OCR Text |
Show ' By WYNDHAM MARTYN Copyright by Baree & Hopkins ff.NU Service CHAPTER XIV "The New Life Comes in the Old One's Stead." Pa.vson Grant was brought to Justice Jus-tice with commeudnhle speed. What threatened to become the most sensational sensa-tional trial of the year was quickly finished with. F'eibaps the great In fluenee of some of those remotely con eerned with it was not without effect ef-fect The public which had heard vague rumors about the amazing way in which the confession of Grant had been brought about, was cheated of Its thrills. Grant's counsel thought it better not to bring Deal Beach or the Weld camp into the affair. Wilh his attorney. Grant came to see that he would make a better impression if it were thought the honest desire to atone actuated him. Those employees he had paid to perjure themselves held nothing back. The man Grant had hired to put a revolver in Captain Sutton's pocket confessed fully. Sutton's excellent $ . have smelt a rat. I watched him wake to consciousness through a hole drilled in his cell wall. It was his hands that horrified htm and made him believe. Then the element of good luck was there. We made a record rec-ord trip from the camp with no tire trouble or motor police to hold us hack." "But the drug," she said, "as Mr. Warne was not a physician were you not frightened?" "We had oxygen In reserve," he returned. re-turned. "Of course there was danger but I had one of my hunches that everything would turn out all right." "Ton are always successful," she said slowly. "' don't think any other living man could have done what you did for your friend. It amazes me that you do not look triumphant You have accomplished the impossible and yet seem bored and tired." Sho looked at him curiously. There was a certain sense of depression about him which she could not understand. under-stand. She was satisfied that It was not a pose but the genuine emotion. "I'm neither tired nor bored." he replied. "I'm nervous. What I did for Sutton was play, but now I want to do something for myself." "Why should you fail at that?" she demanded. "Perhaps because I am so anxlou3 to succeed." "Then you will only have to put out special effort." She smiled. "Ton see, Mr. Trent, I have very great confidence confi-dence in you." "I wish I dare believe that," he sighed. "You know It Is true," she said, almost al-most Indignantly. There was something some-thing vaguely frightening In this abandonment aban-donment by Anthony Trent of his former for-mer supreme self-confidence. "It has something to do with you," he confessed. "But how can that be?" she demanded. de-manded. "I'm thinking about your future. You have no money and you cannot take any position, even a lowly one, without the danger of being recognized. recog-nized. You can wear clothes that are out of style and the severest sort of coiffure, but that won't disguise your unforgettable eyes. I recognized you. So did Rediieh. Why not others? oth-ers? If some one remembers you what will happen? You will go to prison. I cannot bear to think of a woman of your upbringing herded with the people who would force themselves on you. You would come out something some-thing different from what you were when you went in and nothing could give you back your old self. You would be a broken middle-aged woman wom-an for whom, nothing was left but to' live by crime." She saw that he was agitated by the Image that presented itself so vividly to him. And she knew It was true. Anthony Trent had reminded her of this constant menace of arrest and imprisonment The police were still hunting for' her. For the time she was safe, but she could not remain here much longer. "Money, If carefully applied," he said eagerly, "will do most things. You and I have a fortune between us. If we choose, we can get away easily enough. You have heard Sutton say I must have spent a fortune over him I told him I could easily afford It Suppose I tell you I have spent every cent I had?" "I can believe it," she said seriously. serious-ly. His expenditures had been on a lavish scale. There was distress In her face. "You have brought yourself your-self to ruin for a friend I" "No. not to absolute ruin. 1 said, If you will remember, that we had a fortune for-tune between us. Look at this Mademoiselle Made-moiselle Dupln. Have you forgotten this?" Anthony Trent drew from a little chamois-leather bag that magnificent stone which collectors the world over knew as the "Nizam's Diamond." it was the famous Jewel which Trent had taken from Mademoiselle Dupln when she had been known as the wealthy Long Island society woman. Madame de Beaulleu. Trent knew the stone but he did not know from whom she had taken It. The only data he could gather about It was that a messenger mes-senger to whom It had been entrusted for deposit in the strong room of a bank was found murdered In the Thames, off Rotherhlthe. ten years before. At that time the conservative estimate of fifty thousand pounds was placed upon it Mademoiselle Dupln gazed upon the glistening thing In silence. (TO BE CONTINUED.) i CHAPTER XIII Continued 27 "He know? It's true," he cried. "They knew 1 was armed, and they planned the whole thing. When the Joke went too far they got cold feet and framed me up. People talk about Weld and Blxel Influence! We'll see how much It's worth when my side of the story gets out." He looked around the room In trl umph. None could answer him. If he had to suffer because of the complete confession he had been tricked Into making there were others who would go down to disgrace with hiin. "1 admit that 1 took Captain Sutton Sut-ton into your room," Trent said. "And there's more than thai," Grant exclaimed. "You are an accessory to the crime. Your lawyer bad better admit it He'll have to in court" "You're a little mixed In your legal terms," Fleming Deurholt remarked, "but, substantially, you are correct.'' "What have you to say to that?" k Grant said venomously, looking at Trent "I've some Interesting facts to add. Here are some of them. While you v. ere asleep I went through your pockets and took out those letters 1 had carefully planted at De l Beach. Also, I substituted blanks such as are used in moving pictures for those lead pellets you had in the gun. You shot 'em all Into a favorite suit belonging be-longing to Curtis . Weld. Swlthin bad the deuce of a time explaining matters. mat-ters. You remember I covered up the corpse at once. That wasn't respect for the dead. 1 did It In case you might observe Sutton's breathing. A man properly slain oughtn't to Irflate and deflate bis lungs as he was doing." do-ing." "You are lying," Grant whispered; his face was white. Trent rose, went to the door and reappeared with a strongly built man of middle age who had a keen, Incisive In-cisive way with him. It was the doctor doc-tor who had examined the body In the mountain jamp. "This. Graut, Is Mr. Brunton Warne, one of the best-known pursers on the transatlantic route. He has longed," for years, to see the last episode epi-sode of a serial. I am happy to be able to accommodate him." "You didn't appreciate my anecdotes anec-dotes on the way to Eliabethtown, did you?" the purser said. "1 had .my anxious moments, too. I was afraid at first 1 had slipped a little too much nepenthe in that coffee, but you would have it." Payson Grant looked at them venomously, ven-omously, lie was a trapped beast and he knew it. But he realized that none here had the right to hold him. There was yet time to make his escape. "I want my clothes," he snapped, "I've my rights, too. You can't de-. tain me." "I could," Trent said, "but 1 won't. I'll have you followed Instead." "Here's another angle," said Grant, pausing at the door. "You'v harbored har-bored a fugitive from Justice knowing him to be an escaped convict; that's a punishable offense." "I admit," Trent said, smiling, "but that risk was considered long ago, and accepted. The governor will probably prob-ably tell me 1 did wrong and 1 shall bow my head In shame. But when he reads your confession and learns how you framed up youi benefactor he won't be very severe. You have my address. If your lawyer wants mine, Dearholt's office Is In the Equitable building." Late that night the governor was consulting with the state attorney general on the peculiar status of Frank WarreD S'.itton, address unknown, un-known, who seemed to be entitled to executive clemency His excellency frowned when the telephone, tinkled. He knew that only Important bus! ness would cause his secretary to Interrupt In-terrupt at this hour. The governoi smiled when he learned It was Curtis Weld and a friend who desired to see him. Curtis Weld was a haughty and Imperious Im-perious magnate, but he knew when to unbend Tonight was such an occasion. oc-casion. "Governor," he said cordially, and bowed to the attorney general nlso. "1 have come to the highest authorities. author-ities. Gentlemen, what redress have I against a man who allowed himself to be murdered In a favorite tweed i suit of mine? Just take a look at the damage." The governor anu his law officer saw that the breast pocket of the suit the unknown wore was a singed and blackened area. "This Is my friend. Capt. Frank Warren Sutton," said Curtis Weld, the Power. "I've come to give myself up. your excellency," said Sutton. "There's one thing to consider," said the attorney general later. "It seems yon committed a grievous assault as-sault on one Hiram Rldgway. robbed him of his clothes and seven dollars and six cents. 1 knew this man Rldg way, and he's n crank, but he had the law on his side, captain. It's going to be awkward." Captain Sutton smiled. "Not as hail as you think, sir." he said. "I've seen old Rldgway, and he has agreed not to Dress the charge." "Are you a miracle-worker?" the attorney general demanded. "He's Implacable !" "The Joke Is on me," Sutton an swered a little ruefully. "I've sworn to follow his dietary chart for six calendar months." J Late That Night the Governor Was Consulting With the State's Attorney Attor-ney General. war record, the commendations of his superior officers and the testimony of the old friends who now flocked, a trifle shamefacedly to his support, moved the governor to pardon him before the trial began. Again Payson Grant occupied a cell overlooking the Hudson, but this time with the certainty that the river view would be his for many years. Natlca divorced him. The case was notable for the severe remarks made to her by the Judge. Rarely had a woman been so held up to public scorn as that Natica Grant who had schemed to en ter high society. When the trial was over she knew thut social victories were Impossible. It was not until after Grant had been sentenced that Anthony Trent went to see Mademoiselle Dupln. who still remained with Mrs. Kinney. She asked him Innumerable questions about his part In forcing the confession. confes-sion. "1 see very plainly how you did the thing up to the moment you drugged him," she said, "but It seems Incredl ble you could have persuaded him that he had been a convict so long He must have had some suspicion that something was wrong surely?" "That was the hardest part," Trent answered, "hut attention to details brought us success." "You mean the fake cell and the warders in uniform?" "More than that Grant was vain of his hands and wore his finger nails rather long. I cut his nails short and scrubbed his minds In a strongly alkaline al-kaline fluid which roughened them and marie the skin seem withered. Then Brunton Warne rubbed them In garden dirt until they looked as though he had done manual labor for months. Also we cut his hair short. I figured that lie would look at his hands Instinctively. If they had been as he last remembered them he might |