OCR Text |
Show WYNDMAM MARTYN Copyright by Barss 4 HopklM WXli Service think? a man of your unusual ablll ties should be able to get Payson Grunt iuio such a position tliat a full confession could be forced from him." "It will be the hardest job I've ever tackled." Campbell Sutton su.Iled a little ns ne glanced at Anthony Trent. Gone was the look of smoldering angei from that keen ftce. He was Liing sight of the unwelcome task tlirust upon him in the contemplation of Its fascinating fas-cinating dangers. The old adventurous adventur-ous spirit was awakening. Anthony Trent versus Paysou Grant et al. For the first time the incident held intriguing in-triguing possibilities. "I think I shall go down to Deal for a few days," he asserted. "I'm still a member of the golf club, so 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 bis. 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 crowd. One of the reasons Mrs. Grant married Payson is that he is better adapted for social climbing than my brother. To get into her good graces you would need to be well introduced. This social struggle is a professional sport with all the little underhanded tricks thai creep into professional games." "I've seen it played more than you imagine," Trent returned, "and 1 1-now more prominent members of high society than your friend Payson 5 . 1 "If what you claim is borne out by! facts, it would make a meeting with' Payson Grant less difficult than I Imagined." Im-agined." "I 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. "1 wish I dare tell you everything," said Sutton. He looked at the other man and seemed at though about to impart some hidden thing. "1 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 manner was gone. "My experience with men has 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 I 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." "1 don't open the door till 1 know," Trent told him. Long ago he had made a Uttl 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 bad 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 ctj-rious ctj-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." "1 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. "But you don't," Trent had a dangerous, dan-gerous, 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 rake." (TO BE CONTINUED.) . 8TORY FROM THE START Anthony Trent returns to New York after nearly four years' absence. ab-sence. Once known as the master mas-ter criminal, Trent Is going straight. The purser accuses Trent of Jumping overboard from the Poitlanla at Liverpool, but Is disappointed when Trent shows no surprise. He learns hi friend. CapL Frank Sutton. Is fn Sing Sing. At New York Trent is startled to find somebody occupying oc-cupying his house. The strangei is Sutton Campbell, the brother of his best friend, who Is serving ten years in prison. Trent te asked by Campbell Sutton to 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. I CHAPTER III Continued 5 "It must have happened while 1 was crossing," he snid slowly. "1 have Been no reference to it In any of the papers. How did he make hi? 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 bugs1 who live on one fruit meal a day. The Exalted Supreme Nut came to Sing Sing to explain his theorleslad-ly. theorleslad-ly. Sutton could not believe that a man would be strong on such a diet Ho got the Chief Knight of Nutdoin to strip and show that he bad 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'? 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 professoi 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 s-hall 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 It had been a profitable afternoon. The fragrance of his special brand of cigar greeted him. Camphell Sutton Sut-ton looked up from a book. "Did you bring an evening paper?" he asked. "No," said Trent "I 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 You will find that I do not take orders readily. Your brother was glad to see me. He sent his love to yoa He apologized fot 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 paid. "He isn't there." "He will be before long. According to the Evening World he has been ar rested In Wilmington." Although Trent's keen eyes were on the other's face there was no alarm ot anxiety to be seen. Instead Campbell Sutton smiled. "That 1 will never believe," he said. "My brother Is hidden where none will dream of seeking him, and it is nowhere near any of the Wilming tone." "Why did you deceive me?" "1 felt 1 had to. Regard It as a precautionary measure, Mr. Trent. Captain Sutton depends wholly on your courage and energy. Do not let him suffer for excess of cuuiion on his brother's part." "Where is he?" Trent asked. 'For the moment I dare not tell you." Camphell Sutton medilated a little. "Perhaps when you have made your plans a meeting may be arranged I will bring it about." "If be 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 fur him at Deal ' Beach if Grant Is still there The vendetta idea, you understand?' "They will look in vain." Camphell Sutton retorted. "That is the last place he woula choose. My brother did not escape with the Idea of mur derlng Payson Grant Frank knows very well that by himself he has no chance to force Payson to confess the embezzlement charge was false He knows that Payson will never admit to him that the revolver found on Frank wus deliberately placed there by him or his hirelings." "And he thinks 1 shall be able to discover dis-cover proofs of an organized conspiracy?" con-spiracy?" Trent said, a little bitterness bitter-ness in his tone. "Not exactly that You are needed , for subtler work than that My brother "If He Isn't Captured Meanwhile,-1 Trent Answered. Grant does. It happened that when 1 was in England I fell by accident Into - what was the 'top-hole' set " 1 mei dukes and marquises, earls and cabinet cab-inet ministers. I met Americans whose names had been household words to nae, 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 Register was mixing with the titled throng and actually staying 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 upon him, of those entrancing days uow so remote and alien. They were nays when Anthony Trent felt himself safe and had known supreme happiness. There were memories which came thronging, fragrant, tender end too sacred to share. He felt, In that moment, be had said more than he need. |