The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-12-02

1t was dark downstairs, but there was
a light on the top floor. The door Of
the room at the head of the stairs was
open and a man was lying on the floor.
He'd been shot through the heart"
what did he look 1fke?" asked
Hope, though he knew what the an
swer would be.
ga tall, thin fellow" replied the po-
liceman. HE looked like a foreigner.
But they're, bringing him out now-you
can see him for yourself"
The dead man was Mahlin-mur-
dered, no doubt, in a quarrel with one
of his associates in crime.
''This is a queer case" said another
man. evidently detective, who had
just come out Of the house, addressing
the policeman with whom Hope had
been talking. st just found another
dead man lying in the court. a Jap.
I fancy, He must have fallen from
the window Of the room where you
found the other fellow, for every bone
in his body is broken. He's still hold
ing a knife in his hand"
-
A month passed. To find Cleo-if.
indeed, she were still alive-Hope left
no stone unturned.
Aged and saddened by grief. he,
at last reluctantly abandoned the
search as hopeless, and turned his at
tention once more to the submarine
invention Following the directions
given on the paper in the cover Of the
book, he had no difficulty in locating
the secret drawer which the old inven-
tor had so ingeniously constructed be
meath the brass tank of his working
model. And in the drawer, in an oil
skin envelope. was the formula. Act
ing under instructions from Washing
ton, Hope had q new model construct
ed and installed in a modern, sea-going
submarine which the government
placed at his disposal for the purpose,
and. a month after Cleo's disappear
ance, the submersible. having on board
a commission OF naval officers, left its
moorings at the Mare island yard to
submit Doctor Burke's Invention to a
final test.
On the same morning that the sub
mersible was starting on its trial trip,
Hook was stroIling aimlessly along the
water front Of San Francisco. AS he
paused irresolutely at the entrance to
a former shipmate. who, upon leaving
the navy had turned boatman, hailed
him.
you're just the man wanted to
see," he called. 1--WE got some news
that may interest you"
"What kind o. news?" inquired
Hook.
"'Bout that girl-Montgomery. her
name wuz. wuzn,t it?-that disap-
peared a while back. But it's only
rumor, mind you. and like as not
there's nothin' in IT."
eyes. yes" exclaimed Hook anxious
Iy; ''go on"
''Yestidday." said the boatman. ST
wuz over to Ignacio, on the north
shore Of San Pablo bay. While was
hangin' round the wharf, waitin' for
my party. heerd one o. the fishermen
yarnin' bout a girl that's stayin' with
a Greek fisherman and his wife down
the shore a piece. This teller that
was tellin' the story says he stopped
at the Greeks place to buy some bait
or something and he seed this girl.
He said he reckoned she'd been mighty
sick, she was so white and peaked
Iookin', but that she must've been q
humdinger for looks when she was
well. He tried to ask the Greek
Vlasto his name is-'bout her. but he
don't understand much English. When
he said she was a good1ooker and had
awful light-colored hair, it kind o. re-
minded me o the description O. the
Montgomery girl"
"'Tain't likely" said Hook pessimis-
ticaIly. 'Ignacio must be all o. thirty
miles from the place where Miss Cleo
disappeared"
"Sdn.'', persisted the other, "she
might've been picked up by fisher
man."
'waal." assented Hook. at won't do
no harm to run over to Ignacio and
see this fellow V1asto. We could get
there in your boat in g couple Of
hours, couldn't weF'
"Sure," said the other, "and remem-
Der. Hook, that If it turns out TO be
the girl. I come in on the reward"