)
look at the cigarette case. Opening it.
the broken pieces of glass fell out. and
he saw what he had not guessed at bp
fore. The mirror . concealed a false
back to the case. and hidden there he
found a photograph of a young man.
He was an exceedingly good-looking
young man, with a strong, clever face
softened by the dreamy arch of the
eyebrows, over fine dark eyes. And
between the photograph and the thin
strip of gold which held it in place
was a slip of paper on which were
written close together and all in cap
itals, the letters TVBXCHTAY.
A key to a cipher, perhaps." Chris
topher said to himself. Was he in
tended to pluck out its secret, and
profit by what it taught him? He
could not tell.
He decided, as the person from whom
the girl wished to conceal the cigarette
case might have seen a fleeing motor
car, that it would be well for her sake
to appear on the scene next time In
the guise of an ordinary tourist. He
therefore exchanged his chauffeur's
cap for one of tweed, which matched
his clothes, and went out on foot with
out nis motor coat.
In half an hour he had reached the
castle, and was knocking at' the door
of a cottage built up against one of
the half fallen walls. This was the
dwelling of the caretaker whose busi
ness in life it was to guard the ruins
from vandals and to show visitors
about.
He was obliged to lift the knocker
two or three times before anyone an
swered, though there was a faint stir
ring inside the house and he fancied
that he heard suppressed voices. Pres
ently the door opened, and an old
woman appeared. She was small and
bent, though strong looking, with hard
features and singularly bright eyes
that glittered piercingly out of a yel
low network of wrinkles.
Christopher said civilly that he- had
come to visit the castle and hoped that
ne had not chosen hour when It was
not to be seen by the public. The old
woman, who seemed somewhat ae-i-
tated, though these requests must have
punctuated the hours of her daily life
for years, replied that the guardian,
her husband, had had an accident and
was in v. 'Hal. but that she would
take the gentleman .round. She then
unhooked an enormous key from a nail
on the wall, and led the way out-of
doors.
To enter the ruins one passed under
a portcullis, v and so on up a gentle
slope between thick, broken walls. At
the end of this passage an ugly modern
door had replaced the old one long ago
destroyed; and following his guide.
t-nristopner found himself In the castle.
j.ney went irom room to room, many
or which were open to the sky, with
mere stony suggestions of what tne
upper stories had been: but, as Chris
topher had been led by his late ad
venture to expect, the keep was in
better state of preservation than the
rest. He asked no questions; but go
ing up a steep stone stairway which
would lead, he knew, to a certain win
dow, his heart began to beat rather
more quickly than usual. He hoped,
and more than half believed, that he
would find a beautiful girl waiting for
him at the top of the steps; but lie
found stone walls, and emptiness; a
silent place where nothing moved save
the wandering sprays of ivy wnich
peered and beckoned at the window
where she had been.
Deeply disappointed. " Christopher
walked about pretending to be inter
ested in the thickness of the walls.
The old woman stood still, watching
him' as he went to the window and
looked out. Turning quickly, he caught.
or fancied that he caught, a cynical
expression on the dried-apple face.
"I saw a young lady looking out of
the window this morniiLtf,. wiioaa X took
to be an artist," said Christopher,
growing impatient. "Very pretty, with
yellowish-brown hair and dark eyes
might have been brown or violet. - I
think she had on a dark blue dr?ss."
"You must have been mistaken, sir,"
replied the old woman. "I didn't bring
any such young lady inhls morning."
Christopher asked no more leading
questions, but meekly allowed himself
to be shown the usual things and tojd
the usual legends. Then he gave the
old woman the usual fee, with the
usual extra tip. and took his leave.
But, turning to glance back at the
guardian's cottage, when the door was
shut he saw his late guide at the win
dow, peering out. Behind her stood a
mant looking over the stooping shoul
der; and though, as Christopher's eyes
met his he moved away and was gone
in an instant. Race caught a clear
enough impression to feel that he would
recognize the face again. It was that
of a man passing beyond middle age.
The eyes and skin were singularly
dark in contrast to thick white hair,
and - there was something peculiar
Christopher had not time to see clearly
what about the prominent nose.
Dissatisfied with the result of his
quest, he resolved to return to the cas
tle after dark and linger about in the
hope that the girl might return under
cover of dusk to demand her property
and explain her strange manner of dis
posing of It. Meanwhile, however, he
had half the day to get through, and,
pave for such interludes as meals, noth
ing to do with it except to make in
quiries concerning the girl.
Describing her, he questioned the
landlord at the inn, and afterward the
coquetteish young woman at the post
office, but neither the one nor the
other could tell him anything, and
when after nightfall he groped his way
through a thick mist towards the castle
ruins, he had still no' clew which might
help him to find the lady of the cigar
ette case.
Sauntering as if aimlessly along the
road dominated by the vast ruins.
Christopher began softly to whistle the
air from "La Travata." which Scarlet
Runner's new siren played. It must
have been those musical notes, heard
from a distance, which had drawn the
girl to the keep window before he ar
rived beneath in the car.
If she remembered and recognized
them now she would know what they
meant, as they fluted a message out of
the night. Again he whistled the same
air, while he lighted a cigarette which
should also have its special meaning
for the girl If she were near, as well
as giving her a hint of his where
abouts. Perhaps she wanted a reassuring
EARLY PIONEERS OF OLD OREGON BRAVELY
FACE INNUMERABLE HARDSHIPS AT START
Continued From Page 7.)
steadily voted the Canadians. . Le Bre
ton's quick eye took in the numbers.
We can risk it. Let us divide ana
count," he said.
I second the motion: ' cried vvmiam
Cray.
Majority Is Only Two.
All hesitated when Jo Meek, the
mountain man. stepping outside the
crowd, swifhg his hat in air and sound
ed the war-whoop:
"Divide! Divide! Who's for a divide?
All in favor of the American flag fol
low me!"
Every American stepped out behind
the stanch Virginian. A few Canadians
swayed, hesitated, then .followed the
American side. Kirty-two against ou
lined up for the Stars and Stripes.
"Three cheers for- our side!" cried
Jo Meek, and with a will over French
Prairie rolled one long, loud shout for
America.
No bells were Tang,
No paeans sung.
N'o banners (lung
No booming cannon pealed,
but Oregon was ours.
The opposition, disconcerted, with
drew Into the fence corners, watched
proceedings for a while, then, mount
ing their Indian ponies, cantered slow
ly homeward, ruminating on the per
formances of these self-guided Amer
icans. "And as solemn about it, too, as if
it were Judgment day." said one who
returned to Fort Vancouver.
No buiiets sped.
No blood wa shed.
No fallen dead
Marked that fair battle-field.
The committee of 12 reported for or
ganization and a provisional Legisla
ture. Eight days later the Legisla
ture elected on Champoeg sod held its
first meeting at Oregon City.
The Methodist mission at the falls
fltT tin it old rmnarv for thei n.--
cooimodation.. Summoned-by the howl
glimpse of his face before speaking.
Well, she should have it. He held up
the lighted wax match to the cigarette
until its flame began to burn down.
Then, as it flared up before the end,
suddenly there came to his ears a hiss,
sharp and wicked as a snake's, and at
the same instant he was conscious of
a stinging pain In his left arm.
Away went match and ' cigarette,
their sparks drowned in the wet grass.
and Christopher, surprised and pricked
io anger, realized mat ne had been shot
at with an airgun. Suspecting no lurk
ing malice, he had calmly made him
self a target for someone to pot at,
and with a quick desire for vengeance
he started to run in the direction
whence the first rustling had pro
ceeded. A shadow loomed ahead. Christopher
sprang at it, only to seize the beetling
branches of a young larch or wew tree,
and at the same time to receive a blow
on the shoulder from behind a sharp,
unexpected blow, which sent him pitch
ing forward. Before he could recover
his balance, the ground seemed to van
ish from under his feet, and he plunged
with a reat splash into the stagnant
water of the moat.
For a few seconds he floundered
clumsily, then got to his feet for the
water, thouh Ice-cold, was not deep.
By groping he came upon a broken
place In the moat wall, where he could
get foothold and handhold of a pre
carious kind. After a slip or two he
succeeded in climbing out. and despite
the danger of being shot at again, de
voted his attention to ridding himself
of as many weeds and as much loose
mud as possible. The person who had
played him these two sorry tricks, one
upon the other, had probably exhausted
his forces for the moment. In any
case, no further attack was made, and
after a walk which restored his circu
lation, if not - his temper, Christopher
regained the inn.
The wound in the arm was not seri
ous, and Christopher, determined to
keep his own counsel, attended to it
unaided But he could not help re
fleeting that It had perhaps been rather
a close, shave for him. That noiseless
airgun need only to have been a little
better aimed to have reached his heart,
instead of inflicting some slight dam
age on his left arm.
' Christopher began to see that this
affair was of a far more serious and
complicated nature than he had sup
posed at first, even when Its mystery
had most puzzled him. In hia own
room at the inn he took out the ciga
rette case and considered It with in
terest, the while he rid himself of his
soaked clothes. Certainly the little
gold box waa of great value to someone.
of bears and wolves and panthers and
the fiercer howl of Indians, they came.
Here, in the granary-capltol, beside
the sounding falls, beneath the whis
pering firs, on the shores of the Far
ther Ocean, gravely as of old the Con
tinental Congress, Oregon's first Legis
lature reared anew the institutions of
their sires.
The preamble of that pioneer con
stitution declared: "That we, the peo
ple of Oregon Territory for the pur
poses of mutual protection and to se
cure peace and prosperity among our
selves, agree to adopt the following
laws and regulations until such time
as the United States of America shall
extend their Jurisdiction over us."
People Ratify Document.
On July 5. 1843. the precious docu
ment was presented to the people for
ratification.
On July 4 they began to gather at
old Champoeg. By boat they came, on
foot and horseback, from Oregon City
and upper Willamette and from far-off
Clatsop Plains. Almost all the male
population of Oregon came and camped
upon the ground to vote upon the
charter of their liberties. The French
men came, too, so that on July S the
largest assembly of white men that
had ever gathered In Oregon was called,
to order. It was a New England
meeting transferred to Pacific shores.
A lively discussion followed the
reading of the legislative report. "A
Governor or no Governor" was the
bitch in proceedings. Again Gray
came to the rescue with a ringing
speech for no Governor. A vote was
taken and the constitution adopted.
Many of the move independent French
settlers Joined in the deliberations on
this day and voted for ratification.
All classes contributed to the expense
of the new Government. And thus,
without a Governor, without a treas
ury and with but one law booka copy
f the Iowa Code that someone had
chanced to bring across tlie plain
a value far beyond its intrinsic worth,
in spite of -Asight and sparkling dia
monds. Was it for the concealed pho
torgaph. or the slip of paper with the
queer cipher, that someone had lain in
wait to shoot or drown him?
It was after 9 when he waked again,
and he was much annoyed with himself
for wasting time in bed, when he might
have been better employed la. playing
detective. During the long, wakeful
hours of the night he had planned,
when day came, to find out' something
about the man wno had peered at mm
through the cottage window, over the
old caretaker's shoulder. sut wnen.
by his request, a London newspaper
and breakfast were brouht to ..is room,
a paragraph in the personal column of
the Daily Recorder turned his atten
tion in an instant from people cna
events at Stoke d'Estcourt.
T V: B." stared at him In large
black caDltale at the head of that fa
mous column. "Whoever can supply in
formation as to these letters and those
following will be richly rewarded if
communicates Box 2001. Daily Recorder
offi-o he read with a keen stab of
rifir work!" Christopher said to
himself. For he did not doubt that he
was the person for whose benefit the
paragraph had been put In print. He
was in a position to supply the wished
for information, but he would not sup-i-u-
t untfi h could be Bure that the
advertiser was the rightful owner of
the cigarette case, with such secrets as
it contained.
Having dressed hastily, be paid bis
bill at the inn and departed with Scar
let Runner.
v.r rmiti to town he concocted a tele
gram, which he would not have thought
It wise to send from the Stoke d'Est
court postoffice, and got it off from a
cmnll town where he stopped to lunch.
"Should the advertiser wish to hear
more of T. V. B., the only way of doing
so will be to call 9 o clock tonignt n
day) on Christopher Race, who may
be able to give information but will
accept no reward."
This was all, save for the address of
his lodgings, number and street.
TTin first .thing he did in the morning
was to open the Daily Recorder and-j
cast his eyes down tne personal col
umn. "T. V. B." was conspicuous only
In absence: but towards the end of the
column appeared something else which
caught Christophers attention at
glance.
"V. L. H. is earnestly implored to
communicate Immediately with one
who hoped to -meet on Thursday at ad
dress V. L. H. knows, ureal anxiety.
Can't bear suspense."
1 So. Christopher Race was not the
the first American state slept in its
cradle on the Pacific.
In a short time even the Hudson's
Bay Company became reconciled to the
new order and some of its members
occupied seats in the Oregon Legisla
ture. Officers recommended by the
committee were all elected, among
them the trapper, Jo Meek, for Sheriff.
And yet. all -told, there were not 200
Americans west of the Rocky Moun
tains. In place of a Governor an executive
committee of three was elected to veto
bills and execute laws. ' But they soon
tired of this and three years later
George Abernethy, who had stood so
loyally for the Union, .was elected Ore
gon's first Governor.
Oregon's first statehouse, the old
granary-capltol at Oregon City, had a
roof of cedar bark and sides of split
timber,, suitable for fence rails. Upon
the puncheon platform sat the Presi
dent. Legislators occupied seats of
slab, bark side down, around the room.
The secretary kept, his records on a
bench of rough, uncovered plank. Here,
one day, a law against dueling was
passed in haste, to keep two angry im
migrants from blowing each other's
brains out. Laws were passed against
slavery. Some had left the South to
get away from slavery. Prohibition
was the law of the land, for, with
whisky in the country, no man's house
was safe against Indian massacre.
By the time Whitman came with the
Immigration of 1843 1000 men. women
and children, 120 wagons and EO00 head
of cattle everything was organized
and ready. That turned the tide over
whelmingly in favor of the United
States.
As the old 13 colonies exterminated
bears and wolves and panthers under
bounty to build up Boston. Providence
and Pittsburg, so now the first Pacific
colony was preparing the way for the
then unnamed Saleui, Corvallia. Eu
gene and. Portland,
only person who had been given rea
son to count upon meeting V. L. H. on
Thursday!
Christopher wished very ardently
that he as well as V. L. H. knew the
address of the anxious advertiser; but
as he did not, and could think of no
means of finding it out, he could do
nothing to match the pieces of the
puzzle together.
A Mr. Warren Lockwood wrote from
the Laurels. Pleasant avenue, Barnet.
saying that friends had recommended
Mr. Race and his car. Would Mr. Race
be so excessively kind as to drive his
Scarlet Runner out to the Laurels, ar
riving as near 8 o'clock as he could
make convenient? For & week's trip
Mr. Lockwood was prepared to offer
the round sum of 100 guineas, he stated
In a postscript, which also asked for a
wire.
Taking everything together Christo
pher determined that it would be as
well, at least, to call at the Laurels,
and sent a wire to that effect. Starting
from Scarlet Runner's garage at 7.
he found the fog so densely thickened
that he doubted If he could find the
way.
Towards Regent's Par the fog lifted
slightly, but in Finchley road it set
tled again as densely as ever, and he
could go a little more than a walking
pace.
Suddenly, at what seemed to be a
corner of the wide country road not
far outside Barnet, a voice cried to
him.
"Scarlet Runner?" . it shouted; and
Race, astonished, answered before he
had stopped to think: "Yes."
Next instant a black figure was sil
houetted strangely in the pale haze of
the car lamps, and three short sharp
reports barked dryly in the night.
Someone had fired a revolver at his
driving-wheel tires, and two shots
had taken effect, for he could feel the
car settling down on the deflated inner
tubes. Hot with fury at the outrage,
Race leaped from his seat to the road
way, peering Into the darkness, ting
ling to inflict punishment, and reckless
of all danger for himself. There was
no sound of running footsteps. The
scoundrel must be lurking But the
thought was cut short abruptly as the
breaking of a thread. As he touched
ground, something thick and soft was
thrown over his head from behind, and
twisted, tightly round his neck.
Taken by surprise in the heat of his
rage, for an instant Christopher lost
his breath. He stumbled under the on-
slought. staggered, and nearly lost his
balance. Hands deftly, swiftly, tore
open the buttons of his overcoat, and
he knew Instantly with returning pres
ence of mind that he had two men to
deal with.
A fierce upward swing of his right
arm was Just in time to prevent the
mnn a t Vi f hrk from twisting the
hood too 'tightly round his throat. Step
ping back heavily on the feet of this
fellow, he shot out a left arm like a
battering-ram and caught the would
be pickpocket squarely in the face.
There waa a grunt of pain, and the
prying hands fell away from Christo
pher's coat.
To attempt pursuit In the fog would
be useless. Besides, he had seen the
face of neither man. Panting from the
struggle, he assured himself with some
sense of triumph that the cigarette
case was still safe in his waistcoat
pocket.
By the time the car was ready to go
on again, he had made up his mind not
to pay the call alone, but to take for a
companion a member of the local po
lice. - Most policemen within motoring
radius of London had heard the name
of Christopher Race, and he was re
ceived favorably at the police station in
Barnet. Without telling the story of
the cigarette case, he confided to the
inspector in charge of the fact that a
piece of Jewelry in hie possession was
apparently coveted by an unscrupulous
stranger. He showed the letter, wlt'i
the address of "The - Laurels," which
was written, not embossed, and gave
an account of what had occurred to
him on hia way to keep the appoint
ment.
"Whoever this man is." said the po
liceman, "he thinks more of his reputa
tion than he does or getting what he
wants from you. thougn ne's evidently
keen on that. You can count on The
Laurels being watched; but my opinion
Is that the hunt won't come back that
way. You'll find the wind blowing
from some other quarter, an unexpected
one, maybe, and my word to you is.
consult Scotland Yard.'
With this advice etill echoing in his
ears. Christopher at last drove Scarlet
Runner rapidly back to London, the
fog having lifted with a hint of breeze.
He was tired and hungry; and, knowing
that he would get nothing to eat at his
lodgings, when he had put up t.ie car,
he went to his club, where refreshment,
liquid and solid, was to be had at any
hour.
Two men sat at a table in a corner,
talking earnestly, ane, nearlng him en
ter, they- looked up, as If not too
pleased to have the room invaded. Both
were young, and strangers to Chris
topher.'yet the face of one seemed curi
ously familiar to him. "Now, where
have I seen that good-looking chap be
fore, and lately, too?" Race asked him
self.
Then, suddenly, the answer sprang
into his mind. This was the original
of the photograph in the gold cigarette
case.
He took the gold cigarette case from
his pocket and laid it on the table.
where its diamonds flashed in the light
of a red-shaded candle. Three minutes
later Its gleam caught the eye of the
young man. and Christopher saw his
face go through the changes from as
tonishment and incredulity to lntensest
eagerness.
"What will he do now?
T' Nv
as the
question in Christopher's mind. But
it was almost Instantly answered. What
the young man did was to Jump up, and,
on pretense of going to the fireplace
to warm his handss. pass close to the
table where Race sat. He paused, and
Christopher's eyes and his met. His
were honest eyes, as well as handsome
ones, and any doubt that might have
crept into Race's mind concerning the
original of the photograph died in a
second.-'
"You will think' It very strange." said
the young man, "but I must beg you to
tell me how you got that cigarette
case." ,
"I don't think it strange," returned
Christopher. "When I recognized your
face, I put the case there. I hoping you'd
ask me that question. - I'll answer it
with the greatest pleasure, and there
are also some questions I trust you'll
answer me."
The other man got up and came
across the room. "You're Mr. Race,
aren't you?" he asked.
Christopher assented, and added that
he had Just learned that the other was
Fergus O'Brien, of Scotland Yard.
, "This Is my friend Indeed, my dis
tant relative Mr. Maurice Naylor,"
said O'Brien.-
"M. N!" exclaimed Christopher Im
pulsively. "Exactly. We were speaking of that
cigarette case, when you showed in."
"Can you also tell me who is V.
L. H.?"
She Is Violet Hardeastle. the niece of
the man who probably paid this room
a visit while you were out. She didn't
give you the cigarette case?"
"Perhaps, if I tell you how I got the
cigarette case, it will help, you both."
said Christopher. And then, beginning
with the unfinished letter, he gave
them the whole history" of the affair,
ending with the episode in Barnet.
"Certainly it's Hardcastle who has
planned it all; if he hasn't done it all!"
exclaimed Naylor. Til bet it was he
who grabbed you from behind tonight.
He's as big a coward as a scoundrel,
though O'Brien was saying that I'll
have difficulty In proving him a vil
lain." "He's his niece's guardian." explained
Naylor. "Brother of her dead father,
who thought everything of him. But
Violet's mother was an American, and
she never liked the man never trusted
htm. The money was all hers, but he's
got a lot of it in his hands somehow
against the mother's wish. I fancy and
naturally he doesn't want Violet to
marry, as by her father's will he has
charge of her affairs until she does.
He had her at school in Paris till she
was 20, to keep her out of the way
of men: but I'm attached to the Em
bassy there, and we met. I fell in love
with her at sight who wouldn't? and
when Hardcastle heard what had hap
pened, he came and carried her off at
at once. He was clever enough, though,
to stop me from making a row by
saying he'd inquire about me, and If all
was well, would allow the engagement
to go on. Meanwhile Violet was to
stop with him in some country house
he was taking. Hardcastle promised
to write, and promised that if every
thing went as he expected. Violet
should, too. He'd let me know the ad
dress and all that. Well, I heard
nothing. I found out his office ad
dress, and wrote several times. No
answer. Just then I couldn't get leave,
which was a horrid bother; but after a
fortnight of worry and suspense, I re
ceived a letter from Violet, evidently
written in great haste. Here it is. You
shall see it. Mr. Race."
From an inner pocket Naylor pro
duced a half-sheet of paper, at sight of
which Race had to restrain- an excla
mation, for it exactly matched the one
which he himself possessed: and the
writing which covered It was the same
as that in the letter over which he had
so often puzzled.
"Dearest Maurice." he read, "this is
lr the greatest haste. I've run away
from my uncle's house escaped, I
might call it; for, since a dreadful
cene we had. I've been practically a
prisoner. I've been planning this for
days, but have only Just succeeded.
I ve got to a farmhouse not far from
the village, giving a different name,
and making up a stupid story about
myself, but it answers very well, for
they're keeping me as a lodger for a
night or two. Really. I'm In hiding
here, for I daren't leave the house lest
my uncle or that hateful, wicked old
valet of his you saw in Paris, pounce
down on me like hawks and carry me
back, again. I tell you, dearest, I'm
afraid of them both. I don't know
what they mayn't do. and all because
of my money. I'm sure uncle must
have done something dishonest with it.
Anyway, he came to me one night and
said that he knew my mother had left
me a great deal which had never come
into his hands; that he'd got Informa
tion about there being valuable bonds
in a bank in New York of which he
ought to have known. I admitted that
it was true, and that dear mother had
given me a letter about the bonds Just
before she died, saying that they were
never to be put In his charge. He said
he must have them, that he was in
difficulties, but this extra money would
tide him over, and he would make It
all right afterwards. He begged and
pleaded so that I began to give him the
letters of the combination-lock, and
had got as far as TVB when it seemed
exactly as if mother's voice spoke in
my ear and forbade me to go on. There
was a miserable scene between us after
that. His eyes were awful, and fright
ened me. You know, in my little
cigarette case, which you gave me with
your initials in it. and your photo
graph hidden inside. I told you I would
keep the thing most valuable . to . me
after your picture. That thing Is the
combination by which the safe at the
bank which contains the bonds can be
opened. No one has opened it and cut
the bonds since mother was in New
York last, not long before she died.
Not a soul living except myself knows
the combination, not even the manager
of the bank. I'm sure mother was right
In not trusting uncle, and that this se
cret fortune is all I have left. I daren't
wait for you to come here, but shall
try to get to London by motor, rather
than show myself at a railway station,
and will go straight to the Savoy. You
will get this Just in time to meet me
there If you start from Paris Thursday
morning. I shall finish this letter and
write another arranging about the mo
tor; and to do both. I've but one sheet
of paper. Your loving VIOLET."
"I think," remarked O'Brien gravely,
"that we'd better go down at once into
Warwickshire and play a surprise visit
to Mr. Hardcastle's house, the sooner
the better."
"We can go In my car." said Christo
pher. "And we can start whenever
you like in half an hour, if it suits
you."
"There's Just one thing we must do
before we start." said O'Brien, "and
that is, get a warrant for Hardcastle's
arrest. I can do it. through Mr. Race's
evidence about what occurred tonight."
It was S o'clock on Sunday morning,
and still pitch dark, when they got off
in Scarlet Runner; but they had the
warrant; and the good car seemed to
know that there was stiff work to be
done.
Mr. Hardcastle, announced a sour
faced middle-aged woman who opened
the door, was not at home.
"We will see Miss Hardcastle. if her
uncle is not here," he said authorita
tively. And to his surprise and the
astonishment of his companions, the
servant made no objection- Ushering
all three into a handsome if sparsely
furnished drawing-room, she said that
Miss Hardcastle was not well, but
should have the gentlemen's message,
and would either come down or send
word.
"Tell her it's Mr. Naylor." cried the
girl's lover. "Mr. Maurice Naylor. who's
found her. though she gave him no ad
dress, and he couldn't make out the
postmark on her letter.
"Will she come?" was the question
In the minds of the three men. And in
two minutes it was answered by the
girl herself, pale and lovely, in a tea
gown of white, her beautiful hair dis
ordered as if she had risen hastily from
bed.
"Oh. Maurice!" she sobbed, running to
him. with eyes for no one else.
It was true that Mr. Hardcastle was
"not at home." as his servant had said.
But he had returned early that morn
ing, by motor, as O'Brien had guessed,
and by threatening to kill Maurice Nay
lor, whom he knew to be in London, he
had induced Violet to tell her care
fully guarded secret, to save her lover's
life. Then with his confidential man.
her uncle had gone off again in his car.
"But luckily." remarked the detective
when he had heard these details from
the girl, "he can't sail for New York
today."
"I wonder?" she said. "I happen to
know that he's lately bought or hired
a big steam yacht, but I don't know
her name."
"We'll know it before we're many
hours older," O'Brien assured her. .
"We'll know whether she's sailed; if
so, from what port and for what port.
We'll know all there is to know, in
fact: and when Mr. Hardcastle steps
on shore across the water, he'll find
himself under arrest"; which was ex
actly what happened. Therefore, Mrs.
Maurice Naylor is a rich woman, as
well as a happy one. In spite of the
enormous speculations of that now fa
mous defaulter, the solicitor Hard
castle. Thus, after all. Christopher thought
that he might fairy say he had won his
bet with himself; so he bought the re
peater, and Violet Hardcastle made him
a present of the gold clcarette css.
(A Saw Adventure Next Week,
t: J.
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