The Carlisle independent., 1917-03-22
THIRD iNSTAlLMENT.

The murder of Ralph Burke provid- ed the public with 10 days mystery. Newspaper readers, satiated with the European conflict and the crisis in Mexico. eagerly devoured its details. The great newspapers of the country hurried their cleverest correspondents to Vaidavia. At Hopes suggestion the navy department, which was vii tally interested in recovering the lost formula, detailed a secret service operative on the case, but he met with no better success than the po- lice. On the theory that Burke had been murdered by Satsuma out of re- yenge. fresh search for the Japanese was started only to be abandoned when it was reported. with much cir cumstantial detail. that a man tallying with his description had shipped, two days before the murder, on a vessel bound for South America. But, though this apparently eliminated Satsuma, it only served to deepen the mystery.
 As the days passed and no solution was forthcoming, newspaper readers began to turn their attention to other events.
 Olga Ivanoff, who had hurried to Valdavia in order to be on the scene of action. prepared to return to her luxurious apartment in San Francisco, though Sextus was to remain behind in order to keep in touch with any potential developments. Hope and Morton still remained, the former be- cause he had received instructions from Washington to stay in Valdavia ' as long as there was a possibility of recovering the lost formula; the latter because of similar instructions from his uncle, Calvin Montgomery, who wrote that if the formula could be found he could sell it on his own terms to one of the European belliger- ents. It was not the illusory hope of recovering the formula, however. that kept Hope and Morton in Valdavia; the real magnet was Cleo
 Her fathers tragic death weighed heavily upon Cleo, and it was often far into night before she fell asleep upon her tear-soaked pillow, but her days were seldom lonely. for Jarvis and Gerald Morton were con- stt callers. But. though she frankly welcomed the visits Of the suave-man- nered young New Yorker, and listened with wrapt attention to his gossip of Fifth avenue and Broadway, she never gave him her entire confidence. Though she never admitted it, even to oI, There was no question in Hopes mind as to his feelings for Cleo. He was whole-heartedly, desperately, madly in love with her, but, though he felt in- tuitfyely that Cleo reciprocated, his innate delicacy led him to refrain from telling her of his love at this time.
 In his will Burke had left every thing that he possessed to Cleo. Yet everything" consisted of barely s1,000 in the bank, the furniture of the house, his extensive scientific library and the vanished secret of the sub- marine. Cleo was under no illusions regarding the state of her finances.
 T must go to work. Jarvis" she told Hope, with whom she discussed her financial difficulties and her future as she would with an old family friend. T must find something to do, for at this rate what little money I have will soon be gone. Perhaps l can get position as secretary, or in library. l used to write all daddy's letters and keep his accounts" Her voice trem- bled, as it always did at mention of her father, for her grief was still very new.
 "Why don't you dispose Of your fathers library, Cleo?" he asked one evening when they were sitting on the vine-covered verandah discussing her affairs. You ought to realize a considerable sum from it-enough, certainly, so that you will not need to worry about money matters for some time to come I'm going over to San Francisco tomorrow. and, if you care to have me, 1 will make some inquiries as to the best way to dispose of it.
 The next evening he called again. When l was in town today" he said, I looked up friend who is interested tn books, and he put me in touch with man named Dawson, the proprietor of the Dawson Auction rooms. went to see Dawson, who seems to be very decent fellow. and explained that you wished to dispose of your fathers library. He tells me that he is hold ing an important sale next week and that, If ynn wish the books to go into