The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-29

appeared with all the other papers !, on
board the Xenia. What a fool he. had
been not to think of it,, and what a: fool
not to stow all the documents in his
pockets when he ran up on deck to get
news of Eve!- If he had only done that
he would not now be anathematiz him
self as a failure on the very threshold Of
success: = He could picture the spy at
the keyhole,. darting away into the dark
ness at, the: sound Of the key: turning in
the lock. This, of course. was the eX-
PLANTATION of the figure in the store-room.
The spy had hidden there, thinking 1t
the last place where he would be looked
for; then, when he heard someone com
ing in, he, had jumped out rather than
stay and be- forced to face, the situation.
Probabl when he CDick) and Sir Peter
had been searching. either the fellow had
slipped back into the storeroom the one
place into which they had not thought
to go again and hidden. perhaps in. the
big packing case; or else-if one of the
men employed by the captain of the port
were really guilty-he could simply have
walked back to his companion and been
quite safe. Afterwards. when Sir Peter
and Dick were talking III the saloon, he
would have gone back to the sta te-room
and taken the things out of the cabinet
This theory appeared more rea sonable
than any other that Dick could think of.
yet the motive for such a theft seemed
small. Still. if the man had expected to
find some Of the XeniaS much talked of
treasure slowed away: in the cabinet, in
sheer rage at discovering nothing save q
few letters and books l1e might have!
thrown everything out through the port
hole; or he might have kept the spoil.
such as it was, in the hope of Obtaining,
important infornla ton, or perhaps a re-
ward - = 80 - >: -
Dick had not Yet had. much talk with the
new men but now he went UP on deck
where, they both were, and entered into
conversation with. them. They struck
him as bluff, honest fellows without any
subtle, inte1lig ence-.: Both had been In he
navy, and if Dick could trust himself as a
judge of human nature. neither was .capa-
BILE Of playing the sly trick that he had
suspected. Nevertheless, there had been
some one hiding in the storeroom, and the
books and letters; had been stolen from
the cabinet within a few moments after
its existence; had been discovered, He
did not know what to think. If it had
been feasible to believe that some fourth
person We're concealed on board-a, person
who had played the, ghost last night and
had acted as a thief both then and now
Dick would ;haVe caught gladly at the idea,
which would account for eyeryt thing. But
last night the entire yacht had been
searched, and again in the morning blythe
capita in of the port. It must be that one
at least of these. men was guilty, but Dick
could not bring himself to accuse the
plea SAINT respect fuL seemingly simple
minded fellows. He tried them in several
ways, and even. asked if they Knew why
they had been brought on board in place
of their predecessors, but they answered
frankly, and laughed at the suggestion of
ghosts; WI s. if. they had had some
itFy g to III If would have be ser to
encourage ~ of "a super1li. 81 pas
senger who did strange things and caused
istrange noises: Dick determ lined to let