Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-06-07
PEARL
@Aho
Is
Guy Cornell
Fifteenth EPISODE
The Coloner's Orderly.
The Colonel's ORDERLY.
Fifteenth EPISODE
Ii was all over.

The Silent Menace was unmaSked.
On the root of the army administers
ton building. helpless, huddled. his
eyes closed, his face partly concealed
In the crook of his un5roken arm, he
lay in the center of an awed group
dying.
In this group was Major Thornton
Brent and his wife, Mrs. Thornton
Brent. formerly Miss Bertha Bonn,
Even in that tragic moment n gold
locket vas conspicuous at her throat,
AT last had Bertha come into her own
and the inscription on the miniature
In the lockct become a fact, indeed.
Colonel Richard ii. Dare and the chief
of the army staff were also in the
ton they beheld.
kneeling beside the dying man,
from whom consciousness had not e
tirely fed. was Miss Pearl Dare and
her fathers orderly and her lover, L.
o. Adams, about whom the shrouds Of
mystery had not altogether been re-
moved.
The flag which the Silent Menace
had attempted To despOil again fiut-
tered in its place on the army admins
tration building pole.
The dying man opened his eyes and
gazed upon il in intense hatred. 1T
will yet come down" he growled. as
II foreteilins the future.
rx,cr ~ urfpl shxnI tho far and
unfurled its stars and stripes before
he gaze of the stricken man. as IL 10
defy and challenge him and the whole
world.
The dying man turned from the
hateful objeet of his sight and breathed
his last. The Silent Menace has not
persisted! were his departing words.
america, look OUT"
A shudder OF horror ran through the
spectators. Pearl Dare and L. ..
Adams gave the dead mans face one
Understandable look. rose and walked
away. hand in hand. thinking of many
things. of everything.
The dead man was Toxic.
Toxic, the Dare chauffeur, the faith
full servant. the never suspected or
questioned.
Toxic was the Silent Menace.
Toxic was the leader of the Foreign
Alliance, the master political criminal.
the man Of distinguished characteris-
tics Of bearing. speech. physical Prov
ess and illimitable power; a ruler, an
international dreamer, supercleyer
and supercunning. Il genius in shaping
events. in intrigue. an archplotter for
rowns and sceptres against democ-
racy and personal freedom.
Toxic. the quiet and unassuming
Chauffeur, was all this. the man who
shook America and foiled it TO the last
with a thick black muller.
That he died a mailman there was
not the slightest doubt; for no sane
person. no matter how r%eyengeful or
desperate. would have hazarded dis
c0very when he must have known that
every secret service man In Washing
ton was searching for him. Further
more. his language and appearance in
death indicated that the man had gone
entirely out Of his head.
And now a curious change was APP
parent in the department of Il. o.
Adams. Before leaving the roc with
Pearl he approached Brent and Ber-
tina, briefly congratulated them and.
not as a subordinate addressing his SUI
perior but rs an equal. he requested
the major TO bring his wife 10 the
Dares as soon as possible: and he also
asked the colonel If he would try and
arrange TO be at home al Ea early
hour.
Both the colonel and Brent took il
that he had something further To tell
about the Silent Menace and agreed
TO his wishes. Bertha did not know
what to think. A preposterous notion
had come into her mind. but IL was SO
preposterous that II was dismissed at
once. leaving her blank.
Adams and Pearl went to the hos
pital In which Toxic had been placed
on the day of the night they became
lAAToiiCAo oh Ahc ShD VI lht NlieA
Menace en- route to the canal. Here,
10 their amazement, although they now
clearly understood. they learned that
on the same night Toxic had been taken
from the hospital on IA written order
purporting TO come from Colonel Dare,
nothing strange being thought of that.
This cleared the last but one of the
only two missing links in the mystery
of Toxic. the other being seemingly i'm
possible of solution.
Ii was this: How did Toxic learn
that the Canal Defense plans were con
cealed under the left shoulder strap
and the chemical waters in the watch
fob locket of Captain Ralph Payne on
that day in July when the latter left
the secret council chamber of the gem
eral army staff. the only person outside
OF those in the session to whom this
secret was known? And was the Gra-
madam ambassador murdered by To-
ko?
Someone must have told Toxic -
declared Pearl. ~perplcxed. as they hur-
ried homewi rd. Yet not "A soul had
left the council chamber when Captain