Show THE GREAT ELUSION BY Y E PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM f Copyright 1922 by l E PhillIps Arret MEA flEA Service urn Inc BEGIN Y I Vendetta begins beKins between MICHAEL J SAYERS noted crud crud- c cal naJ and SIR SIn NORMAN once of Yard when Sayri Sayrs beautiful housemaid JA JANET ET saves roves him from Sir Nor Nor- Norman Norman man by shooting dead an on officer lent to arrest him Sir Norman falls fails In love lovo with Ith ith Janet and ond mir mu- murles rica rles her Michael 1 Lord and his Beatrice when their auto uto rims r run lid Beatrice c and Sa Sabers era fall aJl in inlove inlove love S and his hia band o of robbers br oo taco o into Court ann ana an rob tho the guests Beatrice aks to bo 00 to keep her jenels and Mu- Mu consents consent Poll co and ond deuc- deuc Uvee are unable to arco arce the rob rol robb b TB re Michael returns to alcy sley Court and returns Janet a jaw jew jew- Us Lla As Several el 11 cli Sayers Sayer announces to his f confederate his hia Intention to 0 OW GO CO ON ox TUE TIn StORY s roin Michael er Talks con con- As for mo rno my companion eased sipping his wine my peal Uon tion has never been Leen so difficult as YOl-r YOl I ha o ha e run no risks like you I have never stolen a 0 penny in my myLie m life Lie or raised my hind hand in anger or strife against any o of my leHow- leHow creatures You You haic o made a million or so soby si I Iby by those who wl have I remind it JIm him hi- hi I It is a II trifle that that he declared t Lt L us speak o of yourself my DY nd You arc in the prime primo of liCe You have just brought off one of o the finest coups which liis Jus Juso li o cier er been planned A A hundred ani an thousand pounds to dh Ide for forthe forthe the sale lle 8 o of those jewels and not ol a oltI tI nr-Ie nr clew left behind I What 1 Is l ine to take the place of oC thell i things to you in lifo life I shrugged ni rn shoulders for tor In- In used I had asked myself the same samO Question i 1 1 here Is plenty of amusement t to tobe be found I answered ans ered That Is all aU very well ivell ho he point point- pointed pointed ed ad out out but it t IC sou ou destroy for foi forI I yourself ye-ursell as you say you have dont dono donol eM 1 the hundred and one means of C lape which our ingenuity has bas base ha 1 evolved e you will have to step warIly war- war Hy Ily for the next few tew i cars ears My lily dl I replied aill be your task tash Today wa at- at d the last Installments of our recent profits I to 10 a t little over t tv ta 0 o million franca I Half a II n million illon I ha hale haie e placed in f hl hl t The They Mill 11 be bo yours i ours In re- re reI re-lurn re I lurn urn for Cor tho the service ou are about to render me mc It It Is a II difficult matter motter this then my friend Z he asked anxiously On the conary contrary it will elv you very little trouble indeed J I 1 assured him lou have I think among lour our very useful toas tons a friendly one ono with a II n a t French hospital I 5 Your task then is simple I In the bag bae I 1 lt lut l t at your office esterday are arc clothes jewelry papers and other trifles o or of apparent Insignificance The fie next unknown man who dies dien in n the hospital of my height and build will be bo wearing thc o clothes and will wilt have ve in his pos pos- pos t oSlon tho the other trifles I have of which have been all 1111 chosen to establish my Identity The authorities III noti- noti notify noti notify fy ry the tho French and r ew York po- po police po police lice Scotland Yard and uld the Prest Pres And afterward r r Thero There is no person breathing I told him to 10 whom I shall tide con con con- confide confide fide my plan I am om In no hurry burry I 1 think you will agree that for a car car- certain er- er tale tain length of time I could move about Paris laris without fear of or recognized It is without doubt true my companion assented ed leaning back In his place and studying me t I passed you on he boule ard and here In the en- en entrance en entrance trance without a single impulse or of I did not know you vou oven even when you spoke to me inc I tell you You Michael my companion con con- con concluded with some enthusiasm trat no artist upon tho the stage or oroff oroff oroff off It Is la such a master of or disguise as aa l ou 1 I will not attempt to say that yoU flatter me mc Lefevre I til 1 b 1 1 cause couse as a matter of fact tact I to- to lo uh t uh t lieve that hat nhat you say Is the Cry cry well then just as I am am I commence so 80 much as ns may be bo Idt of cf the aftermath of oC life lite Within a icek cek cek I shall leave Paris You may molY never see or hear of or me roe again A fortnight later I read my obi obituary notice in a dozen papers papera 1 the hp New York Herald de a II column to me and the Continental Dally Mall followed suit The Times dl ills missed me with half halt a doen lines lints of oC small print which seemed tin un- unkind un unkind kind when one considered the tho of or free Cree sensational mate mate- material material rial risi I had afforded them The 1 graph seemed t to think that I A fortnight later latu I read my obil- obil nary in a n dozen different Scotland Yard was as at fault In hay bar in an allowed me to slip alip out of It ftc orld orid according to my toy own time n Inclination The Thc pot Post thought that society at largo large roust breathe a sigh of at the pass pass- In inc away of one ono of ot the worM worlds neatest criminals criminal Only Ony one on I i paper reported a little Inci mci- mci nt c nl for tor a D single mom nl b the fires of oC madness Into irs irv madness blood blood madness and a we weak weak- k- k orar of ot which I shall shah not Speak Some one in England a D hint cl wired to a Paris florist ann nn were micro flowers sent to the hoe hos- pita f on the morning of or the fun ral wih isih I h no hypocritical message just jus I t tLc Ie name nomo Beatrice on a II card ard Well Veil It was wag my choice I 5 Jar Jar-d's Narrative It was waa a 0 chance which brought u us 10 St b-St lo St Jean de do Lu chance ted orman s desire to escape pe from the tho I r of an l W d course jrolf-courso oil course We sit sat out on Hi I veranda eranda of ot the golf golt club climb on the late of our arrival the pink and mauve tunes outlines of the thc er loner hills and the somber maj males majesty I t tr ty of the snow-capped snow mountain bt ond I isas as conscious of a curl tori- curl oui ou ous sense of oC tranquility ed II a little tile no doubt by my coy surround surround- d- d logs Norman after acter a II few Cew words or of appreciation looked liat nt at his golf-clubs golf and t iame aade me to the secretary i who ha bat halcome 1 come out to welcome us Sorry but lie I so e had two rounds round already the latter regretted Theres Therell a man named out there practicing Hes He's II a but a thundering good player playerS V S you care caro about II a around round with him I should like a II round with any any- anyone anyone anyone one Norman declared enthusiastically enthusiastically The secretary strolled across to- to to sard ard th the man who was waa mashie shots onto the last greens green a slim graceful man with a slight silent but grace grace- ful Cui stoop gray shier gray er-gray hair and ond cut cut clean weather beaten features Mo was dressed In t tweed teed eed golf golf- clothes of or Eng and was attended by his own ant manser manser- manser gOIC 1 ant who was his club clubs A few tew words of Introduction were spoken and HI ac all nil made our ay aay to the first tee The French Frenchman man discovering th that t Normans Norman's handicap was the same as his hia own Insisted upon the latter taking tal t the 3 honor Norman Normn drove an nn average ball straight down the tho course course- course and then came the great moment MonsIeur glanced cu cu- cu cu at us both bOlh handed his cap capto to his servant swum swum- his club and addressed the ball bail 1 ga gate gaic 0 a little c cr Norman stood as though ho hoMere ue turned to stone In that mo- mo mo moment leant ment we ivo had bad both recognised ed him Unmoved Michael dro o dro e straight and far tar up tho the course and watched his ball for the length of Its run Afterward we three stood and looked at ono one another upon the tee The Tho se secretary had bad disappeared disappeared disappeared In the tho clubhouse the cad cad- caddIes cad caddies dies had bad already started after acter the balls wo we were practically alone Wo We thought that you were dead ded I I gasped grasped newspapers l Michael sighed I took great pains lo to Insure YOUr ItIs thinking so he declared It Is my misfortune to have run up against the two people who were bound to re recognize me Still I Iha hate ha o had II a a very pleasant four cars ears Is it so long long- longI I murmured for Norman seemed still Incapable of speech Four Pour years and a II few months continued I have bave a 0 charming little tills IHa ilia a converted you farmhouse you can see It through time tho trees there a a delightful gar gar- gar gar- garden den my den my and carnations are arc ramous famous and there are very few Eng i l flowers which I have not managed to row crow I play a round of oC golf golt hene er I feel Ceel like 1110 It and ond when the hunger wander liun comes I vanish up there into time the I P Antoine m my roy servant I Is l a Basque and in nn accomplished mountaineer mount Today I can follow I him anywhere I What are we ive going going- to do about this Norman muttered I remains Bith aith you Mi Michael chad chael replied Wo We started to walk wall slowly to- to toward toward toward ward where the l two iso 0 balls were I ly- ly lyIng y- y yIng leg Ing almost side by side I passed my my arm rn through my h arid looked Into his fa face e It was obvious that he perfectly well real real- realIzed realized real realized the crisis with stith Ith which he wasI had bad I to deal During the last four tour years year had bad been wonderful wonderful years they we we had spent scarcely more thana than thana I a month or two in London We Ve had traveled tra in Italy taly an wintered twice tIco t Ico In Id the south of I rr Prance nce and ond tho the remainder of or the I time had been devoted to Grees Minor I had my two bibles babies to t look after acter and anti Norman his Ills farms I The ties which had bound him to his old profession proCession bid hd naturally weakened yet I knew now how his mind was working working- Hero Here by his side was n a a man toad whom he hal sworn to bring to justice a II notor notor- notorious ious bus criminal a man who by every code of ethics and citizenship ho he ought promptly to denounce An And AndI I knew that for tor some somo reon he hated the task almost as much as asI asI asI I hated bated It for tor him Michael he lie said shall have your our chance You know my duty You know that I am a ara-a a man who generally e tries to do It Yet Yetto to be candid with you I have II a conviction that our career as a criminal Is h over and my personal Inclination is to lea bate leae lea o e you alone We will let rate decide it We are arc areas as aa nearly equal at thib game as two men can be ha be rate rato made you ray my partner this evening I will play YOu this round for tor 3 our liberty and andray ray my silence I saw Michael s e RYes ores glitter andI and I knew that the idea appealed to him Ho lIo looked toward the green and swung his deck cicek lightly back back- backward ward sard and ond forward Let Let us understand one another another er or he to Insisted If It If I win I am free Creo of ot you for tor the tha rest of ot my ray life lite If I lose Joso I am to face the end Continued In Our Next Issue 00 |