The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-03-17
SECRET SERVICE.
I"

The warning came from a distance
and was only to be expected in view
of the fact that links bordered the
woodland. Donald Parr heard but
paid no heed.
But he started and stopped stock
still when a whitish sphere sped like
a bullet within six inches of his nose.
For several seconds he remained
stationary, looking keenly about him.
Then, well toward the edge of the
woodland, a futtering bit of white
caught his eye and forthwith disap-
peared; and with a noncommittal
grunt Parr moved toward it.
Ten yards, and he paused again
this time behind a sizable tree.
Immediately ahead a dense thicket
blotted the fair prospect of the links,
and behind this, his back to Parr,
skulked an understood person clothed
in those amazingly ugly garments
| which the motor-cyclist of today af-
fects. He was busily unknotting a
handkerchief from the end of a stick.
Now and again he peered stealthily
ONer lue top Ol Tie tulckeL.
Beyond, on the links, four figures
were visible. OF these, three remained
in the background, two being caddies,
the third a tall and slender gentleman
in rakish white fannels. The fourth,
a man of middle age, neither tall nor
short, but tolerably stout, and COM
monty well if not unsuitably dressed
for the game, appearing sedulously to
search for his lost golf ball, boldly
left the links, and without further SUBJ
terfuge rounded the thickets and
stopped before the motorcycles, who
greeted him with a salute of deep re-
spect.
PARIS teeth frightened on his briar.
By this alone did he betray surprise
if surprise it were. This closer view
showed him that golfist and cyclist
alike were japanese, the motor-cyclist
of the commonest caste, the other
|. Well, it happened that Parr
knew the other both by sight and ILL
repute.
He called himself Baron Huroki.
He was the only son of a Samurai, a
man of much influence in Toxic, and
of vast wealth, whose great gifts as
a diplomatist had frequently been
demonstrated in the course of a long
career as Japanese ambassador to
various European capitals. The off
spring of a marriage with an English
woman of title, the present Baron
Huroki had inherited all his fathers
wealth, together with much of his
cunning, his courage, md his morals
Or lack thereof.
Acknowledging the obeisance with
the most brusque of gestures the
baron silently held out his hand. AS
silently the motor-cyclist produced a
folded slip Of paper, and placed it in
the ex%pectant palm. Baron Huroki
unfolded and scanned what was writ
ten upon the paper, pocketed 1t,
whipped out a notebook, rapidly pen
ciled one of it's leaves, tore this out
and gave it to the other. Then, after
q few curt words in Japanese, so
guardedly pitched that Parr could
make nothing more of them, he strobe
briskly back to the links.
Delaying only to fold and secrete
the baron's message in the leather of
his cap, the motor-cyclist trotted off
through the trees.
After a brief moment of ~indecision,
Parr left cover and darted after the
Japanese.
The path debouched into a shallow
glade, crossing another. At this point
the gods launched at the devoted Jap
anese their bolt in the shape Of a
splendid sorrel saddle-horse with a
slim young woman on it's back.
They came together squarely. In a
trice the motor-cyclist was bowled
over and stretched out unconscious.
The sorrel went to his knees. His
fair rider shot on, over his head. Parr
came up just in time, and without 9th
er choice than to receive her in his
arms.