The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-08-13
"Mr, Potts will see no one, sir, re

marked the man to whom ne au-
dressed his question. you are aDou'
the twentieth gentleman VINO mas pee"
here already today"
Hugh had expected this, and sniiieo
genially.
"Precisely, ny stout fellow ne re-
marked. but I'll lay small amount
of money that they were newspapei
men. Now, I'm not. And l think that
if YOU will have this note dellvereu
to Mr.. Potts. he will see me.
He sat down at table. and drew
a sheet of paper toward him. Two
facts were certain: First. that the
man upstairs was not the real Potts'
second. that he was one OF Petersohs
gang. The difficulty was to know ex-
actly how to word the note. Ihere
might be some mystic password, the
omission of which would prove MIN
an impostor at once. At length ne
took pen and wrote rapidly; ne
would have to chance it.
urgent. A message from head
quarters"
He sealed the envelope and HANDED
It with the necessary FIVE sh1lhngs
for postage to the man. Then ne sat
down to wait. After what seemed an
interminable delay he saw the meS-
senger crossing the lounge.
"Mr. Potts will see you, SIR.
Hugh followed his guide along q
corridor, and paused outside a door
while he went into room. He neard
murmur Of voices, and then the
man reappeared.
'This way. SIR" he said, and Hugh
stepped inside, to stop with an invol-
untary gasp of surprise. The man
seated in the chair was Potts. to all
intents and purposes. The likeness
was extraordinary. and had he not
known that the real article was at
Goring he would have been com
| pletely deceived himself.
The man waited till the door was
closed: then he rose and stepped
| forward suspiciously.
81 don't know you" he said. "WhO
are you?"
"Since when has every one en-
ployed at headquarters known one
anotherY Drummohd returned guard
edly. "And, incidentally. your like
ness TO our lamented friend is won
derful. 1t very nearly deceived even
me-"
The man, not ill-pleased. gave .
short laugh.
"It'n pass. I think. But it's risky.
| These cursed reporters have been
badpering the whole morning.
And if his wife or somebody comes
over. what then? 1t wasn't like
Rosca to bungle in Belfast. He's
never left clue before. and he had
plenty of time to do the job prop
erly"
"A name inside breast-pocke'
might easily be overlooked" remarked
Hugh, seizing the obvious clue.
"Are you making excuses for himT
snarled the other Hes failed, and
failure is death. Such Is our rule
Would you have it altered?'
Most certainly not. The issues are
far too great for any weakness. :
you're right, my friend-you'rf
right. Long live the Brotherhood.
He stared out of the window will
smouldering eyes. and Hugh preserved
discreet silence. Then suddenly thu
o+bor hrole ont again. Have
| hot inc
soldier yet"
| "Er-not yet" murmured Hugh
mildly.
.aThey must find the American q
once" The man thumped the table
.emphatically. sit was important be
fore-at least his money was. Nov
with this blunder-it's vital"
Precisely" said Hugh. Precise
ly."
1--WE already interviewed one mai
from Scotland Yard, but every hou
increases the danger. However, yol
have a message for me. What is It.?
Hugh rose and casually picked u
his hat. He had got more out OF tn
interview than he had hoped for. an
there was nothing to be gained b,
prolonging it. But 1t struck him tina
Mr.. Potts impersonator was a ma
of unpleasant disposition, and tina
tactically thanking movement to tn
door was indicated. And, being Q
l an open nature himself. it is possibl
4 that the real state Of affairs shove
for a moment on his face. Be tha
! as 1t may. something suddenly arouse
4 the others suspicious, and with
4 snarl of fury he sprang past Hugh I
\ the door.
Il .Who are your He spat the word
out venomously. at the same tim
whipping an ugly-looking knife out
his pocket
A Hugh replaced his hat and site
on the table and grinned gently.
d IL am the insolent puppy OF a SO
der, dear old bird" he remarks
watching the other warily. "And
was you I'd put the toothpick ava,
You might hurt yourself
: As he spoke he was edging, little :
:. little, toward the. other man, VIII
| crouched Snarling by the door. ii