Elusive Isabel

nd benevolence of the chief's face was disturbed by the slightest questioning uplift of his brows as he dropped into a

Mr. Grimm dir

. Grimm hastily scribbled something on a

be unintelligible," Mr. Grimm explained. "I have reason to believ

pbell r

nown, dash-dot-dash-dash. "That," he explained, "is Y in the

read it

ear conservatory door.

mmented Mr. Gri

ringing in. The seat where he had left Se?orita Rodriguez was vacant; so was the chair where Miss Thorne had b

here Miss Thorne had been sitting, "fainted while dancing, and the lady who wa

eth closed wit

evening a stout gentleman, with red face

red a moment, the

, s

nk y

stood, in conversation with two other gentlemen, reassured him. The choleric blue eyes of the president had opened a little at the sound, then he calmly resumed the conversation. Mr. Grimm impulsively started toward t

then ceased. There was one brief instant of utter silence in which white-faced women clung to the arms of their escorts, and the brilliant ga

, you tam fools!

ay toward his left, in the direction of the shot. After the first dismay, there was a general movement of the crowd in

icers present dropped his revolver, and it

rrupted rhythm, and the dancers moved on. Mr. Grimm went straight to his chief, who had stepped down from t

irected the c

room until they came to another door opening into the hall. Chief Ca

, Gray?" ask

Mexican legation, was

ea

ated a door a little way down the hall. "Fairch

shot

found him lying

and together they bent over the wounded man. The bullet h

was explaining. "The bullet passed t

and he made spasmodic efforts to reach the inside breast pocket of his coat. Mr. Grimm obligingly thr

ed quietly. "I'm only going to l

ed man, and each time a shake of the head was his ans

per was it?" inq

usiness," came

shot

your bu

m

varez wa

wom

l si

t into the hall. He met a maid-servant at the door, coming in. H

lady-" she be

Chief Campbell and the others. Then he caught the maid sharpl

sir," the girl went

d she run from? Why did she run?" The maid stared

along the hall, sir-that way," and she indicated the rear of the house. "Then I came to the door and looked out to see who it was, and what was the matter, sir. I was standing there when a man-a man came along after the lady, and

" demanded

ept the lady had a pi

ded her in sile

lady?" he a

e lady who-who fainted in the ball-

Grimm it certainly found no expression in his fa

horne,

the ladies' dressing-room when she was brought

uiver with excitement, and led her

her up, if necessary. Don't permit her to say one wor

toward the kitchen. He went on down silently. The lights were burning, but the place was still, deserted. All the servants who belonged

p-post, a man was standing. He might have bee

d you see a woman come out

ile at the corner. I imagine this is hers," and he extended a handkerchief, a

. For a time he was thoughtful, with lowered eyes, which, final

nd distinctly, "why did you sla

?" came the ans

or in the girl's face?"

-an amazement so frank, so unacted, so

come out the door?"

ess you've had a little too

Mr. Grimm was t