| Show F THE I 1 T I 1 destroying 1 ra U alj angel ma 1 11 by LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE tW VW QUEER LUCK did you ever have a piece of really good luck for instance help from an entirely unexpected source when you were in deep trouble luck good or bad Is certain ty on the trail of hugh chita ker you remember a corps of eminent surgeons tur geona gave him jut just six months to live so he found a girl in trouble married her to save cave her good name and diesa feared immediately five years yeara later he reappeared in new york from australia happy healthy and prosperous and started out to find the little girl he marr married led hn he discovers her when he goes to tho the theater ashes sara law great actress mutual recognition across the footlights stops the play and creates wild ex cit ement among the audience what next occurs Is told in this installment go to iti CHAPTER V continued 7 where whores Wh cres miss bliss luw law lie asked 1 11 I dunno duillio go ask max where Is lie be you can me last I 1 saw of him lie ho was tearing tho the star dressen dress ln room up by the roots tt whitaker hurried on oil just in III time line to see max disappearing lit in the direction of tho the sange door nt it which point lio lie caught up with him mid and from the mn managers disjointed lils iii of tho the doorkeeper garnered tho the information alint the star had hurried out of tho the building while max wits making ills his announcement before tile the curtain curt nin mar swung angrily upon whitaker oil oh its you Is it Per fulps you can explain what this menns means she wits looking straight tit at she elic dried ri up I 1 I 1 saw herp her P perhaps bettor better find miss law and ask her interrupted billave you any idia idea where bliok gone illaine loine Il ll probably proba lily max snapped la in re return 1 come on oil then 11 passing assing ills fits arin through the managers drew him out into tile the alley well got get it t bixl before tills mob lint hut look lacre what business ve you got mixing in aak ask miss law bald whitaker shortly it had and been on oil flip tit tip of its his tongue to toll tell the mail faintly ini im glicr ter hus husband bund lint hut liu lie retained wit avit enough to deny himself tile thi satisfaction of this shattering rejoinder 1 I linow know her lio lie added tl inta for the prea ent at the entrance to the alley max paused to listen to tho the uproar within ills hla well beloved theater id give uvo five thousand gold dollars if I 1 met you tills this t lie he groaned groa nod 1 I always jonew that woman waa a Jol Jonn ifill lil I 1 you were calling her your mascot hours 1 I two ngo ago ishell bo be the death of me yet tho the little man mail insisted gloomily ila iio stopped short jerking ills his arm free look here im not going ive got my iny work cut out for or mo me back thero with a jerk of ills licad head toward tile theater whitaker hesitated then lien without regret decided to lose loie him it would bo be us as well to get over tho the impending interview without a third factor very we well I 1 lie ho said beckoning n ta taxicab in to the curb tho the address max gave it sullenly iso so long lio lie added morosely ns its whitaker opened the eat cab door sorry borry I 1 over ever mid laid eyes on you whitaker settled bock back in tho the eat cab and oblivious to the lights of broad any streaming past tried to think it suddenly presented itself to ills reason muon with shocking force that ills fits attitude attl atti tudo must be humbly and wholly apologetic it was a singular case lie he had come home to find ills wife on the point of marrying another man and she ho was the one entitled to feel aggrieved 1 strange odthe of alie eternal triangle I 1 far too soon the machine swerved into fifty seventh street slipped halfway down don the block described c R wide are to the northern curl curb find and pulled up trembling before a modest modern residence dence between sixth and seventh avenues reluctantly whitaker got out and on suspicion told the chauffeur to wait then with all tho alacrity of a condemned man ascending the lie seaf foll fold lie ho ran up the steps to the front door A manservant man servant answered ills his ring without undue delay wis was miss law at homo home jio ile would see bee this indicated slie she was at home whitaker tendered a card with his file sur anine titter that of sir mr blugh morten in fit engra engraved vea script lie ile stared round lound him with pardonable wonder it ii this were truly the home of alary Lud ludislaw islas whitaker her property he had find bull deil far better than lio lie could possibly have foreseen with that investment of five hundred dollars six yours years since soft shaded lights rare furnishings the rich yet delicate atmosphere of exquisite taste tile hush mid and orderly perfection of a homo home made and maintained with ith consummate art these furnished hlin him with dim provoking intimations of oil nn andt vidu allty to which lie ho was it stronger stranger less lesi than a stir stronger nothing almost immediately lie ho became aware of Veini nine footsteps on oil tho the staircase there entered to him a lady well past middle ago with the dignity and polso consistent with her years yearn lier her manifest breeding and glicr ter iron gray hair linar str mr whitaker lie bowed 1 I am mrs a friend of miss bliss laws sho she hus has naked tile mo to say that she bho boga begs to ho be excused nt at leu feirt t for tonight and I 1 am further instructed to ask it you will ho be good enough to leave your address certainly lin stopping nt at the lio ritz carlton hut lio ho demurred deniu 1 I should like to leave a note it I 1 may inny mrs nodded till assent you will find materials in tho the desk there ila ho added indicating tin nn ey ehi crit otro tonii ag 18 her whitaker sat down and utter after some hesitation wrote it few lines Plea rieno bodon dont t think 1 I mean to cause you tho ellal test inconvenience In conven ence or distress heti abb I 1 she 1 1 lie be glad to further your wishes in any way you may care to do please belleve in my cincere regret find and folding tills this lie roso rose and delivered it komrs to mrs lie ile found blin himself tit in tile street with ills ids trouble for till nil reward for ills enins ile ho wondered what to do where oliero to go next tile driver of tile thy taxicab ivas hording tho the door tor for him liend head bent to catch the address of the next stop hut but ills him faro fare lingered still in doubt dimly it lie became aware of tile violent ballings baw lings of a brace of news vendors who vilio ramping through the IF whitaker stood with hla HIs gaza eted in horror street one on oil either cither sidewalk at tho spur of a i vague wonder if tile were already abrow I 1 tile mah of the pasco ut at the mux whit ulcer purchased a paper TherYn re sir air Or dorribo ribo molder thuney 11 tile annn galloped on oil hut but whitaker stood with ills 1118 gaze rive riveted teI in fit the news item so eo pointedly offered to its ills was clearly egidlo in III the light of tile cob cab lumpa jul lips LATEST EXTRA IN III RIVER V eil stopping lila fits aut automobile bile in in the alio middle of washington bradum boat at 7 30 r p m carter B H drummond Dru the I 1 lawyer 1 L W y e I 1 and I 1 n d fiance of 0 sara bara law the acim x x t threw h rr ew himself to ills his death in the harlem river the body line liae not yet been recovered CHAPTER vil VII A history Hl tory whitaker consulted it telephone book without finding that drummond had any private residence connection conne cllon and then tried at random brandoin one of the clubs of which they had been members in common coni inon in n the days when blugh whitaker ans n buann entity in tile knowledge of the town bifero lie ind hod better luck luck that lint la Is in us as fur far as it put an end enal in t ills wanderings for tile night he be found a clerk cleric who kemem bercil lili bucu without remembering lila ills name and who alio consequently WAR waa not unwilling to talk drummond it seemed Bce ined lind had lived at tile club i lio lie had alone that evening in its his room had ordered hla his motor car from the adjacent garage for seven and ind left at about that hour with it small handling and no companion nothing further was wan known 0 of f his actions save have tile report th the 0 car had been found stationary on washington bridge and deserted drummonds motor cont coat euid cap on tile tho drivers sent bent bystanders averred that a nan annn till lind been seen to leave the lie car and precipe precipitate title himself from this bridge to tit alif stream below tile body was ivas still the club imd had nott fled by telegraph a brother brot lier in san francisco the only mamber of drum family of whom it had any record friends friend fellow member of the lie club were looking after doing all that could and properly ought to bo be dono done under tile tho circumstances whitaker walked back to hla his hotel botel there was no other place to go no place that la Is that wooed hla fits humor burner in fit that hour ile ho wits indeed indendi profoundly blocked lie ile held himself measurably responsible for drummonds net act of desperation pe ration nest to poor peter stark whom big heart re ww ing lio lie had cared cart of nil all tho the men he bo mud allied in tile old life now lite w atall alone and very faur I 1 abl ax ri tat and forlorn there wim vf cc lynch ills his martn in uw the AnU podes whitaker was font fond of fit lajia toot lint not nat with tile affection that a tied itce youth lind aeter start and it aud 44 lug affection that aari n irm and enado nothing of the mie ctr cm fur for such tient rims dead la go him ns as dond na as istir stark star ins impend demid am drummond it wits nearly midnight ind the lour found tit in no na iturra r far bed vr or tile emptiness of hla fits boorn into the lounge loui iKO sat down irl art a table in it corner and some thing to drink A awe tring boma thing thine on oil a n salver ambat d the h lounge now and again lils lil mouth to bleat alia in whitaker allsta tim the owner of that a flush of what had alio trinna gement to mm to lo be 10 advertised in ederr imalle af the establish establishments menti cat urn next instant ills 1110 nl emor abed when lie ho ered jae ro mr blugh morato in vine abenia tobia gereal iio lifted it finger ingert uc imy boj swerved toward him tendered B n blue t accepted a gratuity and it wag a cable very ably nn air answer to hla his to ornee craco Vett lit Wid taker toro tore tho the cnut ana un nn folded the glandus first at the signature to verify him bit warmish win war niso miso an lio lie did so lio lie beara hla his name a L t x mil time pardon nio me ahls t to ur mr A stood beside be alda the th aitu table ono one choin whitaker had I 1 D bilte rent ly noticed on entering iu as an equally lonely lounger tit nt another table lio lie frowned with annoyance lio lie wih wi H deny his identify yes lio lie bald shortly kiwo kinz thi the man up and down with rl yb yet it wits hard to find limit with tills this invader of his lie iio had the polso iionno uni and tho the dreas of 11 u gentleman dignity noss iless coil PI belless lio ile had a spare not ukly in face a hurn steady eyes a man cashy ir overlooked unless he be wilard d it 11 wige alho sly ily name Is umber lie be amid ild bulut ly it if permit in null me awny na lie iio offered a slip of aln grayed with tho the ot of martin ember cadd an il ill sit elt down bm ause 1 1 I I want to talk to you fur 21 few minutes 11 accordingly he bo sat bat down glanced tit nt tile card and at arn 1 I dont dolif know yita IMI what are wo we to about the mail nifty smiled not mrs irs whitaker he bald mrs whitaker end vena you to me ino then ilow how what tho the delict deuces deu ceI l 1 I 1111 ta n halt box boc tit nt the theater air li iari ni her explained coolly mitt fruna mitat 1 saw there I 1 that you yon amsa ue iw yourself afterwards I 1 got col ibold of it amny confirmed my any und and extracted your address bryom nut nm 1 I sett sec suld whitaker who the devil are your he dem bluntly 1 I wasi safi the other t once n private detective now ani M a pel wit fon of no particular of in dependent means with a twi chant youre tit lit liberty to for ing my noso into other oilier IV liu but 1 less mrs aira georgo ance 1111 1111 L aloyed me ino to fantl ber sister miss wary ind run lun l un away with a chauffeur named morton Morty nl just it i minute ead baker isad and denly by your U anber bowed gravely rn vily for M u thought I 1 longcr WhIto kerts gaze frfd into ills ars yrs in effort to rii going on oil behind them the nalmus animus undiscovered by his fits words ulem then kemem bering lio lie looked iowa down ut the cuble message in ills hill liand martin ember it ran in anta agency 1135 1435 dimce IettI tr whitaker folded ali the poper und and put lint it away in a pocket go on of please lio he bald quietly clu in those dilys mr kinbac 01 0 1 I 1 did such things well I 1 lind had little trouble lu in following alie run from southampton to green arpen port there they parted lie ile wab want ed d for theft in a former position posit lon was arrested convicted unit and rent to ring bine slug where lie ho presently died iro im kind glad to ray bliss Lud ladislas islas had registered at tho the commercial us oa mrs morton ll orton slie she was more salone under that name for nearly n week before you registered as llesh morten morion urd in tile of a sew few hours married lier under your true birou ind find shipped her off to new york tork right whitaker and then 1 11 I traced her to the iloni I nc 1161 lmont mout where she stopped dmn lost jog her ter completely and so BO d to mrs airs idelt I 1 came into a little money about that little ani and garo up ap my in bual busl ness gilve it up that Is 1 us as far ua ns piecing myself at the be vs tile ilia public was concerned after owene time mr air drummons Drumm Drum monI onil mr ro ant and begged RIA mn to renew ray icy tor for mrs will taker you wm bend lie be told me ino site elic was due to come into your a comfortable flying fw for an al 1 III woman S what do you think of this man ember isacon Is he 01 tha level cr la i he a smart rascal who ha has evil designs ne on whitaker TO IM EC CONTINUED |
