The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-11-29

| through the clerks room and into the
anterOom. Hartley was standing be-
side the window. He looked up sheep
ishly as Mark entered.
"Wellw asked Mark crisply.
Hartley grinned. 81 didn't take the
cups or the picture, Captain Wallace"
he said.
"Well, what about it? What can
do for you?"
"Why, II wanted to tell you as
much, Captain Wallace. I've sunk low,
but not to theft. Only I didn't feel
could stay"
"Good Lord, man, is that all you
have come to tell me?''
swell, you see-there was something
else, but" stammered Hartley.
"Out with it, then!"
II 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 just
then, and Hartley was the last man
in the world whom he wanted to see.
"All right" he answered. "Steer
clear of that woman-of Mrs. Henson,
Hartley. It's evident 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
0Y.d o1o h0 %1a e,1
der.
81 guess you've had your troubles,
Hartley" ne said. 'But pull yourself
together, man."
The sheepish, unmanly mask
dropped from Hartley's face. He
caught Marks hand impulsively.
"Pm cur, Captain Wallacew he
cried. Ill"
''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 filled with a 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 gentle breeze impair
TALLY from side to side, now poured
| it's current of air Immediately upon
Marks desk. The rotary movement
had been stopped, and it had been set
to maximum speed.
And this was not the small fan GUS
tomarily in use in the little office, but
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 it, 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 wormhole in the
wood framework of the door.
With gasp of rage 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.