The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-10-11

that he should be.
The note that she had thrust into his
hand when he gave her back her fan
said simply:
"Follow me II you are interested in
obtaining a certain paper"
Sebastian had needed no second invi-
tation, and when he had followed her
to the door of her house he had found
Blanca waiting for him.
won't you come in. Senior Ma
varre7" inquired Blanca, smiling.
In her sumptuously furnished recep-
ton room Blanca had coffee served by
a Chinese servant
"Senor Navarro" she said, "a GER
tain paper has come into my hands In
which l believe your are interested.
1t is matter Of business. How much
is 1t worth to your"
81 offered a hundred dollars for 1t
this morning." answered Sebastian
Suppose we say fifty thousand dol
lars" she said.
Sebastian shrugged his shoulders.
Madame, let us put business aside"
he said. II like to leave these mat
tiers to my lawyer"
Come, senior, let us finish this DEAL"
she said. sis 1t fifty thousand? l do
not bargain"
He saw that he was dealing with
woman Of stronger character than he
had imagined.
"Well, I'll give you ten thousand"
he said, decisively. "That is positively
my last word"
mo" answered Blanca, rising
That was the moment when the pis-
tol shot sent them hurrying into the
anteroom. A moment afterward the
attendants entered, bearing the body of
the suicide.
Sebastian's eyes fell upon Romanoff.
At once he realized that Romanoff and
Blanca were in the deal together.
Then 1t was that Leontine was car
ried in and placed on the couch. The
combination of circumstances over
whelmed him. He started back in ter
ror as his wife sprang to her feet and
stepped forward toward Blanca.
"Give me that paper" said LeOntine.
Blanca stepped back and nodded i'm
perceptibly to one Of the attendants,
who seized Leontine by the arm. And
then strange thing happened. Sud
denly the paper was wrested from b.
anca's hand by some invisible agency
and transferred to Leontine's.
Blanca sprang forward to snatch 1t,
but then she staggered and then reeled
back; at the same instant the hand
of the attendant was torn from Leon
tines arm and he was hurled to the
floor. A stream of blood poured from
his cut lip.
Leontine, clutching the precious doc
ument, moved toward the door. She
was half way toward 1t when Blanca
recovered her self-possession.
"Stop her!" she cried. "Don't let
her go! Get that paper from her!"
The second attendant and Romanoff
leaped forward. Just as the attendant
was about to pinion Leontine, he, too,
went reeling back under the impact of
a terrific blow which knocked him,
stunned. to the ground. Romanotf
seemed lifted bodily and cast upon the
PROSTATE form of the other man.
The room was in an uproar. Two
Chinese servants ran between Leontine
and the doorway. The attendants. ris-
ing from the floor, at Bianca's signal.
flung themselves upon Leontine again.
Then it seemed as II an invisible
devil were at work in the room
Leontine stood beside the door, un-
touched, the precious paper still In her
hand She alone had kept her self-pos-
session.
Quietly she stepped toward the Sc
cret panel, pushed 1t open, and passed
into the gambling house. Thence she
made her way leisurely toward the
head of the flight OF steps that led
down to the street.
She went down slowly, and, believ-
ing herself safe. stopped under the
nearest street lamp to read the rest
of the confession, in order to learn the
truth.
AS she did so, a man came down the
steps behind her.
2 Louis Lamb, or "One-Lamp Louie" +"
had made his way back to New York
with his hoard after the earthquake
devastated Whites village.
On reaching the metropolis he i'm
mediately got in touch with the un-
derworld; and that in itself required u
certain habit Of mind.
Blanca, recognizing that he had
money to spend, permitted him to
spend 1t. Romanoff, who had planned
to rob him, did not recognize in the
frequenter of the gambling house the
hermit Of Whites Village.
AID Louie had not the slightest rec
ollection of the concession Of forgery
which he had committed in company
with Sebastian,
When he spoke to Leontine at the
side of the suicide he had not the least
idea that he had ever seen her before.
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