The Dolores star., 1915-09-24

esayaaas1sa untn e hast Ne eans
near he La Costa.
Charmed TO have net y0q. Mr..
Jameson" he said. pausinG. We
shall go . great DEAF Of each other !
hope
I had not yet had time to ~ good
BY myself when . slight exclamation
ct my side startled me. Turning sud-
denly. l saw q very brisk, fussy old
gentleman who had evidently been hur-
rying through the crowd He had
slipped on something on the sidewalk
and lost his balance. falling near NJ.
| We bent over and assisted him to
his feet. As took hold Of his hand.
He had placed something in my hand.
My mind worked quickly. I checked
my FIRST impulse to speak, and, more
from curiosity than anything else,
kept the thing he had passed to me
| surreptitiously.
Thank you, gentlemen he pulled,
STRENGTHENING himself out. "One of the
infrmities of age. Thank you, thank
you"
In a moment he had hustled on quite
comically.
Again Del Mar said good.by. and ]
did not urge him to stay. He had
scarcely gone when I looked at the
thing the old man had placed in my
hand. 1t was q little folded piece Of
paper. opened 1t slowly. Inside was
printed in pencil. disguised:
Be Careful. Watch Him.
read II in amazemeut. What did it
mean? ..
At the La Coste, Del Mar was met
by two of his men in the lobby and
they rode up to his room.
Imagine their surprise when they
opened the door and found the valet
lying bound ON the floor.
who the deuce did this?" demand.
ed Del Mar as they Ioosened him.
Tho valet rose weakly to his feet.
"A little old man with gray whiskers,"
he managed to gasp.
Del Mar looked at him in surprise.
Instantly his active mind recalled the
little old man who had fallen before US
on the street. - .
"Who-wbat was he?" .a.
Come" he said quickly, reckoning
his two companions. who had come in
with him.
Some time later. Del Mars car
stopped just below the Dodge house.
you men 90 around back of the
house and watch" ordered Del Mar.
A they disappeared he turned and
went up the Dodge steps.
walked back after my strange ex-
perience with the fussy little old gen.
tleman. feeling more than ever, now
that Craig was gone. that both Elaine
and Aunt Josephine needed me.
As we sat talking in the library,
Rusty, released from the chain on
which Jennings kept him. bounded
with rush into the library.
Good old fellow" encouraged
Elaine, patting him.
Just then Jennings entered, and
moment later was followed by Del
Mar. who bowed as we welcomed him.
DO you know" he began, Il be-
lieve that the lost torpedo model is
somewhere in this house, and have
reason to anticipate another attempt
of foreign agents to find it. II you'll
pardon me. I've taken the liberty Of
surrounding the place with some men
we can trust"
While Del Mar was speaking Elaine
picked up a ribbon from the table and
started to tie 1t about Rusty's neck.
As Del Mar proceeded she paused, still
holding the ribbon, Rusty, who hated
ribbons, saw his chance and quietly
sided out, seeking refuge in the con-
servatory.
Alone in the conservatory. Rusty
quickly forgot about the ribbon and
began nosing about the palms. At last
he came to the pot in which the tor
pedo model had been buried in the
soft earth by the thief the night it had
been stolen from the fountain.
Quickly Elaine recalled herself. and,
seeing the ribbon in her hand and
Rusty gone, called him. There was no
answer. and she excused herself, for
it was against the rules for Rusty to
wander about.
In his haste the thief had left just a
corner of the handkerchief sticking
out OF the dirt. What none Of US had
noticed, Rusty's keen eyes and nose
discovered. and his instinct told him
to dig for it. In q moment he uncov-
cred the torpedo and handkerchief and
| shifted.
Just then he heard his mistress call
| ing him. Rusty had been whipped for
| digging in the conservatory. and now.
with his tail between his legs, he
seized the torpedo in his mouth and
bolted for the door Of the drawing
room, for he had heard voices in the
library. As he did 80 he dropped the
/ hopdEorohtoF and tho 1itf1a ppOno1lar