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PAGE EIGHT THUR & AR REEVE |} 4 B vChapter-X.continued) "How ahout Clare?" returned Ken- nedy. "That's just it," explained Speed. "1 didn't finish down on the Star un- til late and when I rang up her apart- ment I didnt' get any answer, I thought it was strange, for it was too late for her to be out alone and I couldn't get you, either, So I went up there, No one was. about, but from a neighbor 1 learned that a messenger, a man, had been there with a note and I found the note, but nothing else, She must have gone with the messenger. That's what wories me." A I felt that there was indeed good cause for worry, As I tried to check up the time I found. that she must have left some time considerably af- ter we had arrived out at the gam- bling joint. I glanced at Kennedy, His mind was evidently working on' the same line. Could the mysterious message to Thorne and the subse- quent efforts of Breshkaya as well as the fight in the garden. have con- cerned Clare and an attempt to delay us? Mra like to go over to Clare's," decided Craig energetically, no long- er thinking of the lateness or our fatigue, Accordingly it was not many min- utes later that we arrived at the apartment and were admitted hy the hall boy. At once Kennedy began a hasty search. The Jetter for the present at least, offered no help. But it was not long before Kennedy had brought to light one very significant thing. Clare's maid had disappeared, Search af the maid's room disclos- ed that she had left in a great hurry, also. She had not had time to re- move her effects yet she had evident- ly taken what she considered most valuable, Everything indicated that she had gone in haste, perhaps ex- pecting never to return. It was omi- nous. On the other hand, there was every evidence that Ciare had also left in haste with the expectation of coming back again soon. Kennedy turned his attention more particularly to the maid's room and there began a more minute search. An exclamation from him attracted our attention, There tucked away in a corner of a hureau drawer he had discovered six loaded cartridges. Speed examined them. "From Clare's gun that I gave her," he ex- claimed, Kennedy by this time had apturn- ed a small box of blanks. As we looked at them to our amaze- ment so much was evident. The maid must have been in the secret employ of the Black Menace. She had taken out the real cartridges from Clare5s pistol and had substi- tuted blanks. Another search of Clare's room showed that the pistol was gone. Clearly she must have taken it to pro- tect herself. The deduction was easy. Some- how she had been trapped, drawn in- to an amush as it were in an attack of some kind. The substituted blanks had left her helpless. What might have happened to her? There was no clue! CHAPTER 11 THE FORGED NOTE Morning came but with it no word yet from Clare. Nor was there any clue as to the whereabouts of Minnie Oakleigh, if, by ehance the use of her name might have meant any- thing, Telegraphic inguiry develop- |ka ed that she had left Palm Beach three days before. She had had plenty of time to reach New York, yet we knew that she was mot at home. What were we to do? Quickly Kennedy reviewed the events of the previous might. "One thing stands out," he remark- ed, "Somehow, I'm convinced that there was an effort to keep us out at Heaton Hills while Clare was carried off. And Breshkaya knolvs more about it than we think. I can't see anything to do but to watch her. We borrowed a roadster from Speed, accordingly, and instituted a very quiet and careful shadowing of Breshkaya. Evidently her perturb- ation out at the Mansion of Mystery the night of the kidnapping had some meaning and y was deter- mined to discover what it was. We found out that she lived in a very fashionable apartment om Cen- tral Park West, and took up a posi- tion on the cormer below it where we could see without being seen. There was, of course, the front en- trance, but there was also a back en- trance, but there was also a back en- knew that we would have to watch both, if she suspected that someone From our point of . vantage we could see both entrances, and if she left by the front entrance she need never know we were watching; if by the back entrance, she might see us) it we did not catch sight of her first, But there was no evidence that she even suspected that she was be- ing watched. It was very quiet ahout her apartment, yet I was gure that the quietness was only on the surface, The lohger we watched the more convinced we were that we were at last on the right itrack. Breshkaya |was very excited over something. No one who has never been upon a shadowing job knows the difficulty of even such a simple task as we had get ourselves. It is most irksome to keep one's attention glued on one spot and at the same time be aler: for other things that way happen. Even if the person shadowed does not know it, he may slip ont in just that instant of relaxation, and once out, your attention being fixed rather on the entrance, than the street a couple of houses away, the quarry is as good as gone, Accordingly Ken- nedy and I took turns in watching the entrances and we knew that she had not got away. It was early in the forenoon that we were rewarded by seelug Bresh- kaya's speedster driven up to the door by her chauffeur, who entered. Breshkaya came eut hurriedly, dis-| missed the driver, who turned to walk back to the garage, and shot away in the big car alope., But we 'were prepared. Our engine was already running and our car was after her in a moment, It was a hard chasé through traffic up -town at just that hour, but we managed to stick to her, in spite of traffic police, until she turned down to the Fort Lee Ferry. Then I be-| gan to have doubts of our ability to hang on to her without being seen, { However, Kennedy managed to| jockey his car about at the ferry, | which fortunately was walting, in| such a way that we went on the op- | posite side of the boat from her, | back of her in position, and separated by the middle partition, Again at the other side when she struck off from the ferry and up the hill we got away with out being ob- served in the press of cars, and we nosed along behind her for some miles, until it was evident that she was taking the road that led up the Hudson. "The worst is over now, I hope," he remarked, as we spun along after her speedster, which she handled very deftly, showing that she was no slouch of a driver herself, On she reeled off the miles, town after town, and we managed to keep pretty close to her, without missing her once. It was just a bit easier too, because she was sticking to the generally travelled road up through Jersey to New York, along the river. It was a beautiful ride. but we had no time to waste on the pleasure of it, for we had to keep that car in sight. As the miles piled up, at last it became evident that she was bound somewhere in the direction of the State Park along the Highlands. We stuck along after her, neither of us saying much, for we were sure, by this time, that it had something to| do with the Black Menace, or at] least, and perhaps better with the | whereabouts of Clare. We entered the State park, as wel had anticipated, but there was no| slackening of the pace for Bress- | ya. She was making splendid time now ! over the State road through the] park, when it seemed that there was | some engine trouble. She stopped short, and Kennedy had mot the time to stop and wait behind her, un- noticed. A quick decision must be made. If we passed her, the chances were all in favor of her seeing and recogmiz- ing us, if indeed she did not appeal | to us, as the first motorists for as- sistance. If we stopped she would infallibly see us. There was just one chance. Be- tween us was a dirt cross road, per- haps a hundred feet behind her. Kennedy swung and turned down it. "Confound her!" he muttered. I looked sidewise out of the cor- ner of my eye as our top cut us off from her sight. She had climbed out from behind her wheel and, as luck would have it, just at the moment that we turned she was looking back to see if anyone was coming. There was not, as far as I could see, any sign of recognition, but then the wo- man was too clever to have given it if she had so chosen. I tried to reassure Kennedy, but he was not to be comvinced. * saw us all right," he insisted. "Don't fool yourself." He st d down the cross road and pulled back to the main road stopping short of coming up to it, where we could be seen again beyond a country hedge. : "Go ahead on foot, Walter," he de- manded. "Don't let her see you looking, but find out whether she is there yet. 1 doubt it. And, if it comes to a mere test of speed, her car can out run this." : I jumped out and ahead, peering about and through way she had gone. Only some simple ad- justment must have beem necessary, or perhaps nothing at all. "We've lost her this time," growl- ed Kennedy, in vexation, as he shot the car ahead and around almost on two wheels into the main road again, and away. As he expected, at the next fork in she had arrived so far us that not even a trace of was to be seen. We looked up. were signs that read "Two Rockeliff," and "Three miles Nightsville," Which way had she » I t i y did mot waste time de- hich of the two choices to 1H) ] the 'right, and "we found that this road did indeed skirt close road, though high up. down to the river. had gone on up the river further or whether she had turned down one 'all now, She was even too clever to lleave the tell-tale low-hanging cloud [of dust on a side road, showing that a car had passed, OSHAWA, ONTARIO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1922 to the There were several roads that ran But whether she of the roads there was no clue at "I'm sure I'm right," murmured Kennedy. "But Breshkaya has es- caped us." He pursued ahead a couple of miles, but it was apparent that we were now getting nowhere, Nothing but a thorough search of the neigh- borhood of the river from this point on up, would be likely to net us any- thing and for that we were not im- mediately prepared, "It's a clue, though!" he cried, try- ing cheerfully to huoy up my own flagging spirits. "Suppose that somewhere in this wild region about Rockeliff there may be a hut or shanty on the mountainside which is really a secret hiding place? Could it not be that it is there that Clare has been ahducted" There was nothing to do but to return to the city for the present, meet Speed, and prepare for a more thorough search of thé region. Re- luctantly we turned back, while Ken- nedy devised means of prosecuting the search, ' Jvidently there was more than the Mystery Mansion to the Black Men- ace hand. And as we returned 1 re- flected on what small value it geemed to be, even to catch ope of the band, when no sooner was he caught than his lips were sealed, as in the case of Werner, his master had received a note from | night. The writing is not even the a Mrs. Oakleigh and had just left to same. A clever ruse, but it 18 a keep an appointment, false scent--a trap.' "Where's the note?" demanded| Wwe waited anxiously. There was Kennedy, Who by this time was be-|not a chance that we might get to coming suspicious of all sérvants. |the station in time to catch Jack. The valet opened a small writing |If he got away on the train, we might desk and took it out, "Just after he|catch him af* the Kastbury station left," he added, handing the note in time to prevent any actual harm, to us, "Mr. Ravenal came in. He|put it meant that he was unable to asked where Mr, Speed was, just as |help us for some hours on our Rock- you did, and I told him. He shook [cliff hunt, and hours were precious his head and hurried away." at that, ie aedy vend the note quickly. The telephone rang and Kennéay Ay : seized it. Not only by the staccato You can learn something to your conversation, but by the look of re- advantage by meeting me out at the |jjef on his face, I knew that his Trocadero Inn at Rastbury. prompt measures had been in time, "Minna Oakleigh." It was Speed, and he was now on his As he read it, Kennedy studied |Way back to us, the note critically, "Why should It was a sheer piece of luck that anyone be trying to get him out on |We had prevented Jack from follow- Long Island, when we know'--He | Ing the false clue that might have checked himself hefore he said "oe | Tr him diregtly into danger, The thing before James, "Where did Mr, | Trocadero Inn was a place to watch, Speed go?" but not now, He was saved for the "To the train, Sir," replied the real search, They had almost got valet, "You had his roadster, and |him--but not quite, the other car is laid up today." A quarter of an hour later Jack Kennedy seized the telephone and | burst in on us, all excitement and culled the station. There was still | Kennedy rapidly told what we had a minute or two before the Kasthury uncovered. " train pulled out. KFrantically he cal- Then let us search up there, led and finally managed to have a|cried Speed, as we concluded the porter sent down to pass through | Story of trailing Breshkaya, to his the train with a message to Speed, |dMmazement, it he were on it. in Ji ee} you 8 the Jzboratopy , . Yani an hour," planne ennedy. "Why the haste?" 1 asked Craig, "If it is to be a Wn search he when the valet left the room onj ,..inine I want to take along. You some errand, [bring the roadster up, Jack," He pointed to the note. "A for- There was a tap at the door. gery," he commented, pulling anoth- | wag Ravenal, er from his pocket. "Here's the, It bustling and import- It seemed almost as though our very absence from the city was doomed to bring disaster, either to Clare or someone connected with her, When we returned our first im- pulse was to seek out Speed and tell him what we had uncovered. We called up the Star but they told us that he had not been there, It seem- ed strange, for in his hunt for Clare one would 'have thought that he would take advantage, first of all, ot his newspaper connection. Indeed, If I had not considered that that would have been done by him, I should have gone down to the Star myself. We lost no time in hustling around to his apartment. There we found Would you avold your annual attack of Hay-Fever or Summer Asthma ? The remedy is simple, easily taken and harmless, RAZ-MAH is a small capsule readily swallowed, if it is Hay-Fever, do not wait for the disease to develop, Check it before it starts, RAZ. MAH has helped thousands and will help you. At your druggist's, AL Guaranteed to relieve or money refunded, Sold by dury & Lovell, Druggists, Oshawa - : ~- » 0 -- ~CHEWING E----TOBACCC Yes Sir-e-! Two p 25 cts.! too! better . some You never chew It's real sure as you're a foot high Try it -- that's all Pve got to say 3 , _--_-- 8 hig valet, James, who told us that! message that was gent to Clare last| '"So--You're back" asked, catching sight. of Speed. . "I came here to tell you that I had a brand new clue, but James said you had gone. Then I tried to beat you to the station, but I must have missed you, though I had your name paged. I'm off for a day or so on this thing," added Ravenal rather proudly. "Per- haps I may be wrong, but at least I think I have a hint and I'm going to try it out, If it fails--no matter. If it succeeds, then the credit is mine," Speed shot a quick glance at Ken- nedy; but Kennedy shook his head as if to caution silence, 1 wondered whether, after all there might not be a tinge of professional jealousy in the young detective's nature. One could hardly have blamed. him. To have beaten Kennedy and te have all the credit was surely not to be scorned. 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