The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-12-03
TIE bpoKEN(
ANory of Mystery and Adventure
By EMERSON HOUGI1 M
From the Scenario By W.
GRACE. CUNARD ssgas syesx4g
uniyers Film NIanufac COMPANY

| 1OA w.
of the army. Himself, he was content
to continue his revelry In the palace
with those who cared to join him,
male or female, creatures dissolute as
himself, who had chung to him fatuous-
ly in hope of possible reward at some
later time.
Before this ruler Count Sachio of
Grahoffen presently bowed humbly,
protesting his friendship, giving no
token of his treacherous errand.
What, again, friend Sachio of Ora
hoffen?" TESTED Michael when he saw
him. "You have become one of our
most faithful subjects, is 1t not so?
l still miss Count Frederick, who has
| left many duties unperformed--I still
miss the young American, who should
| be here to tighten the cares of the
| heavy hours. Yet you come-late our
enemy, now our friend. What can we
do for you, Sachio, to show our graft
tude for your faithfulness?"
Nothing, your majesty, save to al
low me division of a flask, now and
then, with the greatest monarch of
the modern days. Nothing save to al
low me to join your majesty for
lighter moment betimes, after the du-
ties of the day are done. Meantime
since / would not weary your majesty
i pray no more than safekeeping
within your majesty's walls, as
wander here and there. The art treas
ures of this palace surpass any with
which l am acquainted. AS a youth,
tried to paint, and I still love the
work Of those who have done as mas
tiers what my student hand could new
er do. May look at the pictures in
the galleries-the statues, your maj
esty?"
with all the heart in the world, my
dear Sachio!" exclaimed Michael.
your discerning judgment is valued
most highly. Make free with what
you like, and come to US when you
please"
This carte blanche was all that
Sachio could ask. He accepted it liter
ally. What he purposed actually was to
make free with anything he saw; and
he did indeed intend to return to |
King Michael when he pleased. Thus !
set free to wander as he liked in the |
palace of Gretzhoffen, he made no |
doubt whatever of his own quick ar
rival at the hidden door of the lost |
treasure of Gretzhoffen. AS he bowed |
himself out he scarce could conceal
the satisfaction on his face.
Sachio was an alert and active soul.
His was no haphazard intellect, apt to
accept the dictum of e. mind less exact
than his own. He was a soldier first,
and next a diplomat, but all the time a
model secret agent, a typical spy and
detective. He now set about the bust
ness in hand, deliberately, with preci-
sion, methodically, so that he need not
do any task a second time.
He himself had sketched rough
map of the lower galleries as he fan
,ied them to lie. He calculated now
hat with the aid of this chart and his
own earlier acquaintance with these
chambers, it would be
easy to find the last door that lay be-
ween him and the buried treasure of
What scenes of horror these places
must have held Sachio did not pause
o ask. That souls had passed out there
through these cold walls of stone, that \
uman flesh had quivered here In tor I
1ent and human voices broken in 6
heir anguish, meant naught to him. l
| king had seen fit to surround his '
reasures with such terrors in order
D fence away all intruders. He had | S
uried these treasures under the very e
DOR of his torture chamber so that t
II might fear to intrude there In their h
sarch. Some might be deferred by Il
1ch fears-but not Sachio of Grahof- v
n. He walked on calmly, unmoved, a
Ire that his own persistence, his own b
inning, had defeated the purpose of Il
le dead king, whose methods so long =,
ad defied the avarice and greed of 4
ese two Kingdoms.
Sachio lost little time in the earlier a,
,rtions of the subterranean galleries, :,
i'd satisfied himself only that he was s
IT being pursued. Soon he arrived W
ION the lower levels, where he did m
It expect to meet disturbance. Now Ia
me the crux Of his search. hs
He made his way slowly along the fl
rkened channels carved at some I'M 1T
own day from the granite rock on m
lich stood the Gretzhoffen castle, in
ed door after door, and entered tr
amber after chamber, slowly, me- oh
with no enthusiasm, but It
ly the air of a man covering all pos W,
lie mischances in his search.
He looked most carefully in that an
rtion of the vaults where he had ov
Ind the half of the torn parchment,
got no further trace of the miss All
!. portion. This gave him . certain
use, for he had figured that the
ken coin and the broken parchment
uld correlate, would focus, some
ere nearly at the same point. But
stained and widowed walls, still in
mp from their recent foodings, VIII
70 him but cold encouragement mo
ichever way he turned. Any soul the
his would have felt the chill OF ick