The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-06-17
THIS BEGINS THE STORY

Grand Duke, exile1 by revolu-
 tion, comes to this country as
 Peter Nichols and goes to work
 on the estate of Jonathan K. Me
 Guire. McGuire is being black
 mailed by one Hawk Kennedy.
 Kennedy says Mcclure killed Ben
 Cameron, their partner in pros
 pecting. Mcclure says Kennedy
 did the kiIlinS- Peter believes
 McGuire. He determines to cir
 cumvent Kennedy and Mcclure
 promises to give d million dollars
 to Beth Cameron, daughter of
 the man who was slain. In the
 meantime he is being shadowed,
 and learns from abroad that the
 BOlshevil<i are trailing him. Ken
 needy returns to the Mcclure es-
 tate and meets Beth. He suspects
 her identity and questions her
 about her father. ''What do you
 want to know for?'' she asks.
 AND HERE TT CONTINUES.
 But his bent brovs were frowning at the path at his feet. He tried to laugh - and the sound of the dry cackle had little mirth in it.
 ''No matter. I-1 thought it might be. l guess yee'd better go-I guess Ee'd better And with that he sank heavily in Peters chair again.
 But Beth still stood and stared at him, aware of the sudden change in his attitude toward her. What did ii all mean? What were Peters rela- tions with this creature who behaved so strangely at the mention of her name? Why did he speak of Ben Cameron? Who was he? Who?
 The feeling of which she had sat first been conscious. at the mans evil leering smile which repe1led her sud- denly culninated in a pang of intui- ton. This man IL must be Hawk Kennedy - the man who She stared at him with a new horror in the grow ing pallor of her face and Hawk Ken nedy saw the look. It was as though some devilish psychological contri- vance had suddenly hooked their two conscfousne cess to the same thought. Beth saw the same picture - the sand, the rocks, the blazing sun and a dead man lying with knife in his back And Beth continued lA,-rng aa though in a kind of horri- bIe fascination. And when her lips moved sire spoke as though impelled by a force beyond her own volition.
 ''You-you're Hawk Kennedy" she said tensely. ''the man who killed my father.
 'It's a He," he gaaDed, springing to hi. feet Who told you that?"
 1-I guessed it-''
 ''wno told ye about Hawk Ken nedy? Who told ye about him?"
 E'No one-
 "Ye didn't dreaan it. Ye can't dream a name" he said tensely. ''Pete told ye-he lied to ye."
 He didn't"
 But he had caught her by the wrist again and dragged her into the cabin. She was thoroughly frightened now too frightened even to cry out-too terrified at the sudden revelation of this man who for some days had been a kind of evil spirit in the background of her happiness. He was not like what she had thought he was. but embodied an idea that was sinister and terrible. And while she won dered what he was going to do next he pushed her into the armchair, locked the door and put the key into his pocket.
 z Now We can talk he muttered grinly "No chance of bein' disturb ed-Pete ain't due for hours yet. So he's been tellin' you lies about me. Has he? Sayin' done it. By C. I'm beginnin' to see
 He .leerel at her horribly, and Beth seemed frozen into her chair. The
  ment ago when he had shrunk away fro mher had fled before the fury of his questions and the violence of his touch She was intimidated for the first time in her life and yet she tried to meet his eyes, which burned wildly, shifting from side to side like those of a caged beast In her terror she could not tell what dauntless inNinct had urged her unless it was Ben Cam
 Ia+ IoI I o1-ia out through her lips. And now she had not only betrayed Peter-but herself.
 I'm beginnin' to see You and Pete-layin' both against the middle, with Mcclure comin' down somethin' very handsome for a weddin' present and leavin' me out in the cold. Very out just that way-not that way at an.''
 All of this he muttered in a wildly casual kind of a way, at no one in particular as his gaze fitted one ob- feet in the room to another, always passing over Beth almost imperson- ally. But in a moment she saw his gaze concentrate upon her with sud- den eagerness.
 "He told ye I done it. did he? Well. I didn't" he cried in a stident voice. ..I didn't do it. It was McGuire and I'll prove it, all right Mcclure Pete can't fix that on me-even if he wanted ot But he told you, or ye wouldn't of spoke like ye did guess maybe ye wouldn't of said so much if Pete had been here. But ye let the cat slip Hue of the bag all right. You and Pete-and maybe McGuire's with ye too-an against me. Is that SO? Can't yer sneak. girl? Must ye sit there just starin' at me with yer big eyes? What are ye lool<in' at? Are ye dumb?"
 ..No. I'm not dumb" gasped Beth, struggliny for her courage. aware all the while of the physical threat in the mans very presence
 ..Sneak then. Tell me the truth. Pete said it was your money McGuire money McGuire's got to make good to ye? Ain't that the truth 9"
 1T won't answer
 .sOh, yes. ye will. You'll answer all right. I'm not goin' to trif1e- What did ye come here to see Pete about? What's that letter ye came to give 1ir,7 Give if to rnei''