Newspaper Page Text
•®MMION DOOM? MYSTM^Haddtfecdth
$ 1 0 000 FOR ONE HUNDRED WORDS.
“ The Million Dollar Mystery ” story
will run for tuyeaty-two consecutive week*
in this paper. By an arrangement with
the Thanhouncr Film company it has been
made possible not only to read the story
in this paper but algo to tee it each w>erk
in the various moving picture theaters.
For tht solution of this mystery story
SIO,OOO will be given by the Thanhouser
Film corporation.
CONDITION B GOVERNING THE
COX TEST.
The prize of SIO,OOO will be won by the
man, woman, or child who writes the most
acceptable solution of the mystery, from
which the last two reels of motion picture
drama u ill be made and the last two
chapters of the story written by Harold
MacGrath.
Solutions may be sent to the Than
houser Film corporation at 5 South War
bash avenue, Cnicago, 111., or Thanhouser
Film corporation, 71 West Twenty-third
Street, New York City X. Y. any time up
to midnight, Jan. llf, 1916. This allows
several weeks after the lust chapter has
been published.
A board of three fudges will determine
which of the many solutions received is the
most acceptable. The judges are to be
Harold MacOrath, Lloyd t.onergan, ami
Miss Mae Tince . The judgment of this
Stanley Ilarurenve, millionaire, after
• miraculous escape from the den of
the of hrlllinut thieves known as
the lllark Hundred, lives the life of a
recluse for eliihteen years. Ilargrenve
accidentally meets Hralae, leader of the
Black Hundred. Ksoulng Ursine vtlll
try to set him, he escapes from hl« own
home by a balloon. Before earaplns he
write* a letter to the sir!*’ school
where rlshteen years before he mys
teriously left on the doorstep his baby
dun* liter, Florence Gray. That day
llarsrenve also draws 91,000,000 from
the hank, but It Is reported that this
dropped Into the sea when the balloon
he escaped In was punctured.
Florence arrives from the atria*
S<h"ol. Countess Olga, limine'* com
panion, visits her and claims her as a
relative. The Illack Hundred then see
a means of making Florence a target
for their attacks. They are after the
•1,000,000, and llralne, their leader, nets
traps for Florence. The Illack Hun
dred, after a number of attempts, fall,
doe to the wisdom of Jones, the Har
greave butler, and Norton, a newspaper
man.
Concealed at the rendesvoua of the
Illack Hundred, a man learns of the re
covery of the box from the sea by a
(Ooryr fhl . 18141 fly HaroM M*e<lr«tli4
CHAPTER XX.
RRAINB TRIE* ANOTHER WB4RIH.
. p-- i HAT I want now," Raid Brnlne,
**\ A / rr he pwrod tliß living room of
Y Y thn aptrtmßnt of tha countess,
“Ir revenge. I’ve been check
mated enough, Olga; they're playing with
UR ”
•* That 1« nothing now,” she replied. ahrug-
King. “At tha beginning I warned you. I
tvRVRr liked thia affair after tha flr»t two or
three failiirrß. But you would have your
way. You wanted revenge at that early
date; bat 1 cannot are thnt you’ve gone for
ward. Haa It ever occurred to you that tha
organisation may be getting tired, too? Tney
depend aolely upon yonr Invention, and each
time your Invention baa reaultad In touching
nothing but aero.”
“Thank*!”
“O, I’m not chiding you. I’ve failed, too."
“Are you turning ngainat meJ" he de
manded bitterly.
"Do my actlona point that way I" aha
countered. ” No. But the more I view what
haa pa need the more d tehee rteued I grew.
It haa hern a aeriea of blind alleya, and all
wa have aucccedeJ In doing la knocking our
heads. I can see now that all our failurea
are due to one miatake."
“And what the devil la that?” he aaked,
Irritably.
“We were In too much of a hurry at the
beginning, tlargrenve prepared hiiueelf for
Quick action on yonr part.’’
“ And If I had not acted quickly ha would
have atarted auceeaefully on ona of hla world
toura agaiu, and that would have been the
feat of him, and we ehonld never have
learned of the girl'a existence. So tnere’a
, yonr argument.”
“Perhapa you are right. But for all that
we have not played the game with any de
gree of flue»ae."
“Bahl** Brain# lit a cigarette and
amoked nervouely. •• I can't even get rid
of that meddling reporter, lie haa been aa
much to blame for our failurea a> either
Jonea or Hargrcave. I admit that In hla caae
I Judged hastily. 1 believed him to be Jußt
an ordinary newspaper man, and he waa
clever enough to lull my auaplclona. But
I’m going to get him, Olga, even if 1 have to
resort to ordinary gunman trloka. If there'*
any final reckoning, by the Lord Harry, he
ahan't gel a chance In the witneae atand."
“ And 1 begin to think that that little chit
of a girl haa been hoodwink ng me all along.
By the way. did you find out what that let
ter said?' ahe aaked after a pause.
"Letter? What letter?"
She sprang from her chair. "Do you
mean to *ay thnt they have not told you
•bout that?" Olga became greatly excited.
“Explain." he an id.
"Why, I waa at the garden day before
yesterday, and a man approached and aaked
If 1 waa Mias Hargreave. Becoming at once
auspicious that something very important
waa about to happen, I signified that I waa
Miss Hargre&ve. The man slipped a paper
Into my band and hurried off. I took a
quick glance at it and wa* dumfounded to
Sod it utterly blank of writing, At first 1
board wiH he absolute and final. Nothing
of a literary nature will be considered in
the derision, nor given any preference in
the selection of the winner of the SIO,OOO
prize. The last two teels, which will give
the most acceptable solution to the mys
tery, will be presented in the theaters
haring 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 af*er the appearance of the pio
iur*s as practicable. With the last two
feels will be shoum 4 he pictures of the win
ner, his or her home, 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
cld MacOrath, will also show a picture of
the successful contestcnt.
Solutions to the mystery must not be
more than 100 words long. Here are some
questions to be kept in mind in connection
with the mystery as an aid to a solution:
Xo. I—What becomes of the millionaire?
Xo.si What becomes of the $1,000,0001
No.S—Whom does Florence marry t
No. h —What becomes of the Russian
countess f
Nobody eonnected either directly or in
ched ly with “ The Million Dollar Mys
tery ” will be considered as a contestant .
SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
aitllor and of Its subsequent return ta
the bottom of the nea, and he quickly
communicates the fact to Jones. A du
plicate box Is planted and later secured
by the band, but before Its contents are
examined the box mysteriously disap
pears.
Finding himself checkmated at every
turn, llralne endeavors to enmesh the
llnrgresve household In the law In
order to gain free access to the houae.
The timely discovery of the plot by
Norton sets the police at the heels of
the pack and results In a raid on tha
gang's rrndnvous, which, howevar,
proven to be bnrren of results.
The Illack Hundred begin to fear Nor
ton and plun to dispose of him. Again
the unnoticed butler ahowa his hand by
rescuing Norton and defeating Hralne*
llralne and Countess Olga plan dar
ing attempt to capture Florence and
Norton at a masked ball given by Prin
cess I'srlova. They defeat their own
plun by overanxiety.
Ily chance Florence discovers a cave
used by the Illack Hundred. Betnjf sur
prised by members of the hand, she con
ceals herself and then learns of s mys
terious paper which Is of vital Impor
tance to her fathcr'a safety, and at great
risk to herself aecurea the paper.
thought some Joke had been played on me,
then I chanced to remember the invisible Ink
letters you always wrote me. Understanding
that you were to visit the cave In the morn
ing, I had one man at the garden take the
note. And you never got. It!”
“ Some on* ehall pay for this carelessness.
I’ll call up Vroon and Jackson at once. Wait
Just a moment”
He wont to the telephone. A low mutter
ing conversation took place. Olga could hear
little or none of It. When Braine put the
receiver back on the hook bis face was not
pleasant to Rea.
"That girl!”
“ What now?"
“It seems ehe had been out horseback
riding that morning. She had seen one of the
boys cross the field and suddenly disappear;
and she was curious to learn what had be
come of hUn. With hpr usual luck ehe stum
bled on to the method of opening the door
of the cave and went in. She must have been
noalng about. She didn’t have much time,
though, as the boys came up to await me.
Evidently she crawled Into that old chest and
In some Inexplicable manner purloined the
letter from Jackson’s pocket. They left to
rveonnoiter; and It was then that Jackson
discovered his loss. When Florence heard
them returning ehe jumped into the well.
And lived through that tunnel! The devil
U In It!"
“ Or ont of It. since we consider him our
friend."
“And 1 had her In my hands, note and
all!"
“ But with all that water there win not
he any writing left on the letter.”
“ Invisible Ink it generally Indelible and
Impervious to the action of water; at least
the kind 1 nee Is. I’d give a thousand for a
sight of that letter.”
“ And It might be worth a million,” Olga
suggested.
'■ Not the lesat doubt of ft In my mind.
Olga, old girl. It does look as If my star was
growing dim. We'll never get our hands
on that million. I feel It In my bone*. So
let's settle down to a campaign of revenge,
without any furbelow*. I want to twist
Hargreave'* heart before the game winds
up."
"You wish really to Injure her?'
“ I do not wiah to Injure her. Far from
It," lie replied, smiling evilly.
“You want her . . . dead?" whis
pered Olga, paling.
“ Exactly. I want her dead. And so If
all my efforts here come to nothing, so shall
nargresve’s. Ill* millions will become waste
paper to him. That's revenge. The Per
sian peach method."
“ Poison? Yon shall not! Yon shall not
kill her!” vehemently.
"Tender hearted?”
“ No. If I must In the end go to prison,
so be It; but I refuse to die In the chair,”
* Very w ell, then. We shan't kill her,
but we'll make her wish she was dead. I
was only trying to eoe how far you would
go. Tue basket of peaches Is in the hall
way. Every peach Is poisoned. No man in
the country knows more about subtle poisons
than I do. Hare 1 not written books on
tha auhject?” Ironically.
“ And they will trace It back to you in a
Ktraitfht line,” *he warned. “ I will not
have it! M
** I can go elsewhere,” he replied coldly.
“You would leave mo/”
“ The moment y<m cross my w ill,” em
phatically.
It became her turn to pace. Torn be
tween her love of toe man and the danger
which stared her in the face, she wa* for
the time being distracted. All the time he
watched her with malevolent curiosity,
knowing that in toe end she would concur
with his evil plans.
“Very well,” she said finally. “But 11s
..' ’
OONES AND VlENei SERVAN,RUSSIAN MINISTER OF FOUC€,CONSPIRING
TO TRAP &RAINC AND HIS AC-OOMPUCEQ. JL-
ten: we shall be found out. Never doubt
that. Your revenge will cost us both our
lives. I feel it.”
“ Bah! The law will have no hand in my
end. I always carry a peTlet; and that
ring of yours would suffice a regiment. She
will not die. She will merely become a kind
of parnlytic; the kind that can move a lit
tle hut not enough; always wheeled about
In a chair. I'll bring In the peaches; rosy
and downy. One bite, after a given time,
will do the trick. If they suspect and throw
them out we have lost nothing huf‘ the
peaches. A trusted messenger will carry
them to the Hargreave house. And then
we’ll sit down and wait."
Meantime, In the Hhrary of the Hargreave
house, Florence and Jim sere puz/.ling over
——i iIWWi
~ illßiitli
JV J
READS THe BCANIc'sHEeT^QF PAPER.
the blank sheet of paper.
" I’ll wager,” said Jim, “ the water
washed all the writing away. The fir# does
not seem to do any goon. We'll turn it
over to Jones. Jones'll find a way to solve
It. Trust him."
“What are you two chattering about?"
asked Susan, wbo was arranging some flow
ers on the table.
“ Secrets.” said Jim, emlllng.
“ Humph 1"
Susau puttered about for a few minutes
longer, then crossed to the reception room.
Intending to go upstair*. At that moment
the maid was admitting a messenger with
a basket ot fruit.
" For Mis* Hargreave,” said he. He gave
the basket to to* maid, touched his cap
awkwardly, and swung on hi* heel, closing
the door behind him. lie was in a hurry
to deliver another message.
’’ O, what lovely fruit!" cried Susau. paue
ing. “ I'm going to steal one.' she langhed.
She selected a peach and began eating it on
toe way up to her room.
The maid passed on into the library.
“What's this?” inquired Florence, as the
maid held out the basket. She selected a
pencil and was about to set her white teeth
into it when Jim interposed.
“ Wait a moment, dear.” Florence low
ered the peach. Jim turned to the maid.
“Who sent it?”
“ I don’t know, sir. A messenger brought
it, saying it was for Miss Hargreave."
“ Let me see if there is a card.” But Jim
searched in vain for the card of the donor.
At once all his suspicions arose. “ Don’t
touch them. Better let the maid throw them
out. Fruit from unknown persons might not
be the healthiest thing in the world.”
“What do you think?”
“ That in all probability it is poisoned.
But there's no need trying to prove my
theory right or wrong. Ask Jones. He'll
tell you to throw them away.”
“ Horrible! ” Florence shuddered. “ But
they do not want to poison me. I’m too val
uable. They want me alive.”
“ Who can say?” returned Jim gloomily.
“ They may have learned that they cannot
heat us, no matter what card they turn up.
I may be wrong, but take my advice and
throw them away. . . . Good Lord,
what’s that?” startled.
“ Some one cried!”
“ O, Miss Florence!” exclaimed the maid,
terror stricken aa she recalled Susan's act.
"Miss Susan took a peach from the baa
ket and was eating it on the way to her
room I ”
“ Good 'nearens! " gasped Jim. “ I vis
right The fruit was poisoned.”
Jim had bead enough to send for a special
ist he knew. The specialist arrived about
twenty minutes after Susan'* first cry. To
bis keen eya It looked like a certain poison
which had for its basis the venom of the
cobra.
"Will she live?"
”O, yes. But she'll lie a wreck for some
months. Send her to the hospital where I
can visit her frequently. And I'll take that
peach along for analysia. No police affair? "
“ No. We dare not call them in." said
Jim.
“That's yotir affair. I'll send down the
ambulance. Keep her quiet Soell have a
species of paralysis; ?ut that'll work off
under the treatment. A strange business”
“So It is," agreed Jim grimly.
Florence knelt beside her friend's bed and
cried softly.
“ You called me just In time. An hour
later, nothing would have saved her. She
would hare been paralyzed for life.”
Jim accompanied the doctor to the door
and went In search of Jones. He found the
taciturn butler eying the fruit basket, his
face gray aDd drawn, though his eyes blazed
with fury.
“ Poison!”
“A pretty bad poison, too," said Jim. “We
can’t do anything. We’re just got to sit
still. Bnt in the end we’ll get them. That
■he devil . . .
“ No, my friend; that he devil. The woman
1* mad over him and would commit any
crime at his bidding. But this is his work.
We want him. He wasn’t without courage
to send this fruit, knowing that I would
instantly suspect the sender. Yet, I have
no definite proof. I could not hold him in
court In law. He will have bought the
fruit piece by piece, the»basket in a basket
shop. He will have injected the poison
himself when alone. Poor Susan! That
messenger was without doubt some one over
whom he holds the threat of the death chair.
That’s the way he works.”
Jim tramped the room while Jones car
ried the fruit to the kitchen. The butler
returned after a while.
“What about that blank sheet of paper?”
“It has to be dipped into a solution; after
that you can read it by heating. I have
already dipped it into the solution. The
moment the heat leaves the sheet the writ
ing disappears again. The ink is waterproof.
I’ll show you.”
Jones got a candle from the mantle, lit it,
and held the sheet of pnpgr veYy close to
the flame. Gradually, almost imperceptibly,
letters began to form on the blank sheet. At
length the message was complete.
“ Dear Hargreave—The Russian minister
of police is at the Blank hotel under the
name of Henri Servan. He is investigating
the work of the Black Hundred in this coun
try and can free you from their vengeance
if you supply the evidence needed.”
“Now, what evidence can he want?”
asked Jim.
“ Such as will prove Braine an unde
sirable citizen.”
“And then.”
“ Quietly pack him off to Russia, where
he is badly wanted.”
“Who sent this message?”
“ One of our mysterious friend*. We
have a few, as yon already know. But I’ll
go and make this man Servan a visit. I
have seen the real minister, and if this man
is the same one, something of importance
may turn np. I shall want you somewhere
about. Here, I'll let you have this letter.
Remember, heat brings it out and cold air
makes It vanish. Now I’ll go up for a mo
ment to see how that poor girl is getting
along. We are lucky; there's no gainsaying
that”
“ You're a clever man, Jones,” said Jim.
Jones turned upon him, his face grave.
The two men looked steadily Into each
other’s eyes. Jones was first to turn aside
his glance, as he had something to conceal
and Jim had nothing.
When the ambulance took the tortured
Susan away, Jones addressed Florence
gravely.
“ I am going out and so !e Mr. Norton.
Do not leave the house; not even if yon have
a telephone call from me or Norton. Both
of us will return: so don't let anything bother
or confuse you.”
“ I promise,” said Florence, struggling
with a sob.
Jones went downstairs again, paused by
a window as if cogitating, and suddenly
threw It up and looked abroad. A rustle
among the lilacs caused a smile to flit across
his face. So they had sent some one to
learn the effect of the poison? Or to fol
low him should he leave the house? He
retired to the kitchen and gave some explicit
orders tb the chef, orders which did not In
any way refer to cooking. Then Jones and
the reporter left the house, each quite aware
that they were being followed. Near the
Blank hotel they separated in order to con
fute the stalker. He might dodder and fol
low the wrong man. But it was evident
that this time he had been directed to fol
low Jones; for he entered the hotel a min
ute after Jones.
Meantime a second spy, whom Jones had
not seen, had observed the transfer of the
Invisible writing and had Immediately in
formed Braine, who was not far away. That
his poisoned fruit had stricken down an out
sider troubled him none at all. But that
mysterious message he meant to have; It
might be a life and death affair, it might
be a clew to the treasure, or the where
about* of Hargreave.
Thus, while only one man followed Jones,
several kept a far eye on Jim.
Jones scribbled his name on a blank card
and had It taken to the Rutsian’s room.
The page eyed that card curiously. It was
different from anything he had ever seen
before. In one corner were written three
oi four words which resembled a cross be
tween Hebrew and Greek.
“Humph!” muttered the boy. “ Whadda
y* know about that? Chicken scratches; but
I guest the bell rings Roosian. On your
way, Hortense," he cried to the hall maid,
who wanted a look at foe card. When the
boy returned to Jones, he said: “Up t’ tit’
room, sir. He’ll see yuh!” The boy kept
the silver salver extended expectantly, but
Jones went past without apparently noticing
the hint.
The Russian was standing by a window
when Jones knocked and was bidden to enter, t
“ You are not Hargreave.” <
“ Neither are yon the Russian minister*
of police,” urbanely.
“ Who are you?”
“ I am Hargreave's confidential man, sir.”
The two men eyed each other cautiously.
"You speak Russian?”
“ No. I am able to scribble a few words;
that is all.”
The Russian lit a cigarette and smoked
leisurely. He was in no hurry.
“ No, I am not the minister; but I am
his accredited agent. I am empowered to
bring back to Russia a man who Is known
here by the name of Braine, another by fne
name of Vroon, and a woman who calls
herself a countess and unfortunately is one.
All I desire is some damaging proof against
them that they are outlaws in this country.
The rest will be simple.”
“ They have all three taken out natural
ization papers.”
The Russian waved his hand airfly. “ Once
they are in Russia those documents will
never come to light This man Braine, it
has been learned, has long been in the pay
of Prussia, and has given the general staff
of that country many plans of our frontier
fortifications. I do not know what any one
of the three looks like. That is why I sought
Hargreave.”
“ I will gladly point them out to you,” said
Jones, rubbing his hands together, a sign
that he was greatly pleased.
“That will be very good of you, I'm \
sure,” In a rumbling but perfectly legible
English. >
“ And suddenly they all three will di»
appear? ”
“Suddenly; and you may believe me that
from that time on they’ll be heard of never
more.”
“All this sounds extremely agreeable to
me. Mr. Hargreave will be happy to hear
that his long enforced hiding will soon come
to an end.”
“ All you have to do, sir, is to point them
out to me.”
“ It may take a week or ten days.”
“ My government has waited for ten years
to gather in this delectable trio. A month,
If you like."
“ The sooner the better. I shall call this
evening after dinner. We shall begin with
Mr. Braine; and generally where he is is
the woman. Vroon will be the most diffi
cult.”
“ After dinner, then, since you know some
of his haunts. There is a reward.”
Jones laughed shortly. * Keep it yourself,
sir. Mr. Hargreave would willingly double
whatever this reward is to eliminate these
despicable creatures from his affairs.”^
“ Tnanks.”
While this conversation was taking place
Norton idled about; and feeling the cravings
for a cigarette, prepared to roll one, only
to find that he hadn’t the “ makings.” So
fate urged him to step into the nearest to
bacconist’s. He asked for his favorite brand
and passed over the silver.
Braine and his companions saw Norton
enter the shop. It agreed with their plans
perfectly. The tobacconist happened to be
affiliated with the order. So they hurried
into the shop. Jim Instantly realized that
he was In a trap.
“How can I get out of here?" he whis
pered to the tobacconist.
The latter smiled. “I have to obey these
gentlemen. I don’t know what they want
you for: but if I made a move to help you
I should find my own throat cut without
saving yours.”
“ Tne devil!”
Jim made a dash for the rear door, to
find it locked. Even as he fumbled with
the key, Braine and his companions flung
themselves upon the reporter and overpow
ered him.
"Ah, my friend Braine!” he Raid.
“My friend Norton!” jeered the victor.
“And what do you want; some peaches?”
“ A paper, my friend, a little sheet of
paper with Invisible writing on it. We prom
ise to give you something in exchange for it.”
“What?” asked Jim with as much non
chalance as he could assume.
“ Life.”
“ Search.” said Jim. “ You won’t object to
my smoking?” He began to roll a cigarette
while they passed over him. He struck a
match; the pleasant aroma of tobacco floated
about his head.
“ He’s got it on him somewhere. I saw
him take it. He's got his nerve with him.”
Tne cigarette glowed. Jim smoked hur
riedly.
Through every pocket they went The
contents of his wallet lay scattered at his
feet; his watch dangled from the chain. The
cigarette grew shorter and shorter. Sud
denly one of the men stretched out a hand
and whisked the cigarette from Jim’s lips.
He threw it to the floor and stamped ont ths
coal.
“I thought so!” he exclaimed, holding on*
the acrap of burnt paper towards Braine.
The words “ Dear Hargreave ” were all
that remained of the message. With a anaii
of rage Braine whipped out his revolver.
“ I will give you one minute to tell ms
what that paper contained.”
"And after that minute is up?”
“ A bullet in your stomach.”
Quick as a flash Jim's hand shot
caught the loosely held revolver, gar# It
wrench, and brought It down savagely up ■#
Braine's bead. Then he reversed it and
backed toward the front entrance.
*' An revoir, till we meet again, remit
men!"
lto BE COXTIKrxD.]