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Show 3 STORY 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 Poltlanla at Liverpool, but Is disappointed when Trent shows no surprise. He learns hi friend, CapL Frank Sutton, Is In Sing Sing. At New fork 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 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. CHAPTER III Continued 5 "It must have happened while 1 was crossing," he paid slowly. "I have Been 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 hanger strike. He askscj 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. Suttoo 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. Button, npper-cut him, got Into his abandoned clothes, passed out in them tnd escaped." "Sutton did that?" Trent laughed. It was the type of exploit he enjoyed. "Two weeks's start is pretty oseful." "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 au 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 j him tonight." Trent's face was grim. "I think I shall tell him I'm through." J Trent could not leave without a long ! talk with Mrs. Sauer, and he did not i reach his apartment until dusk, but It j had been a profitable afternoon. The fragrance of his special brand j of cigar greeted him. Campbell Sut ton looked up from a book. "Did you bring an evening paper?" he 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 I 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 you. He apologized for 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 has 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 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 Wilmington?." Wilming-ton?." "Why did you deceive me?" "I felt 1 hail to. Regard it as a precautionary measure, Mr. Trent. Captain Sutton depends wholly on your courage and energy. Do tint let him sutler for excess of cam Inn tin his brother's part." "Where is he?" Trent asked. "For the moment I dare not tell you." Campbell Sutton uicdhaied a little. "Perhaps when you have made your plans 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 wasn't thinking of that," Trent said. "The police will look for him ut Deal Beach it Grant Is still there The vendetta idea, you understand?' "They will look in vain." Campbell Sutton retorted. "That Is the last place he woula choose. My hrotliet did not escape with the Idea of mur derlng I'ayson Grant. Frank knows very well that by himself he has no chance to force I'nysoD to confess tlie embezzlement charge was false. He knows that I'ayson will never admit In hi in that the revolver found on Frank was deliberately placed there by him or his hirelings." "And he thinks 1 shall be able to discover dis-cover proofs of an organized con spiracy?" Trent said, a little bitterness bitter-ness In bis tone. "Not exactly that. You are needed tor subtler work than that. My brother i By VVYND51AM martyn Copyright by Earse & Hopkins WN'U Service thinks a man of your unusual ahill 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 ft.ee. He was LIng sight of the unwelcome task - thrust upon him in the contemplation, of Its fas- . clnating 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. "1 think I shall go down to Deal for a few days," he asserted. "I'm still a member of the golf club, 60 it will not be going as a stranger. 1 may run across Grant there, as you tell me he plays." "It won't be easy to meet him." Campbell Sutton declared. "He is es sentially a snob. To enter his bouse as a guest you would have either to be one of his old friends or one of his new acquaintances. Yon 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 underhaudeo tricks tnat creep Into professional games." "I've seen It played more than yon Imagine," Trent returned, "and I know more prominent members of high society than your friend Payson X I "If He Isn't Captured Meanwhile," Trent Answered. Grant does. It happened that when 1 was in England I fell by accident into what was the 'top-hole' set. 1 met dukes and marquises, earls and cabinet cab-inet ministers. I 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 aeems 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 1 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 tarred upon him. of those entrancing days now so remote and alien. They were oays when Anthony Trent felt liimselt safe and had known supreme happiness. There were memories which came t bronzing, fragrant, tender f,nd too sacred to share lie felt. In that moment, he had said more than lie need. . "If what yon 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 bad 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 growing In difficulty. dif-ficulty. It would be an Ironic ending If, In the moment of victory, as yet blgbly problematic, this man denounced de-nounced him. Trent did not think he bad 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 at though about to impart some bidden 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 bad finished his breakfast and was reading the papers bis 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 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 bis employer, em-ployer, but would not sit down, as be 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 bad awakened bim 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 be 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 I did not; the other was because I liked Sutton and owed him a great deal." Those two reasons still exist," Sut-ron Sut-ron reminded him. "Hut ynu don't," Trent had a dan genius, sneering laugh. "pt up your hands, man. for I'm going to hit yu Captain Stilton never had a brother or sisler. and you're nothing but a d d Take." (TO BE CONTINUED.) |