Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-10-17
SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE
CONTEST.

SYNOPSIS OF PR
Stanley Hargreave, millionaire, after "a
miraculous escape from the den of the
gang of brilliant thieves known as the
Black Hundred, lives the life of n re-
ciuse for eighteen years. Hargreave ac-
cidentally meets Bralne, leader of the
Black Hundred. Knowing Braine will
try to get him, he escapes from his own
home by n balloon. Before escaping he
writes n letter to the girls school where
eighteen years before he mysterlously
left on the doorstep his baby daughter,
Florence Gray. That day HarEreave
also draws $1.OOO,OOO from the bank, hut
1T Is reported that this dropped into the
sea when the balloon he escaped in was
punctured.
Florence arrives from the girls schOola
Countess Olga, Braine's companion, vls-
Hs her and claims her relative.
Two bogus detectives call, but their plot
is foiled by Norton, n newspaper man.
After falling in their first attempt, the
Black Hundred trap Florence. They ask
hi! for money, but she escapes, again
fOiIInE them.
Norton and the countess call on Flor
ence the next day, once more safe Mt
home. The visitors having gone, Jones
rtmoves a section of flooring and from
q cavity takes n box. Pursued by mem
bers of the Black Hundred. he rushes to
the water front and succeeds in drop
ping the box into the sea.
AccompIices of Braine kldnap Florence
and hurry her of to sea. She leaps over
board and is picked mp in n dazed con-
dition by fishermen. Braine, disguised
as her father. takes her back to sea with
him. Florence sets fire to the boat and
fcopyright: 1914: BY Harold MacGrath.l
CHAPTER XVII.
SETTING TRAPS FOR NORTON.
~ HE Black Hundred possessed three sep
arate council chambers always in prep
aration. Hence, when the one in use
was burned down, they transferred
their conferences to the second council cham
ber appointed identcally the same as the first
As inferred, the organization owned con-
siderable wealth, and they leased the build
ings in which they had their council cham
bers, leased them for a number of years, and
refurnished them secretly with trap floors,
DOORS and panels, and all that apparatus so
necessary to men who are sometimes COM
PEELED to make a quick getaway.
When the Atlantic City att mpt was
turned into a fasco by Nortons timely ar
rival, Braine determined once more to rid
himself of this meddling reporter. He knew
too much, in, the first place, and in the sec
ond place Braine wanted to learn whether
the reporter bore a charmed life or was iust
ordinarily lucky. He would attempt nothing
delicate, requiring fnesse. he would simply
waylay Norton and make a commonplace end
of lin. He would disappear, this reporter,
that would be all; and when they found him
he might or might not be recognizable.
So Braine called a conference, and he and
his fellow rogues went over a number of
expediencies, and finally agreed that the best
thing to do would be to send a man to the
newspaper ostensbly as a reporter looking
for a situation. With this excuse he would
be able to hang around the city room for
three or four days The idea back Of this
was to waylay Norton on bis way to some
assignment which took him to the suburbs
All this was arranged down to the small
est detail and man whom they were quite
certain Norton had not yet seen was selected
to play the part. He had been a reporter
once, more's the pity; so there was no doubt
OF his being able to handle his end of the
game, happen he was given a situation.
al want Norton, I want him badly" de-
clared Braine, land woe to you if you let
booze play in between you and the object
of this move"
The man selected to act the reporter huns
his head. Whisky had been the origin of
his fall from honest living, and he was not
so calloused as not to feel the sting of re-
morse at times. Often he longed to feave
New York, to start anew elsewhere; but this
man Braine was like terrier outside a rat
cage filed with rodents None ever really
escaped
More" went on Braine, "I want Norton
brought to 40. It's little off the beat, and
we can handle him as we please. When we
get rid of this newspaper ferret, thcrell be
another to eliminate. But he's a fox, and a
fox must be set to trail him."
"And who is that?"
Jones. Jones. Jones'" thundered Braine
" He's the live wire Put Tie reporter first
Jones depends lot on him. Take away
this prop and Homes will not b, 50 sire cf
himself. There's a mau outside ali this cir