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v* MILLION DOLLAR MYSTIC WOO FOR iOO WORDS, * The Million Dcilci hlysicry" sisry «t'il tr» /•-r iwenly-rtcc eanseeutire weeks ' n this pep tt. By an .wrasigemmt with the Thanhouser Film ntmpany it has lava e passible not only to read the storp ia this paper but oh o to see it each week in the curious Rioting picture ihcc.tvr*. the eolation cf this mystery story SIO.OOC still be given by the Thanhouser l'at corporative. I CON Dir: OX S GOVERNING THE CONTEST. The prize of SIO,OOO will he icon by the icon, ir<jtu<in, or child who w* r cs the most acceptable solution of the mystery, from which the last two reels of motion picture dr-MM will be made and the last two chap lets of the story written by Harold 1 hiacGrath. Solutions may be sent to the Than housvr Film corporation, eif'er at Chicago or Netc York, any time up to midnight, Jan. 14. This allows several weeks after the last chapter has been published •A board of three judges will determine which of the many solutions received is the ; most acceptable. The judges are to be Harold UacGrath, Lloyd Lonergan, and Hiss Mae Tinee. The judgment of this 1 board will be absolute and final. Nothing of a literary nature tcill be considered in • the decision, nor given any preference in the selection of the winner of the fIO,OOO price. The last two reels, which will give 1 the most acceptable solution to the mys tery, will be presented in the theaters i honing this feature as soon as it is pos | sible to produce the same. The story corre sponding to these motion pictures will ap pear in the newspapers coincidentally, or as soon after the appearance of lae pic tures as practicable. With the lest two reels utill be shown the pictures of the win ner, his or her heme, and other interesting ; features. It is understood that the news papers, so far as practicable, in printing the last two chapters of the story by Har -1 old IfaoGrath, will also show a picture of the successful contestant. 1 Solutions to the mystery must not be 1 more than 100 words long. Here are some \ questions to be kept in mind tn connection toith the mystery as an aid to a solution : No. I—What1 —What becomes of the millionaireT No. S —What becomes of the $1,000,0001 No. S—Whom does Florenoe morryf No.i —What becomes of the Russian countess? Nobody connected either directly or in directly with “ The Million Dollar Mys tery " will be considered os a contestant. SYNOPSIS OP PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. Stanley Hargreiive, millionaire, after a miraculous eacape from the den of the gang of brilliant thieves known as the Black Hundred, lives the life of a recluse for eighteen years. Hargreave acci dentally meets Dralne, leader of the Black Hundred. Knowing Rralne will to get him he escapes from his own home by a balloon. Before escaping he writes a letter to the girls' school, where eighteen years before he mysteri ously left on the doorstep hla baby daughter, Florence Gray. That day Hargreave also draws one million dol lars from the bank, but It Is reported that this dropped Into the sea, when the balloon be escaped In was punctured. Florence arrives from the girls’ school. Countess Olga. Bralnc’s companion, vis its her and claims to be a relative. Two v bogus detectives call, but their plot Is foiled by Norton, a newspaper man. By bribing the captain of the Orient 1 Horton lays a trap for Bralne and hla gang. Countess Olga also visits the Ori ent’s captain and she easily falls Into the reporter’s snare. The plan proves abor tive through Bralne's good luck, and only hirelings fall Into the hands of the police. After falling la their first attempt the Black Hundred trap Florence. They ask her for money, but she escapes, again . dolling them. i Norton and the countess can on Flor ence the next day, once more aafe at home. The visitors having gone. Jones removes a section of flooring, and from a cavity takes a box. Pursued by mem bers of the Black Hundred, be rushes to the water front and auceeeda In dropping j the box Into the sea. | Bralne conceives the Idea of giving a < coaching party, to which Florence la In { vrtted. Jones and Norton both go along and are ffetunately on hand to save Florence from being Imprisoned In the country house to which she Is lured. ( Florence goes horseback riding and la captured by one of Bralne’s men along the roadside. Norton rescues her. They err pursued, however, aad the pair make "their complete escape only after Norton has exploded a tire on the fast approach ing machine with a bullet. , CHAPTER VIII. : c**" THE WILES OF A WOMAN. AFTER the affair of the aoto bandits— three of whom were killed—a lull fol lowed. If you're a sailor you know what kind of a 101 l I mean: bio e-black doudu down the southwest horizon, the water crinkly, the booms wabbling. Suddenly a series of “ accidents ” began to happen to Norton. At first he did not give the matVr much thought The safe which fell almost at Ua feet and crashed through the sidewalk merely induced him to believe be was lucky- At an other time an automobile came furiously ground a corner while he waa crossing the street, and only amazing agility saved him from bodily hurt. The car was out of sight when be thought to recall the number. Then came the Jolt in the subway. Only a desperate grab by one of the guards saved him from being crushed to death. Even then he thought nothing. But when a new box of cigareta arrived and be tried one and fonnd It strangely perfumed, and. upon further analy sis fonnd it to contain a Javanese narcotic, a alow but sore death, he became wide awake •nough. They were after him. lie began to walk carefully, to keep in public places as oft’n as he possibly could. TTc was not really afraid of d«ath. but be did nbbor the thought of its coming up from behind. Except for the cigar ct* they were ail " accidents "; he could not have proved any thin? before a jury of his intimate friends. He never entered an elevator without scru pulous care. He neTer passed under coverings over the sidewalks where construction was going on. Still, careful as he was, death con fronted him once more. It was his habit to have his coffee and rolls—he rarely ate any thin? more for his breakfast —set down out side his door every morning. The coffee, being in a silver thermos bottle, kept its heat for hours. When he took the stopper out and poured forth a cup it looked oddly black, dis colored. It is quite probable that had there been no series of “ accidents ” he would have drunk a cup—and died in mortal agony. It contained bichloride of mercury. Very quietly he set about to make inquiries. This was really becoming serious. In ths kitchens downstairs nothing could be learn d. The maid had set the thermos bottle before the door at 10:30. Norton had opened the door at I:3o—three hours after. The outlook was not the cheerfulcst. He knew perfectly well why all these things “ happened ” : he had interfered with the plans of the scoundrels who were making every possible move to kidnap Florence Hargreavc. One afternoon he paid Florence a visit. Of course he told her nothing. They had become, secretly engaged the day after he had rescued her from the auto bandits. They were secretly engaged because Florence wanted it so. For once Jones suspected nothing. Why should he? He had troubles enough. As a matter of fact, Norton was afraid of Jones. He was afraid of him in the same sense as a boy is afraid of a policeman. But on this day, when the time came, he accosted the butler and drew him into the pantry. I.NEVER. W THATRJNQBEFORE* “ Jones, they are after me now." “You? Explain.” Norton briefly recounted the deliberate at tempts against his life. “ You see, I'm not liar enough to say that Fm not worried. I am, devilishly worried. I'm not worth any ransom. I’m in the way, and they seem determined to put me out of it” “To any other man I would say travel. But to you I say when you leave your rooms don’t go where you first thought you would—that is, some usual haunt They’ll be everywhere, pear your restaurants, your clubs, your office. You’re a methodical young man; become er ratic. Keep away from here for at least three days, but always call me tip by telephone some time daring the day. Never under any cir cumstance, unless I send for you, eorae hefk> at night Only one man now watches the bouse daring the day, but five are prowling around after dark. They might have instructions to shoot you on sight 1 can’t spare yon jost at present Mr. Norton. You’ve been a godsend ; and if it seems that sometimes I did not trust you fully it was because I did not care to drag yon in too deep.” Deep? Norton thought of Florence and smiled inwardly. Oould anybody be in deeper than he was? Once it was on the tip of his tongue to confess his love for Florence, but tbe gravity of Jones’ countenance was an ob stacle to such move; it did not invite It. T*o be sure, Jones had no real authority to •ay what Florence sbonld or should not do with her heart. Still, from all points of view, it was better to keep the affair under the rose till there came a more propitious hour in which to make the disclosure. Rove, in the midst of all these alarms! Sharp, desperate rognea on one side, millions on the other, and yet lore could enter the scene serenely, like an actor who had missed his cue and came on too soon. Oddly enough, there was no real lovemaking such as you often rend about. A pressure of tbe band, a glance from tbe eye, there was seldom anything more. Only once—that mem orable day on the river road —bad he kissed her. No word of love had been spoken on either side. In that wild moment all coriv. n ttonalities had disappeared like smoke in the wind. There bad been neither past nor future, only the present in which they knew that they loved. With her he was happy, for he had no time to plan over the future. Away from her he saw the inevitable barriers providing against the marriage between & poor young man and a very rich younf woman. A man who has any respect wants always to be on equal terms with his wife, financially more than in any other thing. It's the way this peculiar organization called Society has writ ten down it rules. Doubtless a relic of tho stone age, when Ab went out with his club to seek a wife and drag her by the hair to his den, and there to care for her and to guard her with his life's blood. It is one of the few primitive s nsntions that remain to us, this wanting the female dependent upon tire male. Perhaps this accounts for man's lack of inter est on the suffraget question. Only Susan suspected the true state of af fairs, being a woman. Having had no real romance herself, she delighted in having a sec ond hand one, as you might sny. She Inter cepted many a glunce and pretended not to see the stolen hand pressures. The wedding was already full drawn in her miud's eye. These two young people should be married at Susan Farlow’s when the roses wore climbing up the sides of the house and the young robing were boldly trying their fuzzy wiugg. It struck her as rather strange, but she could not conjure up (at this wedding) more than two men besides the minister, the bridegroom, and the butler. By forsaking his accustomed haunts, under the advice of Jones, the hidden warfare ceased temporarily. You can’t very well kill a man when you don't know where to find him. lie ate his breakfasts haphazardly, now here, now there. He received most of his assignments by telephone and wrote his stories and articles in his club, in the writing rooms of hotels, and invariably dispatched them to the office by messenger. The managing editor wanted to know wbat all this meant; but Norton de clined to tell him. It irked him to be forced to rearrange his daily life—bis habits. It was a revolution against his ease, for he loved ease when he was not at work. He had the sensation of having been sudd'nly robbed of bis home, of having been cast ont into the streets. And on top of all this be had to go and fall in love! , There was no longer a shadow opposite the apartments of the Princess Perigoff. I’ralne came and went nightly without discovering any one. This rather worried him. It gave him the impression that the shadow had found out what he had been seeking and no longer needed to watch the coming and goiDg of cither himself or the Countess Perigoff. “ Olga, it looks as if we were at the end of our rope,” he said diseouragcdly. “We have failed in ull attempts so far. The devil watches over that girl.” “Or Cod," replied the countess gloomily. “In nearly every instance their success has been due to chance. Somehow I’m convinced that we began wrong. We should have let llargreave escape quietly, followed him, and made him fast when the right opportunity came. After a month or so his vigilance would have relaxed; b» would have arrived at the belief that he bad eluded us.” “ Indeed!" ironically. “He wasn’t vigilant all these years In which he did elude us. now about the child he never sought but guarded? Vigilance! He never was anything else all these seventeen years. The truth is, success has develop'd a coarseness in our methods. And now it b. too late for finesse.. We have tried every device we can think of; and there they are—the girl free, Norton unharmed, and the father as secure in his retreat as though he wore an invisible cloak. My head aches. I have ceased to be inventive.” , “The two are In love with each other.” ” Arc you sure of that?" “ I have my eyes. But I begin to wonder.” “ About what?" “ Whether or not Jones suspects me and is giving me rope to hang myself with. Not ones have the police been called in and told what has really happened. They are totally at sea. , And what has become of the man over the way?” “By the Ix>rd Harry!” exclaimed Brnine, clapping his hands. “I believe I've solved that. We shot a man coming out of nar greave’s. Since then there's been no one across the way. One and the same man !” “ But that knowledge doesn’t get us any where.” “ No. lon sny they are in love?” " Secretly. 1 don't believe the butler has an inkling of it. It is possible, however, that Susan has caught the trend of affairs. Rut, being rather romantic, she will in no wise interfere.” Brnine smoked in silence. Presently a smile twisted his lips. .twos* A' bit tv . “Yon have thought of aomethlng?” sb» asked. “ You might try it,” he said. "They havs accepted your friendship; whether with ulte rior purpose remuins to he learned. She has been to yonr apartments two or three times to tea and always got home safely." “ No,” she said determinedly. Nothing shall happen here. I will not take the risk.” “ Wait till I’m through. Break up the ro mance in such a way that the girl will liar Norton from the house. That's what we’ve been aiming at; to get rid of that meddling reporter. We’ve tried poisons. Try your kind.” “ What do you mean V “ Lisa." “Ah! I understand. You want me to wlo him away from her. It cannot be done.” “ Pshaw! You have a bag full of tricks. You can easily manage to put him into an equivocal position out of which he caunot pos sibly squirm so far as the girl is concerned. A little melodrama, arranged for the benefit of Florence. Fall into Norton's arms at tho right moment, or something like that.” “ I snppose T could. But it I failed ..." “ You're too damnably clever to fall In your own particular work. Something has got to be done to keep thoae two apart. I've often thought of raiding tho house boldly and carry ing off the whole family, Susan and nil. But a wholesale affair like that would be too noisy. Think It over, Olga; we have gone too far to back down now. There's always Russia; and while I'm the boss over here they never cease to watch me. They'll make me answer for a failure like this.” Sbe eyed him speculatively. “ You bavis money.” “O, the money doesn't matter. It's the game. It’s the game of playing fast and loose with Society, of pilfering it with one band and making it kow-tow with the other. It’s the sport of tbe thing. What was your thought?” “We could go away together, to South America,” “ And tire of each other within a month,” he retorted shrewdly. “ No; we are in the same boat. We eonld not live but for this never ending ncilem- nt. And, more than that, we never could get far enough away from tbe long arm of the First Ten. Well have to stick it out here. Can’t you see?” “Yes, I ran a**.” But in her heart »he knew that she could have lived in a hut with tliie. man till the end of her days. She abhorred the life, though she never, by tbe sligbleat word, let him becous aware of it. ‘There was always that abiding fear that at the first sign of weakness he would desert her. And she was wise in her deductions. Braine was loyal to her because she held his interest. Once that failed, he would be off and away. The next afternoon the conntess, having matured her plans against the happiness of the young girl who trusted her, drew up be fore the llargreave place and a lighted. Her welcome was the snme ns ever, and this strengthened her confidence. The countess was always gesticulating. Her hands fluttered to emphasize her words. And the beautiful diamond solitaire caught the gill's eye. She seized the hand, liming an affair of her own, it was natural that she should he interested in that of her frieod. “ I never saw that ring before.” “ A gift of yesterday.” The countess as sumed a shy air which would have deceived St Anthony. She twisted the ring on her finger. “ Tell me 1” cried Florence. “ You are en gaged r “ Mercy, no!” ( “ Is he rich?” “ No. Money should not matter when your heart is involved.” As this thought was In accord with her own, Florence nodded her head Hagcly. “It is nothing serious. Just a fancy. I shall never marry again. Men are gay de ceivers; they always have been and always will be. Perhaps I'm a bit wicked; but I rather like to prove my theory that ail men are weak. If I had a daughter I'd rather have her be an old man’s darling than a young man's drudge. I distrust every man I know. I came to ask yon and Susan tn go to the opera with me tonight. You will come to my apartments first You will come?” “To be sure we will! " “Simple little fool!" thought the Russian on the way home. “ Sbe shall see.” “ 1 believe the countess Is engmged to be married,” said Florence to Jones. , » / “ Indeed, miss?" d f “ Yes. I couldn't get anything definite ont of her, hut she had a beautiful ring on her finger. She wants Susan and me to go to the opera with her tonight Will that be all right?” Jones gnus! abstractedly nt the rug. Wh-n --ever a problem bolhered him he seemed to find tbe solution in the delicate pattern* of the Persian rugs. Finally be nodded. “ I see no reason why you should not go. Only, watch out." “ Jones, there la one thing that will make me brave and happy. Will you tell me if you .Are In direct communication with my father?" “ Yes, Mis* Florence,” he answered prompt ly. “ But do not breathe this to a single soul, neither Susan nor Norton.” “ I promise thnt. But, ah! hasten the day when he can come to me without fear." “That is my wish also." “ You need not call m» miss. Why shonld yon?" “It might not he wise to have any one hear me call you thus familiarly,” be objected gravely. *" Please yourself about that Now I must telephone Jim.” ~ - HAROLD MCGRATH “Jim?” the butler murmured. 1 He caught the word which was not intended for his cars. But for once Jones had been startled out of himself. “Is it wrong for me to call Mr. Norton Jim?” she asked with a bit of banter. ; “ It is not considered quite the proper thing, Miss Florence, to call a young man by his first name unless you are engaged to marry him, or grew up with him from childhood.” “ Well, supposing I were engaged to him?” haughtily, f “ That would be a very grave affair. What have you to prove that he may not wish to marry you for your money?” “ Why, Jones, yon know that I haven't a penny in the world I can call my own! There is nothing to prove, except yonr word, that I am Stanley Ilargreavc’s daughter.” “ No, there is nothing to prove that yon are. his daughter. But hasn’t it ever occurred to you that there might be a purpose back of this? Might it not be of inestimable value that your father's enemies should be left in doubt? Might it not be a means of holding them on the lensh? There is proof, ample proof, my child; and when the time rrnnri; these will be shown you. But meantime put all thought of marrying Mr. Norton out 0 1 your head.” i "That I refuse to do,” quietly. “I am at least mistress of my heart; and no one rimtl dictate to me whom I shall or shall not marry. 1 I love Mr. Norton and he loves me, knowing that I may not be an heiress after all. And some day I shall marry him." ‘| Jones bowed. This seemed to appear <lw«f j to him, and nothing more was to be said. i Norton did not return to his rooms till He found the telephone call and also a note in a handwriting nnfsmilrar. He tore off the envelope and found the contents to be from the Countess Perigoff. m ) "Call at 8 tonight,” he read. “I bar* an important news story for yon. Tell no one, as I cannot be involved in the case. Cordially, Olga, Countess Perigoff." .j ITnraph! Norton twiddled the note tn his fingers and at length rolled it into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket He. too, made a mistake: he should have kept that note. He dressed, dined, and hurried off to the apart ments of the countess. He arrived ten minutes before Florence and Susan. And Jones did some rapid telephoning. 1 “ How long, how long! ” the butler mur mured. How long would this strange combat last? The strain was terrific. He slept but little during the nights, fpr his ears were always waiting for sounds. He bad cast the chest into the sea, and It wonld take a dozen expert dlvere to locate it And now, atop of all these worries, the child most fall in love with the first comer! It was heartbreaking. Norton, so far as he had learned, was cool and brave, honest and reliable in a pinch ; but as the husband of Stanley Uargreave's daugh ter, thnt was altogether a different matter. And he must deviae some means of patting a stop to it but y But be was saved that trouble, ' . J Mongoose and cobra, that wan tbs game bo ing played; the cunning of the ons tee*, the deadly venom of the other. If ho forced (natters be won hi only lay himsalf open to tho strike of the snake. Ho must hove pothanoo. Gradually they were breaking tho organiza tion, lopping off a bfanch here and there, but, the peace of the future depended upon getting a grip on the spine of the cobra himself. 1 The trick was simple. The countess had news; tmst her for that. She exhibited a cablegram, dated at Gibraltar, in which the ; British authorities stated definitely that no such a person as William Orta, aviator, had j arrived at Gibraltar. And then, an he rna* : she rose also and gently precipitated herself into his arms, just at the moment IfT rrngs 1 appeared in the doorway. ■ Very simple, indeed. When n woman fa Urn toward a man there is nothing for him to (Iqß but extend his arms to prevent her from faD-4 ing. Outwardly, however, to the eye which ] saw only the picture and comprehended not the cause, it bad all the hallmarks of an affectionate embrace. j Florence stood perfectly still for a moment, then turned away. * J I “I te* your pardon!" said the coantes* " but a sudden fainting spell seized me. My, heart is a bit weak." J “ Don’t mention It," replied the gallant Nor ton. H« was as innocent as s babe as to what had really taken place. Florence went back home. She wrote a brief note to Norton and inclosed the ring which she bad secretly worn attached to a little chain around her neck. When Norton came the next day she refused to see him. It was all over. She never wished to see him again. " He says there has been pome cruel mis take," said Jones. “ I saw him with the counmsa In his arm* Ido not sec any cruel mistake in that I saw him. Tell him so. And add that I neves wish to sec him again.” f Then she ran swiftly to her room, where she broke down and cried bitterly and wonld not be comforted by Busan. “ In heaven's name,” demanded the frantic lover, “ what has happened?” The comedy of the whole affair lay in the fact that neither of the two suspected the ceuutess, who consoled them both, -V [TO BE OOPTirtCEDj ) s 4