IDUAR MTSTfflf^K
$ 10. 000 FOR JNE HUNDRED WORDS.
"The Million Dollar Mystery" story hoard triU be absolute and final. Nothing
will run for txoenty-two consecutive weeks of a literary nature will be considered in
in this paper. By an arrangement with the decision, nor given any preference in
the Thanhouser Film company it ha been the selection of the winner of the SIO,OOO
made possible not only to read the story prize. The last two teels, which will give
in this paper but also to see it each tceek the most acceptable solution to the mys
in the various moving picture theaters. tery, trill be presented in the theaters
For the solution of this mystery story having this feature as soon as it is pos
slo,ooo will be given by the Thanhouser tible to produce the some. The story corre-
Film corporation. iponding to these motion pictures will ap-
CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE *> ear •'» the newspapers coincidentally, or
CONTEST. ** toon after the appearance of the pio-
IThe prize of SIO,OOO trill be won by the iure& °* practicable. With the last two
man, woman, or child who writes the most feels icill be shown the pictures of the wiiv
acceptable solution if the mystery, from ner ' or er . home, and other interesting
which the last two reels of motion picture features. It is understood that■ the news
drama will be made and the last two papers, so far as practicable, in printing
chapters of the story written by Harold Ihe last two chapters of the story by liar-
MacGrath. , cld MacGrath, will also shoto a picture of
Solutions may be sent to the Than- " !c ,uccet *f"l contestant,
houser Film corporation at 5 South IFa- Solutions to the mystery must not le
bash avenue, Cnicago, 111., or Thanhouser more than 100 words long. Here are some
Film corporation, 71 Twenty-third questions to be kept in mind in connection
street. New York City N. Y., any time up with the mystery as an aid to a solution:
to midnight, Jan. 14, 1915. This allows No. I—What becomes of the millionaire?
tetferal weeks after the last chapter has No. 2—What becomes of the $1,000,000t
teen published. No. 3—Whom does Florence marry f
A board of three fudges will determine No. 4 —What becomes of the Russian
which of the many solutions received is the countesst
most acceptable. The judges are to be Nobody eonnected either directly or in-
Harold MacGrath, Lloyd Lonergan, and Hrectly with "The Million Dollar Mys-
Miss Mae Tinee. The judgment of this tery" will be considered as a contestant.
Stanley n«r(trr«Tf, millionaire, after
■ mlrncnloun encape from the den of
the Kang of brilliant thieve* known an
the Black Hundred. Uvea the life of a
recluse for eighteen years. Hargreuvc
accidentally meets Braine, leader of the
Black Hnndred. Knowing Bralne will
try to get him, he escapes from his own
home by n balloon. Before escaping he
writes a letter to the girls' school
where eighteen years before he mys
teriously left on the doorstep his baby
daughter, Florence Gray. That day
Hargrenve also draws $1,000,000 from
the bank, bat It in reported that thla
dropped Into the sea when the balloon
lie escnped In was punctured.
Florence arrlvea from the girls'
arhool. Countess Olga, Bralne's com
panion, visits her and claims her as a
relative. The Black Hundred then aee
■ means of making Florence a target
for their attacks. They are after the
91,000,000, anil Bralne* their leader, acta
traps for Florence. The Black Hun
dred, after n number of attempts, fall,
dne to the wisdom of Jones, the Har
greave butler, and Norton, a newspaper
Bin a.
Concealed at the rendezvona of tha
Black Hnndred. a man learna of the re
covery of the box from the sea by a
[Copyright: 1814: By Harold MacGrath.]
CHAPTER XX.
BRAINS TRIES ANOTHER WEAPON.
- -1 » HAT I want now," said Braine,
\A/ as lie paced the living room of
Y Y th o apartment of the countess,
"is revenge. I've been clieck-
Artnated enough, Olga; they're playing with
us."
" That is nothing new," she replied, shrug
ging. "At the beginning I warned you. I
never liked this affair after the first two or
three failures. But you would hnve your
way. You wnnted: revenge at that early
date; but I cannot see that you've gone for
ward. Has it ever occurred to you that tha
organization may be getting tired, too? They
depend solely upon your invention, and each
time your Invention has resulted in touching
nothing but zero."
" Thanks!"
"0, I'm not chiding you. I've failed, too."
"Are you turning against me?" he de
manded bitterly.
"Do my actions point that way?" she
countered. " No. But the more I view what
lias passed the more disheartened I grow.
It hns been a series of blind alleys, and all
we hR7e succeeded in doing is knocking our
heads, I can seo now that all our failures
are due to one mistake."
"And what the devil is that?" he asked,
irritably.
" We were in too mucii of a hurry at the
beginning. Hargreave prepared himself for
quick action on your part."
" And if I hud not acted quickly he would
have started successfully on one of his world
tours again, aud that would have been the
last of him, and we should never have
learned of the girl's existence. So t'oere's
your argument."
" Perhaps you are right. But for all that
we have not played the game with any de
gree of, finesse."
"Bali!" Braine lit a cigarette and
smoked nervously. " I can't even get rid
of that meddling reporter. He has been as
much to blame for our failures as either
Jones or Hargreave. I admit t'nat in Ills case
(I judged hastily. I believed him to be just
eu ordinary newspaper man, and he was
clever enough to lull my suspicions. But
I'm going to get him, Olga, even if I have to
resort to ordinary gunman tricks. If there's
any final reckoning, by the Lord Ilarry, he
shan't get a chance in the witness stand."
"And I begin to think that that little chit
of a girl has been hoodwinking me all along.
By the way, did you find out what that let
ter said?" she asked after a pause.
"Letter? What letter?"
She sprang from her chair. '"Do you
mean to say that t'ney have not told you
about that?" Olga became greatly excited.
"Explain," be said.
" Why, I -was at the garden day before
yesterday, and a man approached and asked
if I was Miss Hargreave. becoming at once
auspicious that something very important
was about to happen, I signified that I was
•Miss Hargreave. The man slipped a paper
iuto my 'nand and hurried off. I took a
quick glance at it and was dumfounded to
find it utterly blank ot writing. At first I
SYNOPSIS OP PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
sailor and of Ita subsequent return ta
the bottom of the aea, and he quickly
communicates the fact to Jonea. A du
plicate box Is planted and later aecured
by the band, but before Its contents are
examined the box mysteriously disap
pears.
Finding himself checkmated at every
turn, Braine endeavora to enmesh the
Hargreave household In the law In
order to gain free access to the house.
The timely discovery of the plot by
Norton seta the police at the heela of
the pack and results In a raid on the
gang's rendezvous, which, however,
provea to be bnrren of results.
The Black Hundred begin to fear Nor
ton and plan to dispose of him. Again
the unnoticed butler shows his band by
rescuing Norton and defeating Braine.
Braine and Countess Olga plan dar
ing attempt to capture Florence and
Norton at a masked ball given by Prin
cess Parlova. They defeat their own
plan by overanxlety.
By chance Florence discovers a cave
used by the Black Hundred. Being aur
piised by members of the band, she con
ceals herself and then learna of a mys
terious paper which la of vital Impor
tance to her father's safety, aud at great
risk to herself secures the paper,
thought some joke had been played on m®,
then I chanced to remember the invisible ink
letters you always wrote me. Understanding
that you were to visit the cave in the morn
ing, I had one man at the garden take t'ne
note. And you never got it!"
" Some one shall pay for this carelessness.
I'll call up Vroon and Jackson at once. Wait
just a moment." >
He went to the telephone, A low mutter
ing conversation took place.- Olga could hear
little or none of it. When Braine put the
receiver back on the hook nis face was not
pleasant to see.
"That girl!"
"What now?"
"It seems she had been out horseback
riding tlmt morning. She had seen one of the
boys cross the field and suddenly disappear;
and she was curious to learn what had be
come of him. With her usual luck she stum
bled on to t'ne method of opening the door
of the cave aud went in. She must have been
nosing about. She didn't have much time,
though, as the boys came up to await me.
Evidently she crawled into that old c'nest and
in some inexplicable manner purloined the
letter from Jackson's pocket. They left to
reconnoiter; and it was then that Jackson
discovered his loss. When Florence heard
them returning she jumped into the well.
And lived through that tunnel! The devil
ii in it!"
" Or out of it, since we consider him our
friend."
"And I had her in my hands, note and
all!"
" But with all fnat water there will not
be any writing left on the letter."
" Invisible ink is generally Indelible and
impervious to the action of water; at least
the kind I use is. I'd give a thousand for n
sight of that letter."
" And it might be worth a million," Olga
suggested.
" Not the least doubt of it in my mind.
Olga, old girl, it does look as if my star was
growing dim. We'll never get our hands
on fnat million. I feel it in my bones. So
let's settle down to a campaign of revenge,
without any furbelows. I want to twist
Ilargreave's heart before the game winds
up."
"You wish really to injure her?'
" I do not wish to injure her. Far from
it," he replied, snr.ling evilly.
"You want her . . . dead?" wills
pered Olga, paling.
" Exactly. I want her dead. And so if
all my efforts here come to nothing, so shall
Hargreave's. His millions will become waste
paper to him. That's revenge. The Per
sian peach method."
" Poison? You shall not! You shall not
kill 'fler!" vehemently.
"Tender hearted?"
" No. If I must in the end go to prison,
so be it; but I refuse to die in the chair."
" Very well, then. We shan't kill her,
but we'll make her wish she wag dead. I
was only trying to see how fur you would
go. Tue basket oi peaches is in the hall
way. Every peach is poisoned. No man in
the country knows more about subtle poisons
than I do. Have 1 not written books on
the subject? " Ironically.
THE TELEGRAPH, HARRISBURG, PA.. NOVEMBER 1914
" And they will trace It back to you in a
straight line," ■elie warned. " I will not
have it!"
" I can go elsewhere," he replied coldly.
"You would leave rn'-V"
" The moment you cross my will," em
phatically.
It became her turn to pace. Torn be
tween her love of tne man and the danger
which stared her in the face, she was for
the time being distracted. All the time he
watched her with malevolent curiosity,
knowing that in toe end she would concur
with his evil plans.
" Very well," she said finally. " But lls
a ugaKtiawimtM—t—Mji .
JONES AND HENRI SECVAN, RUSSIAN MINISTER OF POUC-E, CON3PH2,INO
TO TRAP &RA.INE AND HIS ACCOMPLICES. «£♦ «f»
ten; we shall be found out. Never doubt
that. Your revenge will cost us both our
lives. I feel it."
"Bali! The law will have no hand in my
end. I always carry a peflet; and that
ring of yours would suffice a regiment. She
will not die. Sne will merely become a kind
of paralytic; the kind that can move a lit
tle but not enough; always wheeled about
in a chair. I'll bring in the peaches; rosy
nnd downy. One bite, after a given time,
will do the trick. If they suspect and throw
them out wo have lost nothing but the
peaches. A trusted messenger will carry
them to the Hargreave house. And then
we'll sit down and wait."
Meantime, in the library of the Hnrgreava
house, Florence and Jim were puzzling over
W »* J K Wtgp
JONES BEAPS THE BLANK, SHEET OF PAPER. •*• ❖ M^s
the blank sheet of paper.
" I'll wager," said Jim, " the water
wasned all the writing away. The fir« does
not seem to do any good. We'll turn it
over to Jones. Jones'll find a way to solve
it. Trust him."
"What are you two chattering about?"
asked Susan, who was arranging some flow
ers on the table.
" Secrets," said Jim, smiling.
" Humph! "
Susan puttered about for a few minutes
longer, then crossed to the reception room,
intending to go upstairs. At that moment
the maid was admitting a messenger with
a basket of fruit.
"For Miss Hargreave," said he. He gave
the basket to toe maid, touched his cap
awkwardly, and swung on his >heel, closing
the door behind him. He was in a hurry
to deliver another message.
"O, what lovely fruit!" cried Susan, paus
ing. ' I'm going to steal one," she laughed.
She selected a peach and began eating it on
t'ne way up to her room.
The maid passed on into the library.
"What's this?" inquired Florence, as,the
maid held out the basket. She selected a
peach and was about to set her white teeth
into it when Jim interposed.
" Wait a moment, dear." Florence low
ered the peach. Jim turned to the maid.
"Who sent it?" •
. " I don't know, sir. A messenger brought
it, saying it was for Miss Hargreave."
" Let me see if there is a card." But Jim
searched in vain for the card of the donor.
At once all his suspicions arose. " Don't
touch them. Better let the maid throw them
out. Fruit from unknown persons might not
be the healthiest thing in the world."
"What do you think?"
" That in all probability it is poisoned.
But there's no need trying to prove my
theory right or wrong. Ask Jones, He'll
tell yon to throw them away."
" Horrible! " Florence shuddered. " But
they do not want to poison me. I'm too val
uable. They want me alive."
"Who can say?" returned Jim gloomily.
" They may 'nave learned that they cannot
beat us, no matter what card they turn up.
I may be wrong, but take my advice and
throw them away. . . . Good Lord,
what's that?" startled.
" Some one cried!"
" O, Miss Florence!" exclaimed the maid,
terror stricken na ehe recalled Susan's act.
"Miss Susan took a peach from the bas
ket nnd was eating it on the way to her
room!"
" Good heavens! " gasped .Tim, " I was
right. The fruit was poisoned."
Jim had heud enough to send for a special
ist he knew. The specialist arrived about
twenty minutes after Susan's first cry. To
his keen eye it looked like ft certain poison
which had for its basis the venom of the
cobra.
"Will she live?"
"O, yes. But she'll be a wreck for some
months. Send her to the hospital where I
can visit her frequently. And I'll lake that
peach along for analysis. No police affair?"
'■ No. We dare not call them in," said
Jim.
" That's your affoir. I'll send down the
ambulance. Keep her quiet. SueH have a
species ot paralysis; but that'll work off
under the treatment. A strange business.'*
'• So it id," agreed .Tim grimly.
Florence knelt beside her friend's bed and
cried softly.
" You called me Just in time. An hour
later, nothing would hare saved her. She
would have been paralyzed for life."
Jim accompanied the doctor to the door
and went in search of Jones. He found tne
taciturn butler eying the fruit basket, his
face gray and drawn, though his eyes blazed
with fury.
" Poison!"
" A pretty bad poison, too," said Jim. " We
can't do anything. • We're just got to sit
still. But in the end we'll get them. That
she devil . . .
" No, my friend; that 'ne devil. The ■woman
is mad over him and would commit any
crime at his bidding. But this is his work.
We want him. He wasn't without courage
to send this fruit, knowing that I would
instantly suspect the sender. Yet, I have
no definite proof. I could not hold him in
court in law. He will have bought the
fruit piece by piece, the basket in a basket
shop. He will have injected the poison
himself when alone. Poor Susan! That
messenger was without doubt some one over
whom 'ne holds the threat of the death chair.
That's the way he works."
Jim tramped the room while Jones car
ried the fruit to the kitchen. The butler
returned after a while.
" What about that blank sheet of paper? "
"It has to be dipped into n solution; after
that you can read it by heating. I have
already dipped it Into the solution. The
moment the heat leaves the sheet the writ
ing disappears again. Tne'ink is waterproof.
I'll show you."
Jones got a candle from the mantle, lit It,
and held the sheet of paper very close to
the flame. Gradually, almost imperceptibly,
letters began to form on the blank sheet. At
length the message was cou.plete.
" Dear Hargreave—The {Russian minister
of police is at the Blank hotel under t'ne
name of Henri Servan. He is investigating
the work of the Black Hundred in this coun
try and can free you from their vengeance
if you supply the evidence needed." *
"Now, what evidence can he want?"
asked Jim.
" Such as will prove Braine an unde
sirable citizen."
" And then."
" Quietly prfck him off to Russia, whero
'ne is badly wanted."
"Who sent this message?" . .
" One of our mysterious friends. We
have a few, as you already know. But I'll
go and make this man Servan a visit. I
have seen the real minister, and if this man
is the same one, something of importance
may turn up. I shall want you somewhere
about. Here, I'll let you have this letter.
Remember, 'neat brings it out and cold air
makes It vanish. Now I'll go up for a mo
ment to see how that poor girl is getting
nlong. We are lucky; there's no gainsaying
that."
" You're a clever man, Jones," said Jim.
Jones turned upon him, his face grave.
The two men looked steadily into each
other's eyes. Jones WM first to turn aside
his glance, as he had something to conceal
and Jim had nothing.
When the ambulance took the tortured
Susan away, Jones addressed Florence
gravely.
" I am going out and so is Mr. Norton.
Do not leave the house; not even If you have
a telephone call from me or Norton. Both
of us will return; so don't let anything bother
or confuse you."
" I said Florence, struggling
with a sob.
Jones went downstairs again, paused 'by
n window as if cogitating, and suddenly
threw it up and looked abroad. A rustle
among the lilacs caused a smile to flit across
his face. So they had sent some one to
learn the effect of the poison? Or to fol
low him should 'ne leave the house? He
retired to the kitchen and gave some explicit
orders to the chef, orders which did not in
nny way refer to cooking. Then Jones and
the reporter left the house, each quite aware
t'nat they were being followed. Near the
Blank hotel they separated in order to con
fuse the stalker. He might dodder and fol
low the wrong man. But it was evident
that this time he had been directed to fol
low Jones; for he entered the hotel a min
ute after Jones.
Meantime a second spy, whom Jones r nad
not seen, had observed the transfer of the
invisible writing and had immediately in
formed Brnine, who was not far away. That
his poisoned fruit had stricken down an out
sider .troubled him none nt all. But that
mysterious message lie meant to have; it
mig'nt be a life and death affair, it might
be a clew to the treasure, or the where
abouts of Hargreave.
Thus, while only one man followed Jones,
several kept a far eye on Jim.
Jones scribbled his name on a blank card
and had it taken to the Hufeslan's room.
The page eyed that Card curiously, It wai
different from anything he had ever seen
'before. In one corner were written tares
oi four words which resembled a cross be
tween Hebrew and Greek.
"Humph!" muttered the boy. " Whaddn
y' know about that? Chicken scratches; but
I guess the bell rings Rooslan. On your
way, Hortcnse," he cried to the hall maid,
who wanted a look at t'fle card. When the
boy returned to Jones, he said: "Up t' th'
room, sir. He'll see yuh!" The boy kept
the silver salver extended expectantly, but
Jones went past without apparently noticing
the hint.
The Russian was standing by a window
.when Jones knocked and wa« bidden to entMV
" You are not Hargreave."
" Neither are yon the Russian mlslste*
of police," urbanely.
"WHO are you?"
" I am Hargreave's confidential man, air.**
The two men eyed each other cautiously.
"You speak Russian?"
" No. I am able to scribble a few wordsj
that is all."
The Russian lit a cigarette and smoked
leisurely. He was in no hurry.
" No, I am not the minister; but I am
his accredited agent. I am empowered to
bring back to Russia a man who is known
here by the name of Braine, another by the
name of Vroon, and a woman who calls
herself a countess and unfortunately ia one.
All I desire is some damaging proof against
them that they are outlaws in this country.
The rest will be simple."
" They liare all t'oree taken out natural*
ization papers."
The Russian wared his hand airily. " One®
they are in Russia those documents will
never come to light. This man Braine, It
has been learned, has long been in ths pay
of Prussia, and has given the general staff
of that country many plans of our frontier
fortifications. I do not know what any one
of the three looks like. That is why I sougfct
Hargreave."
" I will gladly point them out to yon," said
Jones, rubbing hiß hands together, a sign
that 'ne was greatly pleased.
"That will be very good of you, I'm
sure," in a rumbling but perfectly legible
English.
" And suddenly they all three will dla
appear?"
"Suddenly; and yon may believe me that
from that time on they'll be heard of never
more."
"All this sounds extremely agreeable to
me. Mr. Hargreave will be happy to hear
that his long enforced hiding will soon coma
to an end."
"All you have to do, sir, is to point them
out to me."
"It may take a week or ten days."
" My government has waited for ten years
to gather in this delectable trio. A month,
if you like."
"The sooner the better. I shall call this
evening after dinner. We shall begin with
Mr. Braine; and generally w'nere he Is is
the woman. Vroon will be the most diffi
cult."
" After dinner, then, since you know soma
of his haunts. There is a reward."
Jones laughed shortly. " Keep it yourseTE,
sir. Mr. Hargreave would willingly doubla
whatever this reward Is to eliminate these
despicable creatures from his affairs."
" Thanks."
While this conversation was taking placa
Norton idled about; and feeling the cravings
for a cigarette, prepared to roll one, only
to find that he hadn't the "makings." So
fate urged him to step into the nearest to
bacconist's. He asked for his favorite brand
and passed over the silver.
Braine and his companions saw Norton
enter tbe shop. It agreed with their plans
perfectly. The tobacconist happened to be
affiliated with the order. So they hurried
into the shop. Jim instantly realized that
he was in a trap.
"How can I get out of here?" he wWat
pered to the tobacconist.
The latter smiled. "I have to obey these
gentlemen. I don't know what they want
you for; but if I made a move to help you
I should flnff my own throat cut without
saving yours."
" Toe devil!"
Jim made a dash for the rear doer, te
find It locked. Even as he fumbled with
the key, Braine and his companions flung
themselves upon the reporter and overpow
ered him.
" Ah, my friend Braine!" he said.
"My friend Norton!" jeered the victor.
"And want do you want; some peaches?"
" A paper, my friend, a little sheet of
paper with invisible writing on it. We prom
ise to give you something in exchange for it"
"What?" asked Jim with as much non
chalance as he could assume.
" Life."
" Search," said Jim. " You won't object to
my smoking?" He began to roll a cigarette
while they passed orer 'aim. He strnck a
match; the plensant aroma of tobacco floated
about his head.
" He's got it on him somewhere. I saw
him take it. He's got his nerve with him."
Tne cigarette glowed. Jim smoked hur
riedly.
Through crery pocket they went. The
contents of his wallet lay scattered at his
feet; his watch dangled from the chain. The
cigarette grew shorter and snorter. Sud
denly one of the men stretched out a hand
and whisked the cigarette from Jim's lips.
He threw it to the floor and stamped out ths
coal.
"I thought so!" he exclaimed, holding out
the scrap of burnt paper towards Braine.
The words " Dear Hargreare" were all
that remained of the message. With a snarl
of rage Braine whipped out his rerolver.
" I will give you one minute to tell ms
what that paper contained."
"And after t'nat minute is up?"
" A bullet in your stomach."
Quick as a flash Jim's linnd shot out,
caught tbe loosely held revolver, gave It a
wrencb, and brought it down savagely upon
Braine's head. Then he reverses It and
backed toward the front entrance.
Au revoir, till we meet a£ain, gentle
men!"
f TO BE CONTINUED.!