Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1913-05-03

Good boy. John. will call on you
this evening AT o'clock"
II was short story ana soon told
Somebody had stolen plans and lmpor
tant Documents from the war office
and the secret service men were comb
Ing the country for the thief While li
was OUT Of order for THIS commission
TO be- placed 10 the hands Of an ori
slider tue chief had wanted to Civ,
Forrest the chance 10 redeem himself
and NJ the same time ne knew If ths
young man WIS successful thai,breart
Of red lapeism would Dee forgiven be-
cause Of Forests former connection
with the office and the unhappy circum
stances Of his dismissal
"l'll give you the Same clew That the
others nave The papers are supposed
TO have been taken by small. dars
man who had been hanging around the
building FOR several weeks he was
traced. the morning following the tAcfi
TO the railroad station 81 here be bought
n ticket for New orleans. At that cts
II was learned that be had bought
ticket Tor scme station further along
the line. but under whnt name Il IS not
known. The man IS supposed to have
been employed by somebody ~it's tor
YOU to discover. .Iohn-aud even il Won
find nnn you may not Be- able a. yet
trace Of the instigaiors of the theft
The other fellows have eight weeks the
start Of YOU | couldn't cable OF
would have done SO NOW. 10 IT,"
So .lohu Forrest started on has quest
to redeem bis reputation Ills search
was rs thorough rs Il could be nude
ana he found genuine satisfaction iu
the knowledge That he bad learned
more about his suspected man than
had his brother sleuth~
First Be- learned that the small dara
suspect had been seen With p eom
panion Of the same complexion but 81
stoutcr build This man had not ac
comfnnied the first man 90 bis Hignt
through the south. bot Forrest learned
that the stout man had taken passage
on steamer sailing from New YORK
for Havana. from whence he had sailed
to a Mexican port Al this iuvestisa-
tlon took weeks Of valuable time hui
once settled on the trail Of Manuel
Corta. the stout man FOR Forrest had
even learned the mans name tie
Americans pursuit was unfagging un.
I'll at last it terminated 10 q small I'll
age in the heart OF the Sierra des BIAS
mountains.
Inn there was none. and because be
wore American clothing dark eyes
pcered insolently at Forrest from
around adobe huts or from m1ily
swinging hammocks under the pecan
trees II Corta had not moved on the
man would soon be appraised ~ tine
Americans presence there and. taMne
alarm would be- away Forrest dua.ly
found quarters in the home Of tie eil
lacc water carrier. and because tho
vendor Of The precious Huid IS always =
notorious gossip he soon learned whore
Corta might ~ found In brol5cu
mixture of Spanish Indian and here
and there an English word or q graph.
&c gesture Forrest communicated with
the water carrier The generous sum ~
money he thrust into the brown hand
made the man his slave.
The moon was setting over the shonl
der Of the highest mountain when the
water carrier slipped back through the
thorny underground and motioped the
American TO pass through Forrest
pressed forward and saw In the light
OF a lantern three men The first an
swered the description OF the small
dark man who had been traced 10
New Orleans; the second could be no
other than Manuel Corta who held a
package wrapped IN ollsbin covering
The identity az the third man caused
him TO gasp for breath
Tall ana thin bis white face showing
strained ana haggard In the light. was
the nephew If his old chief in the de
partment Blake Finlay and be- had
been chums IN the old days before For.
rest had made his mistake What was
Finay doing here; Was he not conf
Dental secretary to his uncle? For
rests heart sank II ITlnlay's quest
was the same rs his own he had failed
III Ills tiilAf~is filf fsr-if = ffili ilftU Ahtl
in vain AMI Forrest might never haze
another opportunity 10 redeem himself
But now the loud and angry words
Of the men fcll on his ears. ana be was
conscious that the American bad grasp.
ed the package and hidden II in his
coat while the dark men were ex-
postnlntlng
You have trckcd u.s. sputtered the
man Coria Won accepted orr hrlhe
and secured the documents for rs and
now that we have made rendezvous
and are only waiting TO deliver them 10
the general and receive the reward won
have Tracked ~ down and want your
papers back, Coward" He drew
knife and icancd al I7iu.ay. and his
companion srrHus "a his MD
II was FORESTS quick shot that sent
the knife spinning out OF one murder
Gus hand while the second report was
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