The Monticellonian., 1915-09-02

within reach of Wu when the alert | Chinaman seemed to sense his pres ence He rose swiftly and swung around.
 The two areh-enemies gazed at each other a moment silently. Each knew | it was the final, fatal encounter.
 Slowly Wu drew long knife and leaped at Kennedy, who grappled with him. They struggled mercilessly.
 In the struggle Craig managed to tear the torpedo out of Wus hands, just as they rolled over It fell on a rock Instantly an explosion tore a hole in the sand. scattering the gravel all about.
 Relentlessly the combat ragged. Que on the wharf itself they went, right up to the edge.
 Then both went over into the water, locked in each others viselike grip. EYen in the water they struggled franticallly.
 My search for the escaped crook was unsuccessful
 Somehow. however, it led me across country to a road. As I approached l heard ear and looked up. There were the secret service men. I called them and stepped out of the bushes They stepped and jumped out of the car and I ran to them.
 Come back with me- 1 urged we found two of them. One is dead Craig sent me to trace the other. I've lost the trail. Perhaps you can find it for me"
 We crashed through the brush quickly. Suddenly l heard something that caused me to start. It sounded like an explosion.
 There's the place-over there," pointed, pausing and indicating the direction of the wharf whence had come the explosion.
 What was it? We did not stop a moment, but hurried in that direction
 We reached the shore, where we saw marks of the explosion and of fight. Out on the pier l ran breath lessly. l rushed to the very edge and gazed over, then climbed down the slippery piling and peered into the black water beneath.
 A few bubbles seemed to ooze up from below. Was that all?
 No, as 1 gazed down 1 saw that some dark object was there. Slowly Wu Fang's body foated to the surface and lay there, rocked by the waves Deep in his breast stuck his own knife with its handle of the sign of the serpent.
 l reached down and seized him, as peered about for Kennedy
 There was nothing more there.
 "Craigi" called desperately, "Craigi"
 There was no answer The silence, the echo of the tapping water under the wharf was appalling, mocking
 1 managed to call the secret service men, and they got Wu Fang's body up on the wharf.
 But I could not leave the spot.
 Where was Craig? There was not sign of him. I could not realize it, even when the men brought graphing irons and began to search the black water
 It was all a hideous dream. I saw and heard, in daze.
 It was not until late that night that I returned to the Dodge house. l had delayed my return as long as I could, but I knew that must see Elaine some time
 As I entered even Jennings must have seen that something was wrong. Elaine. who was sitting in the library with Aunt Josephine, rose as she saw me
 Did you get them?9 Elaine asked eagerly.
 could not speak She seemed to read the tragic look on my haggard face, and stopped.
 Why, she gasped clutehing at the desk, what is the matter?"
 AS gently as l could l told her of the chase, of leaving Craig. of the ex- plosion, of the marks of the struggle and of the finding of Wu Fang.
 As l finished I thought she would faint
 And you-you went over every. thing about the wharf,"
 Everything The men even dragged for the-'
 I checked myself over the fateful word
 Elaine lookes at me wildly. l thought that she would lose her reason. She 1 did not cry. The shock was too great 1 for that.
 Suddenly I remembered the note Before l left him-the last time,' 1 blurted out, he wrote a note-to you"
 pulled the crumpled paper from my pocket and Elaine almost tore it from me-the last word from him and read:
 Oearest-I may not return until the case is settled and 1 have found the stolen torpedo. Matters involving mil. lions of lives and billions of dollars hang on the plot back of it. No mat. ter what happens, have no fear. Trust me. Lovingly, CRAIG. | She finished reading the note and slowly laid it down Then she picked it up and read it again Slowly she | turned to me-
 He told me to trust him and to have no fear" she said simply, grip. ping herself mentally and physically by main force, then with an air of defiance she looked at me. q do not believe that he is dead!"
 l tried to comfort her. wanted to do so. But l could do nothing but shake my head sadly. My own heart was full to oyerfiowing. An intimacy such as had been ours could not be