Evening star., 1926-09-29
Mysterious Sweetheart
BY ELLA WISTER HAIVES
LA WISTER HAINES
Copyright. 1895.

herself.
Gaines, catching the drift of the tale
listening with a suspense never eX
ceeded in q lifetime of thrills. knew
that the old woman was telling the
truth at last. Fear had conquered
She had staged the last act of her
drama, the last thousand dollars In
gold being the net that had caught her
in it's final tolls.
Now, then" Gaines warned her
this man will take you to your room
where you'll stay till we let you 60
and if you try to escape we'll shoot
you at sight. Understand"
She understood. Weeping and pro-
testing, calling on long line OF
saints to witness her innocence, the
| Madre was led away while Gaines
studied her confession, exclaiming as
he read. Ramon Milana and his
brother Mario sat in the silence OF
despair.
II suppose we might as we'll start
for the penitentiary," Mario said bit
terly when Gaines had tucked the
confession away in his pocket. our
He shook his fist at his brother. 1T
was you who did it! You! I told
you to let the girl alone! l told you
to keep your mouth shut! Now the
whole world will ring with our
name!"
"see here" Gaines interrupted him
"you fellows might as we'll stop
accusing each other and listen to me =!
Neither one of you will go to the
pen If you'll tack face about and help
me: moreover you'll get your money,
every cent of it! You know that all
we want is the girl, and I'm convinced
that Carolita Is our girl! Not only
does everything in the old Madre's
| confession point that way. but the
ring" he was lost in thought.
You promised to tell OF tie ring
! Milanas dropping spirits had clutched
| the straw of hope which the detective
held out, do you know who has 1t
| noW?"
II can't say who has it now, but
Paul Reynolds had it last"
Paul Reynolds! MOI"
The Milana brothers gazed at each
other in amazemVt ..
| "Then it was he who stole it?''
| Mario questioned.
| NO" Gaines replied, ''it was found
| under the seat of section 3 next
to the one in which you were dis
covered unconscious, supposedly
dead"
"And Reynolds claimed it as his
| own"
"Yes-I'm wondering how he knew,
unless Carolita told him. Did she
know that you wore the ring. Mario?'
| mot"
| We'll have to fathom that mystery
at a later date" Gaines was saying
when a sound from the rear of the
house made him stop speaking and
rush to the door.
| "Mickey?" he cried as the young
American entered, what did you
| tind?"
Long underground passage, nearly
| a thousand feet long. l should say.
opens UP through a trapdoor in
the dirt floor Of an adobe shack. ap-
parently deserted"
"Anything in the shack?"
| "A cot and table, couple of chairs
miserable looking place."
And no trace Of the girl any
where?"
NO trace, boss. but I'm sure they
went through that way"
.'Of course, and are on their way
north at this moment"
"Mightn't they have her hidden
somewhere in the town. Mr.. Gaines?
Shan't we make a thorough Searcn
before we go farther?
y eS. l]ld you get tlidt WIG VII
to Reynolds?"
You bet; got a phone message
through to Dugan."
Good enough, better luck than l
could hope for. Phones in this coun-
try are mostly out of order when you
need them! And Dugan Will have
seen Walter going through"
What shall you do now?" Milana
asked, his anxiety again surmounting
everything else. who is the Japa-
nese, Gaines? Is she safe with him?
My God if I could but know"
That's the first thing for us to find
out Milana. and you are the one to DO
it. Get a line on the Japanese-every-
thing there IS to uncover. See II 1t
likely that he hit for Los Angeles or
dug deeper into this crazy country.
I'm inclined to think it's Los Angeles
and the reward. but if he's Walters
man, he may be just getting the girl
out Of sight Hurry along now, I'll
be waiting here"
Gaines. you don't think young
REYNOLDS could be behind this, do
youo He had the ring-I'm wonder
ing"
"He can't be-hasn't had time. And
if my wire can catch him before he
starts after us We'll have him to
work for us at the other end
How did he find out, Gaines, I
thought he had been kept out OF the
AFFAIR.""
Cant stop to tell you that now,
Ramon, not a second to lose. But I'll
say this: He did find out and he's
fallen head over ears in love with
the girl and the girl with him! If
YOU want anything extra to weigh
down your conscience you can put
that in your pipe and smoke it! 1t
would be enough to send me scooting
right out of the world, but you're
used to travelling with that kind of
thoughts! On your job now. And
keep your head!'
What makes you trust him ,"
Mario NIilana asked as Ramon left the
house. How do you know he won't
turn traitor to US both! He fooled
me all right, made a dupe OF me.
drew me into this rotten mess, maybe
into the pen, for all l know" his
bitter soul poured out invectives
against his brother.
Gaines lighted his pipe, his feet
leading him about the room in an in
cessant tramp. To and fro, up and
down. his brows knit, his thoughts
absorbed in the problem which con-
fronted him. How to untangle it?
Which way to turn at this sudden
ending of the long trail? The girl
had been in his grasp. victory had
been about TO dawn. and now-unless
young Reynolds had been clever
enough to follow-unless-
An uproar of cries and shouts, a
blaze OF light, burst through the VIM
dows. and Ramon Milana's voice came
rushing back.
Bandits he cried excitedly,
they're after us!"
Continued in Tomorrow's starr