The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1918-01-04

that he kept bad comjany-Jlst now
worse than ever, for the two men with
him were as misunderstanding fellows
as I had ever seen. I followed them,
a new suspicion in my mind as they
were admitted to the very building I
have described. I took up watch and
ward over the sombre pile of masonry
for several days. Twice / saw Webb
visit the place. Always his admission
was followed by the closing and lock-
door was kept carefully reclosed until
he had departed, after a brief stay. l
know not why, but somehow associ-
ated Webb y-ith the offerings at the
engraving plant and the disappearance
of Meserve. I had an irrepressible de-
sire to explore the old rOokery, and
now fate and circumstance had, I
hoped, granted my wish for admission
to the apparently impregnable struc-
ture.
I got to my feet and proceeded to ex-
plore my surroundings. I came to an
opening like a doorway, traversed a
corridor which penetrated the cellar of
the building and faced a pair of stairs.
These I assembled, reached a vacant
room, crossed it, opened door, as
cended a second flight of stairs and
charity felt my way along narrow
passage way. I accidentally blundered
against a swinging door. landed in a
lighted room, tried to draw back as I
6lSonUnrn6 hof hn1 to nd
was rooted to the spot as I recognized
in a woman standing staring at me
agape-the wife of Acton Meserve!
All the bloom had last seen was de-
parted from that sweet face, the eyes
were sunken and haunted with the
horror Of confinement and fear.
"Mr. nlsley!" she gasped, and
reeled
''You-you I breathed incoherent-
ly. "What does this mean? Where is
Meserve?'
''He is in there" she whispered, all
tremble, and she pointed to an Op-
posite door. Mono! You risk your
life!''
But I had run at the door and
opened it and rushed towards a man at
a bench bending over a leather plate
pad, a graver in his hand-Acton Me-
serve.
And then I understood the warning
just uttered. Two men, anu one of
them was Webb, sprang at me. I re
ceived a heavy blow on the head and
knew no more. l awoke, jolted about
in a cab and held up by the best
friends I had in the wOrld-Acton Me.
serve and his wife. They were bah.
bling with the maddest of joyfulness
like two children released from ter
rible captivity. Then the vehicle halt
ed in front Of the engraving plant.
was still dazed as sat back in the
chair in the office Of the president. A
in dream l caught the echo Of the
tones of Meserve, telling all the stor,
of his mysterious disappearance.
It was Webb who had distracted thu
missing property of the plant. 1t wa
Webb and accomplices who had kid
mapped husband and wife, who hat
threatened to kill the latter if Meserv
did not engrave a plate they fOrce'
him to make. 1t was just as I az
peared that the plate was finished, al
except one corner, and this Meserv
refused to complete unless immediat
liberty was promised. The scoundrel
then abandoned the place with tn
plate, 1eserve agreeing to wait a
hour later.
81 believe your story, Mr.. Meserve,
said the staid and dignifed president
''but do you not consider it very repre-
hensible to engage in such work unde
any circumstances?
'Not as 1 worked it out" dissente
Meserve. Sir, when the law run
down these miscreants, as it must, 70
will find the plate worthless"
"YOu mean-?'
That the last rapid work I did wa
to engrave in hair-line tracery, Will
they were not looking, one word,
warning to all the world
"And the word was-?"
Counterfeit ?"