Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-26

officer In tie great war. who breaks
shadow V1rne, noted figure OF under
Wprld, and In charge OF various big
steals that have set London agog.
IAeL CREMARRE. noted French
tJcf who has met Newcombe In
Il ih back waters of the war; along
ECkNELLS. a valet. who has done
s3pe biz th fits ON his own account.
TuE FOURTH sTRAcGLER. who
hflrs the crooks agree to combine
alter the armistice and who disap-
p3ars
IUII-Y. WlCkES. a Aower-girl. whom
Newrombe has adopted and sent to
America to "A finishing school. with
lie idea of insurirg social contacts
~ The best before he leaves England.
alter executing some big hauls. She
IL he friend or
DO9A MARLIN daughter or an eccen-
tTfc millionaire. and her guest on !.
hts show place OH the Florida keSS,
Mil MARLIN. the mad magnate. has
biricd more than half million NO. do,-
laas. the existence OF which New
cdmbe learns inadvertently from
IotARD LOCKE. son OF big bust,
ncts man. who takes Newcombe anu
itunelIs to Florida on his steam
lasincR, He falls in love with Pohy.
Inc "FIte oH'Ft S'eS
N hour to daybreak Passion.
unchecked and 6nrestrained, was
stnfAued on. Captain Francis New
cnmbe's face as he dressed now
with savage, ferocious haste. He
swose and snarled. making low
yenbmous sounds in the fury that
Possessed him.
The blows were coming nearer ana
rpatcr home Too near! Even an
old TOOL had tricked him even a
maaac, IA cracked Drained idiot. ana
onct almost in his dotage besides,
hadi trickcd him! hast night after
he had read that internal message
at tie hut he had made no effort to
uncover the madrnan's horde-he
had. lain there waiting. Hours or
waiting. patient waiting--listening-
his revolver in his hand-the one
Cha4ce the unknown might not have
gone away. might have fingered.
hidden In The foliage. to gloat-and
die. He had waited in vain. To-
night he had gone back to the hut
only TO find after hours of search
that the old niadmans money.
wherever else 1t might be, was not
there. And then he had returned
here--and again the unknown had
struck swiftly. viciously. cunningly.
When. where. how would the next
blow fall?--unless he could now
etri9e the quicker. and strike sure
) ". How much farther was 1t to
she abyss of exposure? Tonight he
had stood perllously close TO its
edge, hadn't he? IL he had not been
able to pull the wool over Polly's
eyes with the specious explanation
that it was old Marlin who had
tclcphoned. he would
He stood suddenly motionless.
tense. with his coat half on, his
working lips drawn for the moment
tight together. Had IL been, after
all. merely specious explanation?
Was he so sure that 1t wasn't old
Martin. after all. who had tsle-
phoned?
N6. With an angry. self con-
scmbtusus snarl. Captain Francis
Newcombe ierked on his coat. Was
lie trying to qualify for an insane
ASYLUM himself? The old maniac
could have done this tonight, other
wiser tho explanation made to Polly
would have been merely an alb
surdity; but old Marlin had not
, been on the liner and could not
have fired that shot through the
cabin window--nor could the old
man have known. as instanced by
that voice In the woods, that he.
Newcombe, was Shadow Varne-or
known anything of the murder OF
Sir Harris Greaves. The man who
had Ntelephoned tonight--making the
fourth mysterious blow that had
been struck--was the man who had
showed his hand on those three
former occasions, This was SO blat-
Rntly obvious that to have allowed
his brain to shoot off at a tangent
so itiiotic but Increased his anger
Gow.
He snecred at himself as he
finished dressing. There was only
one man ON the island could be
made TO fit into each and every one
of the four inches. Runnells.
Runnells had been on board ship.
even. though at the, time Runnells
had apparently been asleep; Run.
nells was in. position to know.
and to know what now appeared to
he certainly too much about
Shadow Narne: and Runnel1s,
though the man could prove moth
ing, was. more than any one else. in
position to entertain suspicion In
reference to the murder of the
baronet who meddled so gratuitous-
~ VITA the affairs OF others.
Captain. Francis Newcombe slip
ped fiashlight and revolver into
his pocket. and made for the door
or his room. Quite so.> All this
was nothing new--no new angle