The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-03-05
CHAPTER Xxx.
eraIne Tries Another Weapon.

venge. I've been checkmated enough,
Olga; they're playing with u.s."
THAT is nothing new" she replied,
struggling. "At the beginning
warned you. never liked this affair
after the first two or three failures.
But you would have your way. You
wanted revenge at that early date;
but | cannot see that you've gone for
ward. Has 1t ever occurred to you
that the organization may be getting
tired, too? They depend solely upon
your invention, and each time your
invention has resulted in touching
nothing but zero"
Thanks"
20, I'm not chidlng you. I've failed,
too"
Are you turning against me?" he
demanded bitterly.
DO my actions point that way?"
she countered. mo. But the more |
view what has passed, the more dis
hearteDed grow. It has been a series
of blind alleys, and all we have sue
ceeded In doing is knocking our heads.
can see now that all our failures
are due to one mistake"
"And what the devil Is that?" he
asked. lrritably.
I'VE were In too much Of a hurry
at the beginning. Hargreave prepared
himself for quick action on your part"
And II, had not acted quickly he
would have started successfully on one
OF his world tours again, and that
would have been the last of him, and
we should never have learned of the
girls existence. So there's your argu.
ment."
Perhaps you are right. But for
all that we have not played the game
with any degree of flnesse,"
BAH" Braine lit a cigarette and
smoked nervously 81 can't even get
rid of that meddling reporter. He has
been as much to blame for our fail
ures as either Jones or Hargreave
] admit that In his case | judged
hastily. believed him to be just an
ordinary newspaper man, and he was
clever enough to lull my suspicious,
But I'm going to get him, Olga, even
II I have to resort to ordinary gun.
man tricks, If there's any final reck.
oning. by the Lord Harry, he shant
get chance In the witness stand"
And begin to think that that lit.
tie chit of girl has been hoodwink.
ing me all along. BY the way, did
you find out what that letter said?"
she asked after a pause.
Letter? What letter."
She sprang from her chair do you
mean to say that they have not told
you about that?" Olga became great.
ly excited.
Explain" he said.
why, | was at the garden day be-
fore yesterday, and man approached
and asked II was Miss Hargreave.
Becoming at once suspicious that
something very important was about
TO happen, signified that was Miss
Hargreave. The man slipped a paper
into my hand and hurried off. took
q quick glance at 1t and was dunn
founded to find 1t utterly blank of
writing. At first thought some joke
had been played on me, then
CHANGED to remember the invisible ink
letters you always wrote me. Under.
standing that you were to visit the
cave In the morning, | had one man
at the garden take the note. And
you never got it,"
Some one shall pay for this care
lessness. I'll call up Vroon and Jack
son at once Wait just a moment"
He went to the telephone. a low
muttering conversation took place
Olga could hear little or none of It
When Braine put the receiver back
on the hook his face was not pleas
ant to see.
THAT grill"
what now?"
1T seems she had been out horse
back riding that morning. She had
seen one of the boys cross the field
and suddenly disappear; and she was
curious to learn what had become OF
him. With her usual luck she STUN
bled on the method of opening the
door OF the cave and went in She
must have been nosing about. She
didn't have much time, though, as the
boys came up to await me. Evidently
she crawled into that old chest and in
some inexplicable manner purloineC
the letter from Jacksons pocket. They
left to reconnoiter; and 1t was Their
that Jackson discovered his loss
When Florence heard them returning
she jumped into the we'll. And lived
through that tunnel! The devil is In
IT."
"or out of it, since we consider hin
our friend"
"And had her in my hands, note
and all"
But with all that water there will
not be any writing left on the letter.
Invisible ink is generally indeliblt
and impervious to the action OF wat
er; at least the kind | use is. II
give thousand for sight OF tina
letter.