Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1917-09-28

him and locked Ii. =,
A second door shut on the passage
and that also. she. locked. The only
window In the room was below
ground level. and barred.
Mr., Winch might have made a good
deal of noise before the rest of the
house were aware Of his imprison
ment.
| Caroline raced upstairs to her
room. Janet. passing her on the way
down, noted her brilliant color.
/ Coin to meet that Teller of yours?"
shc sneered..
|. "Yuss!" said Caroline. and sped
past her into the passage which gave
access to the hall.
/ The main staircase itself was al
most deserted.
In the friendly shadow of curtain
she stopped to adjust a roughly fash
Toned mask over her face. and then
ran nimbly up into the most wonder
full ballroom in London.
She had seen the place before. of
course; but only by daylight, Now its
brilliance smote her eyes like a blow.
The room was one vast kaleidoscope
of color.
Music. etherealized by the distance.
came softly from the great gallery at
the further end. Swaying. whirling
couples. among whom a million pin
points of 1ewel-light flashed and van
ished and flashed again. passed and
repassed her. Caroline shrank back.
overwhelmed.
A tow-headed young man. wearing
the costume of a knight of Malta, APP
preached her.
"You, were expected before" he
said banteringly. I'VE all knew you'd
do something to sustain the CARING
ford reputation, but this"---he touched
the cheap. badly fitting skirts the
absolute limit. Twentieth-century
scullery;maid. J.. presumed"
Caroline nodded. Clearly he was
mistaking her for some with a char
acter for eccentricity and the ability
to sustain it.
"Rippin'! 10 Lord Teddy with
your"
II amt s-s-ssen i'm since l come
in said Caroline.
accent and all! Cad, but you
ought to-"
: But Caroline slipped away. Her
search could brook anything but de-
lay.
The music came to an end. Before
It began again she had twice circled
the room. Its size. and the extent of
the crowd which filed 1t, were her
salvation. The duke and duchess, who
were talking with the prince, she
evaded carefully.
There were q number Of small, dis.
ereetly shaded alcoves opening out to
the right and left, and into each of
these she plunged in turn with sub
lime disregard for the amazed oocu-
pants. Odd rumors began to circulate
and unfriendly eyes to follow her
movements.
Caroline was very near the end Of
her tether, when at last she came up
on her man,
lie was standing within q curtained
doorway. talking to a tall blond wom-
an dressed in shimmerins blue. Caro-
line ignored her absolutely.
~ wants to speak to YER" she said.
He eyed her with a steady insolence
which betrayed no sign of recognition.
"Naow!" said Caroline.
The blond woman shut her fan with
a snap.
"Your original young friend Is to
be congratulated upon having an ac-
cent strictly in keeping with her cos
tune" she said, and slowly moved
away from him.
I'd, IL amt much to say" pursued
Caroline, nor much time to say 1t in.
But they know you're here. There's
a man from Scotland Yard waitin' be-
low. 'Ook IT,"
He spoke for the first time and in
voice which was a mere urgent whis-
per-.
-scluCe you huoW 81 unuCH, you must
know that they've no chance OF iden-
tifying me II you hold your tongue.
How much will you take to help me
through with the job?"
''Nothin'," said Caroline, and laid
an imperative hand on his arm.
The mans nerves were unsteadied,
and he was bewildered and furious at
the failure Of a plot which had been
worth every risk, and which stood up
on the very brink Of success. Else,
think, he would never have been
mad enough to have struck her
singing blow In the face with his
open hand. -
+ And at that, something In Caro-
lines brain snapped. With the mark
showing livid on her white cheek, and
her eyes blazing, she flung herself up
on him. The strings Of the mask
broke. and 1t dropped at her feet as
he struck, her again.
High above the hum OF CONVEX.
sation and the swirl Of draperies, and