The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1914-07-11

him. but they had succeeded In
gathering the vaguest kind OF In.
formation. They had no descrip-
tion OF Hargreave. while Norton
had. Before going down to the boat.
however. he had deived into tho
past Of the Princess Olga perigofs.
IL cost him pocketful OF money,
but the end justified tho means.
The princess had no past worth
mentioning. ny piccing this and
that together hs became assured
that she had told tho simple truth
regarding tho relationship to Flor.
cnce'5 mother. A cabicgram had
given him all tho facts In her his.
tory. there were no gaps or dis
crepancies. I, read clear and
frank. Trust a Russian secret
agent TO know what hc was talk.
ing about.
SO Norton's suspicious and he
had entertained some--werc com.
pleteiy iulled TO sleep. And he
wouldn't have doubted her at all
except for the fact that Braine had
been with her when he had intro
ducel Hargreaye. Hargrcave had
feared Braine: that much tho re.
porter had elected from the butler.
But there wasn't the slightest evi.
dence. Brainc had been in New
York for nearly six years. Tho
princess had arrived In the city
but n year gone. And Brainc was
a member OF several fashionable
clubs. never touched cards. and
seldom drank. He was an expert
chess player and wonderful anna.
teur billiardlst. Perhaps Jones, the
taciturn and inscrutablc. had not
told him all he knew regarding his
masters past. Well. then. he had
In his time untangled worse snaris.
The office had turned him loose. a
free lance. TO handle the case az
he saw TT. to turn In the story
when II was complete.
But what story II was going to
be when he cleared II up. The
more mystifying II was. the greater
the zest and sport for him. Norton
was Ike gambler who played for
big stakes. and only big stakes
stirred his cravings.
The captain OF the tramp steamer
Orient told him tho same tale he
had told the other reporters: he
had picked up n man at sea. The
man had been brought aboard 10.
tally exhausted.
Was there another body any
where?"
No"
What became OF himY"
Il sent a wireless and that
seemed TO bother him. II looked 10
me that he did not want anybody 20
learn that he had been rescued
The moment tho boat touched the
pier he lost himself In the crowd
FIFTY reporters came aboard, but he
was gone. And | could only tell
them what I'm telling You"
He had money!"
About five thousand"
Please describe him"
The captain did so. II was the
same description he had given TO
all the reporters. Norton looked
over the rail at the big warehouse.
Was II an ordinary balloon7"
There you've got me. My Mar.
conf man says the balloon part was
like any other balloon: but tho pas
senger car was a new business to
him. IL could be driven against the
wind"
Driven against the wind, Did
you tell this TO the other chaps?"
Don't think did. Just remem.
bered II. Probably some new in.
ventionl and now it's at the bot
tom OF the sea. Two men, as I
understand II. went off in this con.
traptlon. One is gone for good"
For good" echoed the reporter
gravely. Gone for good. indeed
poor devil Norton took out a roll
of bills. There's two hundred in
this roll"
"Well7" said the captain. vastly
astonished.
IT'S yours II you win do mo a
small favor"
III II doesn't get me mixed up
with the police. I'm only captain
OF a tramp; and some OF the harbor
police have taken dislike 10 me.
What do you want me to do?"
THE police will not bother you
This man Hargreave had some enc
mics; they want either his life or
his money; maybe both. II Is a
peculiar case, with Russia in the
background. He might have laid
the whole business before the po-
lice, but he chose TO fight II out
himself And to tell the tuth, |