Show J TRIUMPHS lIi OF M. M r J By MEL MELVILLE VILLE DA IS P POST T Copyright o 1923 NEA Service fu Inc i j I I j I I j j I THE GIRL GIRt IN THE PICTURE I advanced to meet the man with witha a sense of ot victor victory The Service de dej la had searched the world for him He had been long concealed But Bt my sense of ot victory vanished when I L v saw him He sat slit in a great chair on the long terrace that overlooked o the sweep of ot otla la lawn wn and the dark rapid river He had been all alt the time under our very noses We Ve had thought of every other place except an English coun country try house within a jump of ot London And he had been sitting hero here in every comfort comfort com corn fort that money could assemble He did not rise when I 1 Ivas was vas brought out to him He lIe leaned back In the chair lifted his heavy face And Ad so so Monsieur he said you finally wormed it out of ot her I could not keep my roy voice level level- level level- so effectively was ws tho the man escaping us after all this search And I did not slot know what the huge creature meant On the night before be be- before fore tore someone had called up the Service Service Ser Ser- vice de la is and said our maras man mar was as here The long distance call cal from some shop in Regent street London could not b be traced traced traced-so so it ii had been a woman I replied as ei though I were in his secret She Sho knew you were safe He laughed again Sure she knew knee It He lIe pointed to a chair a few feet feel beyond him across a table Sit down he said I want to tc talk about her her that's that's the reason I wanted you YO to come He laughed laughe 1 again You thought you'd ud sleuthed it out eh Not by a I sent her word to put you wise I 1 wanted to clear some things up before I cashed in But it was a clean lie What I wanted was somebody to listen while I talked about her Sit down I It was a 0 strange Introductory SUt It was a a. mystery that had puzzled everybody and I was willing to hear all that ho Ito had to say about it I 1 took the chair beyond rum He lIe shot his head forward suddenly sudden sudden- ly in a a tense gesture a heavenly angel ho saidI said eald I dont don't know what God Almighty meant by setting her in the game Iame with the bunch of ot crooks that Hes He's got running the tho world world unless unless He lIe counted on me The laugh became a sort of chuckle In his big bl throat throat- Aint she a heavenly angel He whipped a worn photograph out of his pocket and reached it across the table to me It was the photograph of ot a girl with the face cut out It had been taken from a painting one tell from the flat fiat surface and the tho strange background of at beauty and an indescribable charm in the tho post in the mutilated mutilated of ot the girl remained even picture I l 1 cut out the face tace he added so soshe soshe she wouldn't come into the case if It you caught me your little Westridge must have been slaughtered at the loss of ot her Again he touched me at an unexpected unexpected unexpected point Shortly after atter the thing for which we were seeking the man before me had as the Americans say been pulled off ott Lord Westridge returned to England He had bad gone to visit some o rich c Americans I and there was wasa tur hd a rumor that h some adventure v had befallen befallen be be- fallen him Nothing definite ever came to me and I 1 liked the man too little to In Inquire Inquire inquire In- In quire all the blood from front the tho original solicitor as the tho British say would Bite a shilling But again I 1 replied as though I 1 were in his hU hiss s secret to Westridge I said The man twisted around in his chair Friend he said youve got a ahead ahead head full fun of ot brains or you ou wouldn't bo be head of ot the Iho criminal Investigation tion department of ot the Service de la Ia and the English would not have you ou over on this case now answer answer answer an an- me a question question What's What's the biggest biggest biggest big big- gest notion in the Christian n church I dont don't know I answered him hini I truthfully Well 1 I know he went on Its I the notion that you'll git what's a- a comin to you ou He looked at mo me with a big cynical cynical cal leer what happened to your little lit I tb tle Westridge and Westridge-and and the next time you I see him hes he's to git another Jolt He Ha will be blamed sorry that you found me He couldn't squeal any anyplace I place along the line but Ill I'll bet a finger finger fin fin- ger he didn't let you ou forget torget about aboul fIn I me And again I saw an incident of ot this I long ton search for the he man before me from another angle anglo The bank had kept the search hot for foi him pretending the public publio welfare I saw it now that was Westridge's I mone money box that box that would be little Westridge Westridge West West- ridge In the tho background He eyed me curiously In a mo mo- moments moment's ments ment's pause He kept you ou the word eh eli eh r Well Wen she blocked him at that even ever even I If II she didn't know it Ther came a sudden energy Into his olce voice y t An Jf Z t hG he pla plague U hadn't sot Jot me me j I Id I'd a saved her that trouble Id I'd a with you jou played round rosy He lifted himself in the chair with the strength of his he hands on the broad arm And I realized more fully what a physical wreck he was was was- the lower yer part of his body was mo sno- sno I 1 want to tell you about this thing he said And when you ou cango can cango go ahead with your warrant Ait A- A It was the photograph of a girl with the face cut out I fear I replied that a somewhat somewhat some flome- what higher authority has got in before before be be- fore your our kings king's writ He lIe chuckled as th though ugh the deadly fact were a a. sort of pleasantry Sure he eald said the big Judge has be beat you to it Ho tie looked d out t. t a ft moment at tho the woolly Highland cattle in the distant t meadow at the tho old age-old beech trees and the dark swift silent water and then the upper part of ot his big body se settled in the chair leth I thought it A g was a slick trick but maybe it was vas God Almighty Amway Anyway Any Any- way when the thing was pulled at off I slid up to Bar Harbor and set down in a hotel I figured It out like this this this- you look for a crook in the places that crooks go and you OU look for a gentleman In the places where gentlemen gentlemen gen gen- go Ill I'll switch it it I 1 got me some quiet clothes I limped a little to show that I wasn't golf fit and I didn't talk I Just set about with the New York Times and the Financial Register and let the days pass When there was doings in the hotel I was there in my allright allright allright all- all right evening clothes in a chair against the wall and I limped along the sea-path sea in let the afternoon for a little exercise I looked some bored to keep the proper form torm But I wasn't bored I was seeing something new and I was getting more snore light on it all the time I 11 t was seeing that this bunch was living up to a standard that nearly all the people Id I'd ever seen were only pretending That was the difference differ differ- ence I soon figured it out He lIe flung up his hand in a curious expressive gesture Im a crook keep that in your head and the thing was like a theatre the the- f atre to me I began to watch the ac c. c et I tors tora then I s saw her and Westridge tW He ile moved in his chair j I She was there with an old faded I grandmother that read novels I 11 smoked k 1 and was wag a l lady and And right h there is Ig where this s real i I bunch has got the goods They dont don't I let down because they do I some things that would make I gers the you cross your our fin f ingers in- in I on other set He lie leaned back In the chair Well I got ot to watching her I your Englishman I watched and them dancing in the tho hotel and riding and ana playing r tennis at t the Casino Casino Id Id I'd never seen any people like them I And pretty eoon I got onto something some some- thing this Westridge gentleman something some some- trying to buy the girl but he didn't was want to pay for tor her He out the bait but he had a was putting I string on it It I got on to his dope If It he could dazzle her Into marry ing him shed she'd get her clothes The real board and things that was next to his hla hide was his money All for me that was the notion He went on with no break in his words I got to thinking about little It This Westridge was forty hed he'd change and the girl Irl was at the never when the things he age was I dangling all mixed up with were WE're moonshine might win and if It he ho did she He headed for hel hell was I I 1 saw it all clean out to the end He moved in the chair I 1 used to tg set about and look took her and It made me cold at all over The devil was on the Job right Just as he was In the here Tenderloin He Ire ie was working on a a higher class but it line was only a different road to his same old hell sort or or It would be a heavenly to a aVolt wolf Volt no matter how angel flung lung you OU dressed dressel the situation up an I 1 said sald to myself You cant can't beat him The devils devil's got gota a set of ot traps for any kind of a layout layout layout lay lay- out Another Installment of this unusual mystery story will appear In our next Issue |