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\ *4 ' / THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1927 THE CLINTON CHRONICLE, CLINTON. S. C. XStf Meredith Nicholson CX)PYF1GHT CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS - RELEASED THRU PUBLISHERS AUTOOVSTER SiRVICE '^NVUvi, INTRODUCTION . - yisafe and sound Archibald Bennett, wealthy bathe- gratitude.” lor, travels constantly in the interest of his health. He meets Isabel Perry, who recommends a life of Crime, ad venture, romance and excitement as a cure for his nerves. Archie goes to Bailey Harbor to investigate a sum mer house for his sister. A heavy storm forces him to spend the night there. During the night he is awaken ed by footsteps, and in an encounter ;with the intruder, who sees Archie’s figure reflected in the ^ mirror- and shoots. Archie fires injeturn, wound ing the intruder, wfio makes his es cape. Archie plans flight to evade publicity. He starts cross-country afoot in the night. At dawn he is stopped bn a lonely country road by ‘The Governor,” master-mind criminal who mistakes him for a fellow criminal.- Archie, fleeing, is afraid to tell the truth— falls in with “The Governor,” is whisk ed across country in a stolen car. Sees story in newspaper of killing at Bai ley Harbor and, frightened, decides to say nothing but stick with his strange friend and await developments. At Comford, N. H., Archie comes upon Isabel Perry; at the hotel desk but she refuses, to recognize him. The Gover nor, by a clever plan, switches stolen money for good money. ^rcj{ie used as decoy—making love to niece of agent sent to meet eccentrfc Congdon here next day. Archie and the Gover nor drive away without creating sus picion and speed across state to deliv er the $60,000 to train-robber Leary at Walker’s farm, where Archie gets new insight into the workings of the | course l should take after she told me criminal world. At the first opportu-J her story.. The marriage was in prop- nity Walker’s daughter appeals to Ar- er form and I haven’t a single regret!" chie to help her elope with a young “What you did, Archie,” the Gover- farmhand. .He decides to assist, cut-i nor resumed paternally, ting away from the Governor and tak- fills my neart with signs drawn on the margin of a newspaper where the Governor had He flung down his cap and linen neglected to erase them; but he was duster, chose a chair by the window astounded to find that he was in the and seated himself with a little-sigh, company of a man who took counsel “I hope,” Archie ventured timidly, of the stars. “that you came alone?” “Ne sous une mauvaise etoile! You “Oh, yes; I’m alone! Trust me for catch the sense admirably. When you that; but my friend Walker was not see me scribbling I am calculating the easily shaken. And h^ provocation! ; potency of the dark fate that over- Oh my boy, his provocation to justi- hangs me and trying to estimate when- fiable homicide and all that sort of if ever the cloud will pass. Don’t thing!” » , trouble your head with those fancies; “Well, I only did vthat I thought leave them to me. Hope is buoyed in was right,” Archie declared doggedly. “I wasn’t weighing the consequences.” “Splendid^ my dear Archie, to see how beautifully you arose to the sit uation—a situation that" spoke power fully to your generous heart! If there has been any error it is mine. I should have known from the way ypu played up to the Seebrook girl that you were far too susceptible to be trusted with women. The error is mine; not yours, Archie; I don’t blame you a particle. Sally is'a w-insome lass; she has a way with her, that girl!” “If you don’t mind,” said Archie with dignity, “we’ll stop talking non sense. What happened?” “Just a little curious, are‘yoli, as to what followed your amazing breach of hospitality? Ran away with,a pret me .by the fact that never yet have my^figures erred.” “To return *to practical affairs, we shall abandon Collins’ machine and I’ll wdre Kim where to pick it up. Then weTPentrain at our leisure." “If you don’t mind my asking, I’d like to know where we’re bound for?” “New York, my dear boy; but you needn’t be alarmed. It will be hot there and we’ll only pause for a day or so. We both need to freshen up our wardrobe a bit.” Archie shook his head stubbornly. “I have told you this, but I’m sup posed to Ke in the Canadian Rockies. It would be a risky business for me to show up in town!” “You are a frightful egotist, Archie! This is a lajge world and man’s mem my retainers repay my hospitality by keeping me in touch with their com rades everywhere.” “I suppose, I suppose,” Archie tim idly ventured, “you’ve told them about . me?” ' “Not a word! You will act exactly as though you were a visitor in the house of an old friend. And now I 'must go through this mail—I’ve got a chap who collects my stuff from one of^the unofficial post-offices up-stale. The first room to the right is yours.” “You’ve* got to admit the service in this bouse is excellenti, If you don’t mind we’ll dress for dinner,” remarked the Governor loungirig in the door way. “I forgot to say that there’s a lady dining with us— “A lady!” demanded Archie with a frown. _ ' The Governor crossed the room, stared at the floor for a moment, and then said from the door: “The lady, my dear boy, is my sis ter.” “Julia is usually very prompt but' she is motoring from Southampton and we must allow her. the usual mar- j gin,” the Governor remarked when they met in the drawing-room. The clock had struck the three-quar ters when they heard the annunciator tinkle followed by the opening of the front door. The Governor left the room with a bound and Archie heard distinctly his hearty greetings and a woman’s subdued replies. “I’m sorry to be late, but we had to change a tire. No, I’ll leave my wraps here.” “Won’t you be more comfortable without your hat?” ^ “No, I’ll keep it; thanks!” The door framed for a moment a young woman who in her instant’s pause on the threshold seemed like a portrait figure suddenly come to life. She was taller than the Governor and carried herself with a suggestion of his authoratative bearing. Her face was a feminized version of the Gover nor’s, exquisitely modeled and illumi nated by dark eyes that swept Archie with a hasty inquiry from under the brim of a black picture hat. “Julia, this is my friend, Mr. Com- ly.” Her “very glad, I’m sure,” was ut tered with reservations, but she smil ing the couple across state in a wild night ride. Seeing Sally onto the train —he is rewarded with a fond farewell kiss—and he turns lo find Isabel Per- the girl to a crook ! ry had witnessed the whole scene. Now^ead on: ty girl, assisted in marrying her to an |ory is short. If you see any old friends undesirable son-in-law, and now you I beg of you do not attempt to dodge want to know how the old folks take*them; shake one and all heartily by it! * Oh, Archie, for sheer innocence the hand. Weil pretend that our black you are a wonder!” wool is white as the drifted snow, and “Walker had no right to force a girl no one will run after us shouting, e d>^ a Quick sad little smile, like Sally to marry an old curmudgeon ‘Blacksheep, blacksheep!’ she hated. I never hesitated as to the j * * ♦ * At the station gates a man in gray livery stepped up and touched his cap to the Governor. “Ah, Tom; glad to see you again!” “Thank you, sir; is this all the lug gage?” “That’s all, Tom'. Drive directly home, please. “We may wander to our hearts’ con tent, Archie, but thdre’s no place like “One of the smoothest in the game! ^home, particularly when it’s little old t0 time, that she was trying to ac- And Sally knew he was a Crook! I New York,” remarked the Governor, count for him, and her manner he was to mar ry Sally, the incomparable, Sally the divine, to Pete Barney, the diamond th%f.” . “You mean—you mean I _ married gasped Archie. The Governor had introduced her as Julia, carelessly, as though of course Archie knew the rest of it. The Gov ernor asked perfunctorily about her drive into town, and whether it had been hot in the country. Dinner was announced immediately and they sat down at a round table whose center- piece of sweet peas brought a cool ness into the room. It seemed to Archie as he met a puzzled look in Julia’s eyes from time ex- CHAPTER IX “You were on that train!” he claimed—the most fatuous of ques tions and the poorest possible opening for a conversation. * “I thought I had made it sifficient- ly plain »at Portsmouth that I resent ' your following me! The meeting there might hfcve been by accident, but see ing you here I am convinced—I suppose.it was the diamonds that sinking back contentedly, fetched her. If you’d looked at his The car crossed to the Avenue and hands you would have noticed that he. bore north. hadn’t the paws' of an honest Green Mountain farmer. Pick-pocket origi nally and marvelously deft; but prec ious stones are his true metier. .The trifling little necklace he had on his person when he struck Walker’s is worth a cool hundred thousand. He’li ani have to break it up and sell ’em in the convinced that you are*..spying upon me!” , “But, Miss Perry—” “I should think,” she interrupted,! “that knowing or suspecting what l am trying to do you would show me some consideration!” 1 * girl would have deceived me!” "ButI can explain; really I can ex- “We never know when they are go- usual way and it will take time.” 'Archie sank upon the bed; he had dyne a horrible thing, hardly second town; to murder, and his penitence weighed heavily upon him. ‘*It doesn’t seem possible .that the The Governor had not warned him to avoid marking the route, which was as familiar to Archie as the palm of his hand, but somewhere in the sev enties he did for a moment lose track east, stopped midway of a block of of the streets, and the car, swinging handsome residences. There was still the chance that this was all by-play, a trick for concealing their arrival in but the footman was already thought slowly changed. Her first de fensive hostility yielded to something much more amiable. It was as though she had reached a decisiownotjwholly unflattering and might be a little sor ry for her earlier attitude. “Julia, if you brought those docu ments \Vith you I’ll take them up to my room and look them over. It’s only a matter of my signature, isn’t it? “Very well; you will find them in my bag in the hall: I must start home I’ll be down at bnce.” . very soon, you know.” m ing to deceive us, Archie! Sally hated the farm and was crazy to escape. She lifted a couple of hundred dollars the old man kept under a plank in the par lor floor—an emergency fund in case he ever , had to run for it. A nasty trick, I call it; most unfilial on Sally’s part. The Walkers are crushed by hef conduct. And I had vouched for. you at the Walkers; it’s almost as bad as ii you will give me a moment!” iderstand perfectly that but for * me you wouldn’t be loitering here! And you practically acknowledged at Portsmouth that you were interesting yourself in the affairs of the Cong- dons!” “We are playing at cco^s^ptirposes quite^. unnecessarily,” protested Ar chie. “Why not confessjust what your interest is in that family? I told you quite plainly nt Portsmouth that I had reason to believe I had shot Putney Congdon at Bailey Harbor, But for the courage you put in my heart I should, never have done that!” “If you did that you have ruined ev erything! A -dastardly act for which I hope you Mil.pay the full penalty of the law!” ( • “You seem to forget that' you ad vised me to flout the law; ta do just the things I have been doing, roving the world, shooting and plundering!” “Everything has gone wrong,” she, said, “and you may have all the satis-4-set any limit on your little affairs of faction you can get out of your inter- f^e heart. But lets have no more ference, your intrusion upon affairs foolishness.’ ringing the bell of a house whose fa- "I had hoped you would speqd^ the cade was the most distinguished in night here,” said the Governor; “but sight. The door was opened by a man- >f y° u won’t I’m ^grateful even for servant, whose face expressed pleas- this little glimpse." „ ure as the Governor passed him with j The Governor left the room kd re al! the* airs of incilmqstable proprie- appeared with a small satchel, took torship. out several bundles of legal papers ; ‘I think we may as well go at once and glanced at their superscriptions. to our rooms,” he, said. ‘ “You under stand; Baring, that we dine at seven- thirty—places for three?” “Very good, sir; I received your tel egram." On the third floor, Archie surveyed approvingly a lounging room, half li- though I had betryaed them myseff. brary apd half office. You will not, of course, make the se-j' He tottered toward a stand on which rious error of knocking at the Walker decanters, syphons, and a silver bow.l | con t ac t with her gaze, which was bent door again! That would be rubbing 0 f ice had been placed. He helped U p on him disconcertingly, it in.” himself generously to Scotch; the Gov In a moment they heard his quick step on the stair. “It. is no doubt clear to you,” Julia remarked, “that, my. brother prefers not to be alone with me.” ."I rather surmised that,” Archie re plied with an ease he did not feel. He turned to drop his cigarette into the brass receiver at his elbow to avqjd want you to think me un- Archie stammered. “The fool-of me; I see it all a “I don’t grateful,” girl made now!” “She made a fool •o^ you but you. in turn made a foo^ of me! And while I’m not cavarRpg, you will pardon me, son, if I suggest that hereafter you play square with me. I don’t mean to curb your personal enteaufise, or ^, of the greatest delicacy, in which my . assistance and my honor are pledged. “I self,’ haven’t a thing to say for my- blurted -Archie, who was at the I was weak, miserab- no ide.a that any one walk away from here as rapidly as (could lie as that girl'did. And it’s not possible and not turn your head!” fair for me to stay oh with you. I He di<^ not even confirm her state That car standing yonder belongs to point of tears, me and before I leave I want you to ly weak. I had ernor contented himselfKith a glass of mineral water—he neWr took any thing else, he explained. _ "Odd,.but I’ve never used the stuff! at all on the subject. A Ad now, my. dear Archie”—he closed the door and turn ed on the fan—“you are my guest, in every sense my guest. It may have occurred, to you that I may be an inter loper here, but such is not the case. I own this house and the ground it stands on and everything in it. You are, of course, not a prisoner; not in any sense, and there’s a telephone in your room by which you can talk to -no restric- can’t ask you to trust me again. ment aslo^he propinquity of the car,!better part company right here!” v -hut i crossed the platform with the crestfallea.air of a child in disgrace. He~knew nothing save that he was enormously tired nad he went to the .hotel and crawled wearily into bed. * * ♦ •* "Vv* - ** «► ; He was silting on the edge of the bed when a gently insinuating knock caused him to start. 1 ‘ "Come!” The door opened slowly, wide enough to permit a man’s head to be sketching thrust in. A face wearing an amused smile, a,fan¥tliar face but the last he expected to see, met hrs gaze. ' “Hist?” The Governor widened the opening in the door and squeezed through. 'My dear Archie!” he exclaimed as How completely you misjudge me, Archie! There’s a charm in you be- mv m ‘* ht ’ °* cour5e ; of your very innocence and »“ rk ““'v for 1 W til ’ Ies ^ a " d my family history is spreaa in the a gotten cf your very helplessness, and I should be very un , . , , . iV . . happy if we parted now. We’ve ««>'*• >>«» you see about here are trained to curb their ed some dangef'tbgether and in spite t -- - - i of vour' weaknesses I’m fond of you. cunos.ty; I trust them just as 1 trust And if I left you to your own devices : S’ ou - Th 'y »™ al > from under the son,ethin K quite disastrous might hap- ‘’rust,-the man who met us -at ’ t ... : station is a daring housebreaker; pen to you The -Governor was unconcerneSly of~the diagrams with “We have but a moment, and we must have a care not to seem to be confidential. He didn’t cl^se.his door, I think ” The draperies at the end of the room Bless you, no fanatical notions v. wa y et [ a little and Archie walked back and glanced into the dining room. He nodded reassuringly and she indi cated a seat a Tittle nearer the one he had left. “Please don’t be alarmed, but it’s a singular fact that I know you; we met once, passingly, at a tea in Cam bridge; it’s a good while ago and we exchanged only a word, sordon’t try to remember. I much prefer that you shouldn’t.” Archie didn’t remember; he had at- teTided many teas at Cambridge dur ing commencement festivities and had always hated them. “It was not unj.il we were at the table that I placed yo’u tonight. I’m relieved—infinitely relieved, to' know that you "are with my brother. How it came about'is none-of my affair. But you are a gentleman riTTxthe strange phase through which”—heV<Jips form ed to speak a name but she caught herself up sharply—“through . which all the world quite freely, tions whatsoever. We’d '“My name is 'not Saulsbury, course, but something quite different. The servants in this house do not know of the the the'be is passing I’m gratified that he has one he locked the door, “how infinitely re- ! wntes - lipved I am!' I was afraid some harm^ Archie had befallen you, but to find you here chauffeur is a second-story man; the' 11 *’ ,0 i ,t,sai,, is 1,,, ,,c , “* i ’ butler'is a hotel thief. Dowh’to the your companiqnship. .Once something scullery maid, who was a clever shop- very \cruel happened to him; spme-^ which he. seemed to v.suahze his plans,. ljftwr; alI the s(?rvants are crook * [Ve : thing that greatly embittered him, a Archie was startled now to hear his pic1(ed UJ) and instalk , d here until they very cruel, hard thing, indeed w»nl af- can do what Leary’s doing, invest their ter the first shock of it - She turn- ill-gotten gains i in some legilHTrate "rtt ber head slightly and her lips quiv- bpsiness.. Baring'has enough rewards' ero d. ^ hanging over him to •ma'kg.^any one “That is all,” she said, and faced rich who can telephone his where- him again witl^ her beautiful repose abouts to police headquarters in any■ accentuated, her perfect self-control) town in America. As all branches^ that touched him with an infinite pity. (Continued next week.) companion muttering to himself: “Aries, the Lam, the Fishes! s For a time I stumbled and walked in dark ness, but the leading^Jight is clearer now. / Tl)e moving fihger writes--- “Edmund Breese is right. Luckies give complete enjoyment, ,, says DeForest The well-known trainer amt boxing expert explains his preference to Evelyn Hocy, Musical Comedy Star, as they chat before the Buckingham Fountains in Chicago. UL You, too, will find that LUCKY STRIKES give the greatest pleasure— Mild and Mellow, the •finest cigarettes you ever smoked. 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