Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-05-16
BY ROBERT BARR,
CHAPTER 1.

O11&a1 Il
FIN the public room of the Sixth
National bank at Bar Harbor,
in Maine, Lieutenant Alan
~ Drummond, H. NJ. s. Conster-
nation, stood aside to give precedence
too lady. The lieutenant had visited
the bank for the purpose of changing
several crisp white Bank of England
notes into the currency of the country
he was then visiting. The lady did
uot,appear to notice either his courtesy
OF, his presence, and this was the more
remarkable since Drummond was a
young man sufficiently conspicuous
even in a crowd, and he and she were
at'that moment the only customers in
the bank. He was tall, we'll knit and
stalwart, blond as a Scandinavian,
with dark blue eyes which he some
times said jocularly were the colors
of his university. He had been slowly
approaching the cashiers window with
the easy movement of a man never in
a hurry, when the girl appeared at the
door and advanced rapidly to the bank
counter with its brass wire screen SUI
rounding the arched aperture behind
which stood the cashier. Although
very plainly attlred, her gown never
theless possessed a charm of simple
tty that almost suggested complex
Paris, and she wore it with that air of
distinction the secret Of which is sup
posed to be the exclusive property Of
French and American women.
The young man saw nothing of this,
and, although he appreciated the beau
ty of the girl. what struck him at that
instant was the expression Of anxiety
on her face. whose apparently tenn
porary pallor was accentuated by an
abundance of dark hair. 1t seemed to
him that she had resolutely set herself
a task which she was most reluctant
to perform. From the moment she en-
tered the door her large dark eyes
were fixed almost appealingly on the
cashier, and they beheld nothing else.
Drummond, mentally slow as he usual
ly was, came to the quick conclusion
that this was a supreme moment in
her life, on which perhaps great issues
depended. He saw her left hand grasp
the corner of the ledge in front Of the
cashier with a grip Of nervous tension.
as If the support thus attained was
necessary to her. Her right hand trem-
,bled slightly as she passed an oblong
SIP Of paper through the aperture to
tie calm and Indifferent official.
evil you give me the money for this
check?" she asked in q low voice.
The cashier scrutinized the document
for some time in silence. The sigma
ture appeared unfamiliar to him.
zone moment, madam" he said quiz
city and retired to a desk in the back
part of the bank, where he opened a
huge book. turned over some leaves
rapidly and ran his finger down a
page. His dilatory action seemed to
increase the young woman's panic.
Her pallor increased. and she swayed
slightly. as if in danger of falling, but
brought her right hand to the assist
ance of the left and so steadied her
self against the ledge of the cashiers
counter.
"By Jove," said the lieutenant to
himself, "there's something wrong
here. l wonder what it is. Such q
pretty girl too"
The cashier behind his screen saw
nothing Of this play of the emotions.
He returned nonchalantly to his sta
ton and asked in commonplace tones:
"How will you have the money,
madam"
Gold, If you please" she replied, al
most in a whisper, a rosy flush chas-
ing the wilderness from her face, while
a deep sigh marked the passing of a
crisis.
AT this juncture an extraordinary
thing happened. The cashier counted
out some golden coins and passed them
through the aperture toward their new
owner.
"Thank you" said the girl. Then,
without touching the money, she turn
ed like one hypnotized, her unseeing
eyes still taking no heed of the big
lieutenant. and passed rapidly out of
the bank. The cashier paid no regard
to this abandonment of treasure. He
was writing some hieroglyphfcs on the
cashed check.
"By Jove!" gasped the lieutenant
aloud, springing forward as he spoke,
sweeping the coins into his hand and
boiling for the door. This was an &C.
don which would have awakened the
most negligent cashier had he been in
a trance. Automatically he whisked
out a revolver which lay In an open
drawer under his hand.
"Stop, you scoundrel, or I ire!' he
shouted, but the lieutenant had al
ready disappeared. Quick as thought
the cashier darted into the passage
and, without waiting to unfasten the
low door which separated the public
and private rooms Of the bank, leaped
over it and, ~bareheaded, gave chase.
"A British naval officer in uniform rap
idly overtaking a young woman quite
unconscious Of his approach, followed
by an excited, bareheaded man with a
revolver in his grasp, was a sight
which would quickly have collected q