The Washington times., 1916-11-11

This way must the blue motor-car
have come. since n great arch OF rock
closed in the beach at the end Of the
splendid nve-mile stretch. other rocks
there were. too. strangely formed. gro
tesque. striding out across the sand
here and there. though leaving room
for roadway on the safe side of the
| highest tides and this evening. as
Christopher drove Scarlet Runner
smoothly, thoughtfully along the level
sands. the SUMS last rays Redeemed p
; great block OF stone called the Turks
Head ...
The rock had. indeed. a vague re-
! semblance to the head of giant wrap
ped In n turban. neck and shoulders
rising above the beach. The enormous
face appeared to be ever staring out
to sea. the half-shaped eyes wide open,
the great slit which was the mouth
parted in grin as fierce as 1t was
Brotesque, when seen by person OF
imaginative mind.
Christopher had always been fasci-
mated by these rocks. the Turks Head
| especially but to his mind II bore 4
likeness to the Sphinx.
"Oh. Sphinx. would that you'd tell me
the secret OF this beach, he said, as he
slowed down his car within sight OF the
gigantic bust Then. looking up. 1t
seemed to him that the shape OF the
mouth had changed. 1t looked less
wide than usual.
Scarlet Runner.
He silenced the motor, jumped out Of
the car. and-glad that for the moment
he had this part of the beach to him
on-began to climb up the Turks
| shoulder. There was handhold on the
rough. protruding chin. then kneehold;
then handhold above: on the huge fiat
oh ushI oh anln o.
hold on the chin. Hanging on by a
spike OF rock which might have been a
| mole on the giant Turks face, Christie
pher peered into the mouth.
was a dark bundle, pushed far back.
and while Christopher supported him
self by one hand. with the other he
reached into the aperture and dragged
exclaimed in triumph. for his treasure
trove was a motoring coat OF the most
approved fashion wrapped round a cap
"a combination between the cap OF a
| motorist and yachtsman's.
So forcibly had the coat been jamnftd
into It's place that In pulling 1t out the
| cloth caught projection Of rock and
tore. The car, rolled to the front
sand twenty feet below.
Christopher's account OF his discovery
in the Turks mouth, in the sands
near Tilton-on-Sea. was made the most
Oh III ihIy y Columns, and
he was .complimented by the editor,
P! Nevertheless. days passed without his
being able to follow his first sensat ional
coup with another. The man who had
hidden the coat and cap and driven the
! blue Hansard into the sea might him.
self have vanished under the waves.
! so far as any, trace of him could be
amateur rival. The mystery threat
| ened to share the fate of other nine
day wonders, Notwithstanding the re-
ward offered by the London papers and
thu, money 1t lavished on its Motor
| Detective"
Public interest was langulshing, and
Christopher was growing restless when,
one evening nearly fortnight after the
! finding OF the derelict, he was dining
at a country inn on the London side OF
, Rochester.
Christopher sat at a small table oppo-
| site the door, and looked up as II opan-
| ed, but he would not have remarked the
newcomer with particularly II the
newcomer had not appeared dlscon-
| certed at sight OF him.
| He was a tall. good-looking man OF
| thirty-two or whereabouts, clean shavan
brown-faced. and evidently fresh from
ablutlons, for his shortcut, light brown
hair was wet and crinkly. Christonher
had never to his knowledge seen this
person before, but as the eyes OF the
| two men met across the room the new
conner stopped with his hand on the
door, his face freezing into an express
sion OF blank dsmay For n second he
stood still, then, instead of advancing
into the room, he turned abruptly round