RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF
3
iJiff
i.
At nn ngrood upon hour of tho foro
tioon Follx Hazard and Helen Hcrtol
foregathered at a certain loop res
tnurant, noted not nlono for tho ox
collonco of Us culHlno, but also for tho
faBtldlouB cIubh of Ub piitrotinRo; tho
no not nlwnya connoting tho other,
by nny manner of meant). After a
hasty luncheon thoy went In a tnxl to
tho Union Btntlon, whero thoy boarded
the Washington drawing-room Blcepor
attached to tho Uroadway limited.
Tholr BcctlonB wore directly oppoBlto
to each other.
Now It 1h worthy of noto that all
tho tlmo they woro together this day,
end until tho event hnppcncd which
etartlcd thorn from their strained at
tItudeB, their bearing toward each
tothcr waB decidedly peculiar, to say
tho IcaBtf An obaorvnnt onlooUcr oven
might havo concluded that thoy Btrug
glod with Bcothlng volcanic emotions,
all tho moro turbulent and ro
prcsBcd.wero It not absurd to nttrlbuto
a betrayal of feelings bo strenuous to
ttaoso two schooled nnd BcaRoned op
oratlvos of tho Sutherland Dctcctlvo
egoncy.
Howover that may bo, and whatovor
tho object of thin seemingly clandes
tine Journey, both carefully refrained
from dlBcusBlng anything savo tho
most ordinary ovoryday topics.
Tho two, having stowed tholr light
er luggago, Bat In Helen's section.
,Tlmo and tho train Bped on, and their
.trained, alert, watchful attitudes did
Jnot relax until tho train waB flying
across Indiana nnd ncnrlng Fort
jWayno.
It was Just nB thoy woro leaving this
lty that tho bombflholl exploded In
tholr faces. Tho Pullman conductor
entered tho car with two telegramB.
"Tologram for Mr. Felix Hazard,"
ho announced. And Hazard started to
his foot as If propelled by a spring.
Dut tho next announcement mndo
him drop back bcsldo Helen in a stato
Ithat might well bo described as bor
dering on collnpso. Tho countenances
of both betrayed tho utmost consterna
tion and chagrin.
"Tolcgram for Mrs. Felix Hazard,"
issued from tho conductor.
Hazard snatched tho two yollow on
'velopes from tho outstrotchod hnnd.
With norvoua, slinking fingers, thoy
were torn open simultaneously and
tholr contents absorbed at n glanco.
The effects, though, of tho two mes
sages wcro vaBtly dissimilar. Whereas
tho man first groaned nnd next gritted
his tooth In Rpeochlcss rnga, tho girl,
after a moment of confused, discon
certed sllonco, burst Into laughter.
The tenor of tho two telegrams,
when It 1b understood that both wcro
from Hilly Sutherland, Hazard'B and
Helen's chief, will sufficiently account
ifor their extraordinary conduct and
dl8composuro.
"You can't fool your Undo Dudley,"
ran Hnzard's telegram. "You aro duo
to got yours when you nrrlvo at Wash
ington. Roport Immediately to Pron
tlco." Prentlco was tho Washington repre
sentative of tho Sutherland agency.
Helen's messngo was couched dif
ferently, but Its Import was much tho
same. It road:
"Your elopement 1b foiled. Rcvcngo
1b sweet Roport immediately on ar
rival at Washington to JonnB Hud
nutt, Interatato Natlonnl bank. Fur
ther Instructions will nwalt you."
After tho two messages hnd been
exchanged nnd considered In glum
ellenco on Hazard's part, nnd In n pro
occupied, hnlf shy, half sly way on
Helen's, tho former abruptly burst
forth:
"Report to Prentlco! I will llko
like llko thunder I"
Mrs. Hazard gnvo him a sldowlso
look from beneath her long lashes.
"Go ahead and say It," aho demurely
invited; "don't mind mo. I can't help
myself now. ... If wo don't oboy
.orders, what then?"
"Why, I we'll reBlgn. I'll wlro both
of our resignations In at tho next stop.
Then, somowhoro between hero nnd
Pittsburgh or Washington, we'll quiet
ly chnngo our routo and loao ourselves.
I'll flguro that out by nnd by."
"Who Is Jonas Iludnutt, do you sup
pose?" Helen was sufficiently curloua
to wonder. But tho response was not
Informing
"Confound Jonas Hudnutt, Billy
Sutherland and tho wholo pestiferous
breed! Just imnglno making a con
venience of our honeymoon for somo
fool business tho olllco happens to
havo In Washington Just now! Or
imnglno trying to trap us Into what
ever celebration tho chlof nnd Lon
Prentlco may havo framed up! Watch
us sldestop It."
"How do you suppoBO thoy found It
out?" musod Helen. Sho was herself
voxed by tho discovery, but hud re
solved to accept It philosophically.
Her husband mado an Inartlculato
nolso which unmistakably indlcatod
that his Indignation had not In tho
least cooled.
"Ho's a wlao old head. Is tho chief,"
ho replied bitterly. "When did you
ever know anybody to get anything on
him? Wo should havo known hotter
than to have tried."
Spoke Helen then, with abrupt
though quiet determination:
Grandfather Clock
Tthtn from the
Notebook of an Old Detective
by Charles Edmonds Walk
And With Name mil Piece Hidden Published Proof That
Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
"You shall do no such silly thing as
wlro hnck our resignations. Wo'll do
exactly an thcao telegrams command.
I havo an Idea that wo can get back
at tho chief much moro effectively
than by betraying his coufldenco in uu
nt tho cloventh hour."
However, very shortly something
happened that put an entirely differ
ent complexion upon tho mnttor. Some
thing that cooled Hazard's Iro and
mndo him grow by degrees Berlous
and thoughtful. Something that mndo
Helen furtively slip her hand Into his
and murmur cryptically:
"Together na wo havo always
wonted It!"
II.
Tho event which determined tho
courso of tho elopors fell nt I.nfayctto.
Hero n second, nnd this tlmo n long
telegram was handed them, nnd Haz
ard, with tho aid of a Uttlo red leather
bound book translated ltn phrases.
For It was composed In thnt ono of
tho several Sutherland codes that was
used only in cases of tho most ex
traordinary gravity and Importance
Aa finally rendered tho codo messago
read thus:
"Neither my former message nor this
ono is a commnnd, but an appeal:
first, to your senso of loyalty to us,
nnd next, to your patriotism.
"For tho matter on which you aro
so urgently wanted nt Washington Is
of no lesB gravity than being ono that
vitally affect b our government, our
national honor.
"Prontlco will advlso you fully.
"It Ib tho opportunity of your life
time.
"1 rely on you.
"Am not fully Informed of all par
ticulars of Mrs. Hazard'B assignment.
A woman opcratlvo la wanted, nnd
neither tho Washington nor Pitts
burgh offices can meet tho call Just at
this tlmo. Understand tho work 1b
agrccablo nnd will suffico to occupy
her tlmo pleasantly during tho ordeal
of nn enforced separation.
"Will expect an Immcdlnto fnvorablo
reply. Congratulations and God bless
you both."
When Hclon perceived tho lenn.
hawkllko features of her consort hard
en, nnd tho dark, Intcnso eyes tnkc
on tho old keen look of concentration
nnd capability with which long asso
ciation had mado her familiar, rho In
dulged in a covert, enigmatic little
Binllo and for tho second tlmo surrep
titiously squeezed his long, slnowy
flngors.
It Is enough to say that a favorabla
reply, albeit laconic to tho point of
curtness, was flashed to tho anxiously
waiting chief back In Chicago.
Arrived Anally nt Washington with
out further incident, Hazard first dis
covered thnt ho was not obliged to
look up Prentlco; that gentleman was
at tho station awaiting him. And
then if tho brtdo and groom
wanted nnythlng further to emphasize
tho Borlouuneas of tho affair that
hnd so unceremoniously obtruded
Itself into tho mldBt of their new
found happiness, It was plainly mani
fest in tho sober, absent, hurried fash
Ion with which Prentlco offered IiIb con
gratulations and best wIbIicb.
All during their brlot colloquy ho
seemed worried nnd unensy.
"Felix," bo said abruptly at Inst,
' i don't wnnt to seem rude, but It
won't do for us to bo seen together too
much.
"Tnko n taxi and rldo round n half-
hour, then como to tho office Moot
you there. I'll start Mrs. Hazaanl
toward tho Interatato National. Hor
Job'a easy. Something llko tho Dav
cnant caso, only thero'n no bloodthirsty
dog to bo afraid of. Old Jonas Is wait
ing." "And who, pray, Is 'Old Jonas?'"
Helen wanted to know.
Prentlco stared.
"Why," ho exclaimed, "don't you
know? Lean closer bo's I can wills
por . . . Ho'b tho nrmy nnd navy
export that analyzes nnd passes on all
oxploslves."
III.
Mr. Jonas Hudnutt Helen found to
ho nn eldorly though vigorous man,
hnrd-oyed and hard-featured, and
brusquo bath of speech nnd manner.
Yet ho did not appear very formidable
Ills first words wera n question,
fired at her In a dry, hard voice.
"Young woman, do you know tho
dlfferenco between central und east
ern tlmo?"
Surprised by this form of catechism,
for u moment Helen wab at a loss to
reply.
"Why, yes," 6ho returned at length.
"Eastern tlmo Is ono hour faster than
central."
A short Jerk of Jonas Iludnutt's
Iron-gray bullet head slgnillcd his ap
proval. Said ho:
"Very good. You appear a capablo
young woman. I'll Instruct you In
your duties ns wo rldo down to Black
Water. Country cstnto of a er of
a friend of mino, ucross in Virginia,
"You won't have much to do, though,
besides taking care of tho old clock.
Old family heirloom, you know. Much
prized und revered."
Helen wondered whether she had to
do with a lunatic; but tho expensive,
high-powered motor that was to speed
hor on hor short Journoy, togother
with tho purposeful air of strength
and efficiency that stamped tho chauf
feur and his companion, whoso nar
rowed eyes flashed her a penetrating
look of Interest when sho appeared,
resolved her doubts and raised hor cu
riously to tho Nth degree
Sho recognized in tho companion
ono of tho best-known operatives of
tho United StatcH secret service
IV.
Felix Hazard as yet had not tho
faintest inkling of tho nnturo of tho
nffnlr whoso urgent gravity his chief
had been nt such palna to emphasize
Ho know only that tho emergency
must havo arisen within tho last 3G
hours, elso ho would havo had somo
hint of It beforo leaving Chicago.
His thoughtB wcro Imbued with
Helen; ho waa Impatient of tho sep
aration, howover brlof It might provo
to bo, and ho saw llttlo 'enough of
sights nlrcady familiar to him.
Tho building that housed tho Suth
erland offices was distinguished from
all its newer neighbors by having
entrances on threo streets.
Hazard'B taxi drew up at ono of
tho main entrances, and nt tho ap
pointed mlnuto ho sprang out and hur
ried in, to find Prentlco impatiently
waiting for him.
"Something's happened slnco you
showed up," snld ho with an air of un
corking himself. "All our plans are
changed; tho man you aro to seo will
como hero should bo hero now In
stead of us "
Tho almost breathless explanation
was rudely broken in upon by the
harsh rasp of a buzzer Indicator.
Prentlco nvn "lied up his desk tolo
phone "Iiei aat's him now," said
he
Ho listened n moment, then a
strange, awed expression overspread
his fcnturcB.
"Show them right In," ho Jerkily
commanded, slumming up tho receiver
und running over to open tho door.
A mun presently entered, tho dig
nity of whoso position brought Haz
ard Instantly to his feet.
It was tho president.
CIoko behind him followed two oth
ers In whom ho recognized tho sec
retary of war and Curtis, head of tho
United States secret service
Beforo any sort of introduction
could bo mado tho secretary ut onco
explained to Prentlco:
Wo dccldod It Aould bo moro ad
vlsablo for us to como hero than for
you to como to us. Curtis and I ar
rived Blngly nnd wnltcd for tho pres
ident, whoso deep concern would
not allow him to wait for our
report. Every entrance hallway and
elevator Is closoly guarded by Mr.
Curtis' men, so there Is llttlo llko
Uhood that wo shall bo unpleasantly
Intruded upon."
Then Hazard was presented nnd
tho party nt onco got down to business.
Tho secretary took It upon himself
to lny thu caso beforo Hazard.
"On tho eighteenth of Inst March
nearly a year ngo nn American in
vontor named Colowlch caino to Gen
oral Harker, head of tho Army bu
reau, with a new typo of explosive
Colowich's clnlms woro so extrava
gant that tho ordnnnco department
was very skoptlcal regarding them;
but following their customary policy
not to disregard any possibility of ad
vancement In any branch of tho serv
ice, Colowlch was promised n thor
ough trial of his invention, and luter
ho was notified that tho first day had
been set.
"It Is enough to say of this explo
sive that It moro than Justified Us
Inventor's claims. It proved so pow
erful, au a matter of fact, that If It
is not lost to tho world It will re
duco tho possibilities of future war
faro almost to nothing. Its possibili
ties for destruction aro simply be
yond tho power of words to describe
In shells of ordinary llcld-typo artil
lery, tho solldcst and most modern of
fortifications becomo as houses of
straw.
"It Is obvious that such a torrlblo
instrument of destruction should not
bo allowed to fall into tho possession
of any other nation; but, alas, ituoems
ns though it bus.
"However, that's neither hero nor
there now. Vory llttlo tlmo wan wnst
ed In coming to torms with Colowlch,
of whom I can confidently assert that
ho was qulto patriotic In uniting with
us to keep his formula secret. Out
during tho courso of the rigid tests
ho expressed n bollcf that ho wub
being shadowed. Ho was by Cur
tiB' men. Hut ho maintained that
tho csplonugo had begun beforo ever
bo had mado himself known to us.
"Wo doubled our precautions. Colo
wlch already had taken extra caro to
snfeguard his precious formula, which
was In tho safo doposlt vaults of
ono of Now York's largest banks.
"Well, to sum up this phase of tho
mnttor in a nutsholl: Desplto our
most rcsoluto and energetic precau
tions, between tho tlmo Colowlch ob
tained tho formula from tho bank and
the tlmo ho waa supposed to arrive
with It hero in Washington, both he
and it vanished as effectively as it
charge of his own exploslvo had wiped I
them both out of existence Wo huvo
never found thu slightest cluo that
oven remciuly suggests what beenrao
of him. And as for tho precious for
mulawell, unless ono of tho powers
engaged in tho present war was ap
prised of Colowich'B "
"Howover, that 1b too vaguo and im
practicable to consider. Tho formula
has been lost for months when nn
hour would sulllco to transcrlbo It.
Tho possibility of keeping It to our
selves waB abandoned long ago.
"But hero's tho point. Whoever
may havo stolon It, wo do not want
to share in It; wo don't want to loso
tho secret utterly, and wo stand in a
fair way of doing so unless a certain
plot, which wo havo tho best of rea
sons for suspecting tho exlstenco of,
can bo frustrated.
"And prompt, determined action
alono will bo of avail, it has re
duced Itself to a matter of minutes,
and I am acquainting you with tho
facta with a brevity that must not bo
considered discourtesy "
Hazard Interrupted, brushing nway
tho attempted apology with an impa
tient gesture Ho could bo as quick
to act ub governmental heads.
"Ono question boforo you go furth
er," snld he "If tho formula never
enmo to you, how can you expect "
Ho In turn was Interrupted. Tho
secretary continued:
"I was coming to that. For tho pur
poso of tho tests a considerable quan
tity of tho exploslvo was manufac
tured. Sovcral government chemlstB
assisted In various Btcps of tho pro
cess, though certain dotalls Colowlch
would permit no ono hut himself to
witness; and what thoy thus learned,
together with tho bucccsb of tho
analysis by tho army and navy expert,
we have reason to feel assured that
soon wo shall sharo tho secret with
at least ono othor great power tho
ono that stole it. Our bucccsb all
depends upon ono thing: if wo loso
fMf VB U If
111 liW 0
Joseph Harmon Had Expressed a Dying Man's Whim to Pass His Last
Hours In a Room Where He Had Known So Many Pleasant Ones.
tho smnll quantity of powdor on hand
our efforts aro balked utterly.
"Now, some weeks ago Information
came to Mr. Curtla of another plot,
ono aimed to destroy tho modicum of
powdor less than two pounds, but
sufficient to wlpo out a city block all
that wo havo remaining. It is vitally
important thnt our chemist proceed
with as much despatch as possible,
for onco wo know tho process tho
loss of our llttlo supply of courso
will not matter. For that reason tho
supply at all times must bo kept eas
ily accessible. And In any event,
even if no plot to destroy It wero
hatching, wo could not forco It Into
anybody's custody.
"It Is tho sllonco and Invisibility
with which tho plotters aro working
that fills us with tho gravest concern.
Wo aro morally certain respecting tho
identity of tho conspirators' head and
director: ono of tho capital's distin
guished. . . ." Ho learned forward
and whispered tho namo in Hazard's
ear.
"But wo havo been unablo to con
nect him with It definitely enough to
tako proper action with tho power ho
represents.
"Tho bald truth of tho matter is: If
our theory Is correct, tho nation con
corned has committed nn act of war
that cannot bo disregarded. That hor
riblo possibility must bo avoided if
It is within tho power of human en
deavor so to do.
"Thero, Mr. Hazard you Beo tho
task wo havo set for you. Foil this
plot Discover tho plotters and fix
their guilt upon them in such fashion
that wo may deal with them secretly,
as thoy deserve Preserve for ua the
socret which may, at a critical pe
riod, mean no less than my and your
country's salvation."
Hazard was stirred by tho speaker's
undisguised show of feeling. Ho
asked a quostlon:
"Whore are the experiments being
mado?"
The secretary ot war and the pres
ident exchanged'glances. Then for the
first tlmo slnco entering tho room the
president spoke
"Oh tho estato of n close personal
friend of mine, Mr. Hazard; ut
'Blackwnter,' belonging to Mr. Jo
seph Hnrmon. It lo on tho Virginia
sldo of the Potomac, not many mllea
from hero a delightful uutomobllo
ride"
Tho sccrctnry again addressed tho
detectlvo:
"It Is ono of the blessed privileges
of this great freo nnd enlightened
country that anybody's business Is
everybody's business. There were,
unquestionably, leaks nt every step
of our negotiations nnd dealings with j
poor Colowlch, elso the plotters
could not havo acted with such
unerring assurnnce Tho loy
alty of ono or two men who may
bo absolutely trusted Is more depend
nblo, gives moro and better nssuranccs
of security, than serried ranks nnd
battlcmented walls. Hcnco our re
linnco upon Mr. Harmon nnd a select
ed few of Mr. Curtis' operatives in this
critical emergency."
"And who is the chemist making tho
analyses?"
"Our chief ordnnnco expert Mr.
Jonas Hudnutt."
V.
Night, nnd n violent Bprlng storm
raging along tho Potomac. Now a
stinging, powdery snow, that bit the
flesh, was driving before a furious
northeasterly gale
To enter tho old Harmon home
stead was to step from pandemonium
Into a haven of tranquillity. Indeed,
insido tho houso tho only sounds ono
was conscious of wcro from tho crack
ling logs In tho wldo hall's old-fashioned
tlrcplaco nnd tho sedate ticking
of the nnclcnt grandfather's clock
that stood against a wall of tho living
room.
Hero, of all places in this houso of
many spacious chambers, n sick-room
had been prepared; for tho master of
tho houso was mortally 111 or so tho
celebrated specialist, arrived that day
from Chicago, had pronounced. And
Joseph Harmon had expressed n dying
man's whim to pass his last hours in
a room whero ho had known so many
pleasant ones.
Ill ho unmlstnkably wns.
But tho two tenso figures who re
garded each other across his bed
seemed paying but scant heed to him.
Ono was tho specialist; tho other n
tall, Btrlklngly handsomo girl in a
nurso'a uniform.
Just now her fine, wldo gray eyes
aro tragic with tho emotions they mir
ror. Tho clock ticks on purposefully with
tho dignity of age
"I tell you." tho girl whlspere, "It Is
tho most dreadful thing, tho most
splendid exnmplo of unselfish courage,
that I over heard of. Ho deliberately
innoculated himself with tho virus as
tho only way ho could find to nchlovo
two ends that ho might advance a
reasonable, plauslblo excuse for being
romoved to this room nnd remaining
hero constantly, nnd ,thnt wo might
como hero In roles that placo our mo
tives nbovo suspicion, that mako our
presence natural and regular. . . .
But, poor, poor man!"
Tho Blck man ventured n feoblo pro
test, which was firmly though gently
hushed by tho nurse
"I can't help It, Mr. Harmon," sho
spoko earnestly. "Tho doctor Is com
ing, andttlmt's an end of It. Men may
bo as cold-blooded as thoy llko, but It
is not in nny woman's naturo to stand
Idly by and seo anybody dellbornt''y
make a martyr of himself, oven If it is
for his country's sake"
Tho man besldo tho bed, who boro a
curious HkeneBa to Follx Hazard,
spoke
"Again I must aBk you," ho queried,
"aro you suro Miss von Hcllwlg re
ceived tho signal tonight?"
"Yes; I distinctly overheard her toll
the German butler. And she is now
nearly frantic becauso she has been
denied admission to this room tonight
claims that her position as Mr. Har-
mon'B private secretary entitles her to
ho present.
"Sho has been trying all torts of
pretexts to get in, Just ns Schmidt
haB been trying to get Into tho cellnr.
Sho oven threatened mo; but I bo
Ilovo I havo Bottled her for tho tlmo
being. When Bho learns that it will
be qulto ns difficult to loavo tho houso
tonight ns It Is to guln admission hero
heaven alono knows what will hnp
pen." At this Juncture there sounded a
light rnp on one of tho doors. Tho
nurse her eyes flashing with sudden
fire, gilded swiftly but noiselessly over
t1ll,,t Md opened it Then tho nurse
deliberately nnd violently pushed the
Intruder nwny, went Into the hall and
Koftly closed the door.
A subdued murmur of voices enmo
to tho man beside tho bod. Ho was
morbidly sensiblo of tho slow tick
tock, tlck-tock of the toll old clock.
Tho sick man's regular breathing was
plainly audible.
In n llttlo while tho nurse returned,
until filed, cool, capablo.
"Tho Von Hell wig again" In answer
to tho (nil man's look of Inquiry. "Sho
Insists now upon knowing tho time
by this clock."
"And you told her?"
"I did. Sho nenrly fainted. . . You
arc sure, nro you, Felix, that there
can bo no hitch?"
"Positive Do you think I would lei
you bo Imperiled? The wires nro dls
connected nt two points; at tho con
tact behind tho clock dial, nnd right
nt tho coherer whero It Is Jnmmcd
against the powder In a potato barrel
in tho cellar.
"You know, Helen, there was a
theory advanced ut tho lino that tho
French battleship Rppublique's maga
zines were exploded by means of some
advanced wireless method. Doubtless
It was only nn Imnglnntlvo story. But
this apparatus works, beyond dou' '..
Four times it has failed. Four times
MHs von Hcllwlg has stolen in here
and sot bnck tho clock nn hour so that
Schmidt might havo nn opportunity to
linker with his colls and ndJustmcntB
In an effort to find and correct Us do
fects. It la my belief thnt somo of the
other servants have been bribed. . . .
Well, wo'll know who they nro when
the panic starts. . . . Thcro!"
A woman's piercing scream shat
tered tho sllonco nnd persisted with
n hopeless noto that froze the blood.
There woro men's muffled, strangled
curses, sound.! of desperate struggle
and combat from various regions of tho
house.
And then tho old clock began Btrlk
Ing cloven.
VI.
Somo weeks after tho strenuout
ntght at lllackwnter Felix hnd Helen
were onco more bnck in the Suther
land's shabby, rambling old suite of
Fifth nvenuo officos, where tho elo
vatcd roars oil day and nil night. The
noise was music in their ears. The
burly chief's features wero qulto a
illegible ns usual; but Helen was eye
ing him intently with a llttlo puzzled
wrlnklo between her brows.
"I have It, chlof," sho explained,
"though ordinarily It would require a
clairvoyant to plumb tho depths ot
your Inner consciousness nnd fish up
any trace of feeling that might bo ly
ing dormant there But tho fact Is
I havo Just discovered it thnt you
aro genuinely glad to see uc back,
again nnd don't know how to say so."
Tho chief cocked a shaggy eyebrow
nt her and his dull eyes lingered on
tho happy, flushed face a moment.
"Yes," he admitted. "And I'm glad
thnt we nro not going to loso you,
either. I'll tell you all about It after
1'vo heard tho balance of tho details
of your stirring honeymoon ndventure
It Is something, you know, that can
never bo embodied In a written ro
port."
It wns Hazard who replied.
"Thero Is llttlo moro to tell than
you know, chief. Thnt very day Hud
nutt discovered tho process for mak
ing tho 'hcllpowder,' ns ho vory ap
propriately calls It. so the plotters
would havo gained nothing by having
succeeded.
"Tho only place Curtis' men fell
down was In n lack of technical
knowledge Not that I'm nn electri
cian myself; but when Helen told mo
nbout the Von Hellwlg woman's med
dling with tho clock, why, I guessed
pretty closo to tho truth. Her In
timacy nnd heart to heart tnlks with
Schmidt, tho butler, Implicated him,
nnd, barring that thoy woro uncannily
shrewd to suspect our motives, the
rest wns easy. Mr. Harmon took des
perate measures to blind them, and
I'm glnd to know that ho wl!l get well.
"Thero was n panel In tho wall bo
hind tho clock from which Schmidt
who Is really a finished electrical en
gineer could work without much fear
of discovery. Tho wires woro so ar
ranged that nfter nn outside connec
tion was closed, when tho clock handB
got to eleven a contact was mado, tho
circuit completed, nnd tho powdor
would hnvo been exploded of courso
completely wiping out every trnco of
tho cause . . . What becamo of tho
two? I've been mllea away from
thinking of them."
Tho chief Bhrugged his shoulders.
"I enn say only that thoy will never
bo heard of ngaln," said ho, soborly.
"Their memory is blotted out. Tho
count wns recalled from Washington
rather suddenly, I understand. And
thus that ond of It closes."
"What do you mean?" asked Helen.
"That tomorrow morning Felix will
movo into tho office ot tho 3rst assist
ant superintendent. Curtis goos to
London. Lord knows I wish you'd
tako my place If It would bo any In
ducement for you to stay."
"Don't worry," she cheered, with
ono of her rare smiles. "I'll bo butting
In every now and then It only to take
care of Felix."
(Copyright. UlS, by W. O. Chapman.)
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