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Show SY EArm ASHLEY VALCOiT ... i " ' - ' ' ' " : " i '. i . , i I i . i it i l ii r i t : t t ) f i ' , tit 1 i ,-. it i y hc i (i 1 ' i - . r - . v ' ' i - -t f fr: -si her?" es';-1 t' ' i t "; . i." - l i i- , "ifs "-'?. to be a f ' f i i if 1 vt tin e r -."lit t. 1 ot i.t. ;.,r. i," nil Coi . i .p.tf-r & r o. ,-lf you'll wn.t a bit, 1 11 f o it ti on i 'it K if there Isn't sot rt -I'ojy .e you'd 1 te'ter to have ! by your '. t-'tiirM. ion d -n't look to. i have any of jo"r lr-inili about.'.' "Just the trj"sr," I mil heartily. "There's no one 1 d rather bave. We'll go down as coon as we can get a bite to eat." "I'll have to wait a bit, sor, till my relief re-lief comes. He'll be along- soon. As for getting a bite, you csn't do better than wait till you get to Mother Eorton's. It's a rouKh place, but It's got a name for good cooking." I was -bewildered. -' (To Be Continued. c. 17 xi roU3-::::a c. ::.-7. C-T - "r-TTT ...... & i. AX. (Ccr. Vr-C i.) . m 3 Idsy a Bl'eloc.r c'.anca in a i i ' ;t to catch mora of his jneaa-' jneaa-' ws convey el ty his words'. ' "- .o..ia't ba surprise,!," I replied Jr.vb" ricking up an armful of books. "I'd expect them to bo looking for me in t' o bookshelf, or Insilo the mattress, cover, Pr tinder the carpet." I ky laughed joyously. they did rather turn things tirMia down,'' ha chuckled. ' "Did they Cet anything!" And ho fell to helping me filouslv. , "JSot that I can find out," I replied. "Nothing of value, anyhow." "J'.ot any papers, or anything of that sortt" askea Incky anxiously. "Dicky, Dir boy' sid 1 "there are two kinvls of fools. The other is tha ma ho writes his busineps on a sheet of rarer and forgets to burn it." iJick'frinned merrily. -. "tiadou're getting a turn for epi-rTamt epi-rTamt Yon '11 be writing for ihe Argonaut., Argo-naut., first we know."- "Well, you'll allow me a shade of ommon sense, won't yout" "I don't know," said Dicky, considering the proposition doubtfully. "It might liave bi-en awkward if you had left anything any-thing lying about. But if you had real rood sense you'd have had the guards i.ere. What are you paying them for, , enyhowT I saw difficulties In the way of ex-. ex-. Uning to Dicky why I had not ordered P tii guards on duty. "Oh, by the way," said Dicky suddenly, 1 "ire a suitable reply bad coma to me; w about the scads spondulicks you ' w? Yesterday was payday, but .you rt ehow up." -,','j't know whether my Jaw dropped u My spirits certainly did. . v Jove. Dicky!" I exclaimed, catch-my catch-my breath. "It slipped my mind, I haven't got at our ahem or, either." w now what that mysterious money for or a part of It, at all events. 1 1 did not see waa how I waa to get nd how to pay It to my men. i bat's rough.'' said Dicky syropathetl-y. syropathetl-y. "I'm dead broke." t would appear then that Dicky looked in- for pay, whether or not he felt bound to me in service. "There's one thing Td like explained before a settlement.'' said I grimly, aa I etralghtened out the carpet; "and that Is the little performance for my benefit the other night." Dicky cocked his head on one aide, and gave me an uneasy glance. "Explanation 7" he said In affected surprise. sur-prise. "Yea," said I sternly. "It looked like a plant. I waa within one of getting knife In me." ( "What became of you?" inquired Dicky. ' "We looked around for you for an hour, and were agraid you had been carried off." "That's all right. Dicky." I aald. "I know how I got out. What I want to know Is how I got In taken In." . "I don't know,", said. Dicky anxiously. "I waa regularly fooled, myself. I thought they were fishermen all right enough, and I never thought that Terrlll had the nerve to come In there. I waa fooled by his disguise, and. he gave, the word, and I thought sure that Richmond had sent him.' Dicky had dropped all banter, and was speaking with the tone of sincerity. "Well, -ifa all right now, but J don't want any more slips of that sort. Who waa hurtT" "Trent got a bad cut In the side. One of the Terrlll gang waa shot. I heard It was -only through the arm or leg, I forgot f which."- - , I waa consumed with the desire to ask 1 what had become of Borton'a, but I sus-. sus-. pected that I was supposed to know, and prudently kept the question to myself. "Well, come along." said L "The room will do well enough now. Oh. here'a a ' ten, and I'll let you know as soon aa I get I the rest. Where can I find you?" "At the old place,", said Dicky; 326." ! "ClayT" I asked -In desperation. . see the bo-JyT" he eonrln.1l. "We embalmed em-balmed It oil the etrerth of Coogans order." I ehrsr.lt frr-n sno'v,er look at the battered bat-tered form. The s uness cf the trecedy came upon me witii hnrdiy lees force than In the moment when I had first faced the mnil and bleeding body on the slab in the deal room. Aln I saw the scene In the alley; sg-aln I retraced the dreadful experiences of the night,' and stood in the oim horror of - the morgue with, the questioning voice of the detective detec-tive echoing beside me; and ealn did. that wolf face rise out of the lantern-flash over the body of the man whose death it had caused. , t '. J The undertaker was talking, but 1 knew not what ha said. I was shaking with the horror and grief of the situation, situa-tion, and In that moment I renewed my vow. to have blood for blood and life for life. If law and Justice were to be had. "We'll take It out any time." said the undertaker, with a decorous reflection of my grief upon his face. "Would you like to accompany the remains I" I decided that I would. "Well, there's nothing doing now. We can start as soon aa we have sealed the casket." "As soon as you can.' There's nothing to wait for." The ride to - the cemetery took me through- a part of San Francisco that I had not yet seen. Flying battalions of fog advanced swiftly upon us as we faced the West, and tha day grew pale and f hostllke. The gray masses were pouring ast over the hills toward which we struggled, strug-gled, and the ranks thickened aa we drew near the burial place. I paid little attention to the streets through which we passed. My mind waa on the friend whose name I had taken, whose work I waa to do. I waa bade with him in our boyhood days, and lived again for the fleeting minutes the life we had lived In common; and the resolve grew stronger on me that his fate should be avenged. And yet a face came between me and the dead a proud face, with varying moods reflected upon It, now gray, now scornful, now lighted with intelligence and mirth, now biasing with anger.. But It waa powerless to shake my resolve. Not even: Luella Knapp should stand between be-tween me and vengeance. "There's the place," said the undertaker, undertak-er, pointing to the vault. "I'll have it opened directly." The scene waa In aocord with my feelings. feel-ings. The gray day gave a somber air to the trees and flowers that grew about. The white tombstones and occasional monumenta to be seen were aad remind-ers remind-ers of mortality. Below me stretched the city, half concealed con-cealed by the magic drapery of the fog that streamed through it, turning it from a place of wood and stone into a fantastic fantas-tic illusion, heavy with gloom and sorrow. sor-row. It was soon over. The body of Henry Wilton waa committed to the vault with the single mourner looking on,- and we drove rapidly back In the falling light. - I had given my address at the undertaker's under-taker's shop, and the hack had stopped In front of my house of mystery before I knew where we were. Darkness bad come upon the place, and the street lamps were alight and the . gas waa biasing in the store windows along the thoroughfares. As I stepped out of the carriage and gaaed about me I recognised the gloomy doorway and its neighborhood that had greeted me on my first night in 6an Francisco. As I was paying the fare a stout figure atepped up to me. "Ah. Mr. Wilton, iff you again." ' I turned in surprise. It waa the policeman police-man I had met on my first night in San Francisco. . "Oh, Corson, how are you?" I said heartily, recognising him at last. I felt a sense of relief in the sight of him. The place waa not one to Quiet my nerves after af-ter the errand from which I had Just come. "All's well, sor, but Tve a bit of paper for ye." And after some hunting he brought It forth. "I waa asked to hand thla to ye." I took It In wonder. Was there something some-thing more from Detective Coogan? I tore open the envelope and read on its In- closure: "Kum tonlte to the house. Shure If youre life is wurth eavein. Mother Bor-ton." Dicky gave me a wondering iook as though he suspected my mind waa going. "No Geary. What'a the matter with you?" . "Oh, to be sure. Geary street, of course. Well, let me know if anything ''turns up. Keep a close watch on things. -1 Dicky looked at me in some apparent perplexity aa I walked up the stairs to my Clay atreet office, but gave only some laughing answer as he turned back. But I was In far from a laughing hu-mor hu-mor myself. The problem of paying the 1 men raised fresh prospects of trouble, and I reflected grimly that if the money waa - not found I might be in more danger from my unpaid mercenaries than from the enemy. ' 1 Ten o'clock passed, and 11. with no algn I . from Doddridge Knapp, and I wondered ' If the news I had carried him of the activities ac-tivities of Terrlll and of Decker bad die-i die-i arranged his plans. . ' I tried the door into room 16. It was ) locked, and no sound came to my ears t from behind it. "I should really like to know," I thought to myself, "whether Mr. Doddridge Dod-dridge Knapp has left any papers In his desk that might bear on the Wilton mys-tery." mys-tery." I tried my keys, but none of them fitted the lock. I gave up the attempt Indeed, my mind shrank from the idea of going through my employer's papers but the desire of getting a key that would open the door was planted in my brain. Twelve o'clock came. No Doddridge Knapp had appeared and I sauntered down to the exchange to pick up any Items of news. It behooved me to be looking out for Doddridge Knapp'a movements. move-ments. If he had got another agent to carry out his schemes. I should have to prepare my lines for attack from another ' direction. Wallbrtdge waa Just coming rapidly out ; of the exchange. ' "No," said the little man, mopping the perspiration from his shining head, ."quiet as lambs today. Their own mothers wouldn't have known the board from a fcuhd ay-school." I Inquired about Omega. "Flat as a pancake," said the little man. "Nothing doing." What! Is It down?" I exclaimed with -e astonishment. Lord bless you. no!" said Wallbrldge, prised in bis turn. ''Strong and steady . fcO, ' but we didn't ssll a hundred i ,;ares today. Well, I'm in a rush. Goodbye, Good-bye, if you don't want to buy or sell." And he hurried oft without waiting for a reply: So I was now assured that Doddridge Knapp had not displaced me In the Omega deal. It was a recess to prepare another surprise for the street, and I had time to attend to a neglected duty. , The undertaker's shop that held the rnorfrue looked hardly less gloomy In the Afternoon sun than In the l!trht of break -jr day In -which I had left it when I . i arted from Letectlve Coogan. The oiflce v as decorated mournfully to accord wltn i grief of friends who ordered the eof-( eof-( n. or the feelings of the surviving rel-1 rel-1 i. lives on settling the bills. -1 em Henry Wilton," I explained to t! n i. .an in charge. "There was a body lit hpre by Detective Coogan .to my or-Or. or-Or. I believe." x "Oil, yes." he said. "What do you want ''--" wlih It?" 1 fw;ind that I wishel to arrange i I v It deposited In a vault for a time, li ht carry it Fast. " ; i. i s easy done," ho sn'i; and he ex- 1 the details. "Wou J you Lke to chaptes anv.- Mother Borton's Advice. I studied the note carefully, and then turned to Policeman Corson. . . "When did aha give you this and where?" - ; - "A lady?" said Corson with j a grin. "Oh, Mr. Wilton, it's too sly she is to give it to me. 'Twaa a boy ask In' for ye. Do you know hlmT says he. 'I do that, aays L "Where is her aaya he. T don't know,' says I. 'Has 'e a room 7' says he. 'He haa,' says I. "Where la it?' aaya he. What'e that to you?' says I" "Yes, yes." I interrupted. "But where did he get the note?" "I waa just tellin' ye. sor," aald the policeman po-liceman amiably. "He shoves the note at me agMn, an' says he.. 'It's important.' says he. 'Go up there,' says L 'Last room, top floor, right hand side. Before I comes to the corner up- here, he's after me ag in. - 'He's gone,' says he, 'Like enough.' says L When'll he be back? aaya he. - 'When the cows come home, sonny.' says I. Then there'll be the dlvll to pay says he. I pricks up my ears at this. Why?' saya I. Oh. he'll be killed.' says he, 'and I'll git the derndest llckln'.' says he. 'What's up?' says L makln' a grab for him. But he ducks an' blubbers. blub-bers. 'Gimme that letter.' says I. 'and you Just kite back to the folks that sent rou, .and tell them what's the matter. 11 give the note to your man if he comes while I'm on the beat,' says I. I knows too much to try to git anything more out of him. I aaya to meself that Mr. Wilton Wil-ton ain't -in the safest place in the world, and this kid's folks maybe means him well, and might know some other place to look for him. The kid jawa a bit, an' then does as I tells him, an' cuts away. That's half an hour ago, an cuts you are. an here's your letter." I hesitated for a little before saying anything. It waa with quick suspicion that I wondered why Mother xBorton had secured again that gloomy and deserted house for the interview she waa planning. That mystery of the night, with its memories mem-ories of the fight in the barroom, the escape es-cape up the stair, the fearsome momenta I had spent locked in the vacant place, came on me with nerve-shaking force. It was more likely to be a trap than a meeting meant for my advantage. There was, indeed, no assurance that the note was written by Mother Borton herself. It might well be the product of the gentlemen gentle-men who had been fending such variety to an otherwise uninteresting existence. All these considerations flashed through my mind In the seconds of hesitation that passed before my reply to Policeman Corson Cor-son s account, "That waa very kind of you. Tou didn't know what was in the letter then?" "No, sor," replied Corson with a touch of wounded pride. "It's not me aa would open another man's letter, unless in the way of me duty." "Do you know Mother Borton?" I continued. con-tinued. " ...... "Know her? know her?" returned Corson Cor-son in a tone soornful of doubt on such a point. "Do I know the slickest crook In fcan Francisco? Ah, It's many a story I could tell you, Mr. Wilton, of the way that ould she dlvll has slipped through our fingers when we thought our hands were on her throat. And it's many of herf brood we have put safe In San Quen-tin. Quen-tin. "Tes. I suppoee so." said I dryly. "But the woman haa done me a service saved |