Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-11-26
THE NET
Copyrighted. 1872 BY Rer Beach.

I talking about" she said, innocently.
Gould I have sent the ransom to the
wrong addIess?" He pretended to be
seized with doubt. whereupon Myra
Nell exclaimed quickly:
"Oh, not necessarily" Then, after a
pause. "Norvin. how does person get
red ink Off her hands?"
use cotton broker. Let him hold
lit this evening"
"Td love to. but Bernie wouldn't al
low it. 1t was his ink you know, and
spilled it all over his desk. Norvin-
is il really nOugat?'
indigestible'-
You duckl You may hold my CORY
hand for Wait!' Blake heard a faint
Shrek Don't ring off, Something ter
rible'- Then the wire was dead.
Hello! Hello" he called. What's
wrong NTyra Nell?" He ratified the re-
ceiver violently. and getting no re-
Spouse, applied TO Central. After some
moments he heard her explaining in a
relieved tone:
"Oh. such a fright as had!"
what was it? For heavens
'fThe caker
You frightened me. I thought
ITS four stories high and pasted to-
gether with caramel"
you should never leave a phone in
that way without"
Bernie detests caramel. but I'm ex-
pecting a certain party to call on me
tonight. NorYin, do you think red ink
would hurt a cake?"
"Afyra Nell" he said severely.
didn't you wash your hands before
mixing that dough-"
'Of course"
It have my doubts viii you really
be at liberty this EVENING""
That depends entirely upon you. II
..TI1 send them. anyhow. MarechaI
Niels."
"Oh, you are a-Wait!'
| For a second time Miss Warren broke
OF, but now Norvin neard her cry out
| gladly to some one. He held the re-
ceiver patiently until his arm cramped,
then rang up again.
"Oh, I forgot all about you, Norvin,
dear" she chartered. Victoria has
Just come, so can't talk to you any
more. Won't you run out and meet
her? know she's just dying to-She
SAYS she isn't, eitheri Oh, fiddlesticks!
You're not so bAsy as all that. Very
well. Wen probably eat the cake our
selves. Good-by"
''Good-by. Avenger." he laughed.
As he turned away, smiling, he found
Bernie Dreux comfortably ensconced
in an office chair and regarding him be-
nignly.
Hello. Bernie! didn't hear you
come in"
wasn't that 8Iyra nellie talking?"
inquired the little man.
| yes"
You called her 'Avenger' What has
she been up to now?"
Blake handed him the Red Hand let
ter. To his surprise Bernie burst out
angrily:
How dare sheT'
WHAT"
Its most nladylike-begging a gen.
tleman for gifts. I'll see that she apol-
ogizes."
ST you do. I'll punch your head. She
couldn't do anything unladylike If she
tried"
7 don't approve"
NONSENSE
"Tn see that she gets her chocolate"
"Oh, I've sent 'em-a deadly consign-
ment-enough to destroy both Of you.
And I've left a standing order for FIVE
pounds a week"
But that letter-its blackmail.'
Bernie groaned. "She holds me up in
the same way whenever she feels like
it. She's getting suspicious Of me late
ly and I daren't tell her I'm a detec-
tive. The other day she set Remus,
our gardener on my trail and he shad-
owed me all over town. Felicite thinks
there's something wrong, too, and she's
taken to following me. Between her
and Remus I haven't a moments pri-
vacy"
It's tough for a detective to be
logged by his gardener and his sweet
q heart" Norvin sympathized. He began
10 run through his mail, while his Wis
Nitor talked on in his amusing, irrele-
want fashion.
I'm rather offended that WASN'T
named on that committee OF fifty"
# Bernie confessed after a time. You
know how the chief relied on meT'
Exactly"
We'll. I'm full Of Italian mysteries
now. What I haven't discovered by
my own investigations, Vittoria Fab
rizi has told me. For instance, I know
what became of the boy, Ino Cressi."
You do?' Blake looked up curiously
from letter he had been eagerly pc
rUsing.
He's in Mobile"
Are you sure?"
Certainly"
Il think you're wrong.
why am I wrOng?'
Read this. Ny mail is full of anony-
nous communications" He passed
over the letter I'm his hand and Mr..
Dreux read as follows:
'Norvin Blake.
New Orleans. Louisiana.
THE Cressi boy is hidden at SO 12