Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

NSPE A ae Plc rap Ly ARR. Pt gr Re PLY RE WN Pe, ae Tatd, ee’ Orde re OMY Dn P i ‘ ¢ ' ‘ ’ f 4 * / “ - 82 that. I believe Greiner has it. That is why I want Carl to meet him and explain the whole situation while we locate their camp, so that whatever Greiner sees best to do can be done without uncertainty as to their whereabouts.” She nodded her approval. “Very well,” she said. ‘Tell Carl what he is to do and we will get ready for our flight. For—” she turned to him, her eyes deep with concern for his safety—‘‘I am going with you—or I shall not let you go at all.”’ CHAPTER XVI THE CAMP ON THE BRANCH rT BEY found time-tables in the reading- room and sat down to consult them and to make final arrangements for the mo- mentous evening. “T can get a train for the Junction at six,” said Carl. “It will get me there at seven. There are two trains down from the North after that—one getting to the Junc- tion at eight-forty and one at ten-twenty. Mr. Greiner may be on either one, but it will probably be the ten-twenty. That will give us an hour to do whatever is to be done and get the last train for Hackett’s.” “But you do not know Mr. Greiner,” the ee objected. ‘How are you going to find ~ 3) Carl gave her a look that expressed su- preme confidence in his own ability as a de- tective. “T’ll watch the people that get off the train from the North,” he said. “If they be- long at the Junction, they'll go on about their business without asking any ques- tions. But a man coming down like Mr. Greiner for the first time will be sure to go to the ticket-window to find out about trains or where he can get a bite to eat or some- thing. And it’s more than likely that he’ll have his initials on his grip. All men that travel much do.” | ~ “You see,” Ward explained with an in- dulgent smile, ““Carl hopes to be a detective himself some day and he has made a careful study of the methods and systems of all of the leaders of his profession.” Carl flushed at the tone of raillery. “All right,” he maintained stoutly. “T’ll bet you next week’s salary that I spot him first shot and don’t make a mistake.”’ “There is one thing,” Nellie said after a Adventure moment’s hesitation, “‘that I must speak of, though I dislike discussing money matters. Mr. Greiner must understand that no con- sideration of expense is to enter into the plans that he feels it necessary to make. Tell him that I personally want to retain him if it will not interfere with his agree- ment with Mr. Conway. Before you go, Carl, I will give you a check for any sum that Mr. Fenton decides is necessary to © cover the investigation.” “T think we might very well leave that matter until the whole thing is over,” said Ward. “If you instruct Mr. Greiner to go ahead on his own plans and assure him that . you will be responsible for the expenses, that will be perfectly satisfactory to him. When his work is done, he will send you a bill and you can settle then.” “You forget,”’ she said softly. “You and I do not know what is going to happen to- night. We may not return.” There was not a trace of fear nor of timid- ity in her words. She spoke seriously and gravely, but without a hint of trepidation. He nodded in the same mood. “You are right,”’ he agreed slowly. ° “Then I will go up to my room and write the check. Shall I make it a thousand dol- lars? Will that be enough?” “Oh, half of that,” cried Ward, but his heart sank at the ease with which she spoke of such a sum. It seemed to place her so far beyond his reach. When she had left them, Ward turned to Carl again. “Go and get a bite to eat,’”’ he ordered. “Vou have no time to spare. And makeita good, big bite, too, for I don’t know when nor where you will get another one.” Alone with his own thoughts, he cast about for some way by which he could in- duce Nellie Blaydon not to insist upon ac- companying him on the flight that night. He knew that the mere spotting of a camp- fire’s glow from a height of several thousand feet would prove nothing; it would be only a signal for a descent and the still more difficult and dangerous work of creeping up through the shadows of the night until those about the blaze should be sufficiently clear to his vision for him to identify them positively. He did not want the girl to face these dangers. The men with whom they had to deal had already proved themselves des- perate and determined enough to stop at (E(0) JOO MIE <S (ce)