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Show ' STORY FROM THE START Anthony Trent returns to New ork after nearly four years' absence. ab-sence. Once known as the master mas-ter criminal, Trent Is -going straight The purser accuses irent of Jumping overboard from the Poltlania at Liverpool, but Is disappointed when Trent shows no surprise. He learns his friend, Cnpt. Prank Sutton, Is In Sing Sing. At New York Trent Is startled to find somebody occupying oc-cupying his house. The stranger Is Sutton Campbell, the brother of his best friend, who is serving ten years In prison. Trent Is asked by Campbell Sutton 10 force Payson Grant to a written confession, having crookedly obtained ob-tained all of Captain Sutton's possessions and later married his wife. Trent, after long hesitation, hesita-tion, consents. Trent starts on a campaign to accomplish the downfall of Payson Grant. He learns from an old friend, Clarke, that Captain Sutton has escaped from Sing Sing. CHAPTER III Continued 5 "It must have happened while 1 was crossing," he s-ald slowly. "1 have seen no reference to It In any of the papers. How did he make his break?" "Brains, my boy," said Clarke. "1 didn't think his conventional sort had It In him. He decided to go on a hunger strike. He ask3d permission to see the Head Nut of a society of bugs' who live on one fruit meal a day. The Exalted Supreme Nut came to Sing Sing to explain his theories gladly. glad-ly. Sutton could not believe that a man would be strong on such a diet Ho got the Chief Knight of Nutdom to strip and show that he had blood and sinew and muscle. Then your pal Sutton, upper-cut him, got Into his abandoned clothes, passed out in them and escaped." "Sutton did that?" Trent laughed. It was the type of exploit he enjoyed "Two weeks's1 start is pretty useful." "They'll get him," Clarke declared. "They'll get him because they'll know where to look for him. He's after Payson Grant, and Grant isn't sleeping well at night, believe me. Sutton's watching his opportunity." "Know anything about his brother Campbell?" "Not a thing. Do you?" "Slightly. He's a college professor type, with a nasty little mincing way of talking, and a nose that stands away from flabby, yellow cheeks at an impossible angle." Trent reflected "And yet there is something 1 suppose sup-pose it's a family trait thai reminds me of his brother. I'm going to see him tonight." Trent's face was grim. 'I think I shall tell him I'm through." Trent could not leave without a long talk with Mrs. Sauer, and he did not reach his apartment until dusk, but Ii had been a profitable afternoon. The fragrance of tiis special brand cf cigar greeted him. Campbell Sutton Sut-ton looked up from a book. "Did you bring an evening paper?'" be asked. "No," said Trent. "1 have been too much occupied to think of it 1 went through that interesting pile of stone which the world calls Sing Sing." Campbell Sutton put his book down. "After what 1 told you?" "In spite of It Too will find that I do not take orders readily. . Your brother was glad to see me. He sent his love to you. He apologized tor your manners, and said you were one of those uncomfortable creatures who meant well." Campbell Sutton considered the matter mat-ter before answering. "Of course you didn't see my brother," he said. "He isn't there." "He will be before long. According to the Evening World he bas been ar rested in Wilmington." Although Trent's keen eyes were on the other's face there was no alarm or anxiety to be seen. Instead Campbell Sutton smiled. "That I will never believe," he said. "My brother is hidden where none will dream of seeking him, and it Is nowhere near any of the Wilmington?." Wilming-ton?." "Why did you deceive me? "I felt 1 had to. Regard it as a precautionary measure, Air. Trent Captain Sutton depends wholly on your courage and energy. Do not let him suffer for excess of caution on his brother's part." "Where is he?" Trent asked. "Jj.'or the moment 1 dare not tell you." Campbell Sutton meditated a little. "Perhaps when you have made your'plnns a meeting may be arranged. I will bring It about." "If he isn't captured meanwhile," Trent answered. "That wouldn't relieve you of your adventures." "1 was-n't thinking of that, Trent said "The police will look for him nt Deal Beach if Grant Is still there The vendetta idea, you understand 7" "They will look in vain." Campbell Sutton retorted. "That is the last place he woulo choose. My brother did not escape with the idea of mur define I'oyson Grant Frank knows very well that by himself he has no chance to force Payson ro confess the embezzlement charge was false, lie knows that Payson will never admit lo him that the revolver found on Frank was deliberately placed there by In m or his hirelings." And he thinks I shall be able to discover dis-cover proofs of an organized con "piracy?" Trent said, a little bitter-ness bitter-ness in his tone. -Not exactly that. You are needed for subtler work than that My brother By WYNDHAM MARTYN Copyright by Barse & Hopkins WNU Service thinks a man of your unusual abili ties should be able to get Payson Grant into such a position that a full confession could be forced from him." "It will be the hardest job I've ever tackled." Campbell Sutton smiled a little as ue glanced at Anthony Trent. Gone was the look of smoldering angei from that keen face. He was kiing sight of the unwelcome task thrust upon him In the contemplation of Its fascinating fas-cinating dangers. The old adventurous adventur-ous spirit was awakening. Anthony Trent versus Payson Grant et al. For the first time the incident held Intriguing In-triguing possibilities. "1 think I shall go down to Deal for a few days," he asserted. "I'm still a member of the golf club, bo It will not be going as a stranger. I may run across Grant there, as you tell me he plays." "It won't be easy to meet him," Campbell Sutton declared. "He is essentially es-sentially a snob. To enter his house as a guest you would have either to be one of his old friends or one of his new acquaintances. You cannot be any of the old crcwd One of the reasons Mrs. Grant married Payson is that he is better adapted for social climbing than my brother. To gel Into her good graces you would need to be well introduced. This social struggle is a professional sport with all the little underhandeo tricks thai creep into .professional games." "I've seen it played more than you imagine," Trent returned, "and 1 rnow more prominent members of high society than your friend Payson I 1 "If He Isn't Captured Meanwhile' Trent Answered. Grant does. It happened that when I was In England I fell by accident into what was the 'top-hole' set I met dukes and marquises, earls and cabinet cab-inet ministers. 1 met Americans whose names had been household words to me, and found them all. marquises and millionaires, some of the nicest men I'd ever struck." Anthony Trent mentioned the names of families which plainly impressed his listener. "It seems Incredible," Campbell Sutton murmured. "I'm sure my brother had no idea you were a society so-ciety man." "I'm not," said Trent promptly. "1 tell you it was all unpremeditated. I've never had social ambitions. When our ambassador told me there were prominent Americans gnashing their teeth because I who wasn't even in the Social Itegister was mixing with the titled throng and actually slaying in an earl's castle, I was amused." "I'd like to hear about it," said Campbell Sutton. "That you most certainly will not do," Trent said decisively, his face hardening. Nothing could have In duced him to tell this man, whose personality jarred npon him, of tlio.se entrancing days uow so remote and alien. They were days when Anthony Trent felt himselt safe and had known supreme happiness. There were memories which came thronging, fragrant, tender and too sacred to share. He felt, in that moment, he had said more than he need. g "If what you claim is borne out by facts, It would make a meeting with Payson Grant less difficult than I imagined." im-agined." "1 am making no claims," Trent said coldly. "Mrs. Grant is always on the lookout look-out for clever and entertaining men. I have never looked upon you as possessing pos-sessing social talents, but there's no reason why you should not." "Thanks," Trent said acidly. Campbell Sutton was smiling. An Idea had amused him. "If you should be recognized by any of your former victims while a guest of the Grants, you would wound them Incurably." "You are certainly kind and thoughtful," Trent exclaimed. The Idea was disquieting. The adventure ad-venture seemed to be growini. in difficulty. dif-ficulty. It would be an Ironic ending if, in the moment of victory, as yet highly problematic, this man denounced de-nounced him. Trent did not think he had a normally minded man to deal with. Perhaps Campbell Sutton guessed of what ne was thinking. "I wish I dare tell you everything," said Sutton. He looked at the other man and seemed ar though about to impart some hiddeD thing. "I am not anxious to know more than I do," Trent said, rising to his feet. "Some day you will understand," said Campbell Sutton. His aggressive I manner was gone. "My experience with men bas not allowed me to take anyone on trust" Although Trent was up at half-past seven next morning, Campbell Sutton had finished his breakfast and was reading the papers his host had brought in the previous evening. At half-past eight the buzzer in the passage rang three times. "If you don't want to be seen," Trent said, coming into the front room, "you'd better go aft" "Who is It?" the other demanded, betraying visible agitation. "How do 1 know?" Trent snapped. '1 don't claim second sight' "You can't know till you've opened the door," Sutton whispered, "and then it may be too late." "I don't open the door till I know," Trent told him. Long ago he had made a litth peephole peep-hole through which a view of visitors could be obtained. He sighed with relief when he beheld only David More. "It's a friend," he said, "but you'd better not be seen." More handed his report to his employer, em-ployer, but would not sit down, as he was in a hurry. Trent sat down In the chair so recently re-cently vacated by Campbell Sutton and read More's reports. His attempts at-tempts to get information at Sutton's former office had resulted only in finding find-ing that all the old staff was dismissed. Those who remained were Grant men, convinced their employer was in the right Trent read the document through twice. Those who knew him well might have judged that what he had perused had awakened him to anger. His mouth was a thin line and his eyes had no longer any good humor about them. He put the envelope In his pocket and then set about what seemed a curious cu-rious and unnecessary rearrangement of the furniture, dragging back the comfortable chairs so that the center of the room was left bare but for a Royal Bokhara rug of unusual size. Campbell Sutton came In Just as he had finished. "What are you doing?" he asked In astonishment. "I'm setting the stage," Trent explained. ex-plained. "For what purpose?" "I think you'll regard It as a tragedy." trag-edy." "I don't know what you mean." "You will," said Trent coming closer. "It's simply this: I was willing for two reasons to run the risk attendant attend-ant on helping your brother. One was that you threatened to denounce me to the police If 1 did not; the other was because I liked Sutton and owed him a great deal." Those two reasons still exist," Sutton Sut-ton reminded him. "Cut you don't," Trent had a dan genius, sneering laugh. "Put up your hands, man, for I'm going to hit you. Captain Sutton never had a brother or sister, and you're nothing but a d d .'ake." (TO BE CONTINUED.) |