The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1912-02-17
CHAPTER XVI.
In Which They Both Win.

MI. Grimm dropped into a chair
! with his teeth clenched, and his face
| ike chalk For a moment or more he
| sat there turning it all over in his
mind. Truly the triumph had been
| robbed Of its splendor when the blow
| fell here-here upon a woman he
loved
There's no shame in the confes-
sion of one who is fairly beaten" Isa-
bel went on softly, after a little.
There are many things that you
don't understand. I came to Washing
ton with an authority from my SOW
ere1gn higher even than that vested
ID the ambassador; 1 came as l did
and compelled Count df Rosini to OBJ
tain an invitation to the state ball
for me in order that might meet a
representative of Russia there that
night and receive an answer as to
whether or not they would join in the
compact I received that answer. its
substance is of no consequence now.
And you remember where I first
met you? 1t was while you were in
vestigating the shooting of Senior AL
varez in the German embassy. That
shooting, as you know, was done by
Prince d'Abruzzi, so almost from the
beginning my plans went wrong be-
cause Of the assumption of authority
by the prince. The paper he took
from Senior Alvarez after the shoot
ing was supposed to bear vitality upon
Mexico's attitude toward our plan,
but, as it developed, it was about an
other matter entirely
YES, I know" said Mr.. Grimm
''The event of that night which YOU
did not learn was that Germany
agreed to join the compact upon con-
ditions. Mr.. Rankin, who was at
tached to the German embassy in an
>dvisory capacity, delivered the an
swer to me, and I pretended to faint
IN order that I might reasonably avoid
you"
It surmised that much,"- remarked
Mr.. Grimm.
1.-THE telegraphing / did with my
fan was as much to distract your at
tention as anything else, and at the
same time to identify myself to Mr.
Rankin, whom 1 had never met. You
knew him, of course; I didn't"
when next met you 1t was in the
Venezuelan legation; you were inyes-
tigating the theft of the fifty thousand
dollars in gold from the safe. 1
thrust myself into that case, because
I was afraid Of you; and mercilessly
destroyed woman's name in your
eyes to further my plans. made you
believe that Senorita Rodriguez stole
that fifty thousand dollars, and I re-
turned it to you, presumably, while
we stood in her room that night. Only
1t was not her room-it was minel l
stole the fifty thousand dollars. All
the details. even to her trip to see
Mr.. Griswold in Baltimore in company
with Mr.. CadwalIader, had been care
fully worked out; and she did bring
me the combination of the safe from
Ny. Griswold on the strength of a
forged letter. But she didn't know it.
There was no theft, of course. I had
no intention of keeping the money. It
was necessary to take it to distract
attention from the thing I did do
break lock inside the safe to get a
sealed packet that contained Vene-
zuela's answer to our plan I sealed
that packet again, and there was
never a suspicion that it had been
opened"
Only a suspicion" Mr. Grimm cor
rected.
Then came the abduction of Mon
sieur Boissegur, the French ambassa-
dor. plunged into that case as / did
in the other because I was afraid Of
you and had to know just how much
you knew. 1t was explained to you
as an attempt at extortion with de-
tails which I carefully supplied As a
matter of fact, Monsieur Boissegur
opposed our plans. even endangered
them; and it was not advisable to
have him recalled OF, even permit
him to- resign at the moment So we
abducted him intending to hold him
until direct orders could reach him
from Paris. Understand, please, that
all these things were made possible
by the aid and cooperation of dozens,
scores. of agents who were under my
orders; every person who appeared in
that abduction was working at my di-
Fection. The ambassadors unexpect-
ed escape disarranged our plans; but
he was taken out of the embassy by