Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-21

So Cleo told how she had waited
at the hotel until long past the hour
,at which Hope and Hook had pro-
missed 10 rejoin her; how, fearful of
missing Stephanski and thus losing
the opportunity to examine the book,
she had gone to the house in the
Edgemere road alone; how she had
been seized, bound and gagged; how
a masked woman had threatened her
with torture if she did not reveal the
key to the cryptogram; how, upon
hearing Hopes motor, man, also
masked, had carried her into the Gel
lar; how she had succeeded in ridding
herself of the gag, and how Hook,
prowling about at the rear of the
house, had heard her screams and had
dragged her from the cellar in the
very nick of time.
The scoundrels," exclaimed Hope,
as she concluded her amazing recital.
And the book?' inquired Hope,
eagerly. Did you have chance to
examine it before they attacked your
Yes said Cleo, Il went through
it, page by page, from cover to cover.
There was nothing in it."
WELL" said Hope, as Cleo and
Hook aided him to his feet, there's
no need to be discouraged. 1t isn't
likely that we would have found the
formula in the first book we looked
in, anyway. We still have eleven
chances left. The thing to do now is
to get in touch with the people who
bought the other books. Let's see"
and he took from his pocket the page
from Dawson's ledger, the next
name on the list is that of an old
friend of 'mine-Mrs. Reginald Del
mar. She's the wife of the British
consul in San Francisco; | used to
know her when her husband was at
tsched to the embassy at Washington.
She'll do anything she can to help
u.s."
Little they dreamed, as they de-
parted from the shattered house, that
two shadowy figures, lurking behind
a curtain had overheard every word
of their conversation. Still less did
Morton and Olga dream that the Jap
anese, Satsuma, crouching in the
darkness outside one OF the broken
windows had overheard the converse
ton, too.
The following morning Hope and
Cleo motored out to the handsome
residence of the. British consul on
Ocean View avenue. Mrs, Delmar, a
handsome, gray-haired woman, gave
them cordial greeting,
ITS been ages since I've seen you
Mr.. Hope she said. THE last time
was at dinner at the Russian embassy
wasn't it-or was it at the New Year S
reception at the White House? What
do you mean by coming to San Fran
cisco and not letting me know"
Hope briefly sketched the remark
able chain OF events which hac
brought him from the nations capita
to the shores of the Pacific, telling
OF the mysterious death Of DR.: Burke
of the disappearance Of the formula
and of the thrilling chase OF the
books.
"Why, it's regular romance Mrs
Delmar exclaimed, clapping her hand:
with excitement as through she were
at a theater. Someone ought to write
play around it for the movies it:
the most exciting story ! ever listen
ed to in my life. Two Of the book:
you describe | bought yesterday a
Dawson's auction rooms. got then
quite BY accident, too. went in there
to look at some Chinese porcelain'
| had been told about just as tn,
auctioneer was offering these two
volumes on electricity. ! don't know
an earthly thing about electricity,
don't know the difference between ;
magnetic and a volt-but my nephew
Francis Leyland, is taking the cours'
in electrical engineering at Lelanc