Tombstone epitaph., 1916-01-09

| Its no use, said the young man, q can't remember"
 You very nearly did" Hazard en- couraged: you will, too, in time Keep trying. Fasten on to any flash of memory-any little detail. however | fragmentary-and it win serve with | our help to rend the veil from your past. Only have patience; amnesia | Is by no means uncommon Now. l want to ask you to come | with us: Miss Bertel and have to get to our place of business. It may be that you are luckier than you imag. ined; for We both happen to be in the employ of the Sutherland Detec. tive agency"
 | Sutherland" the other interjected. I've heard that name," | Can you recall any dealings that you ever had with us in the past?" | The man seemed to concentrate all faculties on the effort of remember. ing; but in the end he shock his head dejectedly.
 l No. nothing. It was only a flash; there is no association of ideas what ever"
 ''l was about to add" Hazard pur- sued, that out of common humanity, if for no other reason, I would help you: but there is another reason. and after I've had time to turn the mat ter over in my mind We shall see what can be done"
 l The unknown offered no objections to going with them. and as they pro gressed downtown Felix Hazard watched iim narrowly. Only once did the detective address him directly. | Chicago is not wholly unknown to you. see"
 | The man turned to him eagerly. | By George, You've hit upon one clear. definite impression that l have. Somehow it seems as though I'd know my way about town alone; yet l have a feeling that Chicago is not where I belong If were in my home town I'm confident that places and street names would be familiar-not merely like printed page that has been once read. but like one that l see every day"
 They left their unfortunate charge in a comfortable waiting room, while Hazard and the girl repaired to his private office.
 | Sit down, Helen" Hazard invited. land let's go over this thing together" Doesn't it strike you as being odd that this poor chap should have had four empty envelopes in his pocket, not one of them containing a scrap of the original letters?" q hadn't thought of it before" the 1 girl replied, but they were placed there purposely."
 Left there purposely." Hazard cor rected. Those are Rawlings clothes; he has this mans. or I'm sadly mis- taken.
 But the four envelopes-they and the postcard are all addressed in the same hand; the envelopes were all postmarked at New York: but the card bearing the latest date was mailed in Chicago"
 And your conclusion is" appended Miss Bertel. that a rendezvous was I the time and place"
 Exactly. Now. then, here's some thing you don't know. | "The first of this month a contract is going to be awarded to the success | full bidder for the construction of the l Wrye Neck ship canal in Massachu- setts-a ten-miliion-dollar enterprise. | Tac Construction company of Chicago is the only one among some seven or eight bidders that is at all likely to be | successful, because it is the only one | of the lot that is able to put up the heavy cash bond required. The others might in time, of course; but the Her cules people have the cash, and that's | what counts.
 | Last Thursday-July 2, bear in mind-Henry Riddle of the Hercules | company received word that one John Prince of Prince & Penthouse, a big firm Of New York engineers, would 1 arrive in Chicago with certain draw ings and specifications that are of vital importance in connection with I the projected canal WOrk. lie snculO have come Friday morning, and Riddle and one or two others of the company were at the station to meet Prince. We'll, he didn't show up"
 'T see," Miss Bertel interposed. Prince is missing and you hoped I had found him for you.'
 Correct. But your protege is not John Prince; Prince is a much older man.
 | Friday went by, and no news from the messenger Then Riddle became alarmed. The Hercules people had reason to move cautiously, you under stand; the matter had been kept as secret as possible; but it began to look as though they had been circum- vented by their enemies. If these par ticular plans and specifications fall into the hands of certain competing concern it will be all up with Riddle and his crowd
 "WeIl, by the time Riddle got busy on the wire Friday, Prince & Pent- house had closed-not to open again till foday becaIse Saturday the