The Hays free press., 1921-07-21

I ing Il cigar. linen lie turned round
1 and faced the girl.
! Charming as she had looked in Lon
1 don. she was doubly so now, in sim
4 pie linen frOck which showed off her
/ figure to perfection. But if he though.
! lie was going 10 have any leisure 10
/ enjoy Tie picture undisurbed. he was
soon disillusiOned.
why have you come here, Cap
tain DrummondE' she said, a little
the day after tomorrow"
unfortunately" said Hugh, I'D
left London before that message came
Ny servant wired it on 10 the post
| office here. Not that it would have
made any difference. l should have
come. anyway"
An involuntary smile lowered round
her lips for a moment; then she grew
serious again. ITS very dangerous for
you TO come here" she remarked
quietly. IF once those men suspect
anything. God knows what will hap
PEN
Ii was on the Tip of his tongue te
tell her that il was too late 10 worry
abOur that; then he changed his mind.
And what is there suspicious" he
asked, lin an old friend who happens
10 be in the neighborhOOd dropping in
TO call? Wherefore your tel 4phOne
message? What's the worry?"
She bit her lip and drummed with
her fingers on the arm of the chair
IF l 1ell you" she said at length.
will YOU promise me, on your word
of honor, that you won't go blunder-
ing into The Elms. or do anything
foolish like that?'
AT the present moment I'm very
comfortable where l am, thanks" re-
marked Hugh.
Il know" she said: but I'm so
dreadfully afraid that you're the type
of person who who -
She paused. at a loss for ii word.
who bellows like bull. and
charges head down. interrupted
Hugh with grin. She laughed with
him, and just for moment their eyes
met and she read in his something
quite foreign to the point at issue
In fact, ii is to be feared that the
question of LakingtOn and his com
paniOnS was not engrOssing Drum
mOnd's mind. as it doubtless should
have been, 10 the exclusion of all
else.
They're 50 utterly unScrupUlouS,
she continued hurriedly. so fiendishly
clever, that even you would be a child
in their hands"
Hugh endeavored to disSemhle his
pleasure at that little word even
a. M
rihly.
Il will be discretion itself" he as
sured her firmly.
81 suppose | shall have 10 trust
YOU" she said Have you seen the
evening papers today?'
81 looked at the ones that come out
in the morning labeled six D. m be-
fore l had lunch.' he answered. "'Is
there anything OF interest?'
She handed him a copy of The
Planet. Read that little paragraph
in the second column" She pointed
TO it, as he took the paper, and Hugh
read it aloud.
Mr.. Hiram c. POtts-the celebrat-
ed American millionaire-is progress
ing favorably. He has gone into the
country for a few days, but is suf-
iciently recovered 10 conduct business
as usual" He laid down the paper
and looked at the girl sitting opposite.
Zone is pleased" he remarked in a
puzzled tone. "for the sake of Mr..
Potts. To be i'll and have a name
like that is more than most men
could stand. But don't quite
see :"
THAT man was stopping at the
Carlton, where he met Lakington,"
said the girl. He is a muIti-mil-
lionaire, over here in connection with
some big steel trust; and when multi
millionaires get friendly with Laking-
ton, their health frequently does suf-
fer"
But this paper says he's getting
better" objected Drummond "'Suf-
fciently recovered to conduct business
as usual"
IF he is sufficiently recovered to
conduct business as usual, why did he
send his confidential secretary away
yesterday morning on an urgent mis-
sion to Belfast2"
Search me-" said Hugh. 'Inci-
dentally. how do you know he didY'
Il asked at the Carlton this morn
ing" she answered. 81 said I'd come
after a job as typist for Mr.. Potts.
They told me at the inquiry office that
he was i'll in bed and unable to see
anybody. So I asked for his secre-
tary, and they told me what I've Just
told you-that he had left for Belfast
that morning and would be away sew
eral days. 1t may be that there's
nothing in it; on the other hand, it
may be that there's a lot. And it's
only by following up every possible
clue" she continued fercely, ''that I
can hope to beat those fiends and get
daddy ont of tbair clutches