The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1918-12-20

/ else, but" stammered Hartley.
"Out with it. then :"
Il wanted to thank you for what
/ you did for me. and
/ The man seemed TO be trying to spin
out the interview for some indefinite
/ purpose. Mark turned on his heel.
/ His temper was not Of the best lust
then, and Hartley was the last man
In the world whom he wanted to see.
"All right" he answered. steer
clear of that womnn-of Mrs Henson,
Hartley. It's Aevident that she doesn't
| reciprocate your feelings, or whatever
they are, and she seems to have some
dangerous friends about her"
He relented suddenly. and, going
forward, clapped the man on the shout
der.
Il guess you've had your troubles,
Hartley" ne said. But pull yourself
together, man."
The sheepish, humanity mask
dropped from Hartley's face. He
caught Marks hand impulsively
I'm cur, Captain Wallace !" he
cried. Il"
That's all right, Hartley. But. by
the way, who told you my name?"
Captain Wallace, don't ask me that /,
Go back Never mind me! Go back
into your Office at once" cried Hart
ley.
He broke past Mark with a sudden,
spasmodic movement, gained the door.
/ and ran down the corridor Mark
| looked after him in stupefaction. Hart
ley had not been drunk, and his pres
ence there had seemed purposeless.
Suddenly, with an intuition of danger.
he hurried through the clerks office,
unlocked his door. and entered.
The room was filed with q furious
gust of wind. The mobilization papers
were whirling on his desk in front of
the open window.
The circular fan, which had been
distributing a gentle breeze Impair
TALLY from side to side, now poured
its current of air Immediately upon
Marks desk. The rotary movement
had been stopped. and 1t had been set
to maximum speed.
And this was not the small fan Gus
tomarily In use in the little office, but
a large one from the clerks room
When Mark had left to interview
Hartley. he had seen Kellerman at
work through the glass door that con-
nected their two offices. Now Keller
mans desk was vacant.
Mark slammed down the window
there were two locks, and Mark and
Kellerman had each a key. Nobody
could have entered.
But Mark was positive that Keller
man had set the fan. 1t stood on a
shelf against the partition. Looking
up. Mark saw that there was a tiny
hole Immediately behind il, large
enough to permit an inserted wire TO
push back the lever that controlled the
rotary apparatus. Yet this might have
been nothing but a worrnhole in the
wood framework of the door
With a gasp of rags Mark hastily
stopped the fan and ran back to his,
desk. He began collecting the papers.
They had blown hither and thither
some had fallen behind the desk. some
on the radiator. The floor was Uttered
with them.
Had any gone out of the window?
There should have been two hundred
and nine There was nothing to do
but count them. Mark began but his
fingers trembled so that he could hard
~ turn the pages.
In the very middle of this task the
door clicked; the Brigadier and Colonel
Howard entered.
well, Wallace. finished, I hope?"
asked the Brigadier with the cordiaIity
of one who has been refreshed by q
good dinner. Let me see -
Mark turned the leaves nervelessly.
while the Brigadier and Howard stood
silently beside him.
He reached the end. He had count
ed exactly two hundred That might
have. been an error But the paper
was not there.
lie looked up to see the Brigadier
peering into his face with an extraor-
binary expression. He heard himself
stammering, fumbling for words; he
stopped.
Colonel Howard sprang forward and
caught him by the shoulder wallace,
my dear fellow. pull yourself togeth-
err" he was pleading. What's that
you're saying? Blown out of the win
dow7 It's the heat, sir. He's been
OVERRIDING 1t!
"very possibly" said the Brigadier