The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1915-01-15

tity. She greeted them effusively and
offered them chairs. For half an hour
they sat there, chatting inanities, all
the while each mind busy with deeper
concerns.
When the man in search Of Flor
ence eventually arrived and asked the
manager of the garden if he knew
Miss Hargreave by sight the manager
pointed toward the box. The man
wound his way in and out of the idlers
and by the time he reached the box
jim and Florence had made their de-
parture. The man bowed, approached,
and asked if she was Miss Hargreave
For a moment the countess suspected
a trap. Then it appealed to her mind
that if there was no trap it might be
well to pose as Florence, if only tc
learn what the outcome might be.
Yes. What is wanted?" she asked
The man took a letter from his
pocket and handed it to Olga, saying:
Give this to your father. He knows
how to read it."
Before she could reply the man had
turned and was h%urrying away.
Olga opened the note, her heart
beating %furiously. 1t was utterly
blank. At first she thought it was q
hoax. Then she happened to remem
Der that there was such a thing as in
visible ink. At last Hargreave was
alive; this letter settled all doubt in
her mind on this question. Alive!
And not only that, but the girl and
Jones were evidently in communica
ton with him. She summoned a
waiter, made a secret sign, and he
bowed and approached. She slipped
the letter into his hand and whis.
pered: Show that at the cave to.
morrow. 1t is in invisible ink and
meant for HargreaVe."
He's alive?"
Positively"
Very we'll" The waiter bowed and
strolled away nonchalantly.
Braine vas in Boston over night.
otherwise the countess would have
taken the mysterious note at once TO
MIN. She remained for perhaps a
quarter of an hour longer and then left
the garden. She would have taken the
letter to her own apartment but for
the fact that the chemicals needed
We're hidden in the cave.
Now it happened that Florence went
out for her early ride the next morn,
ing, and crossing a field she saw a
mar with a bundle under his arm
The sun struck his profile and limned
1t plainly, and Florence uttered a low
cry. The mar had not observed her
So very quietly, she slipped from the
morse tethered it to a tree, and started
after the man to learn what he was
DONG so far from the city. She would
never forget that face. She had seen
II that dreadful night when the note
mad lured her into the hands of her
enemies. The face belonged to the
mar who had impersonated her father
1t occurred to her that she might
Just as well do a little detective work
on her own hook. She had passed
through so many terrifying episodes
That she was beginning to crave for
the excitement, strange as this NAV
seem, Like a gambler who has once
played for high stakes, she no longer
found pleasure in thimbles and needles
and pins. She followed the man with
no little skill and at length saw him
approach a knoll, stoop, apparently
press a spring, and a hole suddenly
yawned, The man vanished quickly.
and the spot took on again its vir
ginal appearance, A ave. Florence
had the patience to wait. By and by
the man appeared again and skunk
away.
When she was sure that he was he.
yond range she came out from the
place Of concealment crept up the
knoll, and searched about for the magic