The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1917-09-28


said Philippians father. 1--WE can use
young Mr.. Hale as our broker and by |
buying largely we can corner the mar !!
ket and make q big cleanup. This
stock is one we can get without excit.
ing much suspicion. provided no one !
learns our operations, and l imagine
that 1t will not be difficult for US to
keep them to ourselves"
Bentley waited to hear no more
he slipped away chuckling to himself
thinking that here was way in which
he could make use Of information TO
secure another hold on Phlippa and
the Hale millions.
While Mr.. Bentley was seeking
new place Of cOncealment Annessley
and Peter were obliged to confess that
their scheme to seize the willy social
pirate had fallen throush-they were
not very proud of their performance,
but they were more determined than
ever to keep up the chase.
Annessley in particular had an in
terest in catching Bentley quite apart
from any personal reason. His city
editor had given him an assignment
which was nothing less than Find
Bentley" 1t meant a big thing for the
young reporter if he could do this
and he made up his mind that he
would call on Philippa and see If she
knew anything 10 help him.
Philippa received him cordially, and,
while she could not give him any en-
enlargement in his quest she did give
him something that meant good deal
more to him-she showed him that she
was not averSe to his admiration. He
! was given to understand that he might
hope, and he went away in high spirits.
1t was while he was going along
whiStling that he saw a man who
seemed familiar, and on looking more
closely he determined that the stranger
was one of Bentley's companions
Here was q clue to the new hiding
place of the man he sought, and all
he had to do was to shadow the con.
federate.
! This proved not at all difficult and
! Annessley had the satisfaction OF trac-
! ing him to q house not far from the
business district. His plan was plain
! he must secure room in the same
house. This, too, proved easy-in
fact, as he offered to pay In advance,
he was able to pick his own floor And
when he selected a small room next to
that occupied by Bentley the landlady
seemed more satisfied than her new
ledger.
Annessley felt now that all he had
to do was to wait patiently and then
lead the police to the spot. He dis
covered that he could look into Bent
ley's room through small transom
covered with curtain, and that by
raising this transom triie he could
even hear what was going on within
This seemed too good to be true and
the reporter was overjoyed. He tool
care to keep himself under cover, and
when he did get to the street TO Sinh
away without being seen.
But Annessley's good fortune was t
be changed to Ill fortune in man
= ner which he could little suspect. HI
was walking away from the house
then, to his establishment, he saw Phil
ippa Brewster making toward 1t.
Annessley did not stop her. He wal
too amazed for words. He had al
ready notified the police that he hat
trapped the man they sought and wa
on his way to meet them and be in a
the capture.
He could not know why the girl VIII
had assured him that she knew moth
ing of Bentleys whereabouts was nov
going to see the man who had trie'
to kill her father and had sought t
compromise her.
, AS q matter Of fact, when Phillips
had told Annessley that she did no
know where Bentley was she spoke tn
, truth. After he left she received
note from her former flance, whic
: read as follows:
J Ny Dear Philippa-I am III and nee
you. Please come to me. l hold you
fathers fortunes in my hands, and II 20
. refuse this request I shall not hesitat
! to ruin him. can do this with word.
At the bottom of this note was th
address Of the house in which Al
q nessley had secured his room.
philippa hesitated whether to tur
this note over to her father-instea
she asked him, without telling hill
: why, whether he was involved in an
secret deal the common knowledge
D which would do him harm.
T Hubert Brewster was puzzled
( don't know where you heard Of thi
e Philippa," he said, "but the fact
that any word of the operations ] al
Z now engaged in would mean ruin
y me-eyerything / have is staked Q
l. the success of the stock transaction
Il am now putting through"
e Philippa decided Immediately TIL
e her duty was to get to Bentley and
do what she could to stay his hand.
e All this Annessley could not know
indeed 1t seemed to him that this 81
o whom he had learned to love was st
u infatuated with the villain who had
II nearly welded her.
l. He could only stare foollshly VIII
his friends, the detectives, arrive
Even as Philippa entered the hou'
10 they pressed him for the numb
where Bentley was hiding. He fac
lg them stupidly-"Tye made mistake
lie he said-and he turned away to ave
their gibes as they went back to t