Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-06-01

ralrly proSalc ptlfererS. Ihey en-
gagged In going thru few trunks
part of the personal baggage Of the
Mandavia which arrived from coast
ports on the day previous. The bag
gage was just heavy truck; the sort
OF thing that a passenger leaves in
| the docks for day or two till he
has arranged for their carriage. The
| first secretary to a high commits
sioner In Congoland, a dress basket
of a Mrs. Somebody's other whose
| name l forget-she is the wife Of a
commissoner-and n small box be-
longing to DR.. Goldworthy, who has
just come back from the Congo.
where he has been investigating
| sleeping sickness"
Doesn't sound thrilling" said T.
"a thoughtfully: but why do swag-
ger criminals come lin their motor
cars with their pistols and masks
they were masked II I remember the
why do they come ON so prosaic an
errand?"
Tell me-" said Ella, laconically,
then, What is your trouble?"
Montague" said the other, with a
grim smile, Montague F'allock, Es-
quire. He has been demanding q
modest ten thousand pounds from
Lady Constance Dex-Lady Con-
stance being sister of the Honor
! able and Reverend jeremiah Bagley,
vicar of Great Bradley. The usual
threat--exposure of an old love af-
fair.
"Dex is a large, bland aristocrat
| under the thumb of his sister: the
lady, masterful woman, still beau
tiful; the indiscretion partly atoned
by the death Of the man. He died
| in Africa. Those are the circum-
stances that count. The brother
knows. but our friend, Montague,
will have it that the world should
know. He threatens to murder, IL
| necessary, should she betray his de-
mands to the police. This Is not the
first time he has uttered this threat
Harrington. the millionaire, was the
last man, and curiously, friend of
Lady Dex."
ITS weird-the whole business"
unused Ella. 1.-THE two men you
| found In the square didn't help your"
T. b.. pacing the apartment with
his hand in his pocket, shook his
head.
"Ferreira de Coasta was one, and
Henri Sans the other. Both men I'M
doubtedly in the employ of Mon
tague, at some time or other. The
former was a well-educated man.
who may have acted as intermediary.
He was an architect who recently
got into trouble in Paris over money
matters. Sans was courier agent.
q more or less trusted messenger.
There was nothing on either body to
lead me to Montague Fallock, save
this
He pulled open the drawer of his
desk and produced small silver
locket. 1t was engraved in the or
nate style of cheap jewelry and bore
a lf-obliterated monogram.
He pried open the leaf Of the
locket with his thumbnail. There
was nothing in its interior save a
small white disc.
"a little gummed label" explained
+. b.. "but the inscription is inter
esting."
Ella held the locket to the light,
and read:
Nor: Cot.
| God saw the Keng."
'Tmmensely patriotic, but unintel-
ligible and illiterate," said T. b.,
slipping the medallion into his
pocket, and locking away the dossier
In one Of the drawers of his desk.
| Ella yawned.
| I'm sorry-Tm rather sleepy. BY
the way isn't Great Bradley, about
which you were speaking. the home
of a romance?"
T. B. nodded with q twinkle in his
eye.
"It is the town which shelters the
Secret House." he said, as he rose.
| "but the eccentricities Of lovesick
Americans. who build houses equally
eccentric, are not matters for police
Investigation. You can share my
car on a fog breaking expedition as
far as Chelsea" he added, as he
slipped into his overcoat and pulled
on his gloves: 1--WE may have the
luck to run over Montague"
"You are in the mood for miracles, "
said Ella, as they were descending
the stairs.
! II am in the mood for bed" re-
piled T. B. truthfully. Outside the
fog was so thick that the two men
hesitated. T. BIS chauffeur was a
wise and patient constable, but felt
| IN h fc tod IL
be wasted on an attempt to reach
Chelsea.
IT'S thick all along the road, sir
he said. 1--WE just 'Phoned thru to
Westminster police station, and they
say. it Is madness to attempt to take
a car thru the fog"
n. B. nodded:
'.I'll sleep here" he said. you'd
better bed down somewhere, David,
and you, Flap
I'll take a little walk in the park
said the sarcastic Mr.. Ella.
| T. e. went back to his room, Ella
following.
He switched on the light, but stood
still In the doorway. In the ten min
utes' absence some one had been
there. Two drawers of the desk had
been forced; the floor was Uttered
with papers flung there hurriedly by
the searcher.
T. B. stepped swiftly to the desk
the envelope had gone.
A window was open and the fog
was swirling into the room.
There's blood here" said Mr.. Ella.
He pointed to the dappled blotting
pad.
"Cut his hand on the glass;" said
T. b., and jerked his head to the