Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1909-02-24
away = SAID tVin;er.


| BE might; but l don't know what
motive"
What motive had you? You kid
naped him!"
mot exactly We had no intention
of harming him. He came accidental
| ly into the room between Mrs, Win
ter's and Mr.. Keatcham's suites Stand
ing in that room, trying to stanch
thu bleeding of sudden hemorrhage
Of the nose, he overheard me and my
| friend"
9You:' asked the colonel, laconical-
ly, of the young Harvard man.
II" smilinglX< confessed the latter,
decent fellow, and you are shreUd.
| You ought to be on our side, not
fighting us. | tell you, you don't want
to have the boy turn up safe and
sound any more than / do. Mr. Mer-
Ger was talking to me, and the kid
overheard. We heard him and went
into the room"
| How"
"Kuocbed on the door and he opened
IT, And we jumped on him. II was
| life and death for lis not to be blown
! on: SO as we didn't wish to kill the
kid, and as-we didn't know the young
ster well enough tc trust him then
although we might for he is game and
the whitest chap,-but we didn't know
why, we just told him ae would have
to stay with us while until our rush
was over. That was all we meant
ahd we let him phone YOU"
How about his great-aunt-the
cruel anxiety"
ANXIETY nothinc!" began the other
man, but a glance from Mercer cut
him short.
The southerner took the word in his
slow, gentle voice. q tried to reassure
our aunt, Col Winter | think | sue
ceeded. She telephoned and told her
It was all right. AS for Archie after
we talked with him, She was willing
| enough to go. He stole out with my
friend inside of five minutes, while
, You all were searching your rooms: 1t
was he insisted on calling you up, lest
you should be worried. He said you
| were right afraid of kidnapers, and
you would be sending the police after
us. You can call Mrs. Winter up and
find out IF I am not telling you the
| exact facts
Very well, WILL" said Winter.
They met the sullen detective at the
door. Cary Mercer, with his mirthless
smile, )sd the way. Mercer rang up
the hotel for Winter, himself. To the
colonel's vast relief Aunt Rebecca an
swered the call "Est-ce qra cest
vous-meme, mon neyeu?1 said she,
dfyly -
"Mais oui, ma tante. Why are you
speaking Sc formally in foreign
tongues? Is Millicent on deckf"
in her room, y came the answer,
still in French We'll, you have got
us in pretty mess. Where is my
! poy?" =
q only wish knew! Tell me now,
though, is Mercers story straight?"
! Absolutely. You may trust him.
what's his, real game. then7 The
one he was afraid Archie would ex-'
pose?"
"Ask him.
But you are in it, aren't you?"
Enough to ask that you abandon
the chaseAimmediately! Unless you
! wish to ruin mel"
/ You'll have to speak palmer. I've
been kept in the dark as long as I can
stand in this matter"
| >But before he could finish the sen
tence. Pas lei, pas maintenant-ces
trop de peril" she cried, and she must
have gone, for he could get no more
from her. When be rang again, Ran
dali RESPONDED:
Mrs. Winter says, sir. will you
:iiease come up here as quick as yoa
/ can. She's gone out. She thought
she caught sight Of Mr. Archie on. the
streety
TO the coloreps demand: where,
Xbow did she see him x he obtained no
! answer. and on his vicious pealing Of
the bell there. eazie, eventually, mels
low Anglican accents, which asked:
"Yes?l Whom do you wish to seer
1T Us an evidence of the undiscipiined
nature of the sex sthat the soldier
made face and--hung up the re-
ceiyer.
He found himseif-although this to-
really open mind is no excuse-in
a muddle of conflicting impulses. He
was on edgefto, ges into the street for
the search. after the boy; he was
clutcbs5. in. yisa by his conviction