The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-01-13
stay where you urei'

just a trif1e too late, my dear. Quick;
this side of the desk!"
Braine and his men dashed into the
library. Olga. entered leisurely.
Both of them!" yelled Braine ex-
ultantly. Both of them together;
what luck!"
There was a sharp, fierce struggle;
and when it came to an end Har-
greave was trussed to a chair.
"Ah, so we meet again, H~argreave!"
said Braine.
Hargreave shrugged. What he
wanted was time. :
"A million! We have you. Where
is it, or III twist your heart before
your eyes" z
Father, forgive mel"
II understand, my child
Where is it," Braine seized Flor
ence by the wrist and swung her to-
ward him.
Don't tell him, father; don't mind
me-" said the girl bravery.
Braine, smiling his old evil smile,
drew the girl close. 1t was the last
time he ever touched her.
"Look!" screamed Olga.
Every one turned, to see Jones' face
peering between the curtains. There
was an ironic smile on the buffers
lips. The face vanished.
after hint" cried Braine, releasing
Florence.
after him!" mimicked a voice from
tie hall.
The curtains were thrown back sud
denly. Jones appeared, and Jim and
the Russian agent and a dozen police.
men. Tableau! &
Braine was the only man who kept
his head. He 1oored Norton, smashed
a window, and leaped out. The blow
dazed Norton, but he was IN his feet
almost Instantly and followed Braine
through the window. Across the lawn
the two sped, with an exchange Of
shots which emptied both automatics
but did no damage. Braine headed
for his auto. He jumped in, only to
.be hauled out again by the furious
reporter. "A hand:to-hand fight fol
lowed; and the clean life Of the re-
porter told.
There. my angelic friend, l believe
that the game is up. There is one
shot left in this automatic. If you
make any attempt to escape, III let
you have 1t; not to kill but to disable.
You and your precious countess will
sail tomorrow morning for the Baltic,
and from there you will go to the lead
mines He dragged his prisoner to-
ward the house. d
Your troubles are oyer, my child"
said Hargreave, as he pressed Flor
ence to his heart.
And: mine have begun" murmured
the countess. But I have still one
shot"
The police stood encircling her.
Calmly she opened her handbag and
took out her handkerchief. It was
a thick and heavy silk one. Swiftly
she unscrewed the top of her walking
stick Ut will be seen now that the
carrying of 1t was not an afectatton!),
e~extracted q vial and threw it violently
to the floor. An oyerpowering sweet
odor filled the room. Jones, knowing
how deeply versed Braine "a In ORR
entail poisons and narcotics, made a
desperate but futile effort to tear down
a curtain to throw over the liquid; but
even in the effort he felt his senses
going. The last he was conscious Of
was a hooking laugh.
But the entrance of Jim, dragging
Braine after him, shocked all the BAN
ter out of the countess. She turned
and rushed madly for the stairs, With
out having the least idea how she was
to manage an escape from the upper
stories. She had thought Braine free.
As she few up the steps all the past
returned, all her warnings to that stub
born man. This was the end . E.
Russia! The horrors of the cold and
the deadly damps of the mines . . &.
forever! .p}
Jim, still holding the battered CON
spirator, watched her fight in amaze
ment. He could not understandable
he pushed Braine into the library and
the vanishing odor assailed his nos
trils. What these fumes were he new
er knew, but they proved to be transit
tory. Five minutes suficed to bring
all back. to their senses. For the while
they forgot Olga.
This man Is mine," said Servan.
nodding toward Braine.
Hes yours without charge" said
Jim.
I'm an American citizen" said
Braine, who, realizing what the fu-
ture held, readily preferred a long
prison term in America to the horrors
] of Russian exile.
your certificate has been de-
stroyed," said Servan, land the state
department considers your papers void
because you obtained them under false
oaths. You are an undesirable citi-
zen; and the republic is happy to learn
that you will be taken off its hands,"
And because" added Norton, you
have laid too many mines in the black
mailing. business, and the government
! does not propose to have them made
known to the public through a long
and useless trial. It was a long run,