The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-09-09
THIRD INSTALLMENT.


The murder of Ralph Burke provid-
ed the public with a 10 days mystery.
Newspaper readers, satiated with the
European conflict and the crisis in
Mexico, eagerly devoured its details
The great newspapers of the country
hurried their cleverest correspondents
to Va1davia. At Hopes suggestion
the navy department, which was vi
tally interested in recovering the lost
formula, detailed g secret service
operative on the case, but he met
with no better success than the po-
lice. On the theory that Burke had
been murdered by Satsuma out of re-
venge, fresh search for the Japanese
was started, only to be abandoned
when it was reported, with much cir
cumstantial detail, that man tal1ying
with his description had shipped, two
days before the murder, on a vessel
bound for South America. But, though
this apparently eliminated Satsuma, it
only served to deepen the mystery.
AS the days passed and no solution
was forthcoming, newspaper readers
began to turn their attention to other
events.
Olga Ivanoff, who had hurried to
Valdavia in order to be on the scene
OF action, prepared to return to her
luxurious apartment in San Francisco,
though Sextus was to remain behind
in order to keep in touch with any
potential developments. Hope and
Morton still remained, the former be-
cause he had received instructions
from Washington to stay in Valdavia
as long as there was a possibility of
recovering the lost formula; the latter
because of similar instructions from
his uncle, Calvin Montgomery, who
wrote that If the formula could be
found he could sell it on his own
terms to one of the European belliger-
ents. It was not the fllusory hope of
recovering the formula, however, that
kept Hope and Morton in Valdavia;
the real magnet was Cleo.
Her fathers tragic death weighed
heavily upon Cleo, and it was often
far into night before she fell asleep
upon her tear-soaked pillow, but her
days were seldom lonely, for Jarvis
Hope and Gerald Morton were con-
slant callers. But, though she frankly
welcomed the visits of the suave-man-
nered young New Yorker, and listened
with wrapt attention to his gossip of
Fifth avenue and Broadway, she never
gave him her entire confidence.
Though she never admitted it, even to
herself, she did not entirely trust him
There was no question in Hopes mind
as to his feelings for Cleo. He was
intellectually, desperately, madly in
love with her, but, though he felt in
tuitively that Cleo recipFocated, his
innate de1icacy led him to refrain
from telling her Of his love at this
time.
In his will Burke had left every
thing that he possessed to Cleo. Yet
everything consisted of barely 81 ,00C
in the bsnk, the furniture of the
house, his extensive scientific library
and the vanished secret of the sub
marine Cleo was under no illusions
regarding the state of her finances.
81 must go to work. Jarvis" she told
Hope, with whom she discussed hel
financial difficulties and her future al
she would with an old family friend
"I must find something to do, for al
this late what little money have viii
soon be gone Perhaps l can get 6
position as a secretary, or in library
I used to write ali daddy's letters and
keep his accounts" Her voice trem
bled. as it always did at mention o
her father, for her grief was still yer!
new.
''Why don't you dispose of you
fathers library. Cleo?' he asked en-
evening when they were sitting Oh
the vine-covered verandah discussing
her affairs. ''You ought to realize
considerable sum from it-enougt
certainly, so that you win not nee,
to worry about money matters 70
some time to come. I'm going owe
to San Francisco tomorrow, and,
you care to have me, 1 will max
some inquiries as to the best way t
dispose of it,
The next evening he called again
when was in town today" he saiC
81 looked up friend who is intereste
in books. and he put me in touch wit
a man named Dawson, the proprietC
of the Dawson Auction rooms. wen
to see Dawson, who seems to be
very decent fellow, and explained ths
yon wished to dispose Of your father
library. He tells me that he is hol,
ing an important sale next week an
that. if you wish the books IA go I'M