The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1914-12-11

an ordinary pair OF cutthroats, al
that!"
THE thought came to me after you
left. knew you'd recognize the men
and understand. l see no reason why
it didn't work"
1t would have been all right If you
had consulted clairvoyant."
What the deuce do you mean by
that?" Braine demanded roughly.
Il mean that then you would have
learned your friend the reporter was
to arrive upon the scene at its most
vital moment"
What, Norton?"
Eyes. The trouble is with you, you
have been so successful all these years
that you have grown oyerconfident l
tell you that there is a desperately
shrewd man somewhere back of all
this. Mark me, do not believe Har-
greave is dead. He is in hiding. 1t
may be near by He may have dropped
from the balloon before it left land
The man they picked up may be Orts,
the aeronaut The five thousand might
have been his fee for rescuing Har-
greave. Here is the greatest thing
we've ever been up against; and you
start in with every day methods"
Little woman, don't let your tongue
run away with you too far"
I'm not the least bit afraid Of you,
Leo. You need me, and it has never
been more apparent than at this mo-
ment''
'All right I fell by the wayside
this trip. Truthfully, l realized it hVe
minutes after the men were gone. The
only clever thing | did was to keep
the mask ON my face. They can't
come back at me. But the thing looked
so easy: and it would have worked
but for Norton's appearance"
'-You all but compromised me. That
butler worries me a little" Her ex-
preston lost its anger and grew
thoughtful. Hes always about, some
where. Do you think Hargreaye took
him into his confidence?"
Cant tell. He's been watched
mailed a letter or telephoned to any
place but the grocery. There have
been no kilograms. Some one in that
house knows where the money is, and
it's ten to one that it will be the girl"
she lookes enough like Katrina to
be her ghost"
Braine went over to the window
and stared up at the stars.
you have made a good impression
on the girl?' with his back still to-
ward her.
81 had her in my arms
"Olga, my hat is off to you" turn |
ing, now that his face was again in /
repose Your very frankness regard !
ing your relationship will pull the +
wool over their eyes. OF course
they'll make inquiries and they'll find
out that you haven't lied. It's perfect.
Not even that newspaper weasel will
see anything wrong. Toward you
they viii eventually ease up and you
can act without their even dreaming
your part in the business. We must
not be seen in public any more. This
butler may know where | stand even
.hough he cannot prove it. Now, I'm
going to tell you something. Perhaps
,ou've long since guessed it. Katrina
vas mine till Hargreave-never mind
what his name was then-till Har-
yreave came into the fold. So sure
If her was / that / used her as lure
O bring him to us. She fell in love
With him, but too late to warn him.
lad the satisfaction of seeing him cast
Ter aside, curse her, and leave her. In
me thing she fooled us all. never
new of the child till you told me-"
He paused to light a cigarette.
"Hargreave was madly in love with
er. He cursed her, but he came back
0 the house to forgive her, to find
hat she had been seized by the secret
olice and entombed in the fortress.
ad my revenge. 1t was | who sent in
he information, practically bogus. But
1 Russia they never question; they
ct and forget. So he had daugh-
err"
He began pacing the floor, his hands
ehind his back; and the woman
atched him, oscillating between love 4
nd fear. He came to halt abruptly b
I'D looked down at her. t.
Don't worry. You have no rival. C
II leave the daughter to your tender b
lercies." t
"The butler" she said, has full pow
IS of attorney to act for Hargreave
lille absent, up to the day the girl
scomes of legal age"
"Ill keep an eye on our friend Jones. d
rom now on, day and night, there will p
} a cat at the knothole, and ware a
ouse! Could you make up anything
re this girl?" suddenly.
"a fair likeness" N
do it. Go to the ship which picked al
, the man at sea and quiz the cap C;
in. Either the aviator or Hargreave CT
alive. 1t is important to learn which
once. Be very careful; play the te
me only as you know how to play it.
i'd IL Hargreave is alive, we win. To- be
brow morning, early. Tears of an til
ish, and all that. Sailors are easy sc
len a woman weeps. No color. re "
smber; just the yellow wig and tt &C