lrwTV4 .iV . V S EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER PHILADELPHIA, MONDAY? AUGUST 18, 1910 f yFyJpPyy " WtirHyiWT? " -"s r,w,T"'"" yyc.f eeTM--,,. ' -"r fc. r t ? i ih 1 Tfte Laify 0 fre Ai Mfic (Cowrlrtl IMP bj in. Mfulv Co) tit don't forget tins little ftitt. Itcrta (Lopyrlsht mill, by the rub 1, t.eclitcr toll ... . " . , ,, . . ...... ....,....-,.... ,0,l "1" he the 111, not I OU mi,i(j cvtitvc full?. ctii,v ' illltj OiaUICI I 111.'. OIUI& A house party is being held at the country home of Kntherine nnd Hing ham Harvard. Among the guests is one Conrad Belknap Katherine dis covers him cheating at rardi. Con vlnced that he is concealing his real Identity and that he is there for some ulterior purpose, Katherluc drter mines to ferret out the mjstcrj. She has formcrlj hnd experience ns a police headquarters detective nml has been known ns Lady Kate of the police. She intercepts a telephone call of ltclkuap's to a womnn confederate named Itoberta, nnd, iu turn, speaks to tht woman. ltcalizing that lie is suspected by Katherine, Ilelknan threatens to accuse of a crime her brother, Roderick Maxniltnn, who is believed to be dead Hinghnm Hnr ard, who once bore the title of the , Night Wind, becomes suspicious of llelknap and of Kntlieriuo's attitude toward him Itoberta arrives on the icenc under the nnmc of Senonta C'ervantez, a pinnist. who is to enter tain the guests Harvard attacks llelknap one uight. after he has re reived notes from botli Kitlienne and Itoberta from n baleotn of the house. llelknap does not recognize his assailant Kntherine. hiddui in Itoberta s room at midnight, wit nesses n epiairol between her and Belknap in vvlmh he accuses Itoberta of deceiving him AM) HhRK ip (ONIINins One (Jualilv of Pear BELKNAP released llobeitii s haml and stnrlnl inn nhi it.. .1 i... n.,.uiii mi- iiijui, )i nc stopped and turned to face her ngtinlwas much better that she should not do before he touched it Katherine dropped out of sight a second time, but was conscious of a touch of sardonic mirth In Uelknap's voice when he spoke she could picture that wolfish smile of Ins which she hail no doubt he was emplov 'Ing. "1 wonder if In inr dunce jou arc jealous of the beautiful Katherine, ' be said. "I might be jealous for her." was the quick retort from Itoberta ' If I thought that vou so much as ' "Touche"' be interrupted. and laughed "Itest cas. m l.nh of the claws and teeth The charming chnti laine of Mvquest does not tempt mi It's her inonev that I want, not hei exquisite self One or two of hei jewels ma j be one that she wore during the evcniug, for instance, but not Knther Inc herelf Itoberta did not reph , he left tin door and leturned to her "On the level I wouldn t give the nail off of one of vour little lingers for a dozen Katherine IlnrvariN," be said and then Katherine heard the sounds of quick motions nnd a gasp from Ito berta, and a low, chuckling laugh from Belknap. "Got jou, bavin t P' Katherine beard him sa. and she ventured to peek once more over the hair back He had seized Roberta s wrists and was holding them while he bint foi ward with his face close to hers. "I've got jou so jou cant bite oi scratch, m don't struggle. It won t do auy good. I am going to hold jou till I have saiu something that I want jou to hear. It's " "Let go of mj wrists." Itoberta ee manded of him coldlj. and without a sign of nn attempt to free herself. "If jou don't " She did not complete the sentence, but he seemed to know what she would have said "I won't let go until I have finished with what I meant to say when I turned back from the door, just now," he told her. "It's this jou seem to be the only person of mj ncepmntance who has the power to exasperate me to the limit of endurance lou are the only person alive who can madden me to the point of losing nn temper i who never lose it' And I don't know whether it is because I love jou or because I hate you I -" She interrupted him "It is neither." she said eoolh "No?" He chuckled again still holding her tinnds "No," Itoberta repntcd after him "It is Folelj because vou know Heat vou are not my master It is because I defy jou because jou lannot make me your slave because there is an element within me tbnt is so utterlv bevonel jour control that jou an mvstihed Bu, after all is said. (' B , those are only side reasons The real reason why I exasperate and madden jou at times is " She stopped, gazing frankly into his ejes; and while she did so he slow I) treleased her hands and stepped back ward, awaj from her and it was no ticeable (or wouid have been s0 if an other could have seen Roberta just then; Katheripc did not daie to lift her head above the top of the chair back) that sjie did not move awaj from him. She had forced him to become the one who put more distance between them. When she pnused in her speech, he 'demanded ' "Well, what is the real reason? I would like to know it " She replied to him slowly, and with quiet emphasis "Because, deep down in your heait you arc afraid of me. Because 1 urn the onlj person in the world that jou are afraid of, and because the oxpen ence is so strange to jou so entirclj apart from jour regular scheme of things that although jou know it to be true, you will not permit joursolf to believe it. You wou't admit that it's so." Belknap laughed softly, showing his tooth vvolfishly. "You are afraid of me ' Roberta said again, "You know tlint I cairj around with me the powei to kill jou us surelj and na quickly as the lightniug strikes uud kills You know that I carry with me wherever I go the means of ending piy own life as suddcnlj, uud jou know that I have the will to use that mcans- agalnst jou or against in j self. You , 'luow, too, that there is only oue thing that keeps me from using it thut V ' 'makes me withhold my hand, and it j au resolves itself to the one fact that you arc afraid of me. You arc in lonstant and deadly fear lest jou go , A JtfP too far, and so " she stopped r lie had withdrawn as far as the door: Kotherine realized that when lie I Vb main. His voice was low, his t .Mteech deliberate and filled with inen- f "Some time," be said, "jou will take i eic .inn too far. nome lime yoci win i. torrca i0 ta,'p thf b"1' "ni,h ,vI" ..'Sort1 yu t0 uct; MUen do uu will take join own life, not mine. ' Katherine heard the click of the lock i as he turned the kev He pulled tin. 'door parti njai, mid 1osd it again Ills rool suavity of manner had re turned when he said : "It is Stindnv morning now To I morrow will be Mondnv, and I shall see to it that nn nciasion is made foi vou I to make use of jour skill nt iaid Po I joii get that, Ilert i''" I " es ' "I will keep the letter that vou wrote for Lail Kate to rcid in lase vou did not return I hnc found it in i trresting "' "You can do what you please with it, I can easily write anothei one. if l need be " 1 "You will not write another one ' lie retorted carelcs!j '"I here will he no need of one Our useful friend for whom vou sent to (nine here, did not make Ins appearance; and he will not Wi will see to that now If lie does, vou will regiet it, ind so will others whom vou have n mind to iham pion He pulled the door open passed out and c losed it after him Katherine kept ven still in her hid ing place in the big i hair, but sbe I eeped around the side of it nnd could sio Itoberta standing with her back tonaid her, with her face towaid the door Her attitude now that Belknap had gone was one of dejection Katherine s impulse was to make liei own presence known nt once, nnd jcl her police training assured her that it She kept verj still, withdrawing into the elmr She Knew that it was einle likelv that Roheilii would present h ehseovei her. anil just ns likelv that she would not In the one case she intended to appear to be verv soundlv asleep, and in the either she would wait where she was until Roberta slept, and then steal silentlv out of the loom After n time that seemed intcrnr.n able v,, long did Robeitn rimnin in that iittitude of thoughtful dejection, Kath enne roulel heni her moving about the J loom, hut she did not turn on nn I men i lights nor appear to hnve anv thought of prepaung herself for bed All I that she seemed to do for Knthei me could onlj hear, and not see was to ualk slowlv up and down the room nnd with each turn tlint she made she sigheel ilcoplv . as if the burden she bore was almost too much for hei Katherine was in a dileinnn More than once she was nt the point of milking hei pi esc nee known, she had. in fact eletei mined to do so, nnd had partly lifted her head in the beginning of the act. when, as if Roberta hncl reached .1 giiieling dec ision, she passed the chair, went swift! to the window, and stepped out upon the bilconv Katherine could see her peering with apparent eugenics., tins wav and that as if she searched the darkness with her eves for somebodj she hoped to see , and presenth she wheeled about, le enteieel the room, e rossed it swiftlv without seeing Katherine, nnd went out, closing the door softly behind her. liistnntlv Katherine slid from the chair to her feet. At al hazards, and notwithstanding her negligee attire, she felt tlint it was her dutv to follow for" Roberta had said to herself, whispcringly, as she c rossed the room : "I will look again. I'ossiblv he was detained lie mij be there, now, wait ing foi me ' Man in the Open T7"A1 IIKRINK was not to leave the -t-house that night on the track of Robert i in prei ielv the wav she plan ned. although she did go out into the darkness another method than the door bv one that wns forced upon her which she would not hnve attempt! i noi, indeed, believed possible of act om plishment hid she not been compelled to it, and if she hud not been trans formed, b the scene she hud just witnessed, to the keen and daring Ladv Kate of the Police, to the Ladv of the Night Wind who had elared so greuth and ace omphshed ho much, long ago. when she had taken upon herself the task of clearing her husband of the framed up charges nguinst him When Roberta went from the room after making those self addressed whispered remarks about her going, Katlienne became sudihnlj alert uud eagei . She was again the shrewd, resource ful and skillful detective of her "Miss Mnxwill" dnjs at headquarters, un aft aid , self confident, and competent. She became, on the instant, the. skilled operative of bjgone times It did not matter to her then that she was in negligee Senonta Cervantez. the Robertu of the midnight conversa tiou over n telephone wire, the con federate of llelknap in his se hemes, hud just gone out into the night a s(eeiiiil time to meet somebodj she had sent for and was expecting somebodj who was luminal to Belknap and Ins plans somebodj whose ldcutitt Katherine vaguelv , verj vaguelv, suspected anil Kutherine was bound to discover who and what th)t same someboeh might be; she was determined to hud out if there weie anj grounds for her faint but insistent suspic ions She hncl what Tom Clancy would have called a "hunch " She guessed that in the conversation DOROTHY DARN IT Probably a Waiter' ITsAV MISTER RUFF j NOT A ) 1 DO Vou HAVE ) ( TKrXTS THE iJUKEIW " . , . , IIBE ' I " HAVEM'T VOU ANV J LIVING SOUL HT To DO ALU j EASIEST THINGL i HOW"OFTEM DO EVERY DAY frr WELL WHO WEAR5 EM L-- j RELATION? iMATRftMPJfvOUROWN J ,DO f 1 YOU CHANGE MJ;Lr THE FIRST THREE DAYS? o. 0-- -L iFT- ' f-$2EJ HOUSE WORK? ir-Uy 0, .j, COLLARS? j V rf IT wr; gT " 1 11 -, ' -1 " H .J ! she had just overheard, Belknap nnd Roberta had both referred to her brother Rodeiick nnd jet nnd jet She darted to thcdoor and pulled it a little way open without a jar or sound There was the possibility that Ro berta had paused just bejond it; that she might have changed her mind ; so Kntherine was extremely cautious and it was well that .she was so. She peered into the hall, which, al though dimlv lit, was lighter than the room behind her Instnntlj she withdrew her head, re dosed the door, and turned the key in the lock, fastening it. Then, almost holding her brenth, she waited. What she had seen was startling enough Roberta had already disappeared much more quicklj thnn Kntherine had believed she could: more than likelv she had in to the stairs and down them. But Belknap was returning. She hnd caught sight of him at the moment he turned around the post of the balustiadc coming from the floor above, where his room was located; she hud seen him nnd she fenred that he had caught a glimpse of her. Not enough to have recognized her; she was quite icrtain ns to that, but his eyes hid ividently been on the door when she had thrust her head outwurd. He had started forward with quickened pace, nnd The knob of the dooi turned ; then when it would not Jicld, the knob wns shaken gcntlj. Katherine made no response what ever She stood verj still, listening. Belknap, at the opposite side, tapped lightly against it. Then Kntherine heard his voice raised barely above a whisper "Let me in Berta," he said. "There is something I forgot to say, and there is no ktiowing when there will be nu other opportunity like this one. You hnveu't uudrcssed, jet, I'm sure. Open ami let me in 1 won't stnj five loin utes. I promise." Kntherine smiled, well pleased to know that he had not recognized her; and, of course, she made no reply what- e.ci llelknap did not, immediately, speak ugain, but Katheiiuc could hear n faint rustling bejond the iloscd door; nnd then she became genuinely startled. She heard the click of metal ngamst metal ut the kejholc, and Belknap's inutteied remark made at the same tune "Ml right If you won't let me, I'll go in Ami Katherine understood. She knew that he was using burglar forceps to grip the post of the key and turn it, and thus unlock the door from his side, and she knew that it could be done as easily as if he held the key itself She knew nil about such instru ments . she had seen many a pair of them in the museum-cabinet at head ipiarters It did not nt the instant occur to her to seize the key and liolf! it and even if she had done so, Belknap would presenth have discovered that it was not Roberta, but another, bejond the door and he might guess who that other person was, Katherluc was verv far from wanting him to suspect that she had lecn n witness to the scene that had just happened inside of the room. When the forceps clicked against the lock, nnd she realized what wns doing, she darted away, and by the time he hud begun to turn the kev in the mnn ner described she had fled into Roberta's bi th room, and had closed and loe ked the door after her and that time she withdrew the key and dropped it to the tiled floor. But there wis no other way out of that room unless . She glanced to ward the high and narrow window ami shook her head but approached it nevertheless and stepped upon the low chnir that stood beneath it while she pushed wide open the hinged screen to peei into the night outside. "It might be done," she told herself mentally. "It can be done. I must do it That mnn shall not know that I " Belknip had entered the other room nml was rapping softly against the bathioom door. "Come out here," she heard him say. "What Is the matter with you?" But Katherine was working with feverish haste and paid no heed to him. There was n pile of bathtowels in the small cupboard where they were kept, and thej were of generous size. She seized upon them one by one and knotted them together uutil she ilo i ldi'd that her improvised rope was long enough, for she had made up her mind that she would experience only slight difficulty in forcing her slender body through the window. She had not a doubt that Belknap, when he became convinced that Roberta would not go out to him nor answer him (for, of course, he could not doubt that it was Roberta inside of the bathroom), she be lieved that he would do one of two things; he would either try to force the door an unlikely thing or he would ealmlv announce tlint he would sit clown and wait till she came out, if it took her till doomsdoj to decide an tremelj likely thing for him to do in his present mood. Well,, he could wait; but Kntherine did not propose to remain where she was to be waited for. Robertn might leave elnne so, she would not She tied one end of her rope around the pipe ot the hot-water heating ap fly VARICK VANARDY Author of "The Two-Fncod Man," "Alia ho Night Wind," etc paratus that passed from floor to cell ing In the corner beside the window then she got upon the lctu chair agnm and begnn her strange exit from tin bathroom She could hear Belknnp tiilking. but she paid no heed to what he wns snj ing She had to force her vviy head tirsl through the window there wns no other wav hut she kept n firm gtip upon the towel-iope. Head and shoulders fust while she clung with one hnnd to the rope of towels, she forced her way through the narrow space. Katherine was slender nnd willowy There was but little Impediment of clothing to overcome, ns wc kuow It wns n tight squeeze, nevertheless but she made it inch bj inch, bj squirm ing and edging her bodv forwnrd n lit tie at n time, first t one side nnd thei nt the othei , cmerglug finally nt the opposite side in the position of one who dives into the water. When nt last she wns free from the window casings, flic did dive, but she clung desperately to her rope ns it caught her weight and w hit led her bodv over The impetus of her fall and the sharp jerk upon the improuscd rope proved too much for the knot she bail tieel around the water pipe; it was not equal to the shurp and sudden strai i upon it It came loose, and phc fell, a fiw feet onh, and upon the soft sod. so that in her quite natural excitement of the moment, and her glee over the escape she had made, she wns barely conscious of the shock ofe, it and the knotted towels fell with her, nnd she gathered them up ns she got upon her feet nnd sprang into the deep soom of the night among the shrubbery. So Katherine was free from the house, leaving Belknap none the wiser. She smiled nt the thought of his amazement, if. while he waited beside the locked bathroom door, Itoberta should return nnd remembrance of Itoberta brought to mind lici oijginnl purpose. But a moment of thought convinced Katherine that it would be worse than useless to seek her under the circum stances, Roberta had gone out with n definite purpose, and doubtless to n definite place; there was no such thing ns guessing where that place might be located Moreover, now that she was in the open air, she needed, and very much wanted, clothing. There wns no means of re-entering the house nt once; she knew tlint she would have to wall until morning to do that if she hoped to accomplish it without betraying the unusual circum stances of her being outside, nnd she had no notion of letting niijbody into the secret. It was whollj her own, thus far, and she meant to keep it so. She did not know where she could go. lhcre wns always the Nest, her one place of secure refuge from tiny and everv sort of storm or stress, 'lhcri was everjthing that she might need there; and never jet had theie been n time whin she wns so thankful of its existence so grateful for that whim of hers that she had coddled and en couraged since childhood, which had induced Bingham to let her build it never had she appreciated the fact of it so much us at that moment. It was her "mjsterv place," her verj own sanctum, and with a smile of con tent she made her way swiftlj along the winding paths among the bushes and shrubs toward the artificial lake beside and above which it was located She glided along like a spirit nml with scarcelj more noise thnn one inijht make and so she enme nt Inst to the shore of the little lake, to n path wav that followed the indentures of it and would lead, presenth, to another one that ended at the Nest. Katherine was too impatient to keep to the patli ; the waj across wns short er and she knew everv inch of it even if the darkness was "deeper among the towering tiees from beneith whicheverv scrap of lesser growth had beeu cleared awav. (Hiding noiselessly onward, flittiug like a sprite from tree to tree, she came to a sudden stop and sniffed the nir like a hunting dog that has caught the scent of game. It was the unmistakable odor of n ugar that Kathcrmo had sensed, and as she enme to a halt and listened, peer ing eagerly this way and that, she detected the low murmur of voncs in conversation just the low hum of them, with nothing distinct about it. "Roberta!" she thought quickly. "Roberta, and the man she came out to meet. And he is smoking. Foolish man ! But he could not guess that n regular old-timer detective would be out here on his trail." She smiled broadly nt her own face tiousness while she stood verj still and listened intently in order to catch the exact location of the sounds she heard Then her face took on a serious ex pression, unci as she moved slowh foi ward toward the sound she muimurid to herself : "Can it be? Oh, can it be possible' that that he No, no, I can't believe it But if it is not that it must be another part of this hideous plot, nnd, whatever it is, I mean to kuow about it." (CONTINUED TOMORROW) "" "- -."- "- CopsrUht, Klin, by the Bell Svndlcate. Inc. Bll CllttS. McMttllURt DAILY NOVELETTE ON YOUR KNEES By MAIt.IORIK IIATHORNH E MZAIU'.TII wns n veij blight nnd cheerful soi t of person. Always woic n smile nnd hncl n pleaant word for everj one in nil kinds of weather Buice watched her ns she sat nt hri tjpeuriter, busily engnged on the let teis he had just dictated He won dered If she hnd ever been In love oi if such thoughts hnd ever penetrated into her sunnv heart. Donald Bruce wns now nt the head of the firm, Bruce iS. Son, am!, since' the death of the elder Bruce, Don's whole life had been, npparentlj, wrap ped up in the business. Ho nnd his fnther hnd been almost inseparable since Don s boyhood: thej had read nnd playnl and gone to ball games together: as Don grew older thej hnd belonged to the same clubs nnd fintcrnlties nnd later Don wns taken into partncisliip with his father. Ihen enme the tcirl ble blow of his father's death, and sinco then, Don had lived, more and more by himself, vMthdinwiug fioni the clubs mid taking no Interest in the world mound him, ' Lliznbeth turned from her desk to nsk u question but, seeing the gloomy expression on Brucc's fnee, she hesi tuteil Now, in spite of her calm nml e metric exterior, Elizabeth loved Don ald Bruce, nod hnd loved him since she lust enme to the office, and, secrctlj had hoped that sonic day lie might ictuin her love Because of this fnct she was alwajs verj cmcful not to intrude uuplcns nntlj, but today something within her which she lould not lesist prompted hei to speak : "Donald Bruce! If you will pardon the lmpeitinencc of jour scerctnrj, I wish jou would tell me whj jou al wiijs sit in a cloud of gloom, instead of coming out into the sunshine. Tij making some one a little happier and see if jou .no not happier jourself." "Hood advice, Llizabeth, but there is just one person m the world whom I want to make happy, and that person is pctfectl happy without my uid." As Bruce was bpeaking a chill seemed to clutch the heart of Hliznbcth. An othei girl! She had nevci thought of that "ion jou mean er a a girl? You menu jou love u girl and she she icfuses jou?" (To Hlizabeth this scimec! impossible that nny oue couldn't love this man ) "Yes, that is pretty nearly what 1 mean," Bruce leplied. "Although she has never actual!) refused me, for as n matter of fact I haven't )et mus tered up eouiage enough to ask her "Of nil the idiots! Donald Bruce," exploded Hli?abeth. "Why don't you wake up? She may be eating her heart out for love of jou, but what girl will show it? She is not going to throw heisclf at jour head. Don't I know?" she exclaimed as Bruce tried to inter rupt. ''I do know. You arc always commenting on ' my suuuy disposition and carefree life, jet, well it sounds silly to saj it, but it does mean so much in one's life, and to the one ex periencing it it is a verj serious thing; but I nm in love, too, hopelessly so, for my love is not returned." So say ing, i:ii7iibeth turned toward the win dow to hide her fuce, fearing she was bctrajnig too much of her feeliugs. Then she felt her arms gripped as with bands of steel as Don turned lfcr nrounel facing bun. "Klirabeth," he said in a voice from which the hope and joy of living seemed to have gone, but in its place a tender ness. "Lliabeth, do you mean jou have given jour heurt to some oue? Tell me who he is nnd I'll make him love you, or or, break his neck ! Don't you know, dear girl, it is you I love? I have loved vou since the day you came into this ofhee. l'orgive mo for telling you this I know it is useless and I have no right, but I can't help it, I love you so. But your happiness is more to me than anything else in the world. I can't uuderstaud how any oue cau help lov ing jou; there must be some mistake Can't I help"' Tell me who he is and I will bring him here on his knees " Hlinbeth had been half turned awny while Don was speakiug. Now she turned toward him with n glint of mis chief in her gray eyes and said, "Oct down on your knees, then!" "Hlizabeth, Hlizabcth, Hlizabcth!" It was all Bruce could say as he looked into her uplifted face and read the truth in her eyes. Then down on his knees he dropped and kissed the hand he was holding so tightly. But not long did lie staj in that position. He sprang to his feet and took her in his hungry arms. After a few minutes he whisnered In her ear. "I'm glad 1 won't have to break any one's neck, but I ought to have miuc twisted for being so slow.' The next complete daily novelette Je T'Aime: Accustomed to It A man took n friend to nn opera. The music, grand ns it was, sounded n little noisv , more especially when the bang of drums'niid the crush of cjmbnls oc curred at intervals. But the friend's face remniued unmoved, "Doesn't this glorious volume of sound uffeet jou !" "Oh, not in the least," was the calm replj. "You forget I am n boilcrmiiker." Ldiuburgh Scotsmnu. DREAMLAND AD VENTURES-ByDaday "GRASSHOPPER HOP" fin tlm nihcnlutc Peppy nnd Hillu po aflyinp nml join a 'hand of destroy ing tattlers, to pat an end to their cull deeds.) The Too. Fill Birds BILLY BULQIUM was jumping about most peculiarly In a stubbb field beside the woods of Birdland. He would pounce down upon the ground, then give a leap sidewisc and grab with Lis hands. It looked as it he were playing some funnj gnmc all by himself, nnd Peggy watched li tin in wonder. "What arc jou doing, Billj ?" she finally asked. "Catching grasshoppers!" answered nilly. "Arc thev hard to catch?" "(iccnhillikers, no! There are thou sands nnd thousands of thejm in tbic field. I never saw so man). Come and sec!" Peggy ran out from the woods', and the moment she put her foot iu the stubble field she heard n funny rustling nnd scraping. At the same time grass hoppeis lose all around her nnd whirred this way nud tlint. There were big grasshoppers and little grasshoppers, spry grasshoppers nnd lazy grasshop pcis, covering the field so thickly that Pcggj could scarcely step without tread ing upon them. "Wheic did they nil come frpm?" she cried to Billy, skipping back nimblj to the shelter of the woods.' "Nobody knows. Farmer Dnlton says the dry weather brings them, and thot if they are not stopped at once thej will ruin his whole corn crop. That's why I'm catching them, but It seems ns if the more I cntth the more there nre to catch." "I know a wav to get rid of them. My birds will eat 'cm all up," cried Peggy. Turning to the woods, Peggy made a trumpet of her hands and gave BRUNO DUKE,Solver of Business Problems By HAROLD WHITEHEAD, kuthor of "The Business Career of Peter Flint," etc. (Coprrltbt) In the Trap rHAD -' tion HAD silence followed the exclama- of the young man at the dicta graph. "Hush! Some one's just gone into Purvis's ofhee." Wc eight men Instantly changed our casj, iclaxcil manner to one of tense expectancy. Wc all felt that the suc cess of our plans was about to be tested. "It's Staatburg who's just come," the joung man with the bored ex pression whispered. "There's some one else in the outer office, but I can't get his nntnc yet." "Hopa,it's Foley," growled Harvey. Duke had beckoned to me, and when I had tiptoed across the room he whis pered : "Be prepared to follow me and keep our cje on Staatburg. If he attempts to leave Purvis's ofhee hold him. I nodded emphatically, for I knew mj six feet of muscle, and bone were capable of holding the somewhat slight el -built Staatburg. "Mr. Duke, can I " "Ss sh," came from the bored looktng joung man who was writing in shorthand something he -heard over the dictagraph. He looked up at Harvey and whis pered : , "Not yet Gorridge is there; he was the man in tho outer office. Gorridge wants his partner to squeal on Foley to save their own hides. Staatburg has more nerve than Gorridge or Pur vis says he'll be 'lamed' if he quits now." Harvey gave a grim smile nnd whis pered, "He'll be 'tamed' In any case. I wish Foley would turn up." Turn ing to one of the other detectives, a gray-haired, undersized, elderly man, he questioned, "Sure you got Foley and he's not wise?" i "Y'ep, I slipped him the dope that Stnntburg intended to trim him and meant to get Purvfs to divvy up the sparklers and beat it." "Did ho swallow it?" "Iu ono gulp; he's wise that Purvis is up against? it Foley always kicked at Purvis being used he don't like Purvis says he's 'yellow.' " "What made Staatburg come back tonight?" I whispered to DuKe. "We saw to it that he learned that his sapphire stock and machinery had been moved to Purvis's office he thinks Purvis is tricking him." "Gosh! Looks as If you've made Purvis, Staatburg and Foley all sus picious of each other." ( "Htn! Hm! And appearances are favornble to that suspicion, for the dia monds and tho sapphires are in Pur vis s office, and now Staatsburg s there, so when Foley turns up, if he does, his suspicions will seem verified. Get crooks suspicious of each other and they lorget otner sources of danger. Again we lapsed into silence. One of the detectives noiselessly opened the toilet window lending to the fire es cape and sat on the window sill. For half an hour we remained still and in silence except for an occasional remark from the bored young man with the dictfigiaph. "Purvis is tellin' Staatburg nnd Gor ridge that Mr. Duke swiped the sap phires, but they don't swallow it a-tall. Goriielgc is for jankin' the whole bag Grasshoppers rose all around her. the cnll which alwajs uVought her Bird land subjects hastening to her. "Hello! Hello! My lovely" birds, hello! Princess Peggy bids you come!" Pausing, Peggy waited for the birds to come flocking to her, But not a bird appeared, nor was there a single peep or chirp to tell that they had henid, "Hello! Hello!" shouted Peggy, but thcoiilj answer was n raint "Snor-r-r-r-ugh! Snor-r-r-r-ugh !" in n nenrby hollow tree. "Judge Owl is home! I can hear him troo7ing." cried Peggv. rapping on the tree. "Hello! Hello! Hello, .ludgc Owl!" "Snor-r-r-umph !" Judge Owl broke off just as he got a snore started, and in n moment his head popped out of the hole that was the door to his home. His bodv quickly followed. "Hoo! Hoo! What's the matter? Are the grasshoppers ,coming?" he hooted. "My gracious, how fnt you've grown!" cried Peggys'iJ much nston ished that she neglected to nnswer his question. o' tricks and bcatin' t to Brooklyn again. Ha! ha! they arc tryin' to get Foley on the phone!" The grins on the faces of nil of us told of on appreciation of the humor of the situation. "They can't get him. Stnatburg's told Purvis to open the small electric safe and hand him the diamonds. Staat burg wants Gorridge to oarrj the dia monds until tomorrow. He won't. Hu! ha! Gorridge sajs he's through an'll quit cold an' get into somethin' less exciting, but not objectionable to the, police! Guess they are goms to leave. Staatburg's got the diamonds. Looks like Foley's too jfoxy and won't come. Hush ! Some one's rapped on the outer door. Them three are absolutely silent. I can hear the outer door being opened." Wc all stared intently nt the joung man at the dictagraph. The nervous tension of the situation filled the room. Harvey's hands were twitching, while the detective on the window sill was silently swinging one leg outside. Duke sat calmly on the table; he re tained all his usual outward compos ure. "I hear footsteps crossing the outer office. Some one's juk,t gone into Pur vis's inner ofhee. Hcnvs, 'It's true, then.' It is Foley it's Foley." Harvey gave a long sigh of relief The detective on the window sill started going up the fire-escape, while another followed him. Duke stood up, looked at me with a smile and said: ' "Let's go upstairs and join the party, Peter." x (CONTINUED TOMORROW) TODAY'S BUSINESS 'QUESTION What is a "preferred creditor"t Answer toll appear tomorrow. ANSWER TO , SATURDAY'S BUSINESS QUESTION "Valao received" is a phrase used in notes and bills to express a con sideration indefinitely. THE READER'S VIEWPOINT Letters to the Editor on Current Topics Approve Senate Demonstration To (he Editor of hvtnina Publto Ledger: Sir Signs multiply daily that the popular crazo for a league of nations is waning. Ouly yesterday tho press reported that when Senator Lodgc the great nnd wicked Lodge, nnd even if possible the wickeder Borah in that excess of temerity for which they are celebrated got up in the Senate and spoke the truth ngainst the league the galleries applauded with "a demonstra tion which eclipsed any in the recollec tion of the oldest Capitol employe." They did, did they? These same gal leries had been so surfeited with presi dential hero worship tlint for a long time they had not kuowu how to think. AneTthat is the hrst very large fact to note. America, thank God, ls,(nn emotional nation, lu which n large variety of foolishness and some wickedness some times mix in the brew -that w e are giv en to drink. So when a very capable President, filled with a ps) etiological i,iii-ic: icru un iiie uirus; uskcmi ,. "As fnt as I am," wns Judge Owl'l queer nuswer. "What makes you so fnt?" went on v Peggy, still puzzled by Judge Owl' ' size. rj..rj,J "CJrnsshoppcrs!" replied Judge OwL "And that's what Is the matter with all the birds." "Clrasshoppcrs!" gronncil the voiie of General Swallow. "I never waut to see another grasshopper." Looking where the Voiced came fioni, ( Peggy and Billy saw- n round bunch. , of feathers sitting miserably under ft , hazel bush. It was General Swallow, but he was so stout that the childieu scarcely knew him. And, looking mound among the trees and shrubbery, Peggy and Billy presently made out many more of their bird friends, nil grown enormously fat, alt sound ns!ccp, and all groaning in their sleep as though they had the nightmare. ' "Wake up! Wake up!" cried VesiJft "Wc must save Farmer Dalton's c oi n from the pests." "Oh-h-h!" groaned General Swallow as the birds awakened unci blinked nt Peggy. "We have met the grasshop pers in bnttle nnd we, have enten nnd eaten and enten of them until we can cat no more. Wc have reached one limit. We arc whipped." "Alas, who now will save Fanner Dalton's com?" criirt Peggy. "You will. Princess Peggy! You will save Farmer Dalton's coin," cried the birds. And with that thev all dropped off to sleep again, just )ikc n lot o children made dozy by too much Thanks giving ciiuner. (Tomorrow leill be told hoie Peggil and Iltlly disguise thctltschcs and join the grasshopper at my.) i hnve been reading with much lnleretl vour articles In tho nrsiNO Pueilio l.pocirH under the head llruijo Uukt. Sober of llu-c-lness Problem!, " I am at present engaced In the manufae lure of a carpet cleaner which Is pl up In sixteen ounre pactaBea einrl will clean three nxl's or any number of suits gen tlemen's or ladies It requires no wiplnff. no rinsing and removes any urease slain, wlthuut leaving ring or dlscolorallen Ic also eradicates moths It Is neatly put up in tin foil with a car ton containing full instructions on final cover I solicit from house to house and emplocr solicitors Wish to advertise the goods act it Is all or more thin claimed for It Would also like some RUKgesttona to, make in our sales talk to ' Mrs Housekeeper ' Wo demonstrate as we go along It M Don't try to be jour own advertising; expert. Get n good ndvcrtisiug ngcucy to be it for you. You will get much more for jour money through an agent than if jou try to do it for yourself. You have n good-looking carton. 11 the nnmc jou give to jour powder reg istered? If not,- get the advertising ngeut to see if it can be registered. You can't afford to build up n reputa tion (by ndVertising) on a name that, others may be able to use. Personally, I advocate newspaper W advertising in the cities where your agents nre ncnveij selling, vv ny nor, advertise n free carpet-cleaning cou pon for oue week. Any replies sent in. would mnke the liveliest of leads for tho agents. .To jour nds jou could attach a paragraph nsking for ngents to repre sent jou. If jou care to send me n copy of your snles tnlk I'll be glad to ciiticizc it, but I cannot undertake, to create one. The price of your article is such that thej "canvass" should be brief. Easily Conned N "Hubby, don't you think wives should get wages?" "Of course, my dear, but there isn't money enough in the world to pay you." Then she smiled and went on wash ing dishes. Louisville Courier-Jour nal. i conception of morality which swayt mens souls in exciting times of, wart until they follow without thinking anV specific proposal pITercd by him, seeina only the cud In view nnd trusting hint, for tho menus, comes to espouse a course which is violative nnd destruc tive of the entire conception of Ameri can liberty, that President goes so fat iu his obscssiou that incidental results of his plan, eveu though infinitely umh,!JJ iiiuiuc'uiuus nuu luiui enuii itie evntf which the plan is aimed to correct, be come the sole consideration, then at last the galleries must think. And they ar coming to see it, Gol must be down on us if he lets us) into that league. To throw away tho world's birthright of Amciica's Ideals) would be too much, c(cn to punish a foolish nnd a wicked nation, which, when )ou come to thiuk of it, ically is not half bad. If He will only innka us see that it is our job to think, and to think nuicklj, we will get out of this awful thiug jet. Hut the galleries must think, and they nfust "get busy" right now. Of course, if wo fail no ono can doubt that eventually our people will make of this wicked league ilocuil nient n "nemo nf nminr ltiit this well be terrlblj costlj aud wo will all bo "I; teniblj ashamed ashamed that our heedlessness shall have cost such nn. ultei native to destruction. . We have alreadv gone to far in tho immornlitj of hedging that we have" contemplated "reservations," 'defini tions" and other polite falsities wliL'h, like ull falsities, are vastly impolite In, fact though polite iu form. Like tho position now assumed bj our academic President when he referred the other v .1... f,. ..A. ..... ..1,1. ..,..... i. ,1, s ..((j iu ,-i -twin ,,ii ,ii'jiii in- wutj Will ing to debnie the league of natious it thej "knew what thej were talking abort." Tlint nm) be more academic and polite than he curt wuj of another president whose metiiod wus, in deal- I " ' "" " " "" '' null U1U not intend to debate, to assign tum to membership iu the Aunnius flub We nie nothing if not polite: we like It Hut the galleries would better keep awoke If they are nctuully waking up. For bolshevism, railiuad stiikes anil many Imminent forms of destruction, arc un awful alternative to tiikln tlm ill, w 1 r 11 thnun Willi Minim lin ,...11. .ll.T 1 trouble to think Instead of fol.owjus! J blindly hern worship, . (J ai.rm.u l-KTJJIl iuuiihi;,y, Salisbury,, Marjlaud, August 14. IMVM ,l .!. 1. !.,.. 11 -1. . I jSs P n . 1 :L.y.'! r -.!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers