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Show r.BaiBajKaiaaMW!aMaVIJIP ft pfmBmiXtJ&SJWIiJ) A 3V$J ARTHUR HORNBLOW ' V til&m d&l ILLUSTRATIONS BY RAY WALTER U A rWfitft 12 SYNOPSIS. Howard Jeffries, banker's son, under the evil inlluenee of Robert Underwood, a. fellow-student at Yale, leads a life of dissipation, marries the daughter of a gambler who died in prison, and is disowned dis-owned by his father. He tries to get work inrt fails. A former college chum makes a business proposition to Howard which requires $2.0(10 cash, and Howard is broke. Robert Underwood, who has been repulsed re-pulsed by Howard's wife, Annie, In his -jollege days, and had once been engaged to Alicia. Howard's stepmother, has apartments at the Astruria. Howard decides de-cides to ask Underwood for the $2,000 he needs. Underwood, taking advantage of his Intimacy with Mrs. Jeffries. Sr., becomes be-comes a sort of social highwayman. Discovering Dis-covering his true character she denies him the house. Alicia receives a note from tlnderwood, threatening suicide. Art dealers for whom he has been acting as commissioner, demand an accounting. He cannot make good. Howard Jeffries calls In an intoxicated condition. He asks Underwood for $2,000 and is told by the latter that he is in debt up to his eyes. Howard drinks himself into a maudlin condition, and goes to sleep on a divan. A caller is announced and Underwood draws a screen around the drunken sleeper. Alicia enters. She demands a promise from him that he will not take his life, pointing to the disgrace that would attach to herself. Underwood refuses re-fuses to promise unless she will renew her patronage. This she refuses to do. Underwood kills himself. The report of the pistol awakens Howard. He stumbles Dver tbe dead body of Underwood. Realising Reali-sing his predicament he attempts to flee and Is met by Underwood's valet. Howard How-ard is turned over to tbe police. Capt. Clinton, notorious for his brutal treatment of prisoners, puts Howard through the third degree. CHAPTER X. Continued. Anuie sat timidly on a chair in the background and the captain turned again to the doctor. "What's that you were saying, doctor?" doc-tor?" "You tell me the man confessed?" Crossing the room to where Howard sat, Dr. Bernstein looked closely at him. Apparently the prisoner was asleep. His eyes were closed and his head drooped forward on his chest. He was ghastly pale. The captain grinned. "Yes, sir, confessed in the presence pres-ence of three witnesses. Eh, sergeant.?" ser-geant.?" "Yes, sir," replied Maloney. "You heard him, too, didn't you, De-laney?" De-laney?" "Yes, captain." Squaring his huge shoulders, the cantain said with a self-satisfied chuckle: "It took us five hours to get him to own up, but we got it out of him at last." The doctor was still busy with his examination. "He seems to be asleep. Worn iut, I guess. Fire hours, yes that's your method, captain." Shaking his head, he went on: "I don't believe in these all-night examinations and your 'third degree' mental torture. It is barbarous. bar-barous. When a man is nervous and frightened his brain gets so benumbed at the end of two or three hours' questioning on the same subject that he's liable to say anything, or even believe anything. Of course, you know, captain, that after a certain time the law of suggestion commences to operate and " The captain turned to his sergeant aim laugutru. "The law of suggestion? Ha, ha! That's a good one! You know, doctor, them theories of yours make a hit with college students and amateur professors, but they don't go with us. . You can't make a man say 'yes' when he wants to say 'no.' " Dr. Bernstein smiled. "I don't agree with you," he said. "You can make him say anything, or believe anything or do anything if he is unable to resist your will." The captain burst into a hearty peal of laughter. "Ha, ha! What's the use of chinnin'? We've got him to rights. I tell you, doctor, no newspaper can say that my precinct ain't cleaned up. My record is a hundred convictions to one acquittal. I catch 'em with the goods when I go after 'em!" A faint smile hovered about the doctor's face. "I know your reputation," he said sarcastically. The captain thought the doctor was flattering him, so he rubbed his hands .with satisfaction, as he replied: "That's right. I'm after results. None of them Psyche themes for mine." Striding over to the armchair where sat Howard, he laid a rough hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Jeffries, wake up!" Howard opened his eyes and stared stupidly about him. The captain took him by the collar of his coat. "Come stand up! Brace up now!" Turning to Sergeant Maloney, he added, "Take him over to the station. Write out that confession and make him sign it before breakfast. I'll be right over." Howard struggled to his feet and Maloney helped him arrange his collar col-lar and tie. Officer Dclaney clapped his hat on his head. Dr. Bernstein turned to go. "Good-morning, captain. I'll make out my report." i "Good morning, doctor." ' Dr. Bernstein disappeared and Capt. jgga. "Sitting There Crying Your Eyes Out Won't Do Him Any Good." Clinton turned to look at Annie, who had been waiting patiently in the background. Her anguish on seeing Howard's condition was unspeakable. It was only with difficulty that she restrained re-strained herself from crying out and rushing to his side. But these stern, uniformed men intimidated her. It seemed to her that Howard was on trial a prisoner perhaps his life was in danger. What could he have done? Of course, he was innocent, whatever the charge was. He wouldn't harm a fly. She was sure of that. But every one looked so grave, and there was a big crowd gathered in front of the hotel when she came up. She thought she had heard the terrible word "murder," "mur-der," but surely there was some mistake. mis-take. Seeing Capt. Clinton turn in her direction, she darted eagerly forward. for-ward. "May I speak to him, sir? He is my husband." "Not just now," replied the captain, not unkindly. "It's against the rules. Wait till we get him to the Tombs. You can see him all you want there." Annie's heart sank. Could she have heard aright? "The Tombs!" she faltered. "Is the charge so serious?" "Murder that's all!" replied the captain laconically. Annie nearly swoomed. Had she not caught the back of a chair she would have fallen. The captain turned to Maloney and, in a low tone, said: "Quick! Get him over to the station. sta-tion. We don't want any family scenes here." Manacled to Officer Delaney and escorted on the other side by Maloney, Ma-loney, Howard made his way toward the door. Just as he reached it he caught sight of his wife who, with tears streaming down her cheeks, was watching him as if in a dream. To her it seemed like some hideous nightmare from which both would soon awaken. Howard recognized her, yet seemed too dazed to wonder how she came there. He simply blurted out as he passed: "Something's happened, Annie, dear. I Underwood I don't quite know " The policemen pushed him through the door, which closed behind him. CHAPTER XI. Unable to control herself any longer, Annie broke down completely and burst into tears. When the door opened and she saw her husband led away, pale and trembling, between those two burly policemen, it was as if all she cared for on earth had gone out of her life forever. Capt. Clinton laid his hand gently on her shoulder. With more sympathy in his face than was his custom to display, he said: "Now-, little woman 'tain't no kind of use carrying on like that! If you want to help your husband and gel him out of his trouble you want to get busy. Sitting there crying your eyes out won't do him any good." Annie threw up her head. Her eyes were red, but they w ere dry now. Her face was set and determined. The captain was right. Only foolish women wom-en weep and wail when misfortune knocks at their door. The right sort of women go bravely out and make a fight for liberty and honor. Howard was innocent. She was convinced ol that, no matter how black things looked against him. She would not leave a stone unturned till she had regained for him his liberty. With renewed hope in her heart and resolution reso-lution in her face, she turned to confront con-front the captain. "What has he done?" she demanded. "Killed his friend, Robert Underwood." Under-wood." He watched her face closely to see what effect his words would have on her. "Robert Underwood dead!" exclaimed ex-claimed Annie with more surprise than emotion. "Yes," said the captain sternly, "and your husband, Howard Jeffries, killed him." "That's not true! I'd never believe that," said Annie promptly. "He's made a full confession," went on the captain. "A confession!" she echoed uneasily. uneasi-ly. "What do you mean?" "Just what I say. Your husband has made a full confession in the presence of witnesses, that he came here to Underwood's rooms to ask for money. They quarreled. Your husband drew a pistol and shot him. He has signed a confession which will be presented to the magistrate this morning." Annie looked staggered for a moment, mo-ment, but her faith in her husband was unshakeable. Almost hysterically "I don't believe it. I don't believe it. You may have tortured him into signing something. Everybody knows your methods, Capt. Clinton. But thank God there is a law in the United States which protects the innocent in-nocent as well as punishes the guilty. I shall get the most able lawyers to defend him even if I have to sell myself my-self into slavery for the rest of my life." "Bravo, little woman!" said the captain cap-tain mockingly. "That's the way to talk. I like your spunk, but before you go I'd like to ask you a few questions. ques-tions. Sit down." He waved her to a chair and he sat opposite her. "Now, Mrs. Jeffries," he began encouragingly, en-couragingly, "tell me did you ever hear your husband threaten Howard Underwood?" By this time Annie had recovered her self-possession. She knew" that the best way to help Howard was to keep cool and to say nothing which was likely to injure his cause. Boldly, therefore, she answered: "You've no right to ask me that question." The captain shifted uneasily in his seat. He knew she was within her legal right. He couldn't bully her into saying anything that would incriminate in-criminate her husband. "I merely thought you would like to assist the authorities, to " he stammered awkwardly. "To convict my husband," she said calmly. "Thank you, I understand my position." "You can't do him very much harm, you know," said the captain with affected af-fected jocularity. "He has confessed to the shooting." "1 don't believe it," she said emphatically. em-phatically. Trying a different tack, he asked carelessly: "Did you know Mr. Underwood?" She hesitated before replying, then indifferently she said: "Yes, I knew him at one time. He introduced me to my husband." "Where was that?" ""In New Haven, Conn." "Up at the college, eh? How long have you known Mr. Underwood?" Annie looked at her inquisitor and said nothing. She wondered what he was driving at, what importance the question had to the case. Finally she said: "I met him once or twice up at New Haven, but I've net -if seen him since my marriage to Mr. Jeffries. My husband hus-band and he were not very good friends. That is " She stopped, realizing that she had made a mistake. How foolish she had been! The police, of course, were anxious to show that there was ill feeling between the two men. Her heart misgave her as she saw the look of satisfaction in the captain's face. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "Not very good friends, eh? In fact, your husband hus-band didn't like him, did he?" "He didn't like him well enough to run after him," she replied hesitatingly. hesitat-ingly. The captain now started off in another an-other direction. "Was your husband ever jealous of Underwood?" By this time Annie had grown suspicious sus-picious of every question. She was on her guard. "Jealous? What do you mean? No, he was not jealous. There was never any reason. I refuse to answer any more questions." The captain rose and began to pace the floor. "There's one little thing more, Mrs. Jeffries, and then you can go. You can help your husband by helping us. I want to put one more question to you and be careful to answer truthfully. truth-fully. Did you call at these rooms last night to see Mr. Underwood?" "I!" exclaimed Annie with mingled astonishment and indignation. "Of course not." "Sure?" demanded the captain, eyeing eye-ing her narrowly. "Positive," said Annie firmly. The captain looked puzzled. "A woman called here last night to see him," he said thoughtfully, "and I thought that perhaps " Interrupting himself, he went quickly quick-ly to the door of the apartment and called to some one who was waiting in the corridor outside. A boy about 18 years of age, in the livery of an elevator attendant, entered the room. The captain pointed to Annie. "Is that the lady?" The boy looked carefully, and then shook his head. "Don't think so no, sir. The other lady was a great swell." "You're sure, eh?" said the captain. "I think so," answered the boy. "Do you remember the name she gave?" "No, sir," replied the boy. "Ever since you asked me " Annie arose and moved toward the door. She had no time to waste Lucie. niuuiciiL hkjw naa pic- cious. She must get legal assistance at once. Turning to Capt. Clinton, she said : "If you've no further use for me, captain, I think I'll go." "Just one moment, Mrs. Jeffries," he said. The face of the elevator boy suddenly sud-denly brightened up. "That's'it," he said eagerly. "That's it Jeffries. I think that was the name she gave, sir." "Who?" demanded the captain. (TO BE CONTTNUKD.) |