The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1916-04-21

cepIl0n h&ii Tor the salon without feel
ing assured that things we're in no re.
specf as they ought 10 be-a hat he
had left on the hall-rack had been
moved to another peg: a chair had
been shifted six inches from its or
dained position. and the door OF a
clothes closet, which be had locked on
leaving. now stood an inch ajar.
The state Of the salon, which he
had furnished as a lounge and study,
and Of the tiny dining room and the
bedchamber adjoining, bore out these
testimonies to the fact that alien
hands had thoroughly ransacked the
apartment. leaving no square ihch I'm.
scrutinized.
Yet he missed nothing. His rooms
were private gallery of valuable
paintings and antique furniture to
poison with envy the miad of any col.
lector, and housed into the bargain a
small museum Of rare books, manu-
scripts. and minor articles of exquis-
tie workmanship whose individuality,
aside from Intrinsic worth, rendered
them priceless. A burglar of discrimi.
nation could have carried away in one
coat pocket loot enough to foot the
bill for twelve months of profiigate
living. But nothing had been removed
nothing. at least. that was apparent
In the first tour Of inspection; which,
IL sweeping, was in no way superficial.
He moved slowly from object to OBJ
ject, checking of tens and noting
their condition, with the sole result of
justifying his first mpression-where-
as nothing had escaped handling, moth
ing had been removed.
AS a last test he opened his desk
of which the lock proved to have been
deftly picked-drew up a chair, and
went through its pigeonholes. His
scanty correspondence, composed
chiefly of letters exchanged with art
dealers, had \ scrutinized and re-
placed carelessly in disorder-and
here again he missed nothing; but in
the end, removing a small drawer and
inserting a hand in the recess, he
found and pressed spring which re-
leased a rack of pigeonholes and ex-
posed the secret cabinet which forms
an inevitable attribute of such pieces
of period furfitare.
A shallow boz, this secret space con.
tanned one tlsng only, but that one Of
considerable value, being the leather
bill-fold in waich the adyenturer kept
a store Of ready money against emer-
gencies.
1t was mostly for this, indeed, that
he had come to his apartment; his
London campaign having demanded
an expenditure far beyond his calcula-
tons, so that he had landed in Paris
with less than one hundred francs in
pocket. And Lanyard for all his pride
Of spirit, acknowledged one haunting
fear, that Of finding himself strapped
in time of stress,
The fold yielded up its hoard to a
sou-Lanyard removed and counted
over five notes of one thousand francs
and ten of twenty pounds-their sum
approximating two thousand dollars.
But IL nothpg had been taken away,
something had been added--the back
Of one Of the Bank of England notes
had been used as o blank for mem.
orandum.
Lanyard spread II out and studied It
attentively.
The handwriting had been traced
with no dis 'slhle attempt at dis.
guise, bd htg strange TO him.
The pen employed had been one OF
those needle-pointed nibs so popular
in France; the hand was that of an
educated Frenchman. The substance
of the memorandum translated as fol-
lows:
ITO the Lone Wolf-The Pack sends
greetings and extends its invitation to
participate in the benefits of its fra
ternity. One awaits him always at
pAbbaye Theleme."
A date was added, the date of that
same day.
Deliberately, when he had conned
this communication, Lanyard produced
his cigarette case, twisted the note of
twenty pounds into rude spill, set 1t
aire, lighted his cigarette therefrom
and, rising, conveyed the burning pa.
per to a cold and empty fireplace,
where he permitted 1t to burn to a
crisp, black ash.
When this was done his smile broke
through his clouding scowl.
We'll, my friendl" he informed the
author of that document which now
could never prove discriminating
all events, | have you to thank for
new sensation. II has long been my
ambition to feel warranted in lighting
a cigarette with twenty-pound note,
II the within ever seized mel"
His smile faded slowly the frown
replaced it--something more valuable
to him than q hundred dollars had
just gone up in smoke.