Show MONEY TO BURN I 1 BY PETER B. B r Ii f CJ 4 1 J O O i V r WU S Service c by Peter B. B Kyne Kyrie T CHAPTER X X-Co X Continued X-Continued Continued 10 I thought you might be One cannot cannot cannot can can- not treat ones one's fiancee so casually and hope to escape unscathed Elmer Eimer Id I'd I feel badly at such treatment myself not my fiancee 1 But nut you told me she was You Jilted me for her Surely you must have haye been quite certain of ot your our ground before you disclosed your altered feelings feelIngs feelIngs feel- feel Ings to toward vard me Well iVell ell she's no fiancee of ot mine he protested doggedly Then pray what Is she A friend Not an any more An enemy Perhaps Elmer Eimer did Id you yon promise t to lend h her herthe herthe r the money or give Ive It to her for loan lonn She asked ed a n Wor For how long ong Did she offer any security No security It was a Kathleen 1 vourneen loan I dont don't understand Elmer It may be for years and It may maybe maybe maybe be forever he quoted from th the Celtic ballad hallad But you ou agreed to make male the loan didn't you Certainly Didn't I send m my check You did Its It's too bad you didn't send h her r the cash cash cash-by by express Then your s ex-s sweetheart ex-sweetheart wouldn't have learned your our silly secret and you wouldn't now face the necessity for tor running away because youre you're afraid to face tace me again Elmer darling I T Ivery Ivery very r greatly fear youre you're just a little bit cowardly He TIe was stung to the core of his being Im not a coward coward he replied coldly I I have a n Distinguished Service Service Service ice cross to prove that Poof That's animal courage I Iwas Iwas was referring to moral courage Elmer saw he was outnumbered and outmaneuvered and If he he would eSt escape escape es es- cape annihilation he must w withdraw from the fight forthwith That sort of talk will never hever get you ou anywhere with me he warned her Im quite capable of of attending to my own busi hus ness Youve certainly been mismanaging ing ng it lately Without my volunteered help you would be absorbing a thousand thou thou- sand sandi dollar loss right now and with that hat little tIttle gold digger on your hands you'd be operating In n red Ink ink before r the he first of the year ear Who ho told you sue she sIle was was a gold digger You did I Not In so many words But you stopped payment on your check which is s an admission that you suspect she is s a gold digger Well Weil that's my business and I dont don't see see any ny necessity for forr ar arguing h g the matter with you Its It's a closed chapter My I word ord youre you're an optimist What caused you to stop payment of your check Thais s some more of my business Youre s so immersed in your business business business busi busi- ness you haven't had the decency to thank me for sa saving ing you a thousand dollars and possible entanglement with an adventuress Elmer In addition to being a little bit cowardly Ism Im afraid youre you're a little bit unmannerly and a lIttle Ittle bit ungrateful Nellie he said huskily Im guilty on all aU three counts Im I'm terribly sorry Ordinarily I wouldn't that wouldn't-that that Is I couldn't I I mean to you you you- you youre youre you're so fin fine I I Nellie I Nellie Im I'm not very happy and I want to go away and forget it Im I'm ashamed to look you In the eye I understand thoroughly Elmer Well youre you're forgiven everything everything all all e except running away like a tin-canned tin dog you act oct as If 11 you are horribly afraid of something I am but I cant can't discuss it over the he telephone Tell you what Ill I'll do Nellie Ill I'll delay my departure and you come to dinner with me tonight Id love to Elmer but not tonight But I can go with y you u tomorrow nI night ht Im I'm too busy to see you ou before then Reluctantly Elmer Eimer agreed agreed to her counter proposal and Nellie e. e hugely satisfied with herself herse h hung up and returned returned re ra- re- re turned to the bank where she wrote the following letter to J. J Fitzgerald acting captain of detectives Los Angeles Angeles An An- geles police department Dear C Captain Fitzgerald With reference to the matter we wo discussed over the long long distance distance telephone telephone tele tele- phone when I told you that a check in favor of Doris Gatewood had been received at this bank and was being ret returned with the notation Signature of Indorser r Irregular You will be glad to know that your action In conforming to my request and mailing malUng anonymously to Mr Clarke the police records and rogues' rogues gallery photographs of Colorado Charley has borne rich fruit Within a few minutes minutes min min- utes ute after Its receipt Mr Clarke called at the bank and ordered payment stopped on the check He was much disturbed Shortly thereafter he purchased purchased purchased pur pur- chased two thousand dollars' dollars worth of travelers' travelers checks here so I realized he was about to leave the state Immediately I made It m my business to call can him up and ascertained without with out ut letting him know I was pumping him that he Is frightened and panicky EvId Evidently he has lias as compromised himself probably In writing and now fears reprisals from the outraged and disappointed disappointed dis appointed lady In the shape of ot a suit for tor breach of promise My personal opinion Is however that now they realize his suspicions are aroused they will endeavor to lo extract as large a cash settlement settlement- a as possible guaranteeing guaranteeing guaranteeing guaran guaran- teeing no publicity In reh return rn Of course we must protect him by catchIng catchIng catching catch- catch Ing them In the act of oC lev levying blackmail blackmail black black- mail mall and If Mr 1 Clarke fled the state we couldn't do that could we So I have haye managed to delay his departure forty-eight forty hours This leI letter tel will reach rench you via yla the same train that carries Mr 1 Clarkes Clarke's rejected check back to the Los Angeles Angeles An An- geles bank In fact It will reach you earlier than that because I r I Iam am nm sendIng sending sending send send- ing it special dellver delivery Immediately upon receipt of It please arrange e to have the movements mo of or Ibis unsavory couple watched and report to me by telephone Yours truly Nellie Cathcart CHAPTER XI The fhe following afternoon Nellie afternoon Nellie receIve received received re re- re- re a Ion long distance call from Los Angeles Acting Captain of Detectives DetectIves Detectives Detec Detec- tives J. J Fitzgerald was reporting Sent a man out to watch the house houseas as soon as I got your our letter he announced an an- The bank must have telephoned telephoned telephoned tele tele- I an-I phoned them about th the check for at half past ten they called a n taxi and went down to the office of a shyster attorney They were there two hours and then returned to the bungalow As soon as my man reported they were in conference with VItI that particular lawyer yer the whole thin thing was as clear as mud going up to Pilar to shake shale the boy hoy down as sure as death and taxes so I have started two good goodmen goodmen goodmen men for in a ta fast t automo automo- bile hUe They will install a In the young oung fellows fellow's house and listen in on the unholy proposition I want you to provide a fast and accurate stenographer to take down every word Can you ou do that Im the fastest and most accurate stenographer In this county Nellie replied quietly Good girl Now tl then en Im I'm going Jo to to le leave it to arrange L for ora a clear field for my men They've gotto got gotto to be alone In that house for an hour I have already arranged that I will explain the details to your our representative representative I when he calls tomorrow morning Thanks Well We'll land em out in the tall grass never fear Ill I'll phone you if an anything thing new develops He did at did at thirty eight-thirty a. a m nit next day dap to report that Colorado Charley and his lady friend had purchased tickets Los Angeles to Pi and return that they were due in at two nine-two that night At ten o'clock a sleepy looking ng man walked into the bank and immediately sought Nellie Cathcart's window a small gold sign bearing Nellies Nellie's Ies Ie's name nam serving as a clew Im Detective Sergeant Fahey Falley from Los Angeles he announced The chief sent me an an my partner up with orders to report to you ou Im pleased to meet you Mr Fahey Here ar are your our Instructions and she handed him a sealed envelope Good morning I Just T st met the smartest Jane In the world Mr Ur Fahey confided to his partner Detective Sergeant Abraham Lipowsky when he rejoined the latter on the sidewalk She takes no chances on bean seen in long earnest conversation with a strange man so soshe soshe she slip had the dope all typed out an waltin for us Pleased to meet you Goodby sa says s 's she lIe He tore open the envelope and read to Lipowsky Colorado Charley and Mae are due In at 9 02 tonight They will probably go direct to Mr Clarkes Clarke's house a shingled bungalow at No C street corner of Hazel drive e At seven o'clock tonight Mr Clarke will leave his home to take me to din din- ner He lie wIll not return until shortly after ten As soon as he has left the house his colored servant will wUl go 0 uptown to spend the evening You Youcan Youcan Youcan can gain entrance to the house by using a skeleton key on the kitchen door the lock of which Is simple and old fashioned since burglars seldom operate In You can set up your our behind the old hair sofa In the parlor and run your your wires along the edge of the wall wall draw them up back of ot the piano and out the window around the back of the house bouse to the garage Nobody Nobody Noody No No- body ody will disturb you there as Mr Ir Clarke keeps his car in an uptown garage When Mr Air Clarke drops me at my house and proceeds to the up-town up garage I will come over oyer to his garage wI with h a large flashlight torch a stenographers stenographer's stenographers stenographer's stenographers stenographer's ste ste- notebook and several sharp pencils T The le fender of the flivver will serve as a n desk I will knock twice on the door door door-a a pause between each rap The rest I leave to you Well what do you know about that damsel said sold Detective Sergeant Lipowsky I Id ask her to marry me If I stood a Chinaman's chance which chance which I dont don't Detective Sergeant Fahey replied sadly Promptly at nt seven o'clock Elmer Elmert t called for Nellie and carried her off j Joe An road hou house c for dIn dIn- ner Not ot once during the ride out did Nellie refer t to Elmers Elmer's unfortunate E predicament seemingly she was not J Interested In It and not until they were halfway through dinner did Elmer Elmer Elmer El El- mer mer broach bronch the subject himself Cant linger er to do any dancing here tonight ht Nellie I must get home borne early Nellie ellIe seemed disappointed so he hastened to excuse his action Im Tin afraid Im I'm in for a bad hour between nine and ten tonight Nell Nellie eI e. e I I had a wire from Doris Gatewood this morning She's coming up to see i me we and und she asked me to be at at home homet 1 t tonight Now what do you suppose she wants Nellies Nellie's tones were freighted with a languid interest She helped t a h hh hf hr hr r r h f Pr r Im Detective Sergeant Fahey From Los Angeles He Announced I herself to an olive and ate it with r relish lIsh Elmer watching her sharply was reassured Well of course In so far as that young lady is concerned Ive I've done an face about so suppose I-suppose suppose I an explanation She doesn't want any explanation I L i She doesn't even want your affection All she's after aeter Is your cash Well of ot course I did promise her herthe herthe herthe the thousand dollars I dare say she predicated certain payments on that promise and my reversal of form ha has probably embarrassed embarrass d her greatly Im I'm a little sorry the lady lost but buta butR but but- a R little glad I won Avon i 1 Of or course he added parenthetically I never neer was the least bit in love with her She went to my head like champagne when I was wI h her but when I wasn't I found it hard to keep keen up steam Nellie I must have hav been crazy to tell you to play second fiddle If It we weare are to be judged by the worst we do In this world Elmer wed we'd all allbe allbe allbe be out of luck Now when I look over oe my mental led ledger er account with you OU I Isee Isee Isee see a n long string o of golden credits credits- page after page of of them and them and on the debit side I find one little human entry entry entry en en- try un under er the head of ot Doris Gatewood This lone debit Item is composed of equal parts of blindness repression curiosity st stupidity flattered lint flat ego eo childishness masculine Idiocy and original sin You didn't fall faU without a battle and when you fell you hurt everything that was fine and decent in you and you and knew it You weren't really happy In your new conquest con con- quest You only told yourself you were And as for tor little Nellie Cathcart Cathcart Cathcart Cath Cath- cart thinking for an infinitesimal fraction fraction fraction frac frac- tion of of a second that she could pos pos- |