Show II I E e Recluse Y 1 th of o- o Fifth J Avenue 1 b b j I J R MARTYN Copyright bt In La th the tb United State Statu II II Service STORY FROM THE START From tho the comfortable financial situation to which h ho 3 had hac been born Peter Milman American gentleman of the old school and last of his family Is Ls practically r reduced to penury through the I misfortune of a friend unwisely trusted Learning of ot Brewers Brewer's suicide suIcIde suicide sui suI- I cide which means the destruction of his last hope Milman engages a French butler Achille Lutr Lutry who who speaks no English and Isto is isto isto to replace Sneed servant of long standing By Lutry Milman sends letters to Prof Fleming Bradney Floyd Malet and Neeland Neeland Nee Nee- land Barnes men once of ot high position In response response the three call on him at his home Each Cach relates the circumstances that wrecked wreck d their careers Milman convinces them that their misfortunes mis mis- misfortunes fortunes were all due to one ono one man Paul He explains how chiefly through his belief In Floyd Flord Malet as a great sculptor and the victim of malevolent circumstances cIrcumstances circumstances cir cIr- he had subscribed to toa toa a press-clipping press bureau and kept a n detective on track learning much to discredit discredit discredit dis dis- credit though nothing by which he could be reached l legally sall Hh Himself Himself Him Him- 1 self impoverished through Rax Rax- ons on's financial crool crookedness edness Milman Mil Mil- man proposes an nn association of the four men men men-an an association outside the law la which law which shall pull down and force him to disgorge his gotten Ill financial gains Following Milman's disclosures dIsclosures disclosures dis dIs- closures his three guests after a consultation practically decide to Join loin him In the fight against Paul R xon CHAPTER V Continued V-Continued Continued s 8 sNot Not that I ever er heard of ot The Mil Mil- mans have always been shrewd conservative conservative conservative con con- men Poor old Peters Peter's the thelast thelast last l. l st of em em and the best It may be bethere's bethere's theres there's something crazy in wanting to live down here bere and yet ret when I see what a beautiful home hes he's got and think of my shack at Peekskill I I understand understand understand un un- why he wants to tp fight to keep It it Barnes nodded a genial good night to his visitors He e did not understand understand understand under under- stand why they hung back Already he was visioning the future lie ne would buy a great ranch In California And there with splendid horses to ride he would pass the rest of his days And of course he would have his daughter When the three men In evening dress were summoned to breakfast In Inthe Inthe Inthe the Japanese garden they found their host similarly clad Whether he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been to bed or whether he had dressed thus to make their own garb less singular the they did not know They knew only only that the they found him free fro front from embarrassment and as courteous- courteous considerate as he had been at din din- ner tier Not during the meal was anything said about h his s proposition tall talked d freely of his garden and the th rare plants In It A little dial at his side attracted Bradney's s notice He saw that a wire wile was attached to It lea leading to the north wallA wallA wall A little burglar device of f my own Ullman explained t By It I 1 am enabled enabled en en- to detect the presence of of un anything anything any any- thing on the Iron screen which shuts this place In For exam example Jle If I find fin the dial Indicates five poun pounds s. s In weight and that the object is mo ln moving I can tell almost certainly It If Is a wandering wan wan- dering cat If a hundred and sixty pounds I can be sure of a burglar looking for an opening Cats CriEs are frequent freQuent frequent fre fre- quent visitors In the score of years year this garden has existed I 1 have haye ha hano had no more than seven burglars What happens to them Barnes asked How Bow do you get them I I extinguish the lights here and the shades are drawn back By Illuminating illuminating illuminating the marked ar area a. a I see the Intruder and have ha him at m my mercy I ke kepi a loaded shotgun handy anI and there Is seldom any difficulty In th the matter Only one ever got through The alarm must have been out of oi order for he sawed his way in during dinner and broke his neck on a stone known very cry amusingly as the Stone of ot the Respectful Visitor I am ver very well protected here I 1 have had time timeto to elaborate certain devices which make me feel perfectly safe The poUce police police po po- po- po lice Uce assure me that my cellar Is the attraction It Is stored with what was laid down man many years ago and the law law allows me to keep Watching the speaker carefully Bradney had come to the conclusion that his host was wholly sane Ive IC Imade I C made up my mind he said when Achille had gone v Wein said salt Milman He lIe felt if If It Bradney failed that Malet would be dissuaded Well I Im with jour you ou I I thought you ou would be when you had had tie time e to reflect that what I Is unlawful Is not always Inequitable iam I j Iam jam am very ery grateful And you Mr I Un inlet Malet let 1 t r mr in I a I I don't dont think Mr tine has any doubts about me Barnes f re re- marked Peter Milman smiled a little He rather liked this big man I hud had nn n doubts about you Now that t we are agreed let us discuss the thing First of all aU Bradney said what are your plans I have ha no plans Milman returned I see Bee that you look disappointed Evidently Evi B dently you ou me to have the tho whole thin thing cut and dried That gentlemen gentlemen gentlemen gen gen- seems unreasonable What object should I have ha in inviting you ou h here re If f I 1 were ere able to accomplish the thing alone I 1 approach the problem with l an open mind M My contribution toward 1 it will be to entertain you fo for three months If It at the end of that Hint t time m we are not this house will no longer be my home We shall have failed and If we are still at nt larga there will be five flye hundred dollars each for you ou All expenses will be borne by me ue I hope lOpe you ou are not dismayed I by my news I do o not think thin It you will be Y You u have no not been chosen Idl idly In Professor Bradney we have a a great creat Intellect fit to expend Itself on our common problem In Mr Malet we have the quick mind and vivid id magi imagination nation of the artist Mr 1111 Neeland Barnes brings to u us physical prowess prowess and an an ext extensive e knowledge of the underworld underworld un un- and Its wn ways s My contribution tion seems small by comparison First said Fleming Bradney let letus letus letus us collate all documents that bear on the subject I assume you have data concerning Paul Mr Milman I have hare a n great deal said his hostI hostI host I know details of his personal and business business business' life Hie th that t he cannot possibly suspect But how Bradney asked if you rarely go out and never receive receive 4 r q Qi I I 1 r iy The Alarm Must Have Been Out of Order tors can you get at this Information I 1 which must most surely be very dilli- dilli cult of access In the beginning by d design I was determined to find out what forces had pulled you and Malet Maret down Later by accident I 1 spoke not long ago of my cellar My 13 father laid down downa a great deal of port In 1871 when I Iwas Iwas Iwas was born It Is a wine I Ido do greatly great great- ly care for A lawyer named Loddon who has acted for me for some years Is also confidential attorney His His His' name never appears publicly in affairs He is engaged mainly In keeping his client cHent clear of the effects effects ef ef- effects of earlier indiscretions indiscretions' Loddon had dined with me many times and this port Induces amazing loquacity In him If I have doubted his assertions he has boasted the m more re loudly ly These dinners became at last a most most- interesting part of my life I drew him on d deliberately never permitting him to see my keenness Milman l smiled For FoJ every bo bottle tle of my port Loddon drank he rep repaid id me a hundred hun hun- dred dred fold It was when Loddon learned that Malet had made The Settlers' Settlers that he told me In so many many words that his client was responsible I 1 will not weary you with details I have a careful record of eYer every c conver conver- n It soothed his ego to talk and he believed me harmless Yes gentlemen I I. know a n. great deal about Paul PauI And you ou think hell he'll be he easy to defeat defeat defeat de de- feat 1 Bradney asked No o more dangerous man man- lives In all New York Peter Milman said gravely That Is why I have been so careful In selecting my companIons compan compan- ions dons CHAPTER VI Although Paul had always professed a great belief In his own X X X X X X destiny he had hait never thought to be bea I Ia Ia a multimillionaire He found foun suddenly a n national figure It amused I him to read rend newspaper accounts account of I himself People assumed that he hall had newly come corne to New York York whereas he had been for tor years a a. power working through other men It was as an architects architect's clerk cIerI h he lie discovered discovered dis dIA- covered the graft which was was was' possible in the building trade Among the the group of f Illiterate men men who who were holdIng hold hold- holdIng holdIng Ing up bI big Jobs fobs and lev levying blackmail from contractors in the name of Labor Lu La I bor he ho soon became a leader He lIe was cautious educated and und supremely I cunning The price e of success was the tho betrayal of his benefactor and find he had hesitated to make it At the age ago of fort two forty two he took his I I place with the living powers In Wall I Street hated by many liked by few I but despised by none Publicity overwhelmed overwhelmed over over- whelmed him hill at at last M Mrs s. s axon and and j AI her family returned from Europe j I where for some years ears the they had lived live I j At a large price he purchased Grent Great Rock Hock formerly the home of Bellington 1 of the e Ti Tr Traction action trust and he hc knew he I must Jill 1111 It with his wife's friends d and find i entertain in the Uie manner of the very very i rich I v I At this period of his life the Idea I of ot power obsessed him He did n not t twant j want to run the risk of losing what whit he had gained He He lie was not anxious for any unsavory episodes of his past to arise There Thare had been many and antI with most women were conce concerned ned Ho Tie grew less les Intrigued with women as the tho l lidea j Idea of senatorial honors forced It Itself lt l lupon upon him Senator of New NewYork i York I No o state h honors nors for him II He I desired to be sent sent to Washington Loddon Loddon Lod Lod- don his law lawyer er licked his thick lips lips' at at- atthe the thought Im satisfied said I that nobody can cnn pull me down Jim Caffray Gar Caf- fray was as dangerous but hes he's In S Sing n Sing for seven years I Hell be out in five five said Loddon and Jims Jim's because ho dangerous I knows a l lot t. t Jim will be out in less than that that Rax m retorted Brights disease Hes He's Incurable You look like a aBright's aBright's Brights Bright's disease type Loddon Better be moderate if you you want to help me to the United States senate Ive I've got a chance Tom Women en are voting against the old machine type of politician and Im I'm going to c cultivate the women women and anel pose as the pioneer of a new day chuckled n a little He lie was a tired looking man slim and a a little stooped stooped He had fine hands and good features He Be could bring readily to his aid the sale salesman's forced enthusiasm which seemed genuine gen to those who did not know him He knew he would do well In po politics tlc If r no old ghosts arose to confound him For Fox years now he had been 11 living living liv liv- v. v ing among men Immeasurably beneath him Ir In Intelligence a lucky turn had made him independent of them To go to the senate from New York would be an expensive matter but he hew w was waa s prepared to pay To that end It t would be necessary to conserve his fortune His ills wife after years of living living liv liv- ing in second-rate second hotels was Inclined to a reckless extravagance Domestic life at Great Rock was strained Yet saw that the era of great entertainments entertainments en en- was at rit hand He knew that as he was now a man In the public public pub pub- lic lie eye he had better do the thing well The life of relatively small things was over Not ag again ln would he deal with the baser sort of men Much of his amusement came came from wat watching the men he controlled trying to assert themselves Ther There was Loddon for Instance At heart of the shyster r I lawyer type and filled filed lIed with the Ideals of petty graft a wealthy benefactor I had bought him a partner partnership l lp with with a Q respectable firm and he had to guide I his professional conduct accordingly Loddon for the moment was was' filled with glee at his hi's his own fortune He wished to regard him as an equal Instead of snapping orders at him He ventured to disagree with his patron My success said stopping him with a gesture Is due to two things One Is a total absence of pity Another that I only use men that I 1 can cnn crush If they get out of hand Jim Caffray was one Youre You're another He looked at the gross I formless creature and sneered When I pipe you shall dance and if you ou I dont don't dance to my liking what happens happens happens hap hap- pens The Bar association will disbar dla- dla I bar you You may try to Incriminate me mc but you haven't a shred of i evidence evidence evi evi- dence of anything crooked not n a check letter telegram or a dictaphone dicta phone conversation Keep me In good humor Loddon and work for me and you'll go far Try to be Independent or Indiscreet and I 1 shall break you Why Paul Loddon cried got Into you 1 Im I'm the follower you ever had and you know it It t tTO TO BE CONTINUED |