The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-06-15
CHAPTER VII.
The Signal.

The Signal.
And the original question remains
unanswered" remarked Mr.. Campbell.
"The original question:" repeated
Mr.. Grimm.
Where is Prince Benedetto d'Abruz-
ri, the secret enVoy?" his chief re-
minded him.
Il wonder!" unused the young man.
'Tf the Latin compact is signed in
the United States-?"
'The Latin compact will not be
signed in the United States" Mr..
Grimm interrupted. And then, after
a moment: "Have we received any
n further reports on Miss Thorne? 1
Dean reports from our foreign
4hgents?"
Y The chief shook his head.
Inevitably, by some act or word,
she will lead us to the prince" de-
clared Mr. Grimm, land the moment
he is known to us everything be-
comes plain sailing. We know she is
a secret agent expected denial,
but she was quite frank about It, And
her under arrest. | knew some one
was in the adjoining room because Of
a slight noise in there, and l knew
she knew it. She raised her voice
little, obviously for the benefit OF
whoever was there. From that point
everything said and did was to COM
pei that person, whoever it was, to
show himself"
His chief nodded, understandingly.
Mr.. Grimm was silent for little, then
went on:
1.-THE last possibility in my mind at
that moment" he confessed, was that
the person in there was the man who
shot Senor Alvarez Frankly l had
half. an idea that-that it might be the
prince in person" Suddenly his mood
changed: And now our lady of mys-
Jtery may come and go as she likes be-
Y cause l know, even il dozen of our
men have ransacked Washington IN
vain for the prince, she will inevitably
lead us to him. And that reminds me:
lead US to him"
by the way, what was in that seal
ed packet that was taken from Senor
Alyarez?' Campbell inquired curiously.
"It had something to do with some
railroad franchises" responded Mr.
Grimm as he rose. II sealed it again
and returned it to the senior. Evident
iy it was not what Signor Petrozinn1
expected to find-in fact, he admitted
1t wasn't what he was looking for"
For a little while the two men gazed
thoughtfully, each into the eyes of the
other, then Mr.. Grimm entered his
private Office where he sat for an hour
with his Immaculate boots on his
desk, thinking. A world-war-he had
been thrust forward by his govern
ment to prevent it-subtle blue-gray
eyes-his Highness, Prince Benedetto
d'Abruzzi-a haunting smile and scar
let lips.
At about the moment he rose to go
out, Miss Thorne, closely veiled, left
The Venezuelan legation and walked
rapidly down the street to a corner,
where, without word, she entered a
waiting automobile. The wheels spun
and the car leaped forward. For a
mile or more 1t wound aimlessly in
and out, occasionally bisecting its own
path; finally Miss Thorne leaned for
ward and touched the chauffeur on the
IIi1 IN.
5 {Nowl" she said.
IN She car Strengthened out into a
neet of stately residences and scut-
4 along until the placid bosom of
SIS Potomac came into view; besides
.aat for few minutes, then over the
Febridge to the Virginia side, In the
, dilapidated little city of Alexandria.
The car did not slacken its speed, but
wound In and out through dingy
streets, past tumble-down negro huts,
for half an hour before it came to a
standstill in front of an old brick
mansion.
Miss Thorne entered the house with
a key and was gone for ten minutes,
perhaps. She was readjusting her
veil when she came, out and stepped
into the car silently. Again it moved
forward, on to the end of the dingy
street, and finally into the open coun-
try. Three, four, five miles, perhaps,
out the old Baltimore Road, and again
the car stopped. this time in front OF
an ancient colonial farmhouse.
Outwardly the place seemed to be
deserted. The blinds, battered and
stripped of paint by wind and rain,
were all closed, and one corner Of the
small veranda had crumbled away
from age and neglect. A narrow path,
strewn with pine needles, led tortu-
ously up to the door. In the rear OF
the house, rising from an old barn, q
thin pole with cup-like attachments
at the apex, thrust it's point into the
open above the dense, odorous pines.
1t appeared to be a wireless mast.
Miss Thorne passed around the house,
i and entered the barn.
A man came forward and kissed her
Ia thin. little man of indeterminate
age-drying his hands on piece Of
cotton waste. His face was pale with
the pallor of one who knows little out
door life. his eyes deep-set and a-glit-
ter with some feverish inward fre.