OCR Text |
Show f THE RETURN oFl f ANTHONY. TRENT f f By WYNDHAM MARTYN j S CopyTtffht by Barse & Hopkins ' VFNTJ Servle , CHAPTER XI Continued 22 The manner of delivering the third warning arranged Itself with the ease Trent had come fo associate with this campaign against the (j runts. One evening after dinner Kathryn Holland had complained of a headache, head-ache, and be had taken her for a spin among the Lakewood pines. A3 the ironwork gates to the house were always al-ways closed, Trent got out of the ma-. ma-. chine at the curb on his return and opened them. While he was doing this a stranger passed and asked him In what direction Ahnelt hall was. "I thought It was a holdup," said Kathryn Uolland gaily. "What did he want?" She saw that her escort was looking curiously at an envelope he held. "His excuse was that he wanted to know where Ahnelt hall lay, but 1 think the real reason was to get me to give this letter to Grant 1 wonder why he couldn't deliver It himself." When he had put his car in the garage and Joined the rest In the ballroom, ball-room, Trent saw Grant from a doorway, door-way, beckoning him. Grant was looking look-ing wretched. "Kathryn Holland says some one gave you a letter for me." Anthony. Trent put it into his trembling hands. Grant did not even thank him. Furtively he took It and disappeared. In the library, where he could be sure of being alone. and yet within the comforting sound of human voices, Payson Grant read the letter. It was Sutton's writing, as he had feared. "You escaped that time through the unconscious intervention of one of your friends. But for that you would ,oow be on your way to Buenos Aires Id La Belle Alliance. If you doubt it, bring up- the matter in court. I shall see you on the seventeenth. You have one way of escape, and that Is full confession. "F. W. S." It was Albert Thorpe who informed Anthony Trent that Mr. Grant was overcome by the sultriness of the weather and bad fainted in the library. Mr. Grant would like to see Mr. Trent, "I'll go up at once," said the obliging oblig-ing Trent "It's about that letter," Grant said. "1 can't quite make It out," he confessed. con-fessed. "I suppose you didn't get a good look at the man's face?" "1 saw it quite distinctly," Trent answered an-swered readily. Grant looked troubled. "That's funny," he murmured "Kathryn said she couldn't recognize him at all; she only saw he was a big man." "Miss Holland was in the machine, and could not see him. I saw him clearly because he was In the circle of light made by the lamp on the top of the gate-post. Anything wrong about the note? Black-hand threats, or anything any-thing like that?" Grant shook his head and tried to smile. "Nothing more than curiosity." he answered. After a pause, as though nerving himself for a shock, he asked what the stranger looked like. "He was a man a little taller than you and a good bit broader In build. Rather a pale face. Sort of broken nose and sharp little gray eyes. I noticed he had a V-shaped scar over his left eye. Gave me the impression," Trent went on confidentially, "of being mentally unbalanced. Looked as if he needed a good square meal and a hair cut" Through a mirror Trent watched the changes fear brought to the other's face. That Grant suffered pleased him; but that Grant's heart might be weak made him vaguely uneasy. There would be greater strains than this to bear. "Did you recognize the man?" Trent asked. "1 wanted to see if 1 did," Grant said evasively. "It was a begging letter, let-ter, and the police oughtn't to let people peo-ple be annoyed like that. What's the date today?" "The fourteenth," said Trent "Anything "Any-thing I can do for you?" "You might send Thorpe In." .When Thorpe came in his employer ntured at him sullenly. "Do you still have the grounds searched every night?" he snapped. "Yes. sir," Thorpe answered. "Also the house from basement to roof." "You're too d d cureless to auit me," Grant grumbled. "See you lake special care tonight Send Mrs. Gram here at once, and get this number on the long distance." Nation came in almost at oneo. All she knew was that a letter hud been given either to Kathryn Uolland oi Mr. Trent and on receipt of it her husband disappeared. She read It slowly. It was Frank's writing, and he was near them. Try-as Try-as she might, she could not tight off a feeling, as yet vague and nebulous lhat events were at uund which threatened threat-ened the fabric of ber dreams. "Oi course, you must call the po lice," she said, "or 1 will." "Ive nod enougti ot this place. Oram said. "Every man 1 look at I want :o be sure Isn't Frank in disguise My God I Nat what use are the police , ! if they can't catch him? He was within with-in two hundred yards of me a few hours ago, and may be nearer than that now." He looked about the big room apprehensively. "I'm through. Think of what an escape I had! That d d ship was got Just to kidnap me. I tell you Frank must have money at the back of him. The police go looking look-ing for a seedy, broken-down tramp when he's probably living as well as we are and driving down here in a limousine." "Don't make any plans until tomorrow," tomor-row," she said, "if it will make you any easier, change your room tonight" Not because she had sympathy for nis malaise, but because she was not sure how unwisely he might speak to the police, Natlca saw the authorities when they came. They had combed the ' neighborhood and found no vagrants whom they did not know. This confirmed Grant in bis new be; lief that Sutton was not an outcast but one protected, and therefore doubly "You Are Lucky In Having Real Friends," Grant Said Bitterly. dangerous. Because Trent had saved him from a deadly peril he felt a certain cer-tain sense of safety in being near him. Trent was one of those reckless fools who liked dangers. If danger came near to Grant he might rely upon his guest to repel It He was talking to Trent when a footman brought a telegram toward .them. Grant shrank back, as though here were another message from the man he had wronged. It was a relief when Trent opened it "It's from Swithin Weld," be announced. an-nounced. "Wants me to go up and spend a week or so in his Adirondack camp. 1 suppose you'd be bored to death at It." Payson Grant turned a reproachful look on the speaker. Bored to death In., such surroundings 1 He could imagine what It was like. Not a stranger could get past the keepers and guides. One might be as truly secluded there as any place in the world. .' "Today's the fifteenth," he heard Trent say. "I think i ll start tomorrow. tomor-row. My visit is up. I've had a very pleasant time here, Mr. Grant. I wish you weren't looking so out of sorts." Tomorrow was the sixteenth. A sentence of Sutton's note was graven on his brain. "I shall see you on tiie seventeenth.". There would be no Anthony An-thony Trent to rely on then. "You are lucky in having real friends," Grant said bitterly. "I've ot to stay here whether I like It or not. I tell you, Trent, I'm a very sick man. It doesn't mean very much to you, a trip to the Weld camp. An Invitation like that to me would mean saving my reason." Trent . simulated growing astonishment. astonish-ment. "You'really mean It?" he asked. "I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll usk Weld if I may bring you along, too. But could you leave?" he added doubtfully. wf -- V W w I f "There'a nothing to stop me." , Before dusk the wire came back as scheduled. "By all means bring Grant (It read), but he will find it deudly dull here as there are no other guests. - "SWITHIN WELD." .Natlca Grant was even more pleased than her husband, although for vastly different reasons. She could imagine the Joy of telling those who asked where her husband had gone that he was staying at the famous Weld camp in the Adirondacks. . . Payson . would have the opportunity to get to know "his host thoroughly. It pleased Grant to think he was stealing a march on his enemy. "You'll see me on the seventeenth,"- he muti tered. VAll right, I'm leaving on the sixteenth.". He was In excellent spirits spir-its at dinner. . Grant had no fear that his wife would suffer at Sutton's hands. He did not think anyone could frighten Natlca. - Supreme selfishness dwarfed alJ her other emotions. He learned from Trent that the week might lengthen into two If the weather kept fine. In two weeks' time Payson Grant would come back a different man, he assured his wife. Just now be was shot to bits with worry and unwise Indulgence in stimulants. stim-ulants. And every day brought Sutton's Sut-ton's ultimate capture nearer. Payson Grant left his splendid home In Deal Beach in the highest of good humors. " r "I've never been In the Adirondacks," Adiron-dacks," he confessed to Trent "Tnia Is going to be a revelation to me." "It wouldn't surprise me at all," Anthony Trent agreed. , " , CHAPTER XII The Murder in the Forest. Weld met them at Elizabethtown and drove them tip the long trail to the camp. " Payson Grant had never felt more' wholly at his ease. Remote from cities, staying In the center of a vast acreage long held by a trespass-hating trespass-hating landowner, he was conscious as he had never been at Deal Beach of Immunity from danger. At night there were no servants in the camp. There was a smaller building build-ing for them a quarter-mile distant and connected by telephone. The discovery dis-covery rather alarmed him. In effect it meant tliat his room, which was on one end of the building, left him far removed from those of the two men at the other. He began to hint at possible dangers dan-gers from robbers attracted by the booty to ba obtained in such a place as this. "Not a chance of it" Weld declared. Trent's contribution to the subject was not reassuring. "That's because nobody has ever wanted to get In here badly enough to set about It skillfully. If I were anxious anx-ious to get in here to murder, let's sny, I'll swear it would be easy. To begin with, a camp like this would be a cincli. You or I, Weld, could climb up these rough walls and get in any window we wanted." "You're frightening Mr. Grant" Weld remarked. "Not 1. He's used to things like that after having a burglar with him for a week. I don't suppose anyone ir likely to come here, for the reason we are not marked ouc for vengeance. If Grant were a defaulting banker like the man In 'The Pavilion on the Links.' there might be a chance of some fun." "Fun I" Great cried testily. "I'm d d if I get your sense of humor. The Idea of being marked down by any criminal Isn't a,- funny as you think." He was conscious that his Irritation was Incomprehensible to men Ignorant of the fears their idle chatter engendered. engen-dered. He sought to appear at ease. "I'm afraid I shall have to disap-' point you." he returned. "I've no more thrilling story than trusting a criminal for a week and thinking he was a detective. That makes me a bit sore of crooks." (TO BE CONTINUED.) |