The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1916-11-23

cOnnned. Townrd this Hope and Hook
hurried engerly. the ancient timbers
Of the pier complaining nOislly beneath
their feet. Inserting In the paddock
the key he had obtained from Mahlin.
Hope pushed open the door.
Cleo" he rulled nnxiously. "Cleo.
Are you there7 It's Hope"
But TO his summons there wns no
answer. Cleo wns gone. Suddenly
Hook, who was advancing slowly with
the match sheltered In his cupped
palm. gave nm exclamation and stopped
dead. Had he taken another step he
would have plunged through an open
trapdoor In the floor Of the store
house into the waters Of the bay.
which gurgled and lnpped the timbcrs
Of the pier only few feet below.
That someone had recently gone
through that trap door was all too
evident. for on the floor beside IT, as
though tossed there hastily. lay n wom-
ans hat pair OF high-heeled satin
slippers. and nm evening coat. Hope
recognized them instantly.
Come" he said NJ Inst. pulling him
self together. "Wc've no time to
lose. He may have escaped nlrendy."
Where we goin' now. lootennnt9"
asked Hook.
"Bnck Ia town" wns the curt re-
sponse "to get that hell-hound Mahlln.
He'll tell me what he's done with her
or I'll kill him by inches"
Dawn was breaking when the car
again swung into Panuco street. Hope
saw, with n shock. that an ambulance
was backed up TO the curb in front OF
No. 1927 and that around II stood sew
eral policemen and small group of
curious spectators.
whats the matter. ofIicer?" he
asked, lcaping from the car and nc
costing one of the policemen.
Murder. sir" he said clyilly. 81
was passing the end of this street n
few minutes ago when I heard shot
A moment later man came out Of
this house and ran down the street
| took after him. but he got away
from me. Then I hurried back here.
II was dark downstairs, but there was
light on the top floor The door OF
the room Mt 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 likeT asked
Hope, though h> knew what the an
swer would be.
"A tall, thin fellow" replied the po-
llcemaE. ale looked like foreigner.
Hut thay'ra hri,, ying hIr, ont n,v-ya,,
can see him for yourself"
The dead mtn was Mahln-mur-
dered, no doubt In a quarrel with one
of his sssociates in crime.
This is queer case" said another
man. evidently detective, who had
Just come ort cf the house, addressing
the pollcemtn with whom Hope had
dead man lying in the court, a Jap.
fancy. He must have fallen from
the window - the room where you
found the other fellow. for every bone
In his body is broken. He's still hold
ing 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,
Mt 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 drP wer which the old lnven-
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 n new model construct
ed and installed In a modern. sea-going
submarine which the government
placed at his disposal for the purpose,
and, month after Cleo's disappear
ance, the submersible, having on board
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 strolling aimlessly along the
water front of San Francisco. AS he
paused irresolutely at the entrance to
his favorite saloon. an acquaintance,
former shlpmate, who. upon leaving
the navy had turned boatman, hailed
him.
you're Just the man I wanted to
see," he called. "Tve got some news
that may interest you"
"What kind o. news?" inquired
Hook.
"'Bout that girl-Montgomery, her
name wuz, wuzn't it1-that disap-
peared while back. But it's only a
rumor, mind you, and like as not
there's nothin' In It,"
"Yes. yes" exclaimed Hook anxious
ly; ego on"
"Yestidday," said the boatman. 81
wuz over to Ignacio, on the north
shore Of San Pablo bay. While l was
hangln' round the wharf, wait.n for