The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-12-30
CHAPTER Xxx.
Braine Tries Another Weapon.

apartment of the countess, lis re-
venge. I've been checkmated enough,
Olga; they're playing with u.s."
That is nothing new" she replied,
struggling. AT the beginning /
warned you. l never liked this affair
after the first two or three failures.
But you would have your way. You
wanted revenge at that early date;
but l cannot see that you've gone for
ward. Has it ever occurred to you
that the organization may be getting
tired, too? They depend solely upon
your invention, and each time your
invention has resulted in touching
nothing but Zero"
Thanks"
20. I'm not Gliding you. I've failed,
too"
"Are you turning against me?" he
demanded bitterly. =
do my actions point that way?"'
she countered. mo. But the more 1
view what has passed, the more dis
heartened l grow. 1t has been a series
of blind alleys, and all we have sue
ceeded in doing 10 knocking our heads.
l can see now that all u failures
are due to one mistake"
"And what the devil is that?" he
asked, irritably. b.
1--WE were IN too much of a hurry
at the beginning. Hargreave prepared
himself for quick action On your part"
And if l had not acted quickly he
would have started successfully on n
Of his world tours again, and that
would have been the last of him, and
we should never have learned of the
girls existence. So there's your ar8u-
ment."
Perhaps you are right. But for
all that we have not played the game
with any degree Of flnesse."
BAH" Braine lit a cigarette and
smoked n%ervously. 81 can't even get
rid of that meddling reporter. He has
been as much to blame for our fail
ures as either Jones or Hargreave.
I admit that in his case l Judged
hastily. l believed him to be just an
ordinary newspaper man, and he was
clever enough to lull my suspicious.
But I'm going to get him, Olga, even
if | have to resort to ordinary gun
man tricks. If there's any final reck-
oning, by the Lord Harry, he shan't
get a chance in the witness stand"
And I begin to think that that lit
tie chit of a girl has been hoodwink-
ing me all along. BY the way, did
you find out what that letter said?"
she asked after a pause. .
Letter? What letter."
She sprang from her chair. "Do you
mean to say that they have not told
you about that?" Olga became great
ly excited. ar f.
Explain he said. T.
why, l was at the garden day be-
fore yesterday, and a man approached
and asked if I was Miss Hargreave.
Becoming at once suspicious that
something very important was about
to happen, l signiied that l was Miss
Hargreave. The man slipped a paper
into my hand and hurried off. took
a quick glance at 1t and was dunn
founded to find it utterly blank Of
writing. At first l thought some joke
had been played on me, then l
CHANGED to remember the invisible ink
letters you always wrote me. Under
standing that you were to visit the
cave in the morning. l had n man
at the garden take the note. And
you never got it,"
Some one shall pay for this care
~lessSess. I'll call up Vroon and Jack
son at once. Wait Just a moment"
He went to the telephone. A low
muttering conversation took place.
Olga could hear little OF non Of it.
When Braine put the receiver back
on the hook his face was not pleas.
ant to see.
That girl"
what now?'
1T seems she had been out horse
back riding that morning. She had
seer one of the boys cross the field
and suddenly disappear; and she was
curious to learn what had become Of
hiE. With her usual luck she STUN
bled on the method of opening the
door Of the cave and went in. She
must have been nosing about. She
didn't have much time, though, as the
boys came up to await me. Evidently
she crawled into that old chest and in
some inexplicable name purloined
the letter from Jackson's pocket. They
left to reconnoiter; and it was then
that Jackson discovered his loss.
When Florence heard them returning
she jumped into the we'll. And lived
through that tunnel! The devil is in
it,"
"Or out of it, since VI consider him
our friend"
And / had her in my hands, note
and ALI"
"But with all that water there will
not be any writing left on the letter.
Invisible ink is generally indelible
and impervious to the action Of wat
err; at least the kind 4 use is. I'd
give a thousand for a sight of that
letter."
And it might be worth a million"
Olga suggested.