Cleveland County herald., 1919-07-24

the FeCelNeE, Iudy Sdy.
 "Jones has been talking to you" said Barnes. But you said a moment ago that you were up at Green Fancy last night. Not by invitation. take it."
 ''I invited myself" said Sprouse sue cinctly. Are you inclined to favor my proposition?"
 You haven't made one"
 By suggestion, Mir Barnes. It is quite impossible for me to get inside that house. You appear to have the entree. You are working in the dark, guessing at everything. I am guess ing at nothing. By combining forces we should bring this thing to a head, and"
 'Just a moment. You expect me to abuse the hospitality of"
 q shall have to speak plainly. see" He leaned forward, fixing Barnes with a pair of steady, earnest eyes. "Six months ago a certain royal house in Europe was despoiled of its jewels, it's privy seal, its most precious state documents and it's charter. They have been traced to the United States. I am here to recover them. That is the foundation of my story, MT. Barnes.
 Without divulging the name of the house I will say that its sympathies have been from the outset friendly to the entente subsequently, with
  the ruling family, one in power, the other practically in exile. The state is small one, but it's integrity is of the highest. Its sons and daughters have married into the royal families of nearly all of the great nations of the continent. The present-or l should say, the late ruler, for he died on a field of battle not many months ago, had no direct heir. He was young and unmarried. I am not per mitted to state with what army he was fighting, nor on which front he say that his little state was gobbled up by the Teutonic allies. The branch of the family mentioned as being in exile lent it's support to the cause of Germany, not for moral reasons but in the hope and with the understand ing, I am to believe. that the crown lands would be the reward. The di rect heir to the crown is a cousin of the late prince. He is now prisoner of war in Austria. Other members of the family are held by the Bulgarians as prisoners of war. It is not stretch ing the imagination very far to pie ture them as already dead and out of the way. At the close of the war, if Germany is victorious, the crown will be placed upon the head of the pre- tender branch. Are you following mel"
 "Yes,'' said Barnes, his nerves tin gling. He was beginning 10 see great light.
 Almost under the noses of the forces left by the Teutonic allies to hold the invaded territory the crown jewels, charter and so forth, hereto fore mentioned as they say in legal parlance, were surreptitiously removed from the palace and spirited away by persons loyal to the ruling branch of the family. As I have stated, am en- gagged in the effort to recover them.
 "Now we come to the present situ- ation. Some months ago member of the aforesaid royal house arrived in this country by way of Japan. He is a distant cousin of the crown, and in a way remotely looked upon as the heir apparent. Later on he seques- tered himself in Canada. Our agents in Europe learned but recently that while he pretends to be loyal to the against it. l have been ordered to run him to earth, for there is every reason to believe that the men who secured the treasure have been duped into regarding him as the avowed champion of the crown. Now, Mir. Barnes, without telling you how have arrived at the conclusion, 1 am pre- pared to state that I believe this man to be at Green Fancy. and that in time the loot-to use harsh wOrd-will be delivered to him there. I am here to get it, one way or another, when that comes to pass"
 "What led you to suspect that he is at Green Fancy, Mir. Sprouse?'
 History. It is known that this Mir. Curtis has spent a great deal of time in the country alluded to- AS a mat ter of fact, his son, who lived in Lon don, had. rather extensive business in- terests there. This son was killed in the Balkan war several years ago. It is said that the man I am looking for was a friend of young Curtis, who married a Miss O'Dowd in London the Honorable Miss ODowd, daughter of an Irish peer and sister of the chap you have met at Green Fancy About six weeks ago a former equerry in the royal household arrived in New York. Through him learned that the daugh- ter of the gentleman in whose house the senior Mr. Curtis was frequent
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