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About Dakota County herald. (Dakota City, Neb.) 1891-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1921)
S'rtaraf' wo i-B- ' - DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD tvvvivvwaAvvviVfcvvvviAvtv Bull-Dog Drummond The Adventures of a Demobilized Officer Who Found Peace Dull Hv.vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv1vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvB CHAPTER X Continued. 16 Hugh wnlkcd to the top of tho etnlrs. A grin Hprcml over his face au he nnv lmlf n dozen familiar faces In the hall, and he hailed them cheerily. "Like old times, hoys," he Inughcil. "Whero'H the driver of the lorry?" "That's me, wlr." One of them stepped forward. "Good," said Hugh. "Take your Ijuh ten miles from here: then drop Hint crowd one by one on the road ns you Ko along. You can take It from mo tliut none of 'cm will say anything about It, even when they wake up. Then take her back to your garage; I'll see you later. "Now," wont on Hugh, as they heard the sound of the depnrtlng lorry, "we're got to set the scene for to morrow morning." He glanced at his wntch. "Just eleven. How long will It take me to get the old buzz-box to Lnldley Towers?" "Lnldley Towers," echoed Dnrrell. "What the devil arc you going there .forr "I Just can't bear to be parted from Henry for one- moment longer than necessary," said Hugh quietly. "And Henry Is there, In n praiseworthy en deavor to lift the duchess pcnrls. . . . Dear Henry I" Ills two fists clenched, und tho American, looking nt his face, Jaiighed softly. Hut It was only for n. moment that Drummond Indulged In the pleasures of anticipation; all tliut could como after. And Just now there were other things to bo dono many others, If events next morning were to go ns they should. "Take those two Into the center room," ho cried. "Incidentally there's n dead Hoche on the Moor, but he'll como In very hnndy In my little scheme." "A dead Uochol" Tho Intimidated rabbit gave a frightened squeak, "Oood heavens 1 you nifuan, this Is beyond a Joke." Hugh looked at him coldly. "You'll find It beyond a Joke, you riilsernblo little rnt," ho said quietly, "If you speak to mo like that." Ho laughed as the other shrank past him. "Three of you boys In there," he or dered briskly, "and If cither of them .gives tho slightest troublo clip him over the head. Now let's have tho rest of the crowd In here, Peter." They enmo filing In, and Hugh waved u cheery hand In greeting. ' "How goes It, you fellows," ho cried nvlth his Infectious grin. "Like a com Tpntiy pow-wow befor; popping tho ipnrapet. What I And It's a bigger wliow tills time, boys, thnn nny you'vo Bind over the water. Gather round, and listen to me." Ifor five minutes he spoke, and his nudtenco nodded delightedly. Apart from their lovo for Drummond nnd Ihree out of every four of them knew ' v.i , And Onco Again the American Laughed Softly at the Look on HIb Face. him personally It was a scheme which ' tickled Ihem to death, And he was vnreful to tell them Just enough of tho minister design of the master-criminal to make them realize tho blpness of the Issue. "That's nil clear, 'then," mild Drum inond, rising. "Now I'm off. Toby, I mint you to come, too. We ought t to bo there by midnight." "There's . only one point, captain," remarked tho American, as the group i 'began to Ulsjope. "That Mife and k. the ledger." He fumbled In his pocket, mind produced a small India-rubber bot tle. "1'vo got the soup hen1 gel ignite," he explained, as, ho saw the inyKtlnod look on the other's face. "I reckoned It might come In handy. Al 40 n fuse niu) detonator." "Splcudjd!" said Hugh, "splendid ' You're an acquisition, Mr Green, to any ',-i.i'fiu,: r.ut I think J tlu'ik nil mmrmlm r, Sh l iwim insivi IS mi ii liPl' 11 iiiiP Lakington first. Oh I yes most un doubtedly Henry first I" And onco ngnln tho American lnugliefl softly at the look on his face. CHAPTER XI In Which Lakington Plays Hb Last "Coup." ONE "Toby, 1'vo got u f.ort of horrid feel ing that tho hunt 's nenrly over." With a regretful sigh Hugh swung the cart out of tho sleeping town of Godalmlng In-llio direction of Laldley Towers. Mile after mile dropped emoothly behind the powerful two seater, and still Drummond's eyes wore a look of resigned sadness. "Very nenrly over," he remarked ngnfn. "And then onco more the tedium of respectnblllty positively stnres us In tho face." "You'll be getting mnrrled, old bean," murmured Toby Sinclair hopefully. For n moment his compnnlon bright ened up. "True, O King," ho answered. "It will ease tho situation somewhat; at least, I suppose so. But think of It, Toby: no Lakington, no Peterson nothing nt nil to play about witli and keep one amused." "You're very certain, Hugh." With a feeling n'most of wonder Sinclair glanced at the square-Jawed, ugly profile beside him. "There's many a slip . . ." "My dear old man," Interrupted Drummond, "there's only ono cure for tho proverb-quoting disease a doso of salts In the morning." For a while they raced on through the warm sum mer's night In silence, and It was not till they were within n mllo of their destination that Sinclair spoko again. "What are you going to do with them, Hugh?" "Who our Carl and little Henry?" Drummond grinned gently. "Why, I think that Carl and I will part nmleubly unless, of course, he gives mo any trouble. And as for Laking ton we'll havo to sec about Lnklng ton." The grin faded from his face as he .poke. "Wo'll havo to see about our little Henry," ho ropeutcd softly. "And I can't help feeling, Toby, that between us wo shall find a method of ridding tho earth of such a thoroughly unpleaslng fellow." "You mean to kill him?" grunted the other non-commlttnlly. "Just that, nnd no more," responded Hugh. "Tomorrow morning as over Is. But ho's going to get tho shock of his young life before It hnppens." He pulled the car up silently In the deep shadows of somo trees, nnd tho two men got out "Now, old boy, you tnke her back to Tho Kims." "But confound It all," spluttered Toby Sinclair. "Don't you want mo to help you?" "I do: by taking tho buzz-box hnck. This little show is my shout" For a moment or two Hugh stood wntchlng the car as It disappeared down tho rond along which they had Just come, whllo his thoughts turned to tho girl now safely asleep In his Hat In London. Another week per haps a fortnight hut no more. Not it day more. . . And so delightful wuk the train of thought thus con jured up, thnt for a whllo Peterson and Lakington were forgotten. Tho rosooto dreams of the young about to wed have boon known to act slmllnrly before. Wherefore to the soldier's Instinc tive second nature, trained In the war and sharpened by his grim duel with tho gang, must bo given tho credit of preventing tho ringing of the wedding hells being postponed for good. The sudden snap of n twig close by, the sharp hiss of a compressed-nlr rifle, seemed simultaneous with Hugh hurl ing himself flat on his face behind a sheltering bush, In reality there was that fraction of a second between the actions which allowed the bullet to pa,ss harmlessly over his body Instend of lluUhlng his enreer there and then. He heard It go zipping through the undergrowth as ho lay motionless on the ground; then very cautiously he turned his head and peered about A shrub was shaking a few yards away, and on It Hugh fixed his hnlf closed eyes. If ho lay quite still tho man, whoever he was, would probably assume tho shot had taken effect, and come nnd Investigate, Then things would be easier, as two or three Bodies had discovered to their cost In das gono by. For two mlnutl's he saw no one; then very slowly tho branches parted end the white faco of n man peered through. It was 'the chauffeur who usually drove tho Bolls Boyce, and he seemed unduly anxious to satisfy lilmsolf that all was well before coin Ing nearer. The fame of Hugh Drum niond had spread abroad amongst the satellites of Peterson. At last ho seemed to make up his mind, and came out Into tho open. Step by step he advanced toward the motionless figure, his weapon held In readiness to shoot at the faintest movement But tho soldier lu sprawling and inert, and by the tlnn he cliMiilTenr had reached Mm there Cvril McNeile "SaPPcr" By Copyright by Geo. U. Doran Co. was no doubt. In that worthy's mind thnt, nt last, this wretched meddler with things that concerned him not had been laid by tho heels. Which was as unfortunato for tho chauffeur ns It hnd been for uuwary Huns In the past Contemptuously he rolled Drum mond over; then, noting the relaxed muscles nnd Inert limbs, ho laid his gun on the ground preparatory to run ning through his victim's pockets. And tho fact that such nn nctlon -was a Utile more foolish thnn offering a man eating tiger n peppermint lozenge did not troublo the chauffeur. In fact, nothing troubled him again. He got out one gasping cry of ter ror as he realized his mistake; then ho had a blurred consciousness of the world upside down, nnd everything was over. It was Olnkl's most danger ous throw, carried out by gripping the victim's wrists nnd hurling his body over by a henvo of tho legs. And nine times out of ten the result was a broken neck. This wus one of the nine. For a while the soldier stared at the body, frowning thoughtfully. To have killed the chauffeur was inconvenient but since It had happened It neces sitated n little rearrangement of his plans. The moon was setting and tho night wduld become darker, so there was a good chance that Lakington would not recognize that the driver of his car had changed. And if ho did well, it would bo necessary to forego tho somewhat theatrical enter tainment ho hnd staged for his benefit at Tho Elms. Bending over the dead mnn, he removed his long grey drlv-Ing-cont and cap; then, without a sound, he threaded his way through the bushes In search of the cur. lie found It about a hundred yards nearer the house, so well hidden In a smnll space off tho road that he was nlmoat on top of It before ho real ized the fact. To his relief It was empty, nnd placing his own cap In n pocket under the scat he put on the driving-coat of his predecessor. Then, with a quick glance round to ensure that everything was In readiness for the lmmedlato nnd rapid departure such as he Imagined Lakington would desire, ho turned and crept steulthlly toward the house. TWO Lnldley Towers was en fete. The duchess, determined that every con ceivable stunt should bo carried out which would mako for the entertain ment of her guests, hnd spared no palna to make the evening a success. The duke, bored to extinction, had been five times routed out of his study by his Indefatigable spouse, und wns now, at tho moment Hugh first enmo In sight of tho house, engaged in shak ing hands with a tall, aristocratic looking Indian. . . . "How d'y. do," he murmured vn cantly. "What did you say the dam' fellah's name was, my dear?" he whis pered In u hoarse undertone to the duchess, who stood beside him wel coming the distinguished foreigner. "Wo'ro so glud you could come, Mr. Bum Dnr," remur-ked tho duchess af fiibly. "Kveryone Is so looking for ward to your wonderful entertain ment." Bound her neck were the his toric pearls, and ns the Indian bowed low over 1ier outstretched hand, his eyes gleamed for a second. It had been the marquis of Lnldley himself who had suggested getting hold of this most celebrated perform er, who hud apparently never been In Knglnnd before. And since tho marquis of Lnidley's cotnlng-of-ago was the cause of the whole evening's entertainment, his suggestion hud been hulled with acclamation. How ho had heard about the Indian, and from whom, were points about which he wus very vague; but since he was u very vuguo young man, the fact elicited no comment. The main thing wiih that here, In the tlesh, was a dark, mysterious performer of the oc cult, .and what more could a house party require? And In the general excitement Hugh Drummond crept closer to the open window. Suddenly his Jaw tightened; Irmu Peterson had entered the room with young Laldley. "Do you want anything done, Mr. Bum Dur?" usked tho duchess "the lights down or the window shut?" "No, I thunk you," returuetd the In dian. "I nm ready. Who first will leurn of tho things that ure written on the scroll of Fate?" And It was ut M'ut moment thnt the Intent wutcher outside the window began to shake with silent mirth. For the faco was tho fuco of the Indian, Bam Dar, but the voice wns the voice of Luklngton. It struck him thnt tho next ten minutes or so might bo well worth while. Tho problem of re moving tho pearls from the duchess' neck before such an assembly seemed to present a certain amount of dltll culty even to such mi expert as Henry. And Hugh crept a little nenrer the window, so no to miss nothing. Kvldently tho scene was now set tho necessary props were In position and Hugh waited with growing Im patience for tho principal event But the principal porfornier seemed In no hurry. In fnct, In his dry way Lnk Ington was thoroughly enjoying him- seir. An intimate inside knowledge of the skeletons thnt rattled their bones In tho cupboards of most of those present enabled the gods to speak with disconcerting accuracy, and ns each victim Insisted on some body new facing tho snnds thnt camo from beyond the mountains, the per formance seemed likely to lust indefi nitely. At last a sudden delighted burst of npplnuse came from the group, an nouncing tho discomfiture of yet an other guest, nnd with It Lakington seemed to tiro of the nmusement. En grossed though he was In the anticipa tion of tho main Item which wns still to be stnged, Drummond could not but admire the extraordinary nccurncy of the churncter study. Not a detail hud been overlooked; not a single flaw In Lnklngton's acting could he notice. It was an Indian who stood there, and when a few days later Hugh returned her pearls to the duchess, for n long time neither she nor her husband would believe that Bum Dnr hnd been nn Englishman disguised. . . . And this was what happened ns seen by the fusclnnted onlooker crouching near the window outside. Superbly dlsdulnful, the Indian after a short, meaningless patter, to hold the attention of the audience, stalked to, tho open window. With arms outstretched ho stnred Into the darkness, seeming to gather strength from the gods whom he served. "Do your ears not hear the whisper-' lngs of the night?" he demanded. "Life rustling In the leaves; death moaning "Where Did the Protector of the Poor Obtain the Sacred Cabinet of the Chow Kings?" through the grasses." And suddenly he threw back Ids head and laughed, u fierce, mocking laugh; then ho swung round und fnced the room. For u while he stood motionless, nnd Hugh, from the shelter of the bushes, wondered whether tho two quick flnshes that had come from his robe ns ho spoke flashes such as n smnll electric torch will give, und which were unseen by unyone else were n slgnnl to the de funct chuuffeur. Then n peculiar look came over the Indian's fnce, ns his eyes fell on a Chinese cabinet. "Where did the Protector of the Poor obtain the snered cabinet of the Chow kings?" He peered at It rever ently, nnd tho duke coughed. "One of my nncestors picked It up somewhere," ho unswered apologeti cally. "Fashioned with the blood of men, guarded with their lives, nnd one of your nncestors picked It up l'.' The duke withered completely under the biting scorn of the words, nnd seemed about to say something, but tho Indian had turned nwny, nnd his long, delicate fingers were hovering over the box. With gleaming eyes he sturod In front of him, and a woman shuddered and lily. "What Is It supposed to do?" she ventured timidly. "For centuries that box contnlned the jewels precious beyond words of the reigning queens of the Chow dynasty. They were wrapped In sil ver and gold tissue of which this' Is a feeble, modem substitute." From a cummerbund under his robe he drew a piece of shining material, the appearance of which was greeted with cries of feminine delight. "You would not ask me to commit sacrilege?" Quietly he replaced the material In Ids licit nnd turned away, and Hugh's eyes glistened nt the clev erness with which the man was act ing. Whether they believed It or not, there was not n soul In the room by this time who wus not consumed with eagerness to put tho Chinese cabinet to the test. "Supposing you took my pearls, Mr. Bam Dar," said the duchess diffident ly, "I know thnt compared to such historic Jewels they are poor, but per haps It would not be sacrilege." Not a mu.s'clo on Lnklngton's fuco twitched, though It wns the thing ho had been playing for. Instead he seemed to be sunk In thought, while tho duchess continued pleading, and tho rest of the pnrty added their en treaties. Then, ns if ho had decided suddenly, ho swung round. "I will try," he nnnounced briefly, and the duchess headed tho chorus of delight. "Will the Presences stand back, and you, ynur Grace, take thuf" He handed her the piece of inaturi.il. "No hand but yours must touch the pcnrls. Wrap them up Inside the sil ver and gold." Aloofly he watched the process. "Now advance alone, nnd open tho box. Place the peurls In side. Now fcliut nnd lock It" Obedi ently the duchess did as she wns bid ; then she stood waiting for further In structions. But apparently by this time the Great Brooding Spirit wns beginning to take, effect Singing u monotonous, harsh chant, tho Indian knelt on the floor, nnd poured somo powder Into a little brazier. He wns still close to the open window, and finally he sat Jown with his elbows on his knees, nnd Ids bend rocking to und fro In lira hnntfs. "Loss light lew fight I" The words seemed to come from a grout dlstnnce ventriloquism In n mild wny wus one of Lnklnglon's accomplishments; and ns the lights went out n greenish, spluttcrlng.fluuie rose from the brazier, A heavy, odortfus smoke filled the room, but framed nnd motionless In the eerie light sat the Indian, staring fixedly In front of him. After a timo the chnnt-began again; It grow nnd swelled In volume till the singer grew frenzied nnd bent his head with Ida hands. Then nbruptly It stopped. "Pluce the box upon the floor," ho ordered, "In the light of tho Sacred Fire." Hugh saw the duchess kneel down on the opposite side of the brazier, nnd place the box on the floor, bile the faces of the guests strange nnd ghostly In the grcnt light peered lllce specters out of tho heavy smoke. Tills wns undoubtedly n show worth wntchlng. "Open the box I" Harshly the words rung through the silent room, and with fingers that trembled a little tho duch ess turned the key and threw back the lid. "Why, It's empty!" she cried in nninzemcnt, and the guests crnned for wnrd to look. "Put not your hand inside," cried the Indian in sudden warning, "or per chnnce It will remain empty." The duchess rapidly withdrew her hand, nnd stnred Incredulously through the smoke nt his Impassive fnce. "Did I not sny thnt there wus power In the box?" he said dreamily. "Tho power to render Invisible tlp power to render visible. Thus enme pro tection to the Jewels of the Chow queens." "That's all right, Mr. Bum Dar," said the duchess' a little apprehens ively. "There mny be power In the box, but my pearls don't seem to be." The Indian laughed. "None but you hns touched the cub' Inet, your Grace; none but you must touch It till the pearls return. They nrc there now ; but not ( for mortnl eyes 'to see." Which, Incidentally, was no mora thnn the truth. "Look, oh! sahibs, look; but do not touch. See that to your vision the box is empty. . . ." He waited motion less, while the guests thronged round, with expressions of nmnzemer.t; nnd Hugh, snfe from view In the thick, sweet-smelling smoke, enmo even near er In his excitement "It Is enough," cried tha Indian suddenly. "Slnit the box, your grace, and lock It ns before. Now pluce It on the table whence It en me. Is It there?" "Yes." The duchess' voice came out of the green fog. "Go not too near," he contlnuod warnlngly. "The gods must have space the gods must havo space." Again the harsh chnnt began, nt times swelling to n shout, at times dying nwny to n whisper. And ft was during one of these latter periods that a low laugh, instnntly checked, dis turbed the room. It wns plainly audi ble, and someone Irritably said, "Be quiet!" It was not repented, which nfforded Hugh, nt any rate, no sur prise. For It hnd been Irmu Peterson who hnd laughed, nnd it might have been hilarity, or It might havu been a slgnnl. "Bring the box, your grnce," he cried harshly, and once more the duchess knelt In the circle of light, with a row of dimly seen faces above her. "Open ; but ns you value your pearls touch them not." Excitedly she threw back the lid, and n chorus of cries greeted the appearance of tho gold nnd silver tissue at the bottoai of the box. "They're here, Mr. Bum Dar." In the green light the Indian's som ber eyes stared round the group of dim faces. (TO BK CONTINUED.) The Iberians. The Iberians weru an anclei.t peo ple living ut the mouth of the Iberus (Ebro) river In eastern Spain. Later the inhabitants of the entire peninsula were called Iberians. The term now is applied to the primitive Neolithic nnd brouze-uge men whoso remains nnd relics nre found In undent graves und grottoes throughout western Eu rope. The race was characterized by long heads nnd short stnture. Tho term lberlu still Is frequently used In reference to Spain nnd Portugal, especlnlly in literature, the expression Iberian penlnsiiln being quite common. World's Largest Spring. What Is the largest spring In the, world? Florida has one which must be near the head of tho list This Is called Wakulla spring. It is 400 feet across, Is 80 feet deep nnd lions at tho rnto of 1:20,000 gallons of watet every minute. It gives rise to n rivet 'J50 feet wldo nt Its source. Thla mammoth spring Is sltunted about 18 miles from Tallahassee. Outlook. Spared Something. Jonah shuddered. ".Suppose they hnd quarantined thi whale nnd me for typhuv?" bu cried. j!HiB2jl 50good cigarettes for 10c from one sack of GENUINE DURHAM TOBACCO y 7w JlHVttAwfg&S m i Literary Invention. "Yes, sir," said the author, "I figure I've got the one best seller of all history." "What's the plot?" Inquired the pub lisher, doubtfully. "Never mind the plot," said the au thor. "You know everybody sklins nnd, Jumps nbout In n book. Well, I'ws jus picked out the places they Jvpip to nnd put 'em nil in the first tw chap ters." With n cry of joy the publisher em brnccd the uuthor and threw hlin out the window delightedly. No Hope for Him. He Can you give me no hope? She None whatever; I'm going to marry you. Boston Transcript Sure Relief m VBUVMVS INDIGESTKW y i.fflu , mm "V-Z 6 Bell-ans Hot water Sure Relief V! 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