Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-12
The Lady of the Mght Wind

(Copyrisht. 1919 by the Macaulay Coz
fccpyright, 1919. by the Public Ledger Co.
THIS STARTS THE STORY
A week end house party is being
held at the home of Katherine and
Bingham Harvard. Among the guests
are Clancy, Archer, Demming, Sears
and one Conrad Belknap. Katherine
discovers Belknap cheating at cards.
She orders him to leave her house at
once. He scornfully refuses to do so.
She is about to tell her husband of
the occurrence, but hesitates owing
to a peculiar influence which Bel
knap seems to exert over her. Con
WINGED that he is concealing his real
identity, and that he is there for
some ulterior purpose, Katherine re-
solves to ferret out the mystery. She
has formerly had an experience as
a police headquarters detective, and
has been known as Lady Kate of the
Police. She intercepts a telephone
call of Belknap's to woman con-
federate whom he calls Berta and, in
!, turn, calls up the woman, and dis
a NONtIS utI lull uhIlc anu huhltST'
Realizing that he is suspected by
Katherine, Belknap threatens to ex-
pose the fact that Katherinc's
brother, Roderick MaIwilton, who is
believed by his parents to be dead,
faces a term in prison. Bingham
Harvard, who once bore the alias,
s'The Night Wind" becomes suspi-
cious of Belknap and of katherine's
attitude toward him. Katherine's
parents arrive at her home. ScnOrita
Cervantez, a pianist, arrives to en-
tertain the guests. She seems unable
to speak and writes her words on
pad of paper. 1t is revealed that
she is Bertn, or Roberta, the CON
sfederate of Belknap. Belknap is
mystifieG at her prctCnse of being
dumb.
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES
ETNHAT highland after-Seemed TO be
4 replete with surprises for everybody.
Belknap's wolfsh smile still fingered
npon his face, and he was in the act of
turning away, unaware that n grim,
RalcuLt man VI ShptIlluIlldu
strength awaited him amid the deeper
shadows when, sibiant and sharp upon
the night air. he heard a call:
q &C. B.. Gee Bee" the call
Bounded the enunciation of it being no
more than a whisper, although the sibi-
lance of the utterancc gave it pene-
trating force that carried it over to
the ears of Harvard where he stood.
twenty or thirty yards away. waiting.
The sound of it startled him aud re-
lieved the tension of his attitude.
His instant thought was that RATHER
inc had returned to the balcony. but
one swift upward glance assured him
differently, and at the same time he saw
Belknap start and turn and glance up
ward Mt another window.
Now, Harvard had no notion regard
ing the locatio of Senorta Cervantcz' )
room. That was n household detail to
which he paid no attenton-the room
ing of his guests-and in the darkness
he had not the least idea of the identity
of thessecond individual to appear that
night in another balcony scene.
Belknap, with one hasty glance at
Katherine's window, went swiftly to-
ward the person who had summoned
him, and Harvard. profoundly mystified
and possibly more than ever angercd
because such happenings should be un-
dertaken at Myquest-was torn by a
thousand conflicting emotions.
While he thought. and he thought
rapidly, his eyes followed every act of
this second balcony scene; he saw Bel
-knap stop beneath it, and heard his
voice speaking, although he could not
distinguish the words. He saw the
woman bend across the rail and put
the fingers of one hand to her lips,
while with the other one she extended
and dropped-preciscly as Katherine
had done, Bingham thought-something
white, which. no doubt, was also mes
sage. He saw. rather than heard, the
man speak again; but the woman-who
could she be? he wondered-shook her
head in a decided negative, turned
abruptly away, and disappeared into
the derkened room behind her.
Again he heard Belknap's voice and
the utterances as well-athough it was
spoken in a very low and guarded tone.
''Berta. Berta" - he called twice a;
but the window remained closed; and
after another moment Of waiting the
man Of such mysterious actions retreat
ed slowly to the shadow of the same tree
that had sheltered him before.
Harvard, still watching in utter ST
lence and as motionless ms statue in
stone, saw the fash Of pocket elec e
trio and then a faint glow, as if Bel
knap was endeavoring to conceal the
light while he read his messages by it..
His messages
One of them and its contents did not
concern Harvard in the least, but the
other one did, and he determined then
and there to possess himself of it-ot
botb. in fact. since he would have no
method of differentiating between them
In the darkness.
II was then that he began to move
,stealthily nearer to Belknap with the
slow. relentless. absolutely noisless ad-
nance of leopard that creeps without
sound upon its prey.
u Bingham HarvGrd's Buperhuman
smuscular strength, as compared to that
~ the ordinary man, might be likened to
the average mans strength as compared
to that of a little child; certain it was
A.. Cso,rod palknan felt like a child