Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-08-26

but / did not heed it. ! somehow dis
trusted the fellow.
Jack. now thoroughly recovered,
called almost daily at Bassett road,
and would often bring Muriel to the
Cecil to tea or to luncheon. Often l
inquired the whereabouts OF her father
and of Hylton Chatter, but she declared
herself in entire ignorance, and be-
lieyed they we're abroad.
One afternoon, shortly before Christ
mas, as we were idling in the Ameri-
can bar of the hotel. my friend told
me that Muriel had invited US to tea
at her cousins that afternoon, and &C
cordingly we went there in company.
AS we sat together Muriel. a smart
figure in pale blue gown, poured tea
for us and chatted more merrily, /
thought, than ever before. She seemed
quick and nervous and yet full Of hap
piness, as she should indeed have
been, for Jack Durnford was one Of
the best fellows in the world, and his
restoration to health little short Of
miraculous.
Gordon" he said to me with a
sudden seriousness when tea had end
ed and we had placed down our cups.
81 want to tell you something-some-
thing I've been longing always to tell
you, and now / have got dear Muriel's
consent. I want to tell you about her
father and his friends"
"And about Elma, too?" l said in
quick eagerness, Eyes, tell me every
thing"
mo, not everything, for l don't
know it myself. But what l know
will explain as briefly as / can, and
leave you to form your own conclu-
sions. 1t is" he went one, "a strange
most amazing story. When l myself
became first cognizant Of the mystery
l was on board the flagship the Re-
nown. under Admiral Sir John Fisher.
We were lying in Malta when there
arrived the English yacht Iris, owned
by Mr.. Philip L~eithcourt, and among
those on board cruising for pleasure
were Mr.. Martin Woodroffe, Mr.. Pyl
ton Chatter, and the owners wife and
daughter Muriel.
"Muriel and l met first at a tennis
party, and afterwards frequently al
various houses in Malta, for anyone
who goes there and entertains is soon
entertained in return. A mutual at
tachment sprang up between Muriel
and myself" he said, placing his hand
tenderly upon her and smiling, "and
we often met in secret and took long
walks, until quite suddenly Leithcourt
said that it was necessary to sail fol
Smyrna to pick up some friends who
had been travelling in Palestine. The
night they sailed a great c%onsterna
ton was caused on the island by the
news that the safe in the admiral sup
erintendent's office had been opened
by expert safe-breakers, and certain
most important secret document!
stolen"
"Well?" I asked, much interested.
Again, two months later, when the
villa of the prince of Montevachi, a
Palmero, was broken into and thu
whole Of the famous jewels of the
princess stolen, it was a very strange
fact that the Iris was at the momen'
in that port. But it was not until the
third occasion, when the yacht wa
at V~illefranche, and our squadron be
ing at Toulon l got four days leav'
to go along the Riviera, that my sus
picions were aroused, for at the yer!
hour when l was dining at the Londol
house at Nice with Muriel and
schoolfellow of hers, Elma Heath :
who was spending the winter Their
with a lady who was Baron Oberg'i
cousin-that a great robbery wa
committed in one Of the big hotels vi
at Cimiez, the wife of an American
millionaire losing jewels valued a
thirty thousand pounds. Then tn,
r%obberies, coincident with the visit o
the yacht, aroused my strong suspi
cion. / remarked the nature of thos
documents Stolen from Malta, an,
recognized that they could only be o
service to a foreign government. The
came the Leghorn incident of whic'
you told me The yachts name ha,
been changed to the Lola, and sh
had been reprinted. / made search
ing inquiry, and found that on tn
evening she was purposely ru
aground in order to strike up a FRIEND
ship at the consulate, a Russian gur
boat was lying in the vicinity. TIL
c~onsuls safe was ri1ed, and tn
scheme certainly was to transfer an!
thing obtained from it to the Russia
gunboat."
But what was in the safe?" / asket
, Fortunately nothing. But you Sc
t they knew that our squadron was du
; in Leghorn, and that some extremel
important dispatches we're on the wa
r to the admiral-secret orders base
: upon the decision of the British cab
!, net as to the vexed question of Ru
sian ships passing the Dardanelles-
|. they expected that they would |
r lodged in the safe until the arrival
' the squadron, as they always ar
They were, however, bitterly disa
pointed because the dispatches hs
4 not arrived"
' "And them"