The Washington herald., 1915-08-29
tCoryrisht. lsl5.l


Cleek's notice should have departed from
the general rule-as they most decidedly
did
In the present instance the note which
he found awaiting him when he returned
at noon from a five miles walk by the
Thames side had said clearly and sue
-cinctly: The Two Services Club. as
near l:30 as you can make il. Give name
of Burke and they'll show you UP.
Urgent"
So quick was Cleek's response that the
minute hand of the clock in the office
of the Two Services Club had but just
come to the point of the half hour after
one when he stepped over the threshold
of the private room to which servant
had piloted him and found himself in the
presence of Mr. Narkom and of a young.
fair-haired. -mustached man, most
nnnaculately dressed. who was seated
opposite him with his elbows on the
dividing table and his chin upon his shut
hands
Cad, What a model of punctuality
you are. you abnormal beggar'" eXclaim-
ed the superintendent. sCrewing round in
his chair and jumping up as the servant
closed the door and left the three men
to their privacy. And it's quality to
be taken into account in the present in
stance, by Jove, The matinee is at 2,
you know. and she's on about 2:30'
Matinee She" replied Cleek.
arching his brows inquiringly My dear
Mr.. Narkom, before we go into the mat
ter of the antecedent of that personal
pronoun may I ask, are we, then. going
to a theater?"
Yes. To the Frivolity. AS the guests
of its manager. Mr.. James Collingwood.
and in company with this gentleman
here But I am forgetting. My dear
Cleek. allow me to have the pleasure of
introducing you to Capt. Alan Kennedy,
of the Royal Engineers
Delighted to meet you. captain,' said
Cleek. gripping the hand which the young
man sprang up and extended to him and
at the same time. telling himself that he
liked the firm. manly clasp of it. and
liked too, the expression of those clear,
straight-looking blue eyes. ANY con-
nection by chance, may I ask, of that
other important factor in the matter of
our national defences. Sir Maxwell Ken
nedy, the inventor Of that most success
full of all high explosives. picrine?"
Yes. A very close connection indeed.
Mr.. Cleek. He is my uncle. I am. in
fact, his only living relative. and. up TO
a matter of six weeks ago, I was not
only his nephew. but his heir. Since
tneH. however, ne mas CHOSeH 10 ulSlN-
herit me for what he terms my unfortu-
nate attachment. Or. at least. 1 sup
pose he has. He threatened to. at all
events. and he's hardly the kind to let
the grass grow under his feet when his
temper is up"
Il observe, however. that you do not
take your disinheritance very broken
heartedly. captain.
u? Not bit Of it. Why. I'd give up
twenty fortunes sooner than I'd give up
Luella. Mr.. Cleek"
'LueIla?"
Yes Miss vultee. you know-or, at
least. you don't know. Hardly anybody
does outside of very few intimates and
of course-Mr. Colingwood The world
at large knows her merely as La Syl-
phine."
La Sylphine, eh? HIM, that's enlight-
ening. oh. yes, I have heard the name
before. Who. In London. has not, when
Il stares at one daily from every news
paper and on every boarding from one
End of the town to the other? La Syl-
phine. beautiful and gifted Russian
lancer who leaped into popularity in one
single night some three or four months
ago as the inventor of the most novel
and poetic pas seul the century has seen.
have never had the pleasure of seeing
the lady. but 1 am told that this 'Nymph
# Fesuvius' dance of hers is something
marvellous
And they're right, who tell Won that
Mr.. Cleek.' struck in the captain. enthu-
'lasucally. Wait until you see her. You
will no longer wonder that I love her
hat / am willing to give up everything
upon Gods earth for her-even life it
self, if that will save her from this new
and horrible persecution which is driving
1n-
ng her existence a very hell upon
earth."
his chin. SO there's a fly in the oint-
nent. is there, captain And with all !
her popularity and success the lady is !
being prosecuted. Ell? BY whom? And
or what purpose. please"
BY bloodsuckers. blackmailers. dew !
ls!'' he gave back. "Wretches who are |
errorizing her night and day: heggaring !
Ter by their constant dema nds for blood /
money and driving her 10 madness and
despair by the well-known methods OF /
hat hell's brood. the Black Hand !
'Black-your grandmother" retorted |
cleek. with lurch of the shoulders and |
| short. deriding laugh. My dear cap
ain. get that silly rubbish about the
Black Hand out of YOUR head as expe-
litiously as possible. You may take il
rom me, my friend. that no such So
iety exists
Il used to think that myself once upon
time. Mr.. Cleek: but I've changed my
mind these days. Its all very we'll to
av that there's no such society in eX-
stenCe. but when You have their letters,
nd they make demands and threaten
n blow UP your house If YOU don't COM
lv with them. and then do blow up
rn |
ou can't GO behind that sort of evidence.
an YOU now"
You can 20 behind anv sort of evil
enceif YOU only know the way de-
Jared Cleek with curious smile. But
ono Tell me something. You have ex-
tied my curiosity. Am | 10 understand
rom what you have Just said that these
who choose to adopt the
anne Of the Black Hand have actually
one 10 the length OF blowing up Miss
'ultee's private residence?
Yes With one of their Internal bombs
hey didn't succeed in entirely wrecking
. however: hut they made a veritable
crap heap of Young Lexis room
Lex? And who may Lex he. if You
lease
Alexis Vultee. Luella's brother-a
lere beardless boy of nineteen. as HARM
sss as kitten and as gentle as any girl
hey said they'd finish him of before
oon today IL she didnt-in their own
rutal phraseology-'come to time with
he oof-and I prevented her doing so
The 'oof.' Ell? a purely British slang
ern for money. So. then. it Is fair to
oppose that If the writer of the letter
; not actually British subject he is
erson sufficiently acquainted with the
lang OF Great Britain TO make use of Il
l the most natter-of-fact manner"