The Aspermont Star (Aspermont, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, December 22, 1911 Page: 3 of 14
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3HT I908 ty THE ASSOCIATED SUNDAY HAGAZWE3
.COPYRIGHT I909 4K THE BQBB3-MERft!LL C30MPAW>'
SYNOPSIS.
lint «i Roatnl, the Italian *mba -
•v to at dinner with diplomats when
messenger summons him to the om-
^yv where a beautiful young woman
i for a ticket to the embassy ball,
racket tornado out In tlio name of
! babel Thome. Chief Campbell of
s.aecret aervlco. and Mr. Grimm, Uls
4 detective, ar% warned that a plot to
MnfMn Washington, and Grimm goes
jhe state ball for Information. Hla at-
pMon. to called to Miss Isabel Thorns,
BO with her companion, disappears. A
t "• beard and Senor Alvarez of the
Mean legation, to found wounded.
mm_ to assured Miss Thome did It: he
#ta her, demanding knowledge of the
*ir, ana_ arrests Pietro Petrounnl. Miss
tome visits an old bomb-maker, and they
n a ? wonderful experiment. Fifty*
_ M d dollars to stolen from the offtoe '
a Senor Rodrlgues. the. minister from
jfenesuela, and while detectives are In-
gating the robbery Miss Thome ap-
8 ss a guest of the legation. Qrtmm
®ee her of the theft: the money Is
. W, but a new mystery occurs in
pe disappearance of Monsieur Boissegur
he French ambassador. Elusive Miss
feorne> reappears, bearing a letter which
ttw that th« ambassador has been kld-
1 and demanding ransom. The am-
«or returns and again strangely dls-
"" Later he Is rescued from an oM
the suburbs.
CHAPTER XVI.
Letters From Jail.
1 fVsr two weeks Signor Pietro Petro
alnnl, known to the Secret Service as
•n unaccredited agent of the Italian
government, and the self-confessed as-
sailant of Senor Alvarez of the Mexi-
can legation, had been taking his ease
pa a cell. He had been formally ar-
ilgned and committed without ball
b await the result of the bullet wound
Which had been Inflicted upon the dip-
lomatist from Mexico at the German
Embassy Ball, and, since then, undis-
turbed and apparently careless of the
outcome, he had spent his time In
treading and smoking. He had an-
swered questions with only a curt yes
or no when he deigned to answer
Ithem at all; and there had been no
Bailors or Inquiries for him. He had
abruptly declined a suggestion of
counsel.
Twioe each day, morning and night,
tie had asked a question of the jailer
who brought his simple meals.
"How Is Senor Alvarez?"
\ "He Is still in a critical condition."
The answer was always the same.
Whereupon the secret agent would
return to his reading with not a
ehadow of uneasiness or concern on
bis face.
Occasionally there came a courteous
little note from Miss Thome, which he
read without emotion, afterward cast-
ing theln aside or tearing them up.
He never answered them. And then
one day there, caxne another note
(Which, for no apparent reason, seemed
to stir him from his lethargy. Out-
wardly It was like all the others, but
when Senor Petrozinnl scanned the
aheet his eyes lighted strangely, and
he stood staring down at it as though
to hide la sudden change of expression
In his {ace. His gaze was concen-
trated on two small splotches of Ink
where, It seemed, the pen bad
scratched as Miss Thome had signed
tier name.
The guard stood at the barred door
for a moment, then started to turn
•way. The prisoner stopped him with
a quick gesture.
"Oh, Guard, may I have a glass of
milk, please?" he asked. "No Ice. I
prefer It tepid."
He thrust a small coin between the
bars; the guard accepted It and passed
on. Then, stUl standing at the door,
the prisoner read the note again:
"My Dear Friend:
1 understand, from an Indirect
•ource, that there has been a marked
Improvement in Senor Alvarez's con-
dition, and I am hastening to send you
the good news. There Is every hope
that within a short while, if he con*
tinues to Improve, we can arrange a
hall bond, and you will be free until
the time of trial, anyway.
"Might it sot be well ror you to
eOnsult an attorney at oncer Drop me
• line to let me know yon received
this.. Sincerely,
"ISABEL THORNB."
Finally the prisoner tossed the note
on a tiny table in a corner of bis
cell, and resumed his reading. After
• time the guard returned with the
Bilk. " ■
"Would It be against the rales for
We to write an answer to thisr
queried Signor Petroslnni, and he In-
dicated the note.
•Certainly not," was the reply.
•If I might trouble you, then, for
pw *nd ink and paperr suggested
th* signor and he smiled a little. "Be-
llepe me, I would prefer to get then
fot myself."
"I guess that's right," the guard
grinned •good-naturedly.
nrette, puffed It once or twice and per-
mitted the light to die. After a little
there came again the clatter of the
guard's feet on the cement pavement,
and the writing materials were thrust
through the bars.
"Thank you," said the prisoner.
The guard went on, with a nojl, and
a moment later the signor heard the
clangor of a steel door down the cor
ridor as it was closed and locked.
He leaned forward in his chair with
half-closed eyes, listening tor a long
time, then rose and noiselessly ap-
proached the cell door. Again he lis-
tened Intently, after which he resumed
his seat He tossed away the ciga-
rette he had and lighted a fresh one,
afterward holding the note over the
flame of the match. Here and there,
where the paper charred in the heat,
a letter or word stood out from the
bare whitness of the paper, and finally
a message complete appeared between
the InnocuouB ink-written lines. The
prisoner read it greedily:
"Am privately informed there is
little chance of Alvarez's recovery.
Shall I arrange escape for you, or have
ambassador Intercede? Would advise
former, as the other . might take
It minutely, standing under the light
from the high-up window of his cell.
Letter by letter the milk evaporated,
leaving the sheet perfectly dean and
white except for the ink-written mes-
sage. This sheet be folded, placed in
an envelope, and addressed.
Later the guard passed along the
corridor, and Signor Peti-ozinnl thrust
the letter out to him.
"Be good enough to post that,
please," he requested. "It isn't sealed.
I don't know If your prison rules re-
quire you to read the letters that go
out. If so, read it, or have it read,
then seal it"
For answer the guard dampened the
flap of the envelope, sealed vit, thrust
It Into his pocket and passed on. The
secret agent sat down again, and
nipped hiB milk meditatively.
One hour later Mr. Grimm, accom-
panied by Johnson, came out of a
photographer's dark room in Pennsyl-
vania Avenue with a developed nega-
tive which he sat on a rack to dry. At
the end of another hour ho was sitting
at bis desk studying, under a magni-
fying glass, a finished print of the
negative. Word by word he was
writing on a slip of paper what his
magnifying glass gave him and so,
curiously enough, it came to pass that
Miss Thorne and Chief Campbell of
the Secret Service were reading the
hidden, milk-written message at al-
most the identical moment.
"Johnson got Petrozinnl's letter
from the postman," Mr. Grimm was
explaining. "I opened it, photo-
graphed It, sealed It again and re-
mailed it. There was not more than
half an hour's delay; and Miss Thorne
can not possibly know of it." He
paused a moment. "It's an odd thing
that writing such as that is absolutely
invisible to the naked eye, and yet
when photographed becomes deciper-
able in the negative,"
"What do you make of it?" Mr.
■
I
i
The Prisoner Read It Greedily.
k
months, and meeting to sign treaty al-
liance would be dangerously delayed."
Signor Petrozinnl permitted the
sputtering flame to Ignite the paper,
and thoughtfully watched the blaze
destroy it The last tiny scrap
dropped on the floor, burned out, and
he crushed the ashes under his heel.
Then he began to write:
"My Dear Miss Thorne:
"Many thanks for your courteous lit-
tle note. I am delighted to know of
the improvement In Senor Alvares's
condition. I. had hoped that my impul-
sive act in shooting him would not
end in a tragedy. Please keep me In-
formed of any further change in bis
condition. As yet I do not see the
necessity of consulting an attorney,
but later 1 may be compelled to do sa
"Respectfully,
"PIETRO PETROZINNI."
This done the secret agent carefully
cleaned the ink from the pen, wiping
it dry with his handkerchief, then
tbrnst It into the half empty glass of
milk. The fluid clung to the steel nil)
thinly; be went on writing with It
betwebs the lines of Ink;
"I am In no danger. I hold creden-
tials to United states, which, when
presented, will moke me responsible
only to the Italian government as spe-
cial envoy, according to International
law. Arrange escape for one wa«k
from tonight; use any money neces-
sary. Make careful arrangements tor
the test and signing of compact for
two nights after."
Again the prisoner cleaned tha steel
nib, after which h«
k
"ws
be put It back In tha
It thar*
bottle of
Wamm.
Eim-j
mi in
■
ill!
/ ■■ 'JV
■v'jicT.:,' '5
Campbell asked. The guileless blue
eyes were alive with eagerness.
"Well, he'B right, of course, about
not being in danger," said Mr. Grimm.
"If he came with credentials as spe-
cial envoy this government must re-
spect them, even if Senor Alvarez
dies, and leave It to his own govern-
ment to punish him. If we were offi-
cially aware that he has such cre-
dentials I doubt If we would have the
right to keep him confined; we would
merely have to hand him over to the
Italian Embassy and demand his pun-
ishment. And, of course, all that
makes him more dangerous than
ever."
"Yes, I know that" said the chief
a little Impatiently. "But who 1s this
man?"
"Who Is this man?'* Mr. Grimm re-
peated as if surprised at the question.
"I was looking for Prince Benedetto
d'Abrussi, of Italy. I have found him."
Mr. Campbell's clock-like brain tick-
ed over the situation in detail.
"It's like this," Mr, Grimm eluci-
dated. "He has credentials which be
knows will free him if he is forced to
present them, but I Imagine they were
given him mora for protection to an
emergency like this > than for intro-
ducing him to our government As
tha matter stands be can't afford to
discover himself by using those cre-
dentials, and yet if the Latin com-
pact IS signed, he must be free. Re-
member, too, that he Is accredited
from three countries—Italy, France
and Spain." Ho was silent for a mo-
ment. "Naturally bis escape from
prison would preserve his Ineoptito,
and st tbe same time permit Mm to
sign tha compact"
There was silence lor a long tun*
"I believe the situation Is without
precedent," said Mr. Campbell slowly;'
"The special envoy of three great
powers held for attempted—?"
"Officially we are not aware of tali
purpose, or bis identity," Mr. Grimm
reminded him. "If lie escaped it
would clarify tbe situation tremen-
dously."
"If he escaped!" repeated Mr.Camp-
bell musingly.
"But, of course, the compact would
not be signed, at least in this coun-
try," Mr. Grimm went on tentatively.
. Mr. Campbell gazed straight into tha
listless eyes of the young man for a
mlnuts or more and gradually full un-
derstanding came home to him. Final-
ly he nodded bis head.
"Use your own Judgment Mr,
Grimm," he directed.
CHAPTER XVII.
A Call on the Warden.
Tbe restful silence of night lay over
the great prison. Here and there in
the grim corridors a guard dozed in
the glare of an electric light; and in
the office, too, a desk light glimmered
where the warden sat at his desk,
poring over a report Once he glanced
up at the clock—It was five minutes
of eleven—and then he went on with
his reading.
After a little tbe silence was broken
by the whir of the clock and the first
sharp stroke of the hour; and at Just
that moment the door from the street
opened and a man entered. He was
rather tall and slender, and a sinister
black mask hid bis face from the
quickly raised eyes of the warden. For
a bare fraction of a second the two
men stared at each other, then, in-
stinctively, the warden's right hand
moved toward the open drawer of his
desk where a revolver lay, and his
left toward several electrically con-
nected levers. The Intruder noted
both gestures, and, unarmed himself,
stood silent The warden was first
to speak.
"Well, what la it?"
"You havo a prisoner here, Pietro
Petrozinnl," was the reply, In a pleas-
ant voice. "I have come to demand hla
release."
The warden's right band was raised
above the desk top, and the revolver
in it clicked warnlngly.
"You have come to demand his re
lease, eh?" he queried. He still sat
motionless, with his eyes fixed on the
black mask. "How did you pass the
outside guard?"
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
EVIL OF SCANT MEASURES
towers Moral Tone of Trade, It*
creases Cost of Living and Adds
to Hardships of Needy.
If "a false balance is abomination
to the Lord." as we are told in the
Proverbs, scant measures of every
sort are equally abominable to man-
kind, lowering the moral tone of trade,
increasing the cost of living and add-
ing to the hardships of the needy.
It Is rather curious, therefore, that a
fact so obvious, having occupied tht
attention of society for as long a pe
riod as the written record runs,
should at the present day have no
recognition in the laws or the ordi-
nances of the state or city. Pennsyl-
vania is without official standards ot
weights or measure except of ths
most casual sort, and Philadelphia has
worried along for upward of a quar*
ter of a century trusting solely to the
honor of Its tradesmen to give pound
for pound and quart for quart, not
to mention the scores of other mea
ures of weight, volume and bulk bj
which commodities are exchanged foi
value in the markets. How public con-
fidence has been misplaced Is now
shown In dramatic fashion by the
bureau of municipal research, after a
thorough Investigation, by the actual
purchase and test of a large variety of
articles constituting the necessaries
of average dally life.—Philadelphia
Ledger.
mk nwm
ULCERS,SCALY
SKIN, PIMPLES I
twenty-flv* yearn
MMtt e
%
0 Blood
wttere
e&Utiff iwerr *ore of
mm
B li. B. Cnrei above troablM. Al*o BctophS
MiIIUnmnttlMi. Tot B.&B.
FREE!
.ucua Patches In
nlM, Copper-Colored SpoU, „
poclr, HMfor VSjv brow# tftl|
blisters or open humors.
rich, completely obautl
clean, healthy conditio , ,
plmplo and stopping all anbos, paint* and Itching,
curing the worse east) of Blood Poison, BhenmaMsgi
or Edema.
Botanl« Blood B 1m (B. B. _
and safe to take; composed ot pure
dlents. It purities ana enriches the blood.
DRUGGISTS, 11.00 PUB I. AUG It BOXTLB.
Free Blood Cure Coupon
This coupon is good for one sample
of fi. B. B. mailed free in plain pack-
age. Simply mail to BLOOD BALM
COMPANY, Atlanta, Cfc.
. P.
DEFIANCE STARCH * «*
to the. Iron.
Located. ■ -
Stella—If the third finger Is for tho t,
wedding ring, which is for divorce?
Bella—The finger of scorn.—Judge,
Accurately I nformed. ■ «
"How is It that woman seema to
know so much more about Europe thein
most of us?" said the frank and out-
spoken lady.
"Because," replied Miss Cayenne,
"she stayed at home and read guide
books instead of squandering her time
in travel."
The Ignobl* George IV.
Then there was tbe precious regent
What a creature! Good men and bal
men unite in saying that he was abso-
lutely without a virtue; the shrewd,
calculating GrevlUe described him in
words that burn; the great duke, his
chief subject, usee language of dry
scorn. "The king could only act tha
part of i. gentleman tor ten minutes
at a time;" 4f|d we find the common-
est satellites iwg the court despised
the wicked fribfili wlko wore the crowa
of England. Faithless to women, faith-
less to men, a coward, a liar, a mean
and groveling cheat, Oeorvs rv. never
theless clung to « belief is his own
virtues; and, if we stodr the account
of his farcical progress through Scot-
land, we find that he imagined himself
to be a useful and genuinely kingly
personage. No man, except, perhaps,
phlllppe Rgalite. was ever so contemn-
ed and bated; and until his death N
Imagined himself to be a good man.—
Runciman. "Sidelights."
ModernRofManee.
"Tee, 1 was fascinated by a toldet
curl." 1 ' f< ",' -
Sleuth Guarded Jewels. )
Pity the poor duchess of Marlbor--
ough, who has been driven to insomnia
through worry over her Jewels. She
has hired six former S^6tland Yard de-
tectives to camp at Suhdferland house, ^
Mayfalr, three by day and three by
night, and guard her gems. The out-
lay for this is something more than
$6,000 annually. She has spent many
thousands in equipping her mansion
with all the latest wrinkles in burglar
alarm and safety devices, but she
considers the money that buys her
peace of mind is an investment Willi
made.
No Insomnia Here.
Mrs. Eastside-^-Now thet you've got
so rich I should' think you'd be afraid
o' burglars. . , .
Mrs. McSwimm—Sure. I'm not
afeared at all, at all. I've IS alarm
clocks set so that one wilLgo oft every
half-hour during th' night. Whin a
burglars hears one o' them he nlver
sthops to take anything wid him.
Mrs. Eastside—But don't they keep
you awake?
"Mrs. McSwimm—No, indade. it's
not us would be waked up by a lUtle
thing like that. Before John got th'
pipe contract I used to be a kitchen
leddy, and John was a policeman i«
Philadelphia.—New York Weqjtly.
I
WORKS WITHOUT PA(TH
Faith Came After the Works Had Laid
the Foundation.
A Bay State belle talks thus about
coffee:
"While a coffee drinker I was a suf-
ferer from indigestion and intensely
painful nervous headaches,' from child-
hood. -
"Seven years ago my health gave
out entirely. I grew so weak that
the exertion of walking, if only a few
feet, made it necessary for me to lie
down. My friends thought t, waa
marked for consumption—-weak, thin
and pale.
"I realised the danger I waa in and
tried faithfully to get relief from med-
icines, till, at last, after having em-
ployed all kinds ot drugs,-the doctor
acknowledged that he did not believe
it was in his power to cure me.
"While in this condition a Mend in-
duced me to quit coffee and try lN>st>
um, and I did bo without the least
hope that it would do me any 1
did not like it at first, bat
properly made l found (t wos
delicious and refreshing
am especially fond ot it served 1
her Ice-cold, with cream.
"In a month's tlma I began I
prove, and la a few weeks my :
tion ceased to
headache stopped
perfectly well ?
like the same!
gained in flest
heavier than <
*TMa ta
I lp
vt&m.
tie Creel
mm
S3
warn
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McCarty, Richard H. The Aspermont Star (Aspermont, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, December 22, 1911, newspaper, December 22, 1911; Aspermont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth126041/m1/3/: accessed June 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Stonewall County Library.