The Washington herald., 1915-09-26
The Latest Adventures of the Wonderful Cleek

the trap halted at another lonely
house standing a mile distant from
the one they had left.
She was buxom woman this Mag
gle Lasswade. and despite the fact that
| her eyes were red with weeping and
her countenance had a dreary express
: sion, born Of her present unhappy
| position. Cleek decided that David
I Lasswade was a lucky chap to have
won her.
"Ah, sir. it's good and kind of you
! to do it. and I hope God will bless
you for it," she said gratefully. when
Mr. Mollison explained, If you can
| trace him, sir. if by Gods help you
me-
Il think I can, my poor girl. In
deed. may say am sure I can" said
Cleek. And it wouldn't surprise me in
! the least if I were able to do so this
very afternoon"
"Oh. sir, Oh, sir. she broke out with
a little gust Of happy tears. If only
/ could see him again, There'd be
peace and plenty. too. and we'd never
any more. For luck's come our way
at last bless God. and I could sell the
house at the fine profit the foreign
gentleman and his brother have offer
ed for 1t, sir. and We could have an
other and money in the bank as we'll"
Foreign gentleman" repeated
Cleek. looking around the pace and
wondering what sort of foreign gen.
tleman it could be who was anxious
to live on a dreary waste and in a
cheap little house like this; and. what
was more. pay a fancy price for that
doubtful privilege. Just a moment, if
you please. Mrs. Lasswade. What sort
of a foreign gentleman-French. Ger
man. Italian. or what?'
II don't know for certain, sir. but
from the appearance of him and his
brother I should think they were
either Japs or Chinese"
Did they give you any reason for
wanting to buy?"
brother was i'll and wanted to be
where it was quiet and had taken a
fancy to the place and he was willing
TO pay a good price to humor him.
But / wouldn't sell, sir-I wouldn't
dream Of selling until Dave came
back. He'd never know where to find
me. perhaps. If I went from the old
place. But they won't take no for an
answer. those foreign gentlemen, They
came frst on the day after Dave dis
appeared and they've kept on coming
and more money each time
We'll. I'm blessed. But for the
present I have other fish to fry. I am
extremely interested in seeing one Of
those scarlet cubes. which Mr.. Molli-
son tells me you received so myster-
iously. AID if you have one handy"
II have them all" she interjected.
turning to tin box standing on the
table and emptying its contents out
hafnra
are. sir. Eight of them have come.
sir-one for every day since my Dave
TIE instant they rolled out on the
little table and lay before him glow
ing with coating Of red so vivid
that it put all other reds to shame in
contrast. a curious excitement came
upon Cleek and he almost sprang at
the things in his eagerness to get
hold of one.
BY Jupiter. vermillion genuine
Chinese vermillion,' he exclaimed as
he bore it to the light and examined |
the thick coating Of paint smeared |
over the surface of it. The real |
stuff! The simon pure Fung Loo |
Chang vermil-"And then he stopped !
and flung back his head with the |
emphatic movement Dollops |
knew and underwood so we'll and |
raped out. short staccato laugh.
"Gov'ner" exclaimed the excited |
boy. "Gov'ner, you-you've found it
cut, sir? You know"
Yes" he gave back. Il know, Lend
me your horse and trap, Mr. Mollison. |
Stop here-all of you-wait half an hour /
for me and you all shall klow-why the
man vanished. why the ducks were kill
ed. why the cubes were scarlet-every-t
thing
Then he screwed round on his heel and
rushed out of the house, jumped into the
waiting trap, and as the curate and Mrs
Lasswade ran to the door and looked
after him he was driving off over the
waste in the direction of that other lonely
house as fast as the horse could fly.
Upon reaching that lonely house he
jumped out of the trap, raced across the
marshy land and past the low wall to
the borders of the wood beyond. and,
plunging into the gloom and stiffness of
of that, forged through the tangles of
zines and underground and pressed on
ward, crying aloud: "Lasswade. come out
IF it-come out of it. you silly jackass,
know about the beryl and why the
iucks were killed, and I'm a friend.
Come out of it. man; come out The
chinks are here: but I'll show you how
70 make a comfortable little fortune out
IF them for Maggie and the child if you
Will on-y come out and show yourself
ike man. instead Of clinging to a thing
hat may be the death Of you and hiding
away somewhere like a silly ass
It was 4 o'clock when Cleek returned
ind walked back into the little room
shere they still waited, bringing with
lin the cheeriest of news.
"Oh, please speak-do." the woman i'm
'lored, reaching out her hands to him as
le entered.
Il have found out everything, Mrs.
he replied. 'and you are 20
Ng to be the happiest woman in Eng
and before this day is over. There.
here, there, my dear. good girl, DON'T
aint whatever you do. Dave is over at
lis mothers waiting for YOU. and as you
annot possibly go to him until every
hing is cut and dried here and quite safe
or the man to show his face In the {
eighborhood, the more you delay mat
ers now the longer that happy period
will be deferred. Now. then. we will get
o business. We shan't have any too
much time. for fancy I caught sight of
our two Chinese visitors coajng across
he waste as I drove back and We must I
ave everything ready for theaI when '
hey arrive.
"foe are going to sell this house and !
verything in it to them for the sum of ;
loo cash down. Mrs. Lasswads. and If !
hey haven't that much money with them :
which I am pretty sure they have ;
ou've got to give them time to nip of !
nd get 1t to close the bargain and to I