The Washington herald., 1914-07-12

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n of failure, defeat, of loss irrepar-
NN 4 able For a few moments she al
lowed her head to rest against the
tNMkHt pillows, perfectly passive, retracing
the course of her efforts in the fight
Ak with Loubeque for recovery of the
papers up to this disastrous con-
Ab clusion.
W Theft dishonor, treachery had
pointed lean fingers at her sweet
heart with accuracy such as only q loving woman
could deny And, despite it all, she had jeered
at the possibility of such a thing being true,
had staked life, honor everything and anything
unhesitatingly whenever It appeared point might
be scored against Hugo Loubeque by so doing
And for what? She dressed leisurely and for
some time seated at her window scattering
crumbs the ledge for stray birds AS she
crossed the room moment later metallic sound
struck against her again and again before
she was even conscious of it. She looked about
the room then made out the sound coming from
the window ledge. Curiously she regarded the
pigeon, strutting about there, eagerly devourlng
the crumbs Upon his leg she saw tiny, brass
cylinder, tap-tap-tappng with his every step.
Her heart gave her a warning, humping
violently even she recognized the pretty crea-
ture for carrier bird. Stepping quietly TO the
window of her bedroom she stared about her,
a smile crossing her face as by careful count,
she made out the crumbs upon the elgnth WIN
dow ledge from hers. That would be Hugo Lou
beque's apartment
Swiftly softly tremulousy, for fear the bird
might have fed Lucille reached the ledge, her
voice low and caressing as she reached, an lntnl-
teSlmal traction OF an lnch at a time toward
carrier. Once he lifted his wings poised second.
Lucille halted in her approach, then, as the birds
doubts were alayed, reached out and clasped him
firmly, surprised that he made no effort to escape
In a second she had detached the cylinder, taking
the tiny tissue paper note from it.
arrangements complete Deliver papers to
Ensign Howell o. S. Ship Terror, with affidavit
as to sale by General Sumpter Love, now under
trial Washington D. C. At your residence; S 30"
Lucille gasped she took in the meaning Of
the message For just moment she sat staring
DULY ahead of her, dismay and terror frozen in
her eyes. At $3.50 the international spys work
would be completed and her father ruined But
a few hours and the stolen papers with the lie of
Boubeque accepted, and immunity, doubtless
promised, would be in the hands of the Prosecu-
ton.
She clenched her fists tightly together, pac-
ing up and down the floor of her suite, her pretty
teeth fastened upon her under lip. her very being
vibrant with protest at the horrible injustice of
it all 1t must not be. 1t could not be. She
stopped suddenly. 1t should not be. Calmly she
crossed to the writing desk and added line
through the hour appointed, carefully making an
eight of the five. She scanned the result of her
Iabors with knitted brows
She loosed the pigeon, pointing him toward .
window which was open. She knew Loubeque was
growing impatient from that sign. Furtively she
watched the eager hands clutch the bird and draw
him from view. The window slapped shut once
more.
Loubeque was there, just few suites away
from her, even now goating with satisfac-
ton over the fruition of his hfes work. The
thought made her beat her fists together against
the enforced waiting. She had never felt so ut
terly impotent before. There seemed nothing
possible to do but sit and wait-wait-
But wait she could not and would not do.
So few hours remain wherein to regain the pre-
cious packet of papers that she must be at work.
The papers were but a few short suites away,
on the very same floor.
His residence she knew must mean the house
of mystery, the weird place of horrors, of sliding
staircases and folding rooms. That Loubeque
S6O1ld a
plainly he considered the last trick in the game
of his life played, how absolutely assured he now
of absolute and final success At five thirty,
Ensign Howell would be at that house. She had
three hours wherein to work. But the hours be-
tween-what of them? She could not endure in
action at this moment.
With the thought she rose and moved toward
the door, closing it softly behind her. For
nent she hesitated in the hail. then stepped boldly
to the suite of the spy, rapping upon the door.
CHAPTER XXXXIX.
The Butler-Thiet Makes His Last Bid.
HUGO LOUBEQUE, master of men and nations,
whose power so great the course of En-
pires halted at his spoken word of command,
moodiy stared out his window after the carrier
pigeon he had Just released. For forty years he
had bent every energy of his life for this day;
every hour of those forty years had contained
dream of his revenge so dear to his heart it had
caused him to redoube his energies. And
that it had come, somehow the sweet had turned
bitter upon his palate
had almost been lulled to sleep by the spell of
the past that had woven itself for him. His mis-
sion not yet complete.
Strangely enough, a tender smile played
about the of his hard mouth as he
thought of the girl upon the same floor with him,
the girl who the image of the Lucille of forty
years ago. the Lucille who, at the climax of his
schemng, at his supreme moment when he had
possession of the papers stolen from General Loves
safe, had flown out to the speeding Pacific liner
and thenceforth through Jungle shipwreck, fire,
war, starvation had continually thwarted him,
bounded him when he held the upper hand and
defeated him time and again. No, not till the ,
actual transfer of the stolen papers and his afi-
davit into the hands of the Ensign would he act
ually know that Lucille had finally been beaten.
Lucille He murmured the name over
tenderly, even his fingers plucSed the precious
picture of the girls mother from his breast
pocket He had treasured that picture above all
other possessions these forty years, yet now he
found himself regarding it merely as the likeness
of the daughter. Lucille the daughter of that
other Lucille of the long ago
He impatiently, ashamed of the mellow
mood that upon him and moved across the
floor. The slightest swaying of the curtains that
connected with the bedroom caught his eve He
did not pause, did not even hesitate but q hard
look crept into his eyes. He resumed his seat
after a moment, took his gloves from the table
and busted himself strangely with them. tap
ping on the door made him frown impatiently,