Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-09-06

civilian GraymaQE Chile IAS -
Spouse. interrogatively infected.
/ yes"
ffHimself-in personT
| YES"
"Very good. In the air"
This last phrase may also need a
word of explanation. 1t is used TO IN
dictate that the interlocutor Is anoat
and that he either does not know OF
does not take the trouble to designate
his position In the atmosphere by rel
erence to some known point on the
earth's surface
"wbo is itYs demanded Mr.. Gray
| man.
Captain Alfonso Payton."
who? I don't know such person
Who are you? 1 can't bother
/ 81 am afraid. Mr.. Grayman." inter
rupted the voice. that you conhne
YOUR attention a little too exclusively
( to the financial columns Of the news
nauers if You don't recognize my name
! Vet I might well figure in them also.
/ NV transactions are frequently large
enough. as you are going TO ind out
/ Most people know me as TIE sky pi-
rate
! what nonsense is thisT' exclaimed
/ Mr.. Grayman impatiently. How have
/ you dared
! "No nonsense at all, Mr.. Grayman."
the voice again interrupted. and as
| for daring. listen. 1 took your daugh-
| ter Helen from your house last night,
! and she, with her maid Susan, are here
I on nv aero, the Chameleon"
! Grayman's heart nearly stopped beat
| ing.
"WhatF What is that?" be exclaimed
81 have your daughter In my Gus
! tody," the voice responded with dis
| tfnct deliberation. "She is in no dan
| ger Of any kind and will be in none
provided that you accede promptly to
the terms which 1 am going to give
you. II you do not you will never see
her again.
There was a cold. self confident. con-
vincing tone to the voice that sent
SILVER through the billionaire's nerves
He wiped the cold sweat from his
brow with one hand. while with the
other he chung to the receiver and
pressed it to his ear The strange voice
went on. for he was incapable for the
| moment of interruption or reply:
IF you meet my demand she VIII
be restored to you without publicity
! and without injury. You are the rich
est man in the world. they say. You
best know how you have acquired
your riches, but that is no affair of
mine. 1 have. however. pressing need
of a part of your plumber. My terms
are S1O.OOO.OO0""
What Internal trick are you trying
on me?" exclaimed Mr.. Grayman. los
ing his temper and at the same time
recovering his nerve and the incre
dulity natural to a man in such circum-
stances. Who are you anyway I'll
hear no more of this!
at must be that some crank has
found out my number" said the bill
lionaire to himself. Il must see the
company about this"
He was about to drop the receiver
when the voice began again:
IF you want to see your daughter
again. Mr.. Grayman. you'll not try 70
cut off this conversation. II you still
don't know me ask any newspaper
man or almost any man in the street
who Alfonso Payton is and what he
does when he make a good capture
and gets no response to a fair offer.
! repeat that j have your daughter.
l took her from the window of her
room with my aero last night. / will
release her for the sum that I have
named. Ten million dollars will leave
hardly a perceptible vacancy in your
pocket. but that which will happen to
your daughter If you fail to pay VIII
pickle your heart in vitriol l know
you have a heart-for her"
Mr. Grayman's anger vanished again.
and a cold fear began 10 :ake its
place His incredulity vanished also.
His daughter was gone. and this
might really be the explanation of her
disappearance. He suddenly remem-
bered TO have heard OF Payton and
his evil doings. He recalled the name
Of the Chameleon also.
The voice began again. and Nh.
Grayman could but listen:
II beg you. for your own and your
daughters sake. not TO make the mis-
take of thinking that this is a trick.
What l am telling you is the exact
truth. I hold the girl. and / have all
the trumps in my hand. Don't think
Of the police. They can't help you.
No one ever succeeded in running me
down, and no one ever will. Now give
me your answer. VIII you deal with
me for the life and honor of your
daughter or will you not? Yes or no
II yes, will tell you how to proceed
If no. shall lose no time in making
Helen wish that she had had a father
who loved her"
During all of this extraordinary con-
versation Payton, in the cabin of the
Chameleon. with Helen only a few feet
away. was sending his messages "di- !
rected." and consequently his words
were beard only by Mr.. Grayman. but |
the latter's replies were ''undirected"
and might have been heard by a hun |
dred persons in a hundred different |
places, although, OF course, they would |
have possessed no significance.
As Grayman recalled what he had /
heard and read OF Fayton a horrible /
Il A. u