The Monmouth inquirer., 1922-06-15
Mrs. Talcottl" he called.


first, and quickened his pace into a
run.
"Mrs Talcott, one moment
The girl, however, did not pause, al
though she could not have helped hear
ing him. She seemed to be actually
running away from him.
His pride made him pause, then the
thought of her peril and loneliness
urged him to forget himself in her.
Obviously she was frightened. 1t was
enough to scare any woman to have
her door tampered with. In her haste
she was confusing him with one of the
fellows who had been annoying her.
Rutherford thrust the key savagely
into his pocket and turned the other
way After all, what concern was 1t
of his where the girl was going? Why
should he care? But his self-revealing
heart told him that, willy-nilly, he did
care. Angrily, he turned towerd Hell
derman's suite once more
Just as he reached the private cor
ridor leading to the suite, he found
himself attacked by human catapult
A man fed by him with such haste
that he was dashed back against the
wall. The door from which the man
had emerged slammed, cutting in two
attended the election.
Craig pulled himself together, fairly
sizzling with indignation, and laid hold
of the man who had bumped into him
so uncermouiously. 1t was the stocky
student. the secret service man. The
man recognized him no les quickly,
and with one of his quick lodges was
, off again down the passage. Ruther-
ford's anger of a moment before was
as nothing to the rage that now pos
sessed him. With quick leap he
seized the thick shoulder and swung
the man around.
mot so fast, my fine fellow!" ex-
claimed Craig. "You might at least
stop long enough to apologize Be.
sides, have been looking for you for
some time"
The man shifted uneasily, but was
silent.
"Talk, you sneak!" said Craig, shak-
ing him. Government officer, or not,
/ don't believe you have any license
to search rooms, or attack young
women in the halls"' And Craig pune.
tuated his remarks by shaking such
as a terrier would give a rat.
Curiously enough, the man again
made no attempt to fight; but at the
words, Government officer he glanc-
Ii
LET up!" he growled.
'Not till you tell me what want
to know! What do you mean by
J sneaking into my room, trying to get
/ into Mrs Talcott's and nosing around
in Helderman's? He served you just
about right! And If l had caught you
down my way. you'd have come out
I just about the way he sent you!"
| The fellow flashed another quick
/ glance at Rutherford.
! "You rich guys think you ought to
be left alone" he muttered, "but we've
got to stick to our job. 'Taint no use
| huntin' for diamonds in the steerage,
so just took look In the royal
suite"
In spite of himself, Rutherford
chuckled at the idea of Helderman-
the blatant, self-appreciative Helder-
man who believed that his money
could do anything-being subjected to
surveillance like the others.
''It seems like a mighty bad way TO
go about it," observed Craig, momen-
! tarily relaxing his grasp. II suppose
you want to prove us all. Do you sus-
pect any one in PARTICULAR"
His concern for Mrs. Talbot had
taken the place Of his anger. The de-
tectives were searching every one, and
the fact that they had tried TO enter
her room might not mean anything in
particular.
Don't 1, thought" the man exclaim-
ed with wink; then profiting by the
others absorption, he turned quickly
and made off down the hall
/ Craig turned back toward Helder-
mans suite.
He reached the private hall again
The door stood slightly open, giving
a glimpse of the reception room, lux
uriously furnished. A long mirror was
set IN the panelling directly opposite
the door. Rutherford saw reflected
tbaraiu tho onfira room >