Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-27

know If your uncle mentioned to you
that my wife is i'll and worrying about
this trip of mine?"
Van Cortlandt consented to the
slight delay, and Christopher stopped
the car in front of the village post
flee. Jacobs Scrambled lightly down,
like q younger man than he appeared
to be; and Christopher happened to
notice that his hands looked strong
and muscular. AS he hurried into the
postoffice Van Cortlandt strolled after
him, buying few stamps and stand
ing near enough to take a glance at
the address on the telegram. This
was not because he distrusted Jacobs.
but because he had much at stake in
this venture, and could not afford to
take chances. The cipher message
was unreliable, but the name Of
Jacobs stood out plainly at the top.
and Van Cortlandt was satisfied. as he
had expected to be.
At last they were off again, but-they
had not gone far when Jacobs cried
out that his handkerchief had Just
blown away. 1t was one he valued !:
his wife had embroidered his initials
on it, Really, he thought he saw it
caught in bush little way behind
BY Van Cortlandts consent, Christie
| pher reversed the car and went back
for half mile; but the handkerchief
was not found, though Jacobs got out
and thoroughly ransacked a group Of
| bushes to look for it, being gone some
time. Returning, he rejoined the road
ahead of Scarlet Runner, which stood
throbbing impatient to be off; and
Christopher thought, as he advanced
towards the car. shaking his head and
bemoaning his loss, that he scattered
something by the way. Starting on
again, with the nervous old man
hardly settled in his place, there came
sharp explosion, and Scarlet Runner
had burst tire.
The sudden sound gave Jacobs a
shock, which caused him to grip the
seat nervously and cry out He had
never been in a motor before, he ex-
claimed, and thought that some one
must have shot at the car.
Some curious conjectures passed
through the mind Of Race as he did
his work of repairing, with his three
passengers sitting, or walking up and
down, by the roadside. What he
thought he kept to himself as ii
would have been the height of i'm
propriety to accuse, on the vaguest
suspicion, the trusted employe of his
own employer. Nevertheless, when
the tire was changed and Scarlet Run
ner on the way once more, he threw
an occasional keen glance at the
whiskered face under the shadow of
the dusty hat-brim
The day grew more and more sultry,
and the air was so heavy that even in
driving there was no freshness. The
thick dust also was very disagreeable,
especially for the two new members
of the party, who were unprepared for
motoring; and Christopher was not
surprised when, after about two-thirds
of the run to London, Jacobs COM
planned Of headache and vertigo. It
was, he supposed, in an apologize
murmur, his inexperience in motoring,
as well as having been somewhat up
set at sea, which caused him to suffer
now; but Christopher suggested that
1t was far more likely to be the weight
of his big overcoat, and advised him
to take 1t off.
There were no pockets on the out
side, but there might well be several
capacious hidden ones. And though
Jacobs seemed so certain that the
contents of such pockets must be safe,
when he had taken off the overcoat he
not only sat upon, but leaned both