The Argosy, April 1916 — page 175: what you’re looking at

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

S17 34. “Tt is a hope. There’s a place where Ap- ponnetti used to hang out, a deserted cot- tage ’way past Paradise. I'll run out there and when I come back I’ll let you know.” Lansing nodded and joined Captain Granger and Dorothy Nealis in the garden. Arnold was in no danger of his life, ac- cording to the doctor, although, even so, he feared a slight fracture of the skull. Ap- pearance of fever would tell the tale, and even if the skull proved to have been frac- tured the case could be successfully handled. A trained nurse had been engaged and the physician had stipulated absolute quiet and would not permit the secret service men to question. him, much to Griscom’s annoy- ance. Mrs. Nealis remained in the sick room with the nurse, while the elder Nealis sat on the verandah, smoking cigar after cigar and talking incessantly. The luncheon hour arrived and no one ate anything, although all went into the dining-room and sat list- lessly at table. It was after one o’clock when Griscom returned. His quest had been unsuccess- ful and he announced his intention of call- ing up the central bureau he had estab- lished to learn if there had been any de- velopments in the city. He had, in fact, gone to the telephone, but before he could take down the receiver the bell rang wildly. He gave an exclama- tion of impatience and called sharply into the transmitter. “Ves,” Lansing and Granger heard him say, “yes, this is Griscom. What? Sure I'll talk to him. All right.” He glanced. around at the two men, grimaced significantly and then turned back to the transmitter. “Ves—oh yes, your excellency. Eh— what? Say that again. Yes, go on. Yes. ay CS eae SOE. es tee Thank you very much. I'll attend to it at once.” He-wheeled around from the telephone, then turned to it again. | “Oh, your—who is this? Jackson! Say, Jackson, take every man you have in your office and beat it around to No. 10 Touro Place. Go right in. If the door is locked, smash it in. Get in some way. I'll be there, maybe before you.” He let the receiver drop and faced about. ‘Come! ” he cried. “Did you hear—” Lansing’s voice ing out at the door, beckoning to Granger and Lansing. ‘‘Hurry you two. Get into my car.”” He climbed in himself and told the chauffeur the address, No. 10 Touro Place. 7 ‘What is it?” asked Granger. “Yes, in God’s name, what is it?”’ chimed in Lansing. ‘Speak, please.”’ _ “Why,” replied Griscom, as the car raced down Bellevue Avenue. ‘‘That was one of the ambassadors who live here. He told me that his conscience had been troubling him so that he was almost insane with worry. It seems that Apponnetti and an- other man had taken Miss Granger to his summer home, and that they had com- pelled him to vacate under threat of expos- ing some state secrets which were known to Apponnetti. “Yielding to his fear of getting into trouble with his government he had left the house, but now, fearing foul play was in- tended, he had decided to risk Apponnetti’s vengeance and inform the secret service of the danger. Now that’s all I know,” con- cluded Griscom. “But,” he added grimly, “we'll know more in a moment. We're al- most there.” Lansing saw things in a blaze of red. What had happened to Helen? She had been in this house many hours. He groaned aloud in his anguish, and when the car stopped with a jerk in front of the am- bassador’s pretty cottage he was so weak and spent with worry that he almost tot- tered as he stepped out. But only for a minute. Granger and Griscom and the chauffeur, all three with drawn revolvers, rushed against the door, | crashing their shoulders upon the panels. But it was heavy and did not yield. At the side of the porch, however, was a window and Griscom leaning out from the railing kicked out the pane with his shoe. The next instant he was crawling through, followed by his chauffeur, Granger and last of all Lansing, who had recovered and was now filled with the vigor of a rag-. ing bull. The room was a sort of parlor and with just a glance to note that it was empty, the leaders rushed into the hall. The door op- posite was closed and Lansing, pushing it open, and calling loudly for Helen found that pushing. It was as though some object were block- Co OO im SS 165 thrilled. But the detective was fast hasten- it yielded only through vigorous” C@©