The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-01-20


ping reports and things"
"Gooodness only knows" replied my friend. Then,
calling Cavendish, q tall, fair young man. who had
now recovered from his touch of fever and had re-
turned to the Consulate he commenced to check the
number of those adhesive stamps rather larger than
ordinary postage stamps used in the Consular service
for the registration of fees received by the Foreign
Office. The values were from sixpence to one pound
and they were kept in a portfolio.
After long calculation the Consul suddenly
raised his face to me and said
"Then six ten shilling ones have been taken"
"Why? There must be some motve!"
"They are OF no use to anyone except to Consuls,"
he explained. perhaps they were wanted to atlix
the PORTFOLIO, "there were six stamps here, and all
are gone" ,..., J., -,
Consular stamp" remarked Cavendish.
"Ah of course" exclaimed Hutcheson, taking
out the brass seal from the safe and examining it
infinitely. "By Jove!" he cried second later, "its
been used They've stamped some document with
it. Look! They've used the wrong ink-pad Cant
you see that there's violet upon it, while we always
use the black pad!"
took it in my hand, and there sure enough, I
traces of violet ink upon 1.-THE ink of the pad
for the date stamp upon the ConsuPs table.
"Then some document has been stamped and
sealed" gasped.
eyes. And my signature forged to it, no doubt
They've fabricated some certificate or other which,
bearing the stamp, seal and signature of the Con-
sulate, will be accepted as legal document
wonder what it ISL"
"Ah" I said 81 wonder!" And the three of
looked at each other in sheer bewilderment
"The reason the papers are all upset is because
they evidently in search of some blank form
or other, which they hoped to find" remarked my
friend. Gas you say, the whole affair was most
carefully and ingeniOusly planned"
We crossed the great sunlet piazza together and
entered the Questura, that sunblanched old palace
with its long cool logga where the sentry PAGES day
and night. The Chief of Police, whom we saw, had
no further information The mysterious yacht had
not put in at any Italian port From him, however,
we learned the name of the detective who had seen
the two strangers leave Leghorn by the early morn
ing train, and an hour afterward the police officer
blackeyed man short of STATURE but of an intelli-
gent type, sat in the Consulate replying to ques
TONS
"As far as could make out, signore," he said
'the man was an Englisman wearing soft black
felt hat and a suit of dark blue SERGE He had hair
Just turning gray, a small dark mustache and rather
high cheekbones. In his hand he carried a small
bag of tan leather of that square English shape He
seemed in no hurry, for he was calmly smoking
cigarette as he went across to the ticket Office"
"And his companion" asked the Consul
"She was in black. Rather tall and slim Her
hair was fair noticed, but she wore black veil
which concealed her features"
WAS she young or od?"
"Young-from her igure,' replied the police
agent AS she passed me her eyes met mine, and
them-the look of a woman filed with some unspeak-
able horror"
Next day the town of Leghorn awoke to find itself
gay with bunting, the Italian and English flags vinp
side by side everywhere, and the Consulate standard
Mapping over the Consulate in the piazza In the
night the British Mediterranean fleet, cruising down
from Malta, had come into the roadsyead and at the
signal from the flagship had Unanswered and
dropped anchor forming long line of gigantic bat
teshps swift cruisers, torpedoboat destroyers tor
dicpo tnh bnok 81
ing for several miles along the coast
In the bright morning sunlight the sight was both
picturesque and imposing, for from every vessel flags
were flying. and ever and anon the great battleshp
OF the admiral made signals which were repeated by
an the other vessels, each in turn. Lying still on
those calm blue waters was force which one dav
might cause nations to totter the overwhelming
force which upheld Brtan's right in that oft.dis.
puted
couple of thousand British sailors were ashore
on leave, their white caps conspicuous in the streets
Continued on Fourteenth. Page)