The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1917-06-21

, came thesg unquestionably compromis
ing surprises in her life so often fore
warned by him who always safely ex
tricated her? The Silent Menace The
: Silent Menace, 1t was Adams 1t wa:
not Adams
These were Pearls momentary ant
restless thoughts.
To his question she answered: 81
YOU are positive in this matter, why
do you not take the government into
your eonfidenee?"
He smiled whimsically. "Tf I should
be in error, Miss Dare and there is
always the possibility of error, would
be doing our country far greater harm
by exposing my suspicious than BY
keeping silent. l must make sure first
That is why 1 ask you what would be
the effect Tiff the Silent Menace
should turn ont to be one whom you
regard highly as IA friends"
yourself, for example?" after q
tense silence.
Isn't that bit absurd, Miss DareY
Adams! !" sire cried, and the plead
ing in her voice thrilled him, Can you
prove to me that you are not the 81
lent Menace? VIII your
81 can and Will"
''Then do it. Relieve my mind and
She stopped suddenly, her features
flushing.
He Strengthened in sudden determi-
nation. "Win you hazard one more
adventure?"
Her eyes sparkled and she nodded.
He stopped the car, reversed,
changed their direction and sped
homeward.
He left her at the door before pro-
ceeding to the garage with the auto
mobile. Meet me at the freight docks
inside an hour. l will show you the
Foreign Alliance unmasked and the
| Silent Menace!"
Pearl ran into the house.
In less than the appointed time, at
one of the freighting wharves at the
foot of well-known street, Pearl
Dare met her fathers orderly, who
awaited her coming. On seeing her
his face frightened Giving her hand
a tiny pressure, which she did not re-
sent, he led the way to a rowboat. She
took the stern seat and picked up the
steering rope. He grasped the oars.
In another moment they skinned up
stream at fair speed. Once or twice
Pearl started to speak, but he re-
strained her with q motion of his head
and whispered that great caution was
essential to the result of the enter
prise. He had prudently muffled the
oarlocks and disguised the nature of
mans outfit in a place in the boat
where it was easily discernible to any
inquisitiye eye. There were a number
of such fishermen on the river, for this
was the favorable hour.
In midstream they came upon a tug
towing barges. Adams Immediately
shunted his boat shoreWard and pre-
tended to fish, while Pearl simulated
an interest in what he was doing. The
tug steamed in an opposite direction
In little While both tug and barges
were tied up at the wharf for the re-
mainder of the night, lights We're
doused and silence fell upon the
scene.
DO you know w-what's in them
barges?" Adams whispered to Pearl,
with his old familiar stutter.
at looks like coal; is it?"
JIn lanoba6 poicalaccIv svrbo Ton
layer, yes. Them potato bomb m-molds
of yours are underneath. That stuff's
d-due to some submarine somewhere
d-down the bay, I'm sure
II wonder where?"
"We're going ito find that out,
mebbe"
The time had come to make good
his promise to Pearl. He showed their
boat back into deep water, dipped the
oars hard several times without undue
noise and began to drift. The tide was
in their favor and after a long sus-
pense they drew alongside the silent
tug.
1t was a tugboat of no ordinary de-
sign or dimensions and closely resem-
bled, and might have been taken for,
Il small tramp steamer. There were
decks fore and aft and top with
fairly comfortable rail. Adams and
Pearl slipped over the side undetect-
ed and down a narrow companionway.
Here either by blunder or intention
on the part of Adams, they became
separated.
"Adams!' whispered Pearl, filled
with sudden forebodings.
She heard his hushed voice and a
slight scraping sound in the dark.
Then light flashed, door swung
open and a masked man showed and
locked her into a stateroom.
She pounded on the door hard and
cried out. She thought she heard
responding voice-Adams-fro some
where. A ray of light suddenly
cleaned through a crack in the board
partition. Quickly peeping, Pearl saw
the Foreign Alliance in an adjoining
room, lounging in chairs. smoking anu
chatting in low tones. Their faces were
unmasked. Every face was strange to
Pearl. The Silent Menace was also
unmasked, but his back was toward
her. lie did and he did not resemble
Adams in the close foreground in
which she saw him. Her momentary
doubt of Adams faded, though it did
not entirely disappear.
Pearl now listened, eager to catch
every word. The discussion concerned