The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1915-04-14
The
Million
Dollar
Mystery
CHAPTER XVII.
Setting Traps for Norton.


use was burned down they transferred
their conferences to the second coun-
Gil chamber appointed identically the
same as the first As inferred, the or
ganization owned considerable wealth,
and they leased the buildings in which
they had their council chambers.
leased them for number of years,
and refurnished them secretly with
trap floors, doors and panels and all
that apparatus so necessary to men
who are sometimes compelled TO make
a quick getaway.
When the Atlantic City attempt was
turned into a liasco by Norton's timely
arri-al Braiue determined once more
to rid himself of this meddlng re-
porter He knew too much, in the
first place, and in the second place
Braine wanted to learn whether the
reporter bore a charmed life or was
just ordinarily lucky. He would at
tempt nothing delicate, requiring
Gnesse. He would simply waylay Nor
ton and maza @ commonplace ems
G. -.-. .. would disappear, tnis re
porter, ,hat would BE- all; and when
they found him he might OF might
not be recognizable.
So Braine called q conference and
he and his fellow rogues went over
number of eNuedirnts and finally
agreed that the best thing to do y ould
be TO send a man to the newspaper
osteHsi5iy rs reporter looking for
a situation. With tins 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 his
way to some assignment which took
him TO the suburbs.
All this was arranged down to the
smallest detail; and a man whom they
were quite certain Norton mad 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.
81 want Norton. ! want him badly"
declared Braine, "and woe to you If
you let booze play in between you and
tue OBJECT OF tnlS move.
The man selected to act the re-
porter hung his head. Whisky had
been the origin of his fall from hon.
est living. and he was not so cal
loused as not to feel the sting of
remorse at times.
More" went on Braine, 81 want
Norton brought to 40. It's a little off
the beat, and we can handle Norton
az we please. When we get rid of
this newspaper ferret there1l be an
other to eliminate. But he's a fox,
and a fox must be set to trail him."
And who is that"
Jones. Jones, Jones!" Numbered
Braine. He's the live wire. But The
reporter first. Jones depends a lot
on him. Take away this prop and
Jones will not be so sure of himself.
There's a man outside all this circle,
and all these weeks of warfare have
not served to bring him into the
circle"
"Hargreave is dead" said vroon
stolidly.
'As dead as | am" snarled Braine.
1.-TWO men went away in that balloon;
and I'll wager my head that one man
came back. | am beginning to put
a few things together that | have
not thought of before. Who knows?
That balloon may have been carried
out to sea purposely. The captain on
that tramp steamer may have lied
TN IN oil
Hargreave is alive, and wherever he
is he has his hand on all the wires.
He has agents, too, whom we know
nothing about. Hang the million! l
want to put my hands on Hargreave
Just to prove that | am the better
man. He communicates with Jones, per-
haps through the reporter; he has had
me followed; II was he who changed
the boxes. bored the hole in the cell.
ing of the other quarters and learned
heaven knows what"
III that's the case" said Vroon,
why hasn't he had us apprehended?"
Braine laughed heartily. Haven't
you been able to see by this time what
his game is? Revenge. He does not
want the police to NEEDLE only in the
smaller affairs. He wants to put ter
ror into the hearts of all of us. Keep
this point in your mind when you act.
He'll never summon the police unless
we make broad daylight attempt to
get possession OF his daughter. And
even then he would make 1t out a
plain case OF kidnapping. Elimination,
that's the word. All right. Wen
play at that game ourselves. No. l
shall be Mr.. Norton And II you fail
I'll break you" Braine added to the
ex-reporter.
"I'll get him." said the man sullenly.
Later. when he applied for situa-
tion on the Blade. It happened that
there we're two strikes on nand. ana
two or three extra men were needed
on the city stan. The man from the