Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1920-11-18


Of intelligence. He allowed Brown tc
think he was perfectly satisfied, but
he wasn't at all. BY seeming to be
satisfied he learned all about the de-
tells Of the plan. and he knew that
Brown. to avoid pursuit, intended to
take the way to Horwlch.
"He knew that II Brown went
through HOrWich he would stop for
several drinks. He would need them
If he was disappointed. He would have
to have them If he had the manuscript
and was excited by 1t. So Dravada
went to Norwich. 1t all worked out,
and when Brown got to the village he
found Dravada. Then he telephOned
to the fellow Sim to let me go. / was
perfectly harmless. 1t was an inter-
esting situation"
Il could wish Dravada had tortured
you" said to Jed. "He has the
means now, through you, to torture
this family"
II said 1 knew Dravada had the
manuscript" said Jed. II did that for
effect. What ought to have said was
that knew he thought he had the
manuscript. If had no more than the
intelligence you credit me with, doctor
l could not have conducted this affair
so long. What Dravada has is not the
diary of Mr.. Sidney"
Until felt the relief following Jed's
explanation that the blackmallers had
stolen only a decOy, did not fully
realize into what dependency our
predicament up to that time had
thrust me. II Mr.. Sldney's diary wire
being read by INSCRIPTIONS men, we
might expect anything.
The lawyer, whose shrewdness and
lack of morals made him formidable,
was dead. The Spaniard would soon
discover his disappointment and would
be furious. thought the physical
danger to Jed was greater than ever
and found some pleasure in telling
him so.
He was convinced Of that himself
and was not happy.
"Why don't you end your rascalityY
urged him. "Why don't you give the
manuscript to Mrs. Sidney and allow
her to make whatever disposition she
wants of it? Then your conscience
will be easy-your position in this
house will for the first time be tOlera-
bic to decent man, and your physi-
cal security will be promoted"
He would not. He seemed to hesl-
tate for a moment, but his purpose
was too long fixed and too much
part of his life.
He no longer was surly with me,
and l seemed to have lost my ability
to enrage him. We parted with my
telling him that there would be no
possible truce or peace between us
unless he respected the women of the
household. He bowed.
Anything else, sir?" he asked; and
then he departed as the servant.
Mrs. Sidneys relief to find that
the robbery had proved only hoax on
the robbers was such as would come
from escape from tangible horrors.
The lady had been keeping control of
herself, as was necessary to protect
her husband and daughter from her
own agony of mind and to keep the
household from finding significance in
what could be passed over as a tHiv- |
ial piece of robbery.
When she learned that the alarm
was over, she relaxed Imply in her
chair, and / feared that she might
collapse; but in a moment she had
struggled back to command of herself.
Then she excused herself and went
into her bedroom-fOr prayer, knew
Mr. Sidneys joy at the return of
Jed was robust, and Jed went to bed
very tipsy with two bottles of wine
in him. l found him in the hall as I
went my rounds of the house. He
was singing.
I knew we'd hear again and soon
from Dravada, but not in what man.
ner Naturally 1 was apprehensive,
and no doubt Jed was more so, al.
though to save himself from my con.
tempt he tried to conceal his fears.
The Spaniard could not be expected
to accept his failure as final. He
would try again. That expectation
was fulfilled in a disconcerting FASH
ion.
Thus far we had been dealing with
chance, with apparitions and threats.
We now came to deal with Inevitable
Ity. Our experiences had been disa-
greeable, but they had not presented
consequence. We had a
choice Of ways. Now we entered a
way from which there was no es-
cape.
-Four days after Jed's return a man
came to Hartley house and inquired
for me. He was a detective. His
name was Morgan; he was the head
IF the Morgan Metropolitan Detective
agency. l thought on first seeing him
while yet wondering what his BUSH
less with us could be, and yet know
ng instinctively that it had to do with
0ravada--that this newcomer had
more than a suggestion Of shrewd
in his face.
Before he was through his inter-
yiew with me, or rather his inquiries
# me, knew that inevitability had