j m .————————■m .
( THE~MARK OF CAIN )
CL copynght. »H. by J. B. Llpplncott Co. I
Filmy, though a little sur
prised, accepted it all. for Flem
ing Stone frequently sent for him
in unexpected ways, and sent him
on unexpected and strange- or
rands.
The cab went quickly uptown
and, turning into a cross street
nt the upper West Seventies,
stopped before a rather fine look
ing house.
‘‘Get out,” said the .Tap brief
ly, and Filmy obeyed. The house
was not Mr Slone’s, of that. Fib
ay was sure, but lie was accus
tomed to obeying orders, even
through an emissary, and noth
ing had ever gone wrong by so
doing.
The Japanese produced a latch
key, dismissed the cab, and the
two went into the house.
‘Mr. Stoan, tie upstairs,” the
taciturn guide vouchsafed, lead
ing the way.
Fibsy followed, up two flights,
and was iishere/1 into a large
room, in the location known »s
“the middle room:” that is, it*
was between the front and back
chambers, and had no outside
window, save on a small airshaff.
A little curious, but in iio way
alarmed, be entered, and the Jap
followed him, and turned on an
electric switch. By this illumi
nation Fibsy discovered that he
was in a bedroom, a fairly well
appointed and tidily kept, cham
ber, apparently m the abode of
tho well to do.
By this time, and perhaps more
because of the. expression on his
companion’s face than the situa
tion itself, Fibsy fell a slight
thrill of doubt.
“Where am l?” he said pleas
antly. “Where’s Mr. Stone!”
“No Mr. Stoan here,” and the
Japanese grinned. “You fall in
t.lap. lice, heel You fall eas’ly!
WMI, Mr. Flibsy, you here to
stay.”
“To stay! Trap! Whaddye
mean, you yellow sneak? Femme
out this minute or I’ll show you
who's who wit’ the wallop! I’ll
fuss up that map o’ yourn 'til
your own grandmother wouldn’t
know it!”
t “Aexcuse me, Mr. Flibsy. you
don’ say uuwthin' 'bout my an
cestors! They sacred to Jap'
nesc. You be u’lite or I think I
qusW'ei- wivii ytru.
“Ob', you think you will, do
you! Now, stop this nonsense,
and-r-”
‘‘ Aexcuse tne. This not non
sense. Betiolo!' Yon here—here
you stay. 1 bed you stay!” and
the Japanese with a low mocking
bow went out at the door and
began to draw it to after him.
“Here, you come back here!”
and Fibsy'’h quick perceptions
took in the fact that he had been
trapped, by some one. and that
he was about to be locked
in. “Come back! What’s your
name I”
“My name Kito, an’ 1 ask you
be rev’ren' 'bout my august au
cestors. ”
“Bother your ancestors! I
mean—bless ’em!” for Kito’a
eyes narrowed at the fii^J, word.
“Now. you come hack a minute
and put me wise to this song and
dance. What house is thisT”
“My master’s.”
“And you're his valet? cook?
head stuff? what?”
H«« ver’ Bumble servant,”
and Kito bowed low. “An’ at
lus orders I mus’ log you in.
Uoo’by.”
“No, you don’t!” Pibsy sprang
at the. Japanese and fully expect
ed to land his clenched fist at its
destination, when, instead, he
gave a shriek of pain, as Kito
deftly caught the descending arm
and with u peculiarly dextrous
twist almost—it seemed to Pibsy
— broke it.
“I had a hunch I was pretty
good,” the injured one said, rue
fully, “but 1 hand it to you!
.Show me how, will you? It’s
that thing they call juicy jitsoo,
ain’t it?”
“Jiu jitsu, yaes. Now you
know who goin’ be who; eh?
What you thing?”
“I think you’re a wonder, an’
you gutter crack me wise to that
some time, but not now. Now
I’m mainly int’rested in gettiu'
outa here.”
“Yaes?” And the Japanese
looked mildly amused.
This made Pibsy serious.
“Say,” he said, without bluster,
for Kito was gazing at him stead
ily, “tell a feller a f>'\v things,
can’t yon? Who is your mas
ter?”
“I thing I not say it good. This
TJuited States name too much for
me. So I carry card, this-away.”
23
Kilo drew from his pocket a worn
card and held it. out for inspec
tion.
“Mr. James IJrent Auchin
closs,’’ it read.
“Hub,” said Fihsy, “don't
wonder its too much for you,
son. But looky here, you've got,
in wrong, somehow. 1 don t,
know Mr. Auchineloss, myself.
Lemme go, there's a pal- an' Fll
call ft square.”
“Aexcuse; my orders to log
you in,” and this time Kito slid
out of the door, and the next in
stant Fihsy heard the key grate
in the lock.
First lie gave a long whistle,
then he blinked his eyes several
times, and then he set to work *
systematically to investigate his
prison.
A few quick glances snowed
him lie was in a woman’s rooiu,j
and one recently occupied. There
were hairpins on the dresser and
a pair of curling tongs beside
them. The furniture was of
black walnut, old fashioned but
of good workmanship. The bed
was neatly made up, and the
closet, into which Fibsy looked,
was empty save for a pair of;
woman's shoes and an old skirt
or two.
There was one other door, and,
pulling it open, the boy found it.
led to a bathroom, plain and
clean, not at all luxuriously ap
pointed.
He put his head out of
the bathroom window. There was
a sheer drop of three stories to
the ground, This was on the
same airshaft as the bedroom
window gave on. The windows
on the other side of the shaft
were in the next house, and all
were with closely drawn shades.
“Gee!" thought Fibsy, “I
must set me bean to woikin’—”
In critical moments Fibsy, even
in thought, reverted to his street
slang, though he was honestly
trying to break himself of the
habit.
“I’m in a swell house," lie as
sured himself, “an’ this is the|
woik god’s room. Ob, I’m on.!
I)is ain’t no mistake, I’m kid-1
naped that’s what's come my
way! Now. who does itl"
Itut though he had the whole
aXlernutu* U\ wit
thought on that question, it re
mained unanswered. H§ cudgeled
his brain to remember any one
by the name of Auehineloss, but
without success. He pondered
deeply over the possible reasons
any one could have for inearcer
ating him in this way, but could
think of none. He returned at
last to his theory of mistaken
identity, and concluded that he
had been mistaken for some one
else.
Though with a subconscious
ness of its futility, he hanged on
the door, and he hung out of the
window and yelled, and he
stamped, pounded and hanged in
every way he could think of,
without getting the least re
sponse of any sort.
The awtul thought struck him l
that he was to be left here to
starve to death, and this so awed
him that he sat perfectly still for
two minutes, and then began to i
make a racket with redoubled
vigor.
At last, worn out-by mental
and physical exertion, he threw j
himself on the bed and dropped
into fitful slumber.
He was roused by the opening!
door, and beheld the Japanese j
enter with a tray of food.
“Nixy on the starvation stunt,'
then !” he cried joyously. “ Why,!
I say, Kito, if you don’t coma
across with ’most as good eats
as me Aunt Becky, an’ that’s go- j
.in’ some!”
Kito stood, with folded arms,!
watching his prisoner’s appetite)
assert itself. Then he said: “You!
make nother piece racket like!
those, an' 1 break your honor-1
able arm.”
“You will!” And for a mo-1
ment Fibsy sprang to action.
Then, remembering the skill of
his foe. he fell into dejection
j again.
“Aw% now, Kite,” he began in
a conciliatory tone, “let’s chew
this over—me’n’ you. There’s
some mistake, you know.”
“Aexcuse, no mis take. You
here to stay. You can’t get aout.
You holler an’ bang-bang 1 break
I your arm. You jump out win
i dow, you break your leg. So.”
“Then I'm to stay here and
be mousy quiet?”
‘ ‘ Yes, so as a mice.' ’
“Yes, 1 will! Say, Kite, be u
I sport. I'll make it up to you
j if you’ll just lead lue to a tele
phone, an’ let me fix up this here
mistake. I don’t know any Ait
ehineloss—”
“Xo mis take. My honorable
master never make mis take.”
“Oh, don't he’/ Weil, tell me
this: Hour long do 1 live here—
on the house?”
‘‘In the couscf’’-corrected Kito
gravely. “I not know. Two,
t'ree, fo’ weeks, mehbe more.”
‘' Mebbe nothing!' roared the
irate Fibsy. ‘‘Stay here all that
time! Why, you yellow gilled
ei ab—' ’
Fibsy paused, for the Japanese
merely lifted his hand and flexed
his long yellow fingers in a sug
gestive way that was decidedly
unpleasant. ■»
“There, there, I didn’t mean
anything. Oh, well, if you wanta
be fussy!”
Fibsy saw at once the utter
uselessness of trying to threaten,
cajole or reason with the orien
tal. Though lie looked no older
than flies hc«y he was a man, and
one skilled in his country's ath
letic and wrestling methods.
Without further words Kito
waited for Fibsy to finish his
supper, and then took away the
tray, locking his prisoner in the
room.
This went on for three whole
days. Fibsy was comfortably
housed, all his physical wants
provided for, and Kito even
brought him a pile of old maga
zines to read, but no further in
formation was given him as to
the reason for his imprisonment.
By the fourth day the nervous
strain had begun to tell on the
captive boy. No amount of think
ing could reveal the reason of
his plight, and no theory account
for it. Hours at a time he tried
to escape or tried to plan some
means that might lead to free
dom, but there was no chance for
ingenious attempt, or possibility
of conquering or eluding Kito.
it was this very day that Flem
ing Stone came to the house, but
Fibsy did not know it, nor did
Stone have the slightest idea that
the boy he sought so diligently
was there.
Kito answered Stone’s ring at
the door, and when that gentle
man pushed his way a little
brusquely through the reception
room to the library, the Jap
anese followed politely, but with
a wary eye and a tense arm.
■‘Good!” Stone exclaimed,
looking over the appointments of
the large library table. “Your
master has no pencil sharpener
Now, my man, I am an for
ftiese,” and Stone took from his
bag" a small contrivance for
sharpening lead pencils. “And
our new method of selling these
goods is to leave one with a pros
pective customer, feeling sure
that a trial of it will mean a
quick sale. Has your master ever
used a thing like this?’’
Kito had not followed all of
Stone's speech, his English being
somewhat limited, but by the ac
tions of the “agent" the Jap
anese understood.
“No good,” he said scornfully,
“mv master no want it.’’
‘ ‘ How do vou knoW ? ’ ’
“I know.’’
“Has he one?’’
“No.”
“Did he eVcr have one?”
“ Yaes. ”
“Not like this.”
"Yes, just all same like thal
one.”
Ami then Stone, »vith his al
most hypnotic power of sugges
tiou, so lynted ami insinuated
and urged that finally Kito, aftei
a short search in a closet, tri
umphantly showed a pencil
sharpener exactly like the one
Stone had offered.
hooking chagrined and disap
pointed, Stone returned his tc
his bag.
“ Why did your master stop us
ing it?" he asked, noting the
pencil on the desk tray, undoubt
edly sharpened with a knife.
"Two, four weeks, mebbe
more.”
."But when?'’ and Stone
picked up a calendar. "When?'
Slowly tracing back througl
his memory, Kito suddenly
smiled. '
"Then!” he exclaimed, point
ing to a date. I know be cause
the same day, almost, my birt’
day. An’ 1 hoped my mastei
give him to me for plesent. Bui
no.”
"That's too bad," agreec
Stone. " Well, if your mastei
doesn’t care for his, of course In
won’t buy mine. Good day.”
Picking up bis bag, he wen
away, anil Kilo closed the dooi
behind him.
The date the Japanese ha<
pointed to was the day after th<
murder of Rowland Trowbridge
CHAPTER XXIV.
ESCAPE.
Fibsy was at bis wits’ end
And the wits’ end of Terence
McGuire was at some distance
from dieir beginning. But he had
scrutinized every step of the way,
and now he disconsolately admit
ted to himself that he had really
reached the end.
II • had been shut up in the
strange house nearly a week. He
t was most comfortably lodged and
i fed. he had much reading matter
1 supplied for his perusal, though
j r.ore- of it was newspapers, and
j Kito offered to play parehesi
j with him by way of entertain
I ment. The Japanese was polite,
even kindly, but he was inflex
! ible in the matter of obeying his
j orders. And his scrupulous fi
delity precluded any possibility
of Fibsy’s getting away, or even
getting out of the rooms allotted
to hi;-: use.
But, when the boy rose .one
morning after a refreshing
night’s sleep and had a satisfy
ing breakfast and was at last
locked in bis room for the morn
i ing, he sat down ori the edge of
j the bed and clinched his impo
j tent young fists ill rage and de
“I gotta make me bean woik
better,” he groaned to himself,
the tenseness of the situation
causing him to revert to his use
of street slang. “I gotter get
outen here, an’ most likely it’s
too late now. I’m a nice detec
tive, I am, can’t get out the fust
time I’m in a hole! Gee! I’m
gonta get out!”
Followed a long session of hard
thinking, and then a gleam of
light came to him. But he needs
must wait till Kito brought up
his dinner.
And at noon or thereabouts
Kito came with the usual well ap
pointed tray of good food.
Fibsy looked it over noncha
lantly. ‘‘All right, Kite,” he
said, “but say, I gotta toothache.
I wish you’d gimme a toothpick
—not quill—the wooden kind.”
Sympathetic and solicitous, the
Japanese produced from his own
pocket a little box of his native
toothpicks, of which Fibsy ac
cepted a couple, and pocketed
them. And then came the strate
gical moment. His purpose must
be effected while the Jap was
still in the room. And it was.
Sidling to the half open door,
Fibsy called Kito’s attention to
a dish on the tray, and then
thrust a toothpick quickly in be
side the bolt of the lock, and
broke it off short.
In order to keep his jailer’s at
tention distracted Fibsy then
waxed loquacious and dilated on
the glories of a wonderful movie
show.
Kito listened attentively and,
though he said no word about go-'
ing to see it, he inquired care
| fully where it was, and Fibsy’s
] hopes began to rise.
I “But, if ever you go, Kite,” he
said, ‘‘you wanter see the very
beginnin’, ’relse you lose all the
fun.”
At last Fibsy finished his din
ner and the Jap took up the tray.
Breathlessly, but unnoticeably,
Fibsy watched him, and as he
went out of the door and turned
the key in the lock he didn’t no
tice that the bolt didn’t shoot
home as usual, but the door was
really left unlocked.
Fibsy's heart beat like a trip
hammer as he heard the catlike
footsteps go down stairs.
Unable to wait, he tried the
door, and found it was open. He
; slipped out into the hall. Down
| two flights he could hear the Jap
anese going about his business.
Warily, Fibsv crept down one
staircase. Then he stepped into
the front room on that floor. It
was evidently the room of a
grand lady. Silver trinkets were
here and there, but Fibsy’s quick
eyes noted that the bureau was
dismantled, and there were no
appearances of actual occupancy.
“Mrs. Auchincloss is away fer
the summer,” he said sapiently.
“Lessee furder.”
It was a risk, but Kito rarely
' came upstairs so soon after din
ner, so the boy-went through to
the back room on the second
| floor.
j “Bachelor,” he said, nodding
| his head at the appointments on
the chiffonier. “Stayin’ in town.
Kinder Miss Nancy—here's a
little sewin’ kit some dame made
fer him. An’the way his brushes
an’ things is fixed shows he ain’t
got no wife. So this ain’t Mr.
Auchincloss. Well, lemmesee. ;
Writin’ table next. Not much \
doin’. Fixin’s all fer show, j
S’pose he writes down in the li- |
berry. Wisht I could git down |
j there. Here’s a lot of his
[J friends.”
| (To Be Continued Next Week)
After his legs were cut off by a train
on which ho was beating his way in
Washington a man improvised tourni
quets to stop the flow of blood and
flagged another train with a handful of
lighted matches Physicians are of the
opinion that he wlli recover.
WHIG EYS
‘•After Every Meal”
lisiiumiiiiiimiifr
Next time you E
want to concen- E
trate on a piece S
of work just slip S
a stick of WRiGLEY’S E
between your teeth. E
It*s a wonderful help =
— and E
« Hazards j§
disappear E
I and hard E
Places come easy. E
for WRIGLEY’S E
gives you comfort S
and poise—it adds E
the zest that E
means success. S
= ft great deal 1
| for 5c |
The = =
Flavor f SEALED TIGHT =
Lasts | KEPT right I
BUILD IGLOOS OF CONCRETE
Eskimo Indians No Longer Satisfied
With the Primitive Houses of
Snow of Their Fathers.
It Is a matter of government rec
ognition tiint the Eskimo Indians of
the PribUof islands nre rapidly gain
ing in sophistication, as the prices of
the sealskins and blue and gray fox
pelts they sell mount higher and
higher. Those Jilts of frozen land in
Bering sen, whose total nrea is less
than seventy square miles, have only
about 300 inhabitants, yet they are
being assailed by all the aspirations
of prosperity and Rre beginning to
buy the most interesting items the
mail-order catalogues offer. So Uni
ted States engineers are building
them igloos of concrete, says Popular
Mechanics Magazine, thus substitut
ing the most substantial of materials
for what seems, from the temperate
zone viewpoint, the most ephemeral.
The builders, however, are careful to
adhere closely to the native style of
architecture.
Nervy.
"He certainly has nerve.”
“In what way?”
“With times the way they are now,
he actually walked in yesterday and
asked the boss for a raise In pay.”
—Detroit Free Press. jr
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280 acrea. Hancock County. Illinois. Addresa
owner. C. D. STREETER. KEOKUK, IOWA.
Gumless "Gummer."
Small Brother—W1U you please give
me r stick of chewing gum, Mr.
Blunderly?
Mr. Bunderly—I don’t chew gum,
Bohbie. What makes you think I do?
Small Brother—Because I heard my
slstef say that when you were at the
dance the other night you gummed the
whole party.—Bunch Bowl.
A Ruling.
I “My client accuses her husband of
cruel and inhuman treatment, your
honor, lie refused to buy her a thous
and dollar fur coat.”
“Well, that may have been cruel,
but I hardly think It was Inhuman.”
—Louisville Courier-Journal.
Righto.
“You say be is a man of decision?”
“Yes—he's a baseball umpire.”—>
Louisville Courier-Journal.