The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-03-19

OF Florence she was reasonably GER
tain; and SO long as she could fool
the pretty infant the suspicious OF the
reporter were negligible guam
tity. She greeted them effusively and
offered them chairs. For half an hour
they sat there, chatting inanities, all
the while each mind busy with deeper
concerns
When the man in search of Flor
ence eventually arrived and asked the
manager of the garden If he knew
Miss Hargreave by sight the manager
pointed toward the box. The man
wound his way in and out of the idlers
and by the time he reached the box
Jim and Florence had made their de-
parture. The man bowed, approached,
and asked If she was Miss Hargreave.
For a moment the countess suspected
trap. Then it appealed to her mind
that If there was no trap it might be
| well to pose as Florence, if only to
learn what the outcome might be.
yes. What is wanted?" she asked.
The man took letter from his
pocket and handed 1t to Olga, saying:
"Give this to your father. He knows
how to read it."
Before she could reply the man had
turned and was hurrying away
Olga opened the note, her heart
| beating furiously. 1t was utterly
blank At first she thought it was q
hoax. Then she happened to remem-
Der that there was such thing as in
visible ink. At last! Hargreave was
alive; this letter settled all doubt in
her mind on this question. Alive!
And not only that, but the girl and
Jones were evidently in communica-
ton with him. She summoned a
waiter, made secret sign, and he
bowed and approached. She slipped
the letter into his hand and whis-
pered: Show that at the cave to-
morrow. 1t is in invisible ink and
meant for Hargreave."
Hes alive?"
Positively"
VERY we'll" The waiter bowed and
strolled away nonchalantly.
Braine was in Boston over night,
otherwise the countess would have
taken the mysterious note at once to
him. She remained for perhaps a
quarter of an hour longer and then left
the garden. She would have taken the
letter to her own apartment but for
the fact that the chemicals needed
were hidden in the cave.
Now it happened that Florence went |
out for her early ride the next morn
ing, and crossing a field she saw a |
man with a bundle under his arm. |
The sun struck his profile and limned |
it plainly, and Florence uttered low
cry. The man had not observed her. |
So, very quietly, she slipped from the
horse, tethered it to a tree, and started |
after the man to learn what he was
doing so far from the city She would
never forget that face. She had seen
it that dreadful night when the note
had lured her into the hands of her
enemies. The face belonged to the
man who had impersonated her father.
It occurred to her that she might
just as well do little detective work
on her own hook. She had passed
through so many terrifying episodes
that she was beginning to crave for
the excitement, strange as this may
seem. Like a gambler who has once
played for high stakes, she no longer
found pleasure in thimbles and needles
and pins. She followed the man with
no little skill and at length saw him
knoll, stoop, apparently
press a spring. and hole suddenly
yawned. The man vanished quickly,
and the spot took on again it's vir-
,inal appearance. A cave. Florence
lad the patience to wait. By and by
he man appeared again and skunk
way.
When she was sure that he was be-
7ond range, she came out from the
,lace of concealment, crept up the
lnoll, and searched about for the magic
landle of this strange door. Diligence
ewarded her, and she soon found
erself in a large, musty, earth-smell
ng cave. Loot was scattered about,
nd there were boxes and chairs and
large chest Men evidently met J
ere, possibly after some desperate q
overture against society. She found !
othing to reward her hardihood, and l
S she was in the act of moving to-
ard the caves door she beheld with l!
error that it was moving!
She was near the chest at that mo-
tent. The cave was not a deep one.
here was no tunnel, only a wall. 3
esolutely she raised the lid of the r
hest, stepped inside, and drew the u
d down. She was just in time. The
,or opened and three men entered, Il
liking volubly. They felt perfectly
,cure in talking as loudly as they II
eased. To Florence it seemed al m
ost impossible that they did not
Ear the thunder of her heart? Strain OF
IT ears as she might, she could gath OF
but little Of what they said, except: al
IF Hargreave had this paper we
light all be put on the defensive. To ne
outsider it is a blank paper. But &c
e boss will be able to read it. :" ne
lie speaker moved away from the