The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-12

| ton But what is to prevent me from
setting some fellow who is not an amateur
| on the track? / suppose good detectives
do exist out Of fiction, Ell % I'm l4Syag
y Perhaps so, sir. I have no experience
of them. / only feel that this thing is
| for me. T think I can succeed and that
Others will fail, that is ALL" g.. Il *
Have YOU already formed a theory of
! the desertion of the yacht?" d -.
| I'm cropping on the way towards one.
But even so, that is only the beginning"
"You are right. And besides, the de-
sertion of the yacht is not the thing which
| looms biggest to me. will tell you this
much now. There's a mystery within a
mystery, where I am concerned in this
affair And it has baffled all detective
skill for many a long year.
/ =. ''Oh, then you have proved the profess
SIGNALS faiures?'' 49,
You're quick to snatch at a straw
I've proved some of them failures. But
what I was going to say is this: The
whole mystery or nothing, for me. Moth
| ing else is worth paying for g.. -
II swear I'll find it OUT ID.
";Then you shall have 6 20, OQ0.''
| 81 won't part with it for that"
Talk of refusing to part, my, friend,
when you've got something to part with
.I'l talk Of it again, then sir, if you'll
give me the chance II: I.
! You shall have every chance within
reason. But, meanwhile, = some other
chance, as I've said before, may toss the.
whole secret into my hands without your
agency" -. = E,x@-,
to work out the puzzle for yourself?' .. !
mo, I can't do that. I must get some
one else.'
| do you expect to find a detective at
| Gibraltar? or will the authorities there
act as such?'' go. ...S
II should be sorry to put my case into
their hands. They're too full of red tape
already d.
do you then commission me to under
take it?' ,....h ~5 :.
For the 100000 reward?''
| NO. sir; for the chance - the mere
! showing myself d clever enough man to
deserve that you change your mind about
me for Miss Markham
What do you mean by the mere
| chance?'' Are you trying to bind me to
| anything concerning her?''
| NO. For the chance that, if ] dis
| tinguished myself in conducting an affair
which seems to be Of vital Importance to
you, sir. you might feel inclined to say:
Richard knights genius has been use
| full to me; he has been shrewd enough to
earn twenty thousand pounds if he
chooses to take it; and therefore the name
of knight, unbacked by ancestors, is no
! longer to be despised.' -
You would do your best, then, OH the
chance that the glory Of your, deeds might
move me to such decision; though. on
the other hand. when I'd profit by your
work, might after all consider the OBJ
stacles between you and my daughter as
big as do at this moment?'
Yes; L would do my best on that
chance. no matter how hard the work
might be, how many the sacrifices 1
should have to make, or how long the time
I spent" D.. -: q : E.st--
i "By Jove. those words go with tina
square chin Of yours You ought to sue
coed in life, Knight if it's logged as
does it. - 49,.
I'm going to try if you say the chance
is mine y, g.. -, 80 = 3$:s,,
Sir Peter paused for a moment Then
ne said: But EVE is only Is; an mpulsive
little thing, not much more than a child
and a spoilt child at that. She fancies
herself in love with you now, because
she's been thrown with you for a fortnight
or So Tomorrow, you part. And re-
member-at Tangler we are taking Lord
Waverley and his sister on board. You
knew that. But you didn't know. tina
Waverley wants to marry EVE There
was no reason why you should know it be.
fore; now it's only fair to tell you; 70,
? rWaverley's nice young fellow. and ir
every way eligible, as the dowagers say
They've met several times; she can't hel1
= admiring him.; all women do believe
Lily Maid, together for eight or ten days
, as they will be, you can see that shell
, have opportunity for forgetting you, es
pecially as on no account should L ALLOW
you to hint of any hopes for the future
II should not think Of doing SO, sir,
answered Dick steadily; though the knit,
! was turned round in his heart All tina
Sir Peter said was true. The girl wa
very young and irnpulsive And Dick ha<
met the Marques of Waverley, who wa
one Of the best-lookingr young men i,
England. Still he stuck to his guns. I'll
! spite of all you've said" he added, IT an
ready to work on the chance"
" Then we'll strike bargain on. thos
/ lines, - exclaimed Sir Peter. 80 now
! since we've sorted out our plans, if youv
done with that packing case which starte
the whole conversation. well go on to tn
hold, and perhaps at once upset all GU
" own calculations .,.-..E ~
Dick did not think that this woul
happen, but he held his peace. He fel
that he had said enough. The lantern ST
Peter had suggested looking for was Sc
cured on returning to the forecastle, an
the two men set out for All exploration 9
the hold. There they found the obvious
a smooth layer Of lead ballast in lieu G
the cargo which would have filed the hol
Of merchant ship and nothing else
They did not give up the search until 81
Peter has absolutely satisfied himself tina
y, in this dark, depressing place. there wa
no clue. to the secret of the Xenia.
"Still,' he said at: last. we've by n
means finished the nights work. Their
is the clothing in the cabins and---ther
may be papers of Importance there
though every other place seems to hav
been cleared. We will go together, 4
you choose; that is your right, because
:. in a fashion, I've engaged you to wor
N up the case, so to speak. But, I tell 70
5. frankly, what I want is to do this on
,, thing by myself. 1 have my reasons, an
as yet-they're for myself alone.''
TN go up on deck, have a smoke an
think things over said Knight. 'Yo
% will find me there, if you want me later.
n k They parted-Sir Peter to visit the de
serted staterooms where the scattere
Jewels still sparkled coldly under the cleo
le trio light; Knight to go on deck.
le The moon was now at the zenith
l. There were no more black elusiv
n shadows, but flood Of white ligh
. streaming directly down from overhead
= Dick filled and lighted an old briar
"a wood pipe, which had been a humble bu
j. valued, friend Of his for years. He be
ls gan to pace the deck slowl yand thought
= fully. but instead of concentrating hi
% mind on the mystery Of the derelict, ha
a unconsciously he let it go wandering bac
1T to his own past.
!. Perhaps this was natural Though
. was vital to his interests now that h
s. should wrestle with the secret Of til
1t xenia, STILL if his past had been like tina
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