The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-08-02

the weight OF your official hand, desires
10 get even With You. OF course, they
nave shrewd representatives in the Flora
Islands. through whom they are informed
OF the date of your sailing, the steamer
you took and the fact that your valuable
documentary evidence was in your suit
case. Through your gross carelessness the
suit case is stolen. Now, assuming that
some one employed by the Consolidated
Cocoanut company got the valuable bit
oi luggage, what do You suppose the per-
son would do with st? Garry It to the Of
nee OF the warehouse Of the company?
tNot at all. 1t would be taken as far away
from these places as possible. Hence the
Iutlllty of searching about the premises
OF the company"
While they We're talking Clancy hustled
INTO the room with a suit case in his hand.
me moment the young diplomat saw it he
gave a shout of recognition and delight.
He grabbed 1T and quickly laid ii open on
a nearby table. Everything in it seemed
just the same as it had been when it was
originally packed. Lane hurried through
II With feNe:ish haste. AS he concluded
ms task his face fell. One article was
missing.
IL was the little black bound letter book.
Lane turned to Barnes; but the chief.
leaning back in his chair, was engaged in
MS faVorite recreation of watching the fy
cross the ceiling. This calmness Initiated
the young man.
The letter book is missing" he snapped.
Barnes came out of his reverie: he look
ed at the speaker with a charitable smile.
or course, it's missing. 1t was a ques-
ton in my mind whether to send for the
SUM case at an. Still it contains your be-
ioaSlhSs. and frequently Il new move, no
ihttler now aimless, leads to the suspicion
OF a clew. But the fellow who has stolen
the black letter book wanted to taunt you
WIN the SIGHT of your suit case. He must
be Il Nindictive cuss. He
The speaker was INTERRUPTED by n faint
tap on the door.
Come in he called.
Inc door opened timidly and Helen
thomson entered. The half veil did not
conceal the unwonted sparkle in her eyes.
nor could it entirely hide the fact that she
was blushing most charmingly. She gave
a cry of delight at sight of Lane and en-
claimed n~voluntarily
u thought l should find you here"
The next moment she could have bitten
her tongue for speaking so impulsively.
and she hung her head, her face scarlet.
Lane, ove1toycd but smarting from the
treatment of the morning, replied:
II thought I'd find you at home, too. but
| was mistaken"
What do you mean?' she cried. partly
recovering her self-possession.
Tina L called on you and you refused
to see me-
She raised her Veil, and the eyes flashed
fire.
II never refused TO see you- never
knew that You called-I-"
on cried Lane, gasping her meaning
Instantly. Then my card was inter
cepted?"
She nodded her head.
The diplomat involuntarily clenched his
fist. The girl noted the movement and,
lowering her voice. said:
"He proposed to me this morning"
Lane jumped to her side as If he had
been catapulted across the room.
What" he shr.eked. That old man
Buckingham"
lies only forty-five inter1ected
The Interruption danpened the Young
mans power. He did not finish his de
hunciation of the guardian. He turned 10
her with n query.
A~ou-yous-he began.
l refused hum, You silly GOOSE with a
happy smile.
re felt Ike ~huggias her. He contented
.1l'fiseli with fresh denunciation of Buck
iaSlam. Barnes interrupted the verbal
storm.
Give me forty-etght hours to my own
devices" '"
An hour later the chief began exploring
the financial district. He spent the re-
Halnder of the afternoon there. The next
uaS ne TOOK a cab and started out to visit
~. le pllhclpal printing and engraving es-
laphshments of the city. Al dusk he re-
turned to his office and said to Clancy:
II want YOU to go out with me toripht
M going to make a call on one of our
prominent citizens
At ) o'clock that night Barnes and his
lalthftl satellite lowered about the neigh
porfood OF a three story brown stone
house on the avenue. Having satisfied
himself mat a light was burning in the
library, the chief, followed by his assist
ant. mounted the steps of the house and
pushed the electric button. The We'll
trained butler who responded to the call
ushered them into the reception hall and
soiennly accepted the card which Barnes
handed him.
Giving the man time to reach the top
light of stairs, the chief whisperingly d.
rected CLANCY to remain where he was.
while he swiftly and noiselessly followed
lhe servant. On reaching the landing he
heard the murmur of voices in the IL
prary. There was a scraping sound as of
a chair or bit of furniture being moved
and all was silent again. Barnes did not |
a handsome ~portiere covered the
leading to the room. The chief
thrust 1T aside and stalked into the Ii
DrarN. The servant on his way out almost
With the newcomer. Barnes muir
INJURED something incoherent about think
ing he was expected to follow the man
upstairs and in the momentary play of
words managed to take a mental photo
graph of the room.
1t was a long. narrow apartment. plain
ly furnished. In the center of the far end.
before a fiat top desk, sat a squat looking,
smooth faced man, who did not appear to
either young or old. He had express
sionless blue eyes. which stared steadily
at Barnes without %betraying the slightest
His large, bald head was covered
with the merest fringe of faded brown
mar. A broad, fiat nose indicated surliness
or disposition. and a mouth curled in a
smile suggested cunning. His
double chin sank in the folds of a white
collar and grazed the nap of a silk cravat.
he held the chiefs card in one fat little
hand. while the stubby, blunt fingers of
the other grasped a pen with the intensity
with which one usually clutches a weap-
on at che opening of a battle.
This was John Buckingham, retired bust
hess man, stock market manipulation and
of Miss Helen Thomson
He never moved those lustrelcss ewes
rom his unabashed visitor. Barnes bore
he vacant stare with equan:mity. There
was nothing in the face to brighten him.
me key to the mans power was in his
hn rrr H. 49,