The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-12-23

or tlOfenCe she was redSOHdUly Gel
tain; and so long as she could fool
the pretty infant the suspicious of the
reporter were a negligible guam
tity. She greeted them effusively and
offered them chairs. For half an hour
they sat there, chatting inanities, ali
the while each mind busy with deeper
concerns.
When the man in search of Flor
ence eventually arrived and asked the
manager Of the garden II he knew
Miss Hargreave by sight the manager
pointed toward the box. The man
wound his way in and out of the idlers
and by the time he reached the box
Jim and Florence had made their de-
parture. The man bowed, approached,
and asked If she was Miss Hargreave.
For a moment the countess suspected
a trap. Then it appealed to her mind
that if there was 10 trap it might be
we'll to pose as Florence, if only to
learn what the outcome might be.
Yes. What is wanted?" she asked.
The man took a letter from his
pocket and handed it to Olga, saying:
Give this to your father. He knows
how to read it."
Before she could reply the man had
turned and was hurrying away.
Olga opened the note, lei heart
beating %furiously. 1t was utterly
blank. At first she thought 1t was a
hoax. Then she happened to remem-
Der that there was such a thing as in
visible ink. At last! Hargreave was
alive; this letter settled all doubt IN
her mind on this question. Alive!
And not only that, but the girl and
Jones we're evidently in communica-
ton with him. She summoned a
waiter, made a secret sign, and he
bowed and approached. She slipped
the letter into his hand and whis-
pered: Show that at the cave to-
morrow. 1t is in invisible ink and
meant for Hargreave."
Hes alive?"
Positively" ~. .-. o..
Very we'll" The waiter bowed and
strolled away nonchalantly.
Braine was in Boston over night,
otherwise the countess would have
taken the mysterious note at once to
him. She remained for perhaps a
quarter of an hour longer and then left
the garden. She would have taken the
letter to her own apartment but for
the fact that the chemicals needed
were hidden in the cave.
Now it happened that Florence went
out for her early ride the next morn
ing, and crossing a field she saw a
man with a bundle under his arm.
The sun struck his profile and limned
it plainly, and Florence uttered a low
cry. The man had not observed her.
So, very quietly, she slipped from the
horse, tethered it to a tree, and started
after the man to learn what he was
doing so far from the city. She Would
lever forget that face. She had SEEN
it that dreadful night when the note
had lured her into the hands OF her
enemies. The face belonged to the
man who had impersonated her father.
It occurred to her that she might
just as we'll do a little detective work
on her own hook. She had passed
through so many terrifying episodes
that she was beginning to crave for
the excitement, strange as this may
seem. Like a gambler who han once
played for high stakes, she no longer
found pleasure in thimbles and needles
and pins. She followed the man with
no little skill and at length saw him
approach a knoll, stoop. apparently
press a spring, and a hole suddenly
yawned. The man vanished qe!ekly,
and the spot took on again Its viz
ginal appearance. A cave. Florence
had the patience to wait. By and by
the man appeared again and skunk
away. -
When she was sure that he was be-
yond range, she came out from the
place Of concealment, crept up the
knoll, and searched about for the magic
handle of this strange door. Diligence
rewarded her, and she soon found
herself in a large, musty, earth-smell-
ing cave. Loot was scattered about,
and there were boxes and chairs and
a large chest. Men evidently met
here, possibly after some desperate
adventure against society. She found
nothing to reward her hardihood, and
as she was in the act Of moving to-
ward the caves door she beheld with
terror that it was moving!
She was nea- the chest at that mo-
ment. The ave was not a deep one.
There was no tunnel, only a wall.
Resolutely she raised the lid Of the
chest, stepped inside, and drew the
lid down. She was just in time. The
door opened and three men entered,
talking volubly. They felt perfectly
secure in talking as loudly as they
pleased. To Florence it seemed al
most impossible that they did not
hear the thunder Of her heart? Strain
her ears as she might, she could gath
er but little Of what they said, except:
IF Hargreave had this paper we
might all be put on the defensive. To
an outsider it is a blank paper. But
the boss will be able to read it. :.
The speaker moved away from tho
vicinity of the chest and she heard
no more.
Very deity Florence raised the lilo