LUCILLE LOVE, The Girl of Mystery Soul 'Thrilling Story ofJZove. devotion, ganger and Jntrigue *By the "MA.STE'R 'PEN* 9 Copyright, 1914 All moving picture right* reserved by the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, who are now exhibiting this production in leadir.g theaters. Infringements will be vigorously prosecuted. ! SYNOPSIS OF THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS. p While students together at West Point, and 'rj ove ' ,!|e sums girl, Sutnpter Love proves lyugo Louoeque a thief, end Loubeque in dishon orably discharged. Love wins the girl. The enmity thus begnn fir.ds outlet in later years at Manila, tvhen a butler thief in the employ of Loubeque, now an international spy, steals valuable papers f rom the Government safe of General Love. Lou beq.-e sails with them on the steamship Empress and General Love accuses Lieut. Gibson, his aide and the sweetheart of his daughter Lucille, of the crime. Loubeque sends a wireless message cleverly insinuating thai General Love had sold the papers to a foreign power. To save the honor of the man she loved and to erase the stigma from her fathers name, Lucille prevails upon narlmy, a Government aviator, to take her out to Wnc ship, in his aeroplane• "The Voice of the Telephone w ■RIMIA, Hupo Louheque watched the aeroplane approaching- the Empress. ■Ruthless. above all authority, next ' with the power Ite had given his life to build up that lie might, be revenged upon the man who had brought about his ruin early in life, the international spy watched this attempt at interfer ence with his plans— for such he in stinctively knew it to be keenly. There was no sudden flame of malice in his heart, cnlj a cold, deadly purpose. Anything auil ever\- thing that stood 111 his way must be swept aside Or crushed—that was all. Aloof from the excited passengers and of ?rV Vb °A a , d bet '" l ' ro, 'S ht to the'deck bv the thunder of the aeroplane's motor, he watched Cheers rose at the masterly manipulation of the plane. Then the aviator's purpose of landing on the liner s deck became clear. It seemed impossible, jjret so big a feat was it that already bets were being made on the success of the attempt. The air-man was circling now, looking down through nis powerful glasses to gauge the distance. ]lugo JJOU beque stood motionless, impassive, imper turbed Ihe explosions of the motor died out so abruptly as to make the succeeding silence fairly thunderous in its contrast. Then the plane swoop ed down toward the deck, nose-on, righted itself and glided to a perfect landing. Lucille separated herself quickly from the pas sengers. She was beginning to think again, to realize what a task lay before her. The orders and papers of her father were upon the boat but \vho carried them she did not know. Of all these hundreds anyone might be the thief. It had seemed so simple before that the contrast be tween the resolve and its execution appalled her. liarlej interrupted her mood of black depression taking her hand and wishing her luck. K\erything is arranged with the Captain," he reported. "And, Miss Love," he added earnestly, 1 dont know what there is to be done but you cannot help succeeding when you start with such spirit. lhe encouragement filmed her eyes, blinding out the sight of the aviator as he started his en gine once more and, with one short glide, rose to ward the element he loved. Only the drumming of the motor came back to her and its monotone eeemed to shape itself into words, words of cheer and hope. \es, she must win. She could not lose. Her slender figure straightened as she turned from the rail, her head uplifted itself courage ously. almost defiantly. The sound of her own name, repeated twice in a hoarse whisper of incredulity brought her Out of her abstraction. She looked wonderinsflv lit the man who had called her by name, amazed the emotions twitching his powerful face, (frightened at the expression in his luminous eves', eyes that stared at her as though she were a ghost. Hugo Loubeque mastered himself with an ef fort. lie had never seen the General's daughter before, this girl with the face and form of her mother, and this apparent resurrection of what had been a living memory so long had stunned him out of his usual composure. It irritated him that his senses should be tricked, that he should lose control of himself under any circumstance •nd lie drew aside quickly. "I beg your pardon," he murmured as she passed him. "I thought I recognized—" He stop ped abruptly, amazed at the expression of de light, and craft, and joy and guile which mingled on her face as she stopped and stared into his face. And in the clash of eyes the man knew that this slip of a girl recognized him for her enemy, the man she would be obliged to battle with, knew it just as he knew the purpose urg ing her on was no whit less strong than his own. Lucille stared after his retreating figure, her lips parted, her eyes twin stars' for the hope that had been kiudled there. "The voice on the telephone," she whispered over and over to herself. And her eyes turned toward the land, the land where her sweetheart was: her eyes turned *horewards even as her heart flashed messages of hope to him. CHAPTER VI. In the Wireles* Room. "J*EIE international spy paced up and down the floor of his suite, for the first time in vears a prey to emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. Early lie had learned Life's lesson that self mastery is identical with the mastery of others. It had become :i religion, a fetish to the man and now that he realized his blunder it stirred a rage within him lie had thought it impossible to feel. The message in "her eyes had been clear. This girl knew that the papers his underling hud stolen from the (ienerals safe were in his pos session. She was his enemy, determined to go appalling lengths to thwart him, just as he must forget the instinctive love he had felt for her, this girl who came from the sky and stirred up visions of days when he had known such a thing as happiness. Already he had crushed down this feeling. But still questions ticked at his brain. How had fche known? How was il possible she could find ■out'.' And what manner of «i>-l was this who took such risks; what motive could induce one so wo- manly to go to such lengths? He settled himself in a chair, closing his eyes while lie rearranged ap Ho ' ->rr n* Oneral's household. 11 n * h?s tense con al* while * .Aays to * 'nere waste of tim t • ,t ed mbv the strange light he had read in her eyes—the General's aide, with whom she was in love, had been charged with the theft. It had all cleared up easily when he mastered his emotions. Hit sombre eyes glowed at the completeness cf the 1 hgvoe he had wrought. Not alone had Gen eral Love been struck, but his entire household. His aide in prison, accused of stealing and selling correspondence of the government he was pledged to servg; the General's daughter valiantly follow- ' ' Mii L_l BOTH 13SCOG/y/Z£rr> THE EAV4ITY THAT MIAST EXIST BETWEEN THEM inp some mysterious clue that would lead to the clearing' up of the charge against her sweetheart, placing herself in the power of the malign in lluence working' so resistlessly against her. The General himself— The spy studied the pattern 011 the floor, his brows knitting as he tried to formulate some tiling that would strike .directly at The old man. It was an hour before he rose and moved toward the door, an expression in his eyes which told the problem had worked itself out. In the wireless room he wrote out his mes sage, waiting idly while lie watelied the operator ndjiui his helmet and .-end the message hurtling back to Manila, Hugo Loubeque smiled grimly as he imagined the consternation these .streaks of electricity snatched from the sky would create upon arrival, lie wondered at the indifference of the wire!;' -s man to the import of the message. ;;Xot the aide. General Love sold me papers." The operator turned indifferently. "Signature?" he queried. The international spy shook his head, smiling at the expression of interest kindled in the young man's eyes. He must, for once, do work of the most difficult sort and do it himself instead of trusting it to a subordinate. To do this he must ingratiate himself with this man, become so well acquainted he might have leisure to carrv out his plot. Versed in humanity as he was, it was simple enough for the spy to throw off his accustomed taciturnity ar.d interest the lonely operator, who evidently thought him a special agent of the gov ernment. That accusatory message must not be answered. Undoubtedly upon its receipt at Ma nila, an investigation would be started which would open with finding the source of the or iginal charge. To obviate this', the wireless must be put out of order, must be wrecked so thor oughly it would be impossible to repair it un til the Empress was out of the zone of communi cation. It was a matter of hours before he got his opportunity, the operator leaving his board and going to the saloon. Hugo Loubeque wasted not a second. The sound of the man's 1 boots ha<l not ceased to sound before the box lay open before the spy. His hands moved like lightning, carry ing out the plan he had conceived as safest and most effective from the instructions of the oper ator. In and out his fingers moved, loosening a screw here, a wire there. Within five minutes he carefully closed the wooden guard and leaned idly against the window, waiting the operator's return. CHAPTER VII. A Second Accusation. QEXERAL LOVE sat at his desk, trying vainly to figure out what motive there could have been for his trusted aide's taking the desperate chance of which he had accused him. Cold rea son made him believe the mail was either a luna tic or fool, or honest. The first he brushed im patiently aside. He had been provided with many aides in his long service of thirty-nine years and no one of them had equalled Lieutenant Gibson in point of efficiency. Fool he might be, for the old soldier knew how a man's brains were stolen from him by love. But the influence of Lucille, born and bred to the sacred traditions of the ser vice, was the sort to make a man go in any di rection save that of trading with his country's honor. Honest— So matter in which direction he turned, the General was unable to see how the young officer could be honest. Where had he received the money so unexpectedly that led him to believe he might be married before his promotion was confirmed? Why had he done such a foolish thing with the safe combination as to leave it in his room? Why had he been BO embarrassed? A hun dred and one questions all remained unanswered and all pointed toward the man's guilt. Only two men could have gone in the safe—the General hims'elf and his aide. And yet—always there was that "yet" to contend with. He knew the boy, knew him so well he had been willing to entrust his daughter's life to him, and he could not be lieve that (iibson was guilty of the charge. It mattered more to liim than the possible contents of the papers themselves. He knew his work, knew the correspondence might be of the utmost importance, still one does not think of such things when personal calamity strikes di rectly home, strikes at one's own family. He was roused from the reverie into which he had fallen by the entrance of the aviator. The man was obviously nervous, a bit bewildered by the rapid succession of startling incidents which had followed the ball. Briefly he told of his trip to the Empress with Lucille, the earnestness of her pleadings, the final words that had won his consent. "For the honor of the man I love." Over and over again he repeated the words, trying 1 to make something' of them. Of course she meant Gibson, but what could she And out on the Empress relating" to the robbery of the safe in this office? Still', she was not a foolish, hys terical girl, wandering off on such errands at -r -t There must be something she knew or out which hi he':?ved would clear her sweetheart of the innuendo against him. But how could he find out what it was? It was shortly after the thought came to him that the prisoner himself might be able to shed light on this mystery and he ordered his aide brought before him. Cold logician that he was 1 , master of thousands of men that he had proven himself to be, ther® was something more than mere innocence about the young officer that the General could not deny, even to himself. More— there was a certain suspicion, an air of contempt in the very figure of the man that told the sup- HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH erior he himself was under another's suspicion. I'or a long time he studied the face he knew so well, trying vainly to see some sign of guile upon the handsome, stern young countenance. It was more than puzzling, more than baffling—that ac cusatory pair ol' frank grey eyes. "Lieutenant." he began slowly, "I have tried to think of some solution to this affair that will not you. ou must realize how greatly I de sire this. But I have thought for hours and there seems no other explanation of the disappearance of the papers I turned over to you. Can you sug gest some other person that might possibly have an interest in their disappearance?" "I can, sir," steadily answered the aide, his eyes holding those of the older man. "I am not, however, insubordinate nor insolent to my sup erior officer." The smouldering flame in General Love's eyes leaped high as he grasped the semi-accusation. By an effort he mastered himself, forcing his voice to steadiness. "Harley, the aviator, lias just reported that Lucille came to him this evening and persuaded him to take her to the Empress. She evidently felt she possessed information that would clear you of this charge and that the Empress was carrying the guilty party. Can you tell me any thing of s'uch knowledge?" Gibson stared incredulously at his superior. His lips opened to repeat the name of the ship as though what he heard was unbelievable to him. lie felt the General's eyes tipon him, pierc ing him, searching into the very depths of his soul. Could it be possible that this old man was willing to make his daughter a scapegoat for his crime? .No, it was all too unbelievable. And yet the General must have sold the papers. He could see no other explanation. But w hat was this* tale of landing aboard the. Empress in an aeroplane? He suddenly felt a rush of blood to his head, a mad furj', a determination to get the truth of this whole thing even though obliged to wring it from the old man's throat. Unconsciously he took a step closer the desk when the orderly again entered, silently passing a Marconigram across the desk. Gibson stared wonderingly at his chief, won dering at the purpling of his already florid face, the rage that shot streaks of blood across his eyes as he read and re-read the message. Sud denly with a choking laugh the old man tossed the wireless to his aide, the last blow of Hugo l.oubeque: "Not the aide. General Love sold me papers." The lieutenant felt a warm throb of pity for the old man. He seemed suddenly to have aged, to be on the verge of collapse under this mysterious charge. The General straightened slowly, rising from his chair. "Somewhere, somehow there is an explana tion," he muttered. "And Lucille is all that stands between us and disgrace. You will come with me, Lieutenant." "Yes, sir. You have some idea " "To the provisional governor," curtly an swered the old soldier, "until this charge can be sifted. Meanwhile, we will wait until there is word from Lucille in answer to the message I sent." "A message? You did not mention that." "Certainly I sent a message immediately Harley told his story. We can drop in there on the way to the Governor's mansion." Gibson nodded shortly. lie was in a haze still, feeling that his suspicions of the old officer had been unfounded, knowing that some evil brain was conniving at their destruction. Pity for tile General took the place of tho bitterness which had been his during his con finement. He felt himself wondering whether the old man could clear himself of the charge agninst him, feit himself unconsciously support ing the man as they walked toward the wireless notice the General's orderly hvrrying to«ar. Miem rntil the man halted in salute there on the parade grounds, the moon casting an eerie shadow Across his olive khaki. "Sir," he reported, "the operator has tried to reach the Empress byt there is no response. Her wireless must be disabled." General Love stared at his aide. Fear gleamed in the eyes of both men, a mutual fear for a mutual object. Who was this unseen enemy who struck such fierce blows from out of the dark? And Lucille, sweetheart and daughter, Lucille, the pampered, dainty, fragile Lucille was undoubtedly near this one who even commanded the lightnings to do his will. CHAPTER VIII. An Armed Neutrality. • QL'RIOUSLY Hugo Loubeque watched the op erator as ho settled back iti his chair, al most immediately receiving the flash that a mes sage was on the way to him from some unseen, unknown source. The brief fraction of a second etched every incident that followed clearly upon his brain. Came a loijg sliver of light that seemed to .utdge the switchboard violently from its fast enings, a shaft that reached out and pierced him through and through, blinding him with its bursting liglit-vapor. Then Loubeque felt him self falling, falling into a pit that seemed to hate no bottom, lie was vaguely conscious of cries, pitying hands, being lifted and carried somewhere, of low murmuring voices purposely hushed, then a heavy, black silence. It was hours before he could piece together what had happened, how ho chanced to be in bed, what, the cause of the terrible throbbing pains upon his arms and torso was. Then the wonder of Lucille's being 1 with him, ministering to him, drove every pain away and he watched her from under cover of his heavy lashes as she moved about the stateroom, quiet, cool, sym pathetic. It had seemed impossible that Lucille should ever be near him, that she should come back to him after all the years, that the days at West Point with the culminating horror of that dismissal should be forgotten lle straightened in bed so abruptly as to bring a moan of anguish from his. lips. In the lassitude induced by his burns and the shock of the wireless room explosion he had concentrated the forty years that were, past into the living presence of the daughter of the woman he had loved at that time. And this was no more girl, but a woman, with all the capacity for love and hate that ever woman had. And she was his enemy. The impulse to speak with her, to order liev away, was strong upon him, but he conquered it, the habit of carefully planning before doing anything coming to the fore again despite his pain. He must not show resentment of her kind ly interest, must not betray the fact that he had papers for which she was looking. He must be very certain of his ground with this girl for a definite purpose was behind her strange board ing of the liner; the coincidence of her tending him was too strange to be unpremeditated. "You ar§ very kind," he smiled as, seeing he had returned to consciousness, she softly crossed the floor, balancing herself against the motion of the liner as though she were a part of the boat. "There was an explosion iu the wireless room, was there not?" "\ou must not talk till the surgeon comes," she smiled. "I must obey orders, you know, be cause. I am only a volunteer." "A volunteer! You volunteered to help a stranger 1" "But you are not. a stranger." She smiled curiously, wrinkling her nose in a delightful way he remembered her mother to have had. "You knew my name and that made me feel really acquainted when you were hurt." There was something penetrating in the eyes fastened upon his own, something guileful about the sug gestive expression of her tones that put him in stantly on guard. He closed Ills eyes again and simulated slumber, now and then stealing a glance at her as she sat opposite him, her pretty brows bent in thought. Day followed day with ever his faculties fastened on the necessity for caution. A curious sort of friendship sprang up between them, a friendship partaking more of an armed neutral ity without the formality of a flasr of truce than anything else he could imagine. Without men tioning their mutual attitude both recognized the enmity that must exist between them, both knew the other was conscious of the. other's thoughts. Times there were when Lucille would find herself wandering in memory fields, back to the days at Manila. And times there were when she would have to conquer the impulse to take this powerful, sardonic, silent man she nursed and shake the secret of the papers from him. Then again she would be all compassion, her very heart crying out in its innocence against the bitterness that poisoned her patient's heart and soul. Something within her told her of the times when his eves would soften and the natural af fection within him would attempt to steal through the shell with which his hate had en crusted him. And then she would tight down with an effort the impulse to throw herself upon Ibe better nature slie knew he was making such an effort 1o hide, to plead with him for the happiness he had stolen from her, for the honor of the man she loved. Nature weakens the body that it may nour ish the soul. But with the alleviation of Hugo Loubeque's sufferings the old animosity and pur pose flourished with redoubled vigor. This girl had undoubtedly sought the opportunity of nurs ingl him that she might defeat his purpose. She was the daughter of the man he had spent his life in working out a complete degradation for. He must fight down the weakness which assailed him when her resemblance to the Lucille of forty years ago surged strong within him; he must tight against her as he would fight against anyone else, as he had fought against, the very world. And Lucille felt the change, felt it and re doubled her effort, to get the secret of the'stolen papers. The spirit of the game was in her and she yielded a grudging admiration for the cun ning of the man who, even in his most acute suffering, managed to conceal everything from her. Even in delirium his powerful brain resisted hefc suggestions, her hints. Detective stories she had read and she tried now to bring the methods of those sleuths of fiction to her aid. Strangely enough, though she recalled their exploits well, these heroes seemed febrile puppets when compared to the man she nursed. One story alone had impressed itself upon her and she knew there was no chance to use the ingenious mrihnd of that one who ha 3 discovered the hiding' place of certain important documents' by tossing a bomb in the living room of a blackmailer. Tlie international spy was able to walk about his room now, his eyes showing the satis faction he felt at thwarting her. They played chess together, dined together, with alwajs the armed deference between them, a state of mind so obvious as to have been ludicrous had they not both been so conscious of it. Many she thought the strain was more than she could bear, when she doubted the wisdom of this trip. And always would come morbid pictures of her sweetheart to sustain her in her determination to clear hint of the charge under which he rested. It was on the eighth day out that the spy suddenly sprang to his feet, darting swiftly to the door of the stateroom. She stared at him in astonishment, amazed at the change which had come over him. His life must have made him more than unusually sensitive to impressions for n full quarter hour elapsed after he had resumed his seat before a barely perceptible thudding sound: cainei from beneath the deck. Perliups it, may have been the premonition of the silent, man, perhaps foreboding of disaster on her own part. that, took her to the deck. The Captain had quit the bridge and stood at the door of the engine room, his face betraying the anxiety lie tried to conceal from his passengers. Louder, louder grew the thudding sound, follow ing now by a retching like the ripping of a rot ten cloth. "A boiler in the engine room," Loubeque said quietly when she returned to his suite. She stared at the spy incredulously. He was seated in the great, chair as though such a thing was of the slightest possible consequence to him. His impassive countenance was more sombre than ever and she realized, with sinking heart, that her impulse, to appeal to him in thi» hour of deadliest peril would be of no avail. Came another thought with that, of help lessness, a thought, of which she felt ashamed for the second, if worst came to the worst this man would attempt to save, to take with him his most priceless possession. If only she could find out. where the stolen papers were concealed she would get them. It was not wrong to take advantage of the weakness of a physical invalid who possessed such giant mental strength. Mingling with the horrid retching sound came a long hiss. The spy sprang to his feet again and opened the door. Passengers were rushing wildly about the decks, their faces be traying the abject terror they felt. At the rail stood the Captain and Second Mate supervising the lowering of the life boats. A white faced steward banged against the door, thrusting his head inside. "Fire," he whispered, then, as though ashamed for the fear which had robbed him of his voice. "It's fire—to the boats—" Lucille turned away, a sickening 1 feeling clutching' at her heart. Fire! Fire out here on the broad ocean and never a sight of land since Manila! What eould she do? She suddenly was conscious) of Hugo Loubcque's swift motions. The spy darted across the room und drew from the top drawer of his desk a package of papers which he hurriedly replaced as she turned. There was something' on his countenance which told her the truth, told her that he had re» vealcd the secret of the stolen papers. He slapped the drawer shut, reassuming- his aspect of indif ference as he brushed her away from the door. Quick as the spring - of a cat she had secured the papers while he stepped to the deck, appar ently to study the situation. When ho returned she was moving l carelessly about the room, wear so innocent an expression that he studied her suspiciously a second. Their eyes met and he sprang- to the desk, slapping open the drawer so violently its contents fell upon the floor. As he whirled upon her she saw in his face that the truce was at an end, that he knew of his loss and would stop at nothing to regain his secret. Swiftly she sprang: through the open door, losing- herself in the mass of passengers huddled against the rail. Looking back, she caught a glimpse of the white faced coolies and Chinese, staring in sullen despair at the passengers whose turn it was to enter the life boats while they must wait, under threat of the revolvers in the hands of the ofHeers. Behind them little cork screw spirals of steam reached out caressing fingers, twining about them and then innocently losing themselves about the funnels. And ai ways, always sounded that horrible hissing sound from below, the sound of unbridled fire. Lucille felt an overmastering impulse with in her to remain with this terror, anything save the great, threatening ocean that looked so monstrous now, waiting the tiny crafts thai creaked down from the davits. Then powerful arms were about her. She felt herself being lifted and hurtled forward, huddling down in the crowded boat that was being lowered to the waves. She would have thought the ocean calm ordinarily, but as the boat splashed upon its bosom, the sailors striking easily into rythmical swing, she realized the power of this mighty body of water that invited the frail boat to be come a part of itself instead of striving to com bat it with such a meagre thickness of rounded wood. A hand reached out and rested upon her shoulder. For a second she was unconscious of it, then something steadying, indomitable about the clutch of finger tips made her turn. Hugo Loubeque smiled into her eyes, smiled with the pitying expression of an invincible one who grieves for the weakling that dashes against him. Her eyes upraised toward the boat, a mass of whitish smoke now through which leaped playful reddish fiames. Now and then a figure would dart toward the rail and lunge overboard, the bodies striking the water in great circles that lost themselves in one another. And for a second the thought came to her that even that inferno of a ship was preferable to this man be side her. "Well played. Miss Love," the spy murmured silkily. "But I fear you must return the " A piercing shriek made him turn swiftly, a tshriek that lost itself in the heavy crunching of wooden oars against wood. Came a horrid bump ing that, seemed more like the crunching- of a wild beast upon bones than anything she had ever heard. ITeat, intense, steaming, beat upon her cheeks. She looked up and only the dark hulk of the Empress loomed above her, only a lurid flame illumined the heavens. She was conscious of her heavy clothing, sodden now with water; was conscious of the la*-k of support. Something long and wooden tilted against her and instinctively her fingers clutched the oar which had floated out to her from their boat which had been tossed and crushed against the burning liner's side. Again she looked up. The Empress was a mass of white flames now, flames that seemed to carry it down, down, down like some boat of fabled ages. The soft breeze caressed her cheeks, Its very tenderness a mockery. Replacing the massed flame of man created fire glowed a million constellations, the luminous magnificence of the Southern Cross. And within her soul flickered the. spark of com* bat which Youth will not allow to die even though the. battle be unequal as the war of th» firefly against the dark. (Continued Next Week.))
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