The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-04-06
CHAPTER VI.
An Adventure is the Night.

i bhdCI thC ~ 'e"c
not possible for Jensen to return
to his cabin.
The lights in Argyle House were
still going. but the miners had
cut the telephone wires connect
ing with the power house.
After futile efforts to signal
the men locked in the power
house in some way, Stephen NAL
| labee sent the family to bed.
Being thoroughly tired from
the long days travel after his
period of illness, Jensen undress-
ed at once, tipped off the lights,
and got into bed. He found it
difficult, however, to compose his
mind for sleep. For one thing
the steady tramp, tramp of the
miners doing sentry7go around
the piazza was a constantly dis
turbing sound.
So restless did Jensen finally
become that he arose and dressed
again in the dark, thinking he
might be more comfortable NOV
ing about than tossing and turn
ing on his bed in the heated room.
He stepped to the window and
| looked out. One of the miners was
| just striding past the window, his
heavy feet dumping down upon
the veranda with a hollow, ring
ing sound. Listening, Jensen fol-
lowed the mans movements.
He took some 20 PAGES to the
south, met a comrade there, turn
ed back, passed Jensen's east
room, met a comrade from the
north side, and then reversed his
march again, going toward the
south.
Just after the miner had again
passed his window, Jensen raised
| the sash softly to it's full heisht,
stepped out, closed 1t as softly be-
hind him, and scuttled across and
| dropped over the outer edge of
the veranda. lying close under the
over-hang of the floor.
Jensen slowly squirmed along
beneath the shadow cast by the
ONCl VI lllt vel IlOOI
til he gained the north side of the
bungalow. lie could see the power
house some distance off to the
northeast. Not far from the power
house, off a little to the east, was
a long clubhouse.
Suddenly, as he lay there look
ing toward the lights of the pow
or house and waiting for the man
doing sentry-go on that side to
turn his back, he saw three men
leave the clubhouse and come
running toward the bungalow.
This was a condition Jensen had
not counted on, and he erouched
low, ready to spring and make
| fight for it the instant they came
within striking distance, when
suddenly he felt something give
way behind him, and he was pre-
cipitated backward.
He had been leaning against a
long, barred basement window,
fastened with hinges at the top,
and this window had swung in
ward. He tried to catch at the,
sides of the window frame as he
fell, but they slipped away from
his fingers and he hurtled back
ward, turning a complete somer-
sault and coming down upon all
fours on a cement floor.
For an instant Jensen was too
dazed to think, then he stood up,
and taking a match from his pock-
ct, struck it, looked about, then
dropped the burning match from
shaky fingers and ta:rly gasped
with astonisEmeut.
Moving about as quietly as pos
sible, Jensen struck match after
match and inspected the base
ment room where he had found
himself.
There was a huge melting fur
mace, a ponderous cutting machine
in which was fillet Of the white
''ithite" half run thru, and below
this a box nearly full of round,
white discs, about the size of half
eagles. There was also a die
stamping machine, a machine for
milling edges, and an automatic
balance for adjusting weights to
the smallest fraction of grain.
Strewn about on a bench were
several handfuls of the white 9TH
lite" blanks, few already stamp
ed with the design of the double
eagle and milled, and a smaller
number that had already received
their coating of gold. 1t was EVIL
dent to Jensen that only the 9TH
lite" portion of the coins was turn
ed out here; the outer covering of
gold was put on somewhere else.
The discovery filled Jensen's
mind with amazement and citation,
yet his heart sank with dismay.
Kerry Mallabee's father was at the
head of this vastly clever counter
feiting scheme. Perhaps even she
was as deep in this scheme as her
parent, she whom he could no
longer deny that he loved more
than lifeitself.
Jensen permitted his match to
flicker down until It burned his
fingers, as he stood there studying
the situation. AS far as arresting
any one was concerned, he was in
Canada; here he had no official
standing whatever. And If Steph-
en- Mallabee were really Lord Can
nonquest, this affair was entirely
a matter for diplomatic adjust
ment. rather than for secret GER