Show r vI i 1 y 1 t. t AVENUE L l v l lI I l lf J WYN DHAM J f v il I i I r MARTYN I. I 1 COPYRIGHT in II I fh the UNITED STATES SERVI SERVICe ct p CHAPTER IX Continued IX-Continued Continued 1 18 18 S- S I Be Because cause e e exhibit n 13 will cause you jou ou td t considerable distress and I 1 hove have r sown known men of ot your t type pe to see red redIn balanced balance d i In n such moments 1 I a g envelope In his thin hands j 1 II If It It Its It's blackmail you jou ou are thinking I of ot In connection with me me said D Mc- Mc Ic- Ic t Kimber himber scornfully you jou you are wasting al J i time rIme Its It's you who rho are using old old- fall fashioned Boned stupid stuff not me I tell l 1 b. b I you roo roa my life lite Is an open book f 1 one uncut page na on reto re reo to t cut that It I marked Ive pa page e. e cost time and nd money but it was the best eh I Investment I ever made Think back backa 1 j a bit over this life Ufe of yours that Is 1 on open open book Is there an anything thing in 1 r It that ml might ht hurt hint you If It got out fit thet Sot Not ot a thing cried delet de de- let kit 1 But there was lacking th that t i t i ring of at confidence he had previously previous i Fear was mastering him Q d There was no madness about this this' le Iet I men man opposite 1 b Verj well said briskly I a Int I You rou force me to speak You talk tall of ot t yourself as a self made m de man who rose I oUt from rom being a machinist to the owner owner- ownership ship ship of a vas vast organization That's I true In Who's WhO s Who its it's written for forell ell all II the world to see But there are I certain omissions I can supply them r That's why you are here Q to listen to the writing between the lines When you were twenty you ou left Utica for St. St Louis Lobs and got a job jobb In Inthe inthe 1 the Davis I foundry There you yon studied I drafting and three years jears ears later having made good entered the employ of 1 William Graham Mrs uncle who owned the Rochester Steel and nd Iron mills Later you man married led his niece r Well WeIl said l his throat I cons constricting what about it 1 Your employer singled her out of ot l all his relatives and left his fortune to her on condition she married you I He had confidence In you lie had hadt t read rend the open book and liked th the contents conf con con- f tents lents If It he had had access to that t i uncut page he would have known that M MII II ng I your Tour first t wife was still living f I IrI I divorced fit her cried red mu I ca can o prove It t. t Ira 4 f r The TIle decree was not made absolute entil three months after you jou ou married Kill 1 your ronI employers employer's niece Its It's a n nice firth c legal legal leil point and Ive I've no doubt his other ats I nephews s and nieces would be be quits ready to fight it If the condition of v getting the fortune was your your marriage ge I 1 to Grahams Graham's niece you did not I f i It because you jou ou did not marry her A AM Ai M i j bigamous union is not marriage In InAI im AI the eyes ejes of the law You must have j 1 known that or you wouldn't have gone bone goneI alt I through a second ceremony The first firsti i m marriage e was by a justice of ot the theal al t race nonce pee The second was at a New dt do fork lork church You obtained Grahams Graham's s fortune under false pretenses and you ou were ere a bigamist Its It's no good deny deny- ter reI ing it it It y I It t was all done innocently Mc Dic et t KImber protested As s 's God Is my witness wit wit- U d n ness ss I l thought I free to svgs J was as marry Ii In to the b e divorce orce suit there was nothing he be P 1 that reflected on m me e personally 0 fi t What has that to do ti with it t e A l' l h axon asked cynically It may be bett f Ula that tt you thought you jou ou were free to U. U Ina 1 But that makes no difference be World orld oria wont won't think that Westfield m irl rant nt think that Nor will wUl the big biz 1 k j papers Pe that are supporting him Youre You're through that's all You'll never Dever Deyer hold public public- office again If this gets out That's not all You are go- go log IDS to help me Into the senate and anel l rOUt lour friends are going to help It If g lour ir friends Wends try and knife me you are arc the ID one wi will bleed Kb I sat motionless cared cared nothing about his Innocence Guilty or Innocent l r was the to te I ser lIe turned dull e eyes ejes es toward per Iper 1 envelope held up t toil At of to is this Is the entry of t your your our first r Doi lage bC Someone cm cat a page out of ofner ner Erd i tse te register lster an and d of offered rell it t to o me for Cor I ta tai e e. e I bought bough It IL There ore r also k some rne you wr wrote te to tn your first es Wile Wife o t. t you Jou ou found sh she was a n secret n tr Her lieI SOn b bv y n a second mr leU wage oage sold them tom to tl- tl my age agent t. t Pathetic C 11 bow w rs 1 the In their thel- way war but J you ou u know d modern yellow II laughs newspaper r IK at pathetic things especially r When then h i 1 I ho hL they affect optical r opponents 0 bop tl P a the need for publication ft d t ever er Come Some day duy may mayy I they may muy beto be to What hat do y YOU 0 U want for that ent en t t I dope Pe I If It contains what you say both tf t never never t C rn oney nave fla halt half enough to i buy it It WI o i iu IQ under Why do you persist I estimating S me Realize hero rte I now JI that you are beaten You 1 never go bO to the senate If It I dont don't 0 f to So th then r I 1 bt the fleM wins and you will i traitor bi bet ther to your part party No furn further fur fur- 11 It I discussion n Is necessary necessary r rt t t to be What I IB Ig t th Absolute obedience or do don thIo g s go to Westfield sac a pus Qs head bead dropped There of 0 about physical feeble feeble- y bad bea him hIrD n a It dc atlon luh whIch I n nev never ir before It i t was vas curious lJ he r reflected d that the sense of or anger had left him It was the measure of his defeat I cant can't talk tall now Tomorrow r my brain will be clearer Unsteadily h hrose he he- rose to his feet and walked to tI the e doo door Paul watched him go out a broken man o Oriental ile I In his absence of of pity he enjoyed humiliating none one of l cI s domineering sort To bring low such gave him an Increased sense of ot power He disliked bi big ar arrogant arrogant arrogant ar- ar men with loud voices and assured as as- suied gestures was aroused from his pleas pleasIng Ing lag reflections by a n noise on tile the door It was Alfred the dark darl footman who entered and told him that he was wal wanted on the long distance telephone shut the precious envelope In his wall safe and passed o one not even eyen glancing glan-cing at the man who stood r re rep at the door When Fleming Bradney was assured that had gone he hurried back Into the room Then he did a curious thing tiling He kneeled down by one of the Ji r f r r r 6 tr Ita's as Good Good Goodas as Fired Said Barnes bookcases and pried back a board with a screw screwdriver Th Then n he peered Into the darkness darkness' where he had recently recently recently re re- re- re been mistaken for fox a rat Bradney Brad Brad- ne ney i reached cached Into this space and pu pulled out Nita head first She wore riding breech breeches s and golf stockings and at first could hardly stand upright uptight The constraint of the position had become torture In Nita's hands was a notebook several pencils and a flashlight Every word which had passed was taken down It was washer washer her lier task now to go to her room and transcribe it for Peter Milman's bene bene- fit It was not until the two had passed the the danger zon zone one that they sp spoke ke Well VeIl Bradney demanded did you jou jouget ou get anything I 1 got everything she answered lie ne wondered why there here was no exultation exultation tion In her voice Bradney resumed his duties which consisted mainly ml In handing refreshments refresh refresh- ments to thirsty ty dancers For a little while he stood by Barnes Burne Its all right Bradney whispered she sa says s 's she has everything She must be tickled to death at get getting tins ting It It ell eh 1 On the contrary she looked de do- pressed I didn't under understand tand It at the time Of ot course there was physical discomfort and con constraint and the possibility of being found out out Shell be all right tomorrow said Barnes gleefully Later he had hall the opportunity to talk tall It over o with Viscount d dl de j Well Vell said the sculptor eagerly What happened He listened to to what Barnes had to toBa Ba say Has lIos Nita shown you yon anything yet No Nor None of us can cnn go to her bel room because she's supposed to be out ont for forthe forthe forthe the evening and its it's locked Bradney says sas she wasn't as cheerful as ns she I might have been I wonder why I She might have nave heard something I damaging to I Why should that distress her you jou yet seen that your girl girland girland girland and Robin are In love with one another er I 1 My God Malet l went on passionately pas pas- p passionately s to Barnes' Barnes extreme surprise are you so blind Floyd Malet had witnessed the whole affair He was more sensitive I to it than his companions because he had fallen hopelessly In love with her bel himself It was one of those charming I and romantic attachments which come como cometo cometo comoto to men of middle years and bring then hem at first an agony that time transmutes to the truest of frIen friendships never wholly separated from the love which brou brought ht it to flower Nita would do nothing to upset our plans Barnes Baines' said If It she has one quality above e others that I admire It Itis itis Is is loyalty Shell She'll sUck stick by us I didn't doubt her loyalty Malet 1 said quietly There I is 15 something which brings In its train great suffer sutter Ing lag I leave Iea tomorrow Im I'm afraid I have ha not been much use s 's as good as fired said Barnes Gertrude fights her herall herall all the time J I shall be glad to get out of it Ive I've been talking to the Swedish maids about It They seem certain she's going and dont don't want her generous wage-scale wage to be cut down Barnes was presently called Into Mr presence It appears appeals said that you told th the other er man to fetch me to the telephone for a a long long distance distance call Central tells me there have been no long-distance long calls since luncheon How did that happen He looked kc keenly at Enry Central I said Enry with lofty scorn If I was you sir Id I'd complain about that young woman l Ive I've vo ad to speak to her very severe myself but she dont don't care With your permission Id I'd like to call er up pp and give er a apiece apiece piece of m my Y mind It would not be a valuable present present present pres pres- ent ent said I will see that this does docs not occur again Anything else sir Enry asked a trace of insolence In his y voice CHAPTER X Mrs l was only concerned that the girl her son chose should be he sufficiently in love lo with him She loved beauty and had been attracted to Agatha at first sight Mrs Irs McKIm- McKIm ber was prepared to help her son She SIH realized that It would not be easy o bring g her er husband to agree with l her er l hid had learned that a senator 1 even from the Empire state does not ex officio fI find d the doors open pen to him that shelter the great names in AmerIcan AmerIcan American Amer Amer- ican society He wished no Robin ln to marry into a family which h had d' d entree to the best When Robin had gladly made the I sacrifice he found the girl put obstacles obstacles ob ob- in the way She did not flutter I Ito to his arms She was no I to his King Gloomily he wondered If she was fonts fond of ot some other man man The viscount was good looking he had bad poise and breeding Agatha had been brought up in Europe Europe Europe Eu Eu- rope where disparity In age is less a u abar abar bar to marriage than in the United States States They had met before They had common acquaintances and the theDe theDe theDe De he was told were all 1111 rich Robin Bobin smoked many cigarettes I over the problem He was surprised to hear hea a knock at his door It was his f father ther who came in In Why father lather he crl cried d Is there anything the matter Mr was Vas stooped His IDs bold resolute car car- I singe lege was gone He looked as one i ml might ht who had undergone s severe ere e mental or ph strain I Not a n thing said the elder with I Ion an on effort at smiling Lve l been thinking think lag ing Robbie nobble and I 1 see I have made d J great many many mistakes In my life Robin Hobin listened In silence Never be before tore fore had he lie heard his bis t father ther in anything anything anything any any- thing but bu an assured and contented tented mood I 1 tried to dictate to you awhile I ago said and I tried to o I dictate to the girl youre you're fond of ot I told you If It you jou ou didn't marr marry r a girl I approved of ot we should pull pun apart I 1 told her that if an anyone one knowing what money you jou would Inherit thought she bhe could g et et It by marrying you jou without my consent there wouldn't be an any I money muney Robins Robin's face hardened burdened You had hall no right to do that WEma We may ma maas as well understand one another Lv Ive I've asked ed Miss Brown t to o murr marry me we I 1 haven't your jour our social ambitions lons If I she wont won't marry hurry me nobody else will willbe willbe be asked TO BE CONTINUED |