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Show Ihe RETURN ' tyvVYNDHAM Jf' ' M ARTYN v--(e!sg2?r , " ,T C0PYR.(6HT 61 SAftSE 1 HOPKINS WN.ULSER.VICE A f I1 " I 8T0RY FROM THE START Anthony Trent, once master 1 criminal, now reformed, returns to New York after four yeara' absence, fie learns hla friend, Capt. Frank Sutton, is fn Sing Ring-. Trent fs surprised , to find his New York apartment occu-I occu-I pied by a stranger, Campbell Sut-! Sut-! ton, who represents himself as the brother of Frank Sutton. Trent Is asked by Campbell to force a confession from Payson Grant, whom he accuses of having hav-ing crookedly obtained all of Frank Sutton'a property and then , married the latter's wife. Trent ' starts on a campaign to accomplish accom-plish the downfall of Grant He learns that Captain Sutton has escaped from Sing Sing and later, to his surprise, finds that Camp-bell Camp-bell Is really Frank Sutton. Trent takes his place In society as the opening gun In his campaign cam-paign against Grant. -I CHAPTER IV Continued "I see," he began, "that Bay Leaf won the third race today. I wish I hadn't taken that bet, but I thought two hundred, at ten to one, was safe enough. He counted out the crisp white notes of the Bank of England and passed them over the table, tinder tin-der It he pressed Weld's foot with his own. Weld was sober enough now to know he must accept and question later. He paid his debts and followed Trent from the cardroom. "I don't know how to thank you," he began. "Don't," said Trent, smiling. "I had i to come to your rescue when I saw ! that bunch." Long ago Trent had been repaid In ! the form of a check signed by Swith- In's wealthy uncle, Curtis Weld. The thing had been done spontaneously without any thought of future advan-' advan-' tagcs. But as Trent sat in Van Bo-dun's Bo-dun's window and watched the throngs In America's greatest thoroughfare, 1 he decided that he might now be able to use Swithln Weld's social prestige 'in a legitimate manner. From the Travelers' club Trent learned that Weld was in town. And If he were in town it was to the Travelers' Trav-elers' he would go. Trent walked up and down the Avenue for an hour ere ; be saw Weld, and then be allowed Weld to make the first overture. "1 thought you were In England," Weld said cordially. "I've had to come over to look after some property," Trent said, speaking the truth. "I've borrowed Stratford Van Boden's flat for a month or so." "I was just going to lunch," Weld said. "If you've nothing better to do. why not come with me?" Within an hour Trent ha found Weld's use to him. He learned that Mortimer Bentley, one of Weld's innumerable in-numerable cousins, was selling some of his polo ponies because his bride did not wish him to run the risks of the name. "Mortimer's team Is playing some men from Deal Beach, or somewhere down there, this afternoon. If you'd like to see a game why not run down will) me?" Two hours later Anthony Trent was sitting beside one of tin most fashionable fash-ionable of women. Joan Bentley, who called all the great families her rela tives. The manner of his Introduction would have amazed Frank Sutton Joan asked Swithin Weld who the new n an was. "A good pal of mine," Swithln said heartily. "He has property over here, and Is looking after It for a month or so. Stratford Van Boden lent him his flat. I've met him In England al the host places." "Joan looked at Trent, who was talking to a group a few yards distant. "Docs he play?" "Not a bad game," Weld told her. "Wish i played as well " "He might buy some of Mortimer's ponies." said Joan reflectively. Bring bim here and Introduce him. I'll do the selling, as you look horrltled." Trent liked .Mrs. Bentley. She was not a pretty woman, but her face was Interesting with Its big gray eyes, set rather wide apart And he recognized that she was particularly chic; she was far more envied than prettier women of her set Trent found him self accepted Instantly as a friend of Van Boilen and Swithln Weld. Joan Bentley assumed thut as he had passed their rigid scrutiny she had no occasion to doubt his place in the circles she Jealously guarded. It was not a regular club game. Peiitley's team was playing a four from lower down the coast. Mortimer Bentley's wife had an Idea that the Invaders were Impossible people, and did nut nieet them. Of the visitors none looked so envl ously at her as Nutlca Grant. She invested in-vested every one of the men In the goup about Mrs. Bentley with those attributes peculiar to tie highest society. so-ciety. Swithln Veld she knew- by eight But tlie personality of a tall. dark and rather bored type of man attracted her most. He must be, she concluded from Joan Bentley's Interest Inter-est In him, of that rare and happy group she had sworn to attain by devious de-vious routes. "Why don't you play over here?" Mrs. Bentley was asking. "I belong to no club and have no ponies," he said. "Both poor reasons. Mortimer') be delighted to put you up here, and as he's selling off the ponies not up to his weight you could get them quite reasonably." "I hadn't thought of playing," Trent said. "As a matter of fact, I'm very little good at it. I have only a two-goal two-goal handicap," be confessed. "With the exception of Mortimer, none of the others have been considered consid-ered by the Polo association. It Isn't Bentley's Teao, Was Playing a Four From Lower Down the Coast a good reason. Most of the best men. after playing in California all the winter, win-ter, went off to England for the summer sum-mer season. A two-handicap man can get all the play he wants." Natica Grant heard Authony Trent accept a dinner engagement at the Bentleys". This confirmed her In the opinion that he was a distinguished person. She felt that the name Trent should have been familiar to her. For his part, Trent knew that the pretty, fluffy person, exquisitely dressed, was Sutton's former wife. She would not have been flattered had she known why he looked so hard at her. He saw that she was one of those blond women who, under their-exterior their-exterior of feminine fascinations, can be cold and calculating. He was cer tain she was no less ruthless than hei husband. Perhaps even she was more unrelenting. He was glad that from the first be did not like her. He could enter upon his task with no handicap Trent admitted that Payson Grant was a handsome man of his type. But he had no pity in his heart for him ' He looked upon those two as destined to submit to his discipline. They had broken the laws no less than he In other days had done. No matter what offenses were laid to the door of the unknown criminal whom no police bu reau could identify as Anthony Trent, he had never betiayed those who trusted him. or returned evil for good Weld, on taking leave of Trent, seemed a trifle uncomfortable. "I hope you don't think I took yon down to Red Bank for Mortimer to sell his ponies to." "Not a bit," Trent answered cor- dially, "but Fm very glad jo did take me down, uJ i tie game, and I'v bought some good ponies at a very reasonable price." Trent chuckled when he reached Van Boden's rooms. He bad used Swithln Weld exactly as be bad planned. "In a weeks time," be said to Sutton, Sut-ton, "I shall be staying In the Gug-gensohn Gug-gensohn home. Then the fun begins." Sutton wus thinking of bis companion's com-panion's amazing social success of the afternoon. "But can you play polo?" he asked. There was doubt in his voice. He did not yet see bow Trent would have bad the opportunity. "Yes," said the other. "I'll tell you how I learned. To begin with, I've ridden since I was a child. I kept a saddle horse at Durlauds ior Ave years. 1 also played a little polo In the riding school, enough to give me an idea of the game uud Its rules. But in England staying with the family fam-ily I spoke of 1 played almost every day. I'm naturally quick at sports, and the game's fascinating." "You amaze me more and more," Sutton said quietly. "You seem to do everything well. 1 quite understand how It was you were never caught. But all this must be costing you a great deal of money." He thought of the Van Foden Hat, the Mortimer Bentley p io ponies and the attendant attend-ant ex)t ,ses of the game. "Don', bother about that," Trent "returned. "re-turned. "I've more money, legitimately legitimate-ly ear ned, than 1 can spend. I've bad wonderful luck with real estate. I've got to spend money for this scheme, but I'm going to have the value for it" Trent chuckled. "It was funny to see Joan Bentley assuming I was one of her exclusive crowd and looking look-ing coldly at the elite of Deal Beach. Never seem anxious to get what you want and It will come to vou." "You seem wonderfully cheerful," Sutton remarked. He, In the same circumstances, would have been under u nervous strain. While It was more than probable Trent's wit would get him Into the Grant home as an honored hon-ored guest, that was only the beginning. begin-ning. CHAPTER V Anthony Trent Is Threatened. Payson Grant was waiting one morning morn-ing by the first tee for Buckbee the banker. He abandoned bis listless attitude at-titude when he beheld Buckhee coming com-ing toward him with no less a personage person-age than the Anthony Trent he had seen among the socially unreachable at the Rumson road polo field. It was a heaven-sent opportunity for an Introduction. Buckbee effected this as unaware as Grant himself that Trent had planned the whole thing. Grant made himself so affable, and on the spur of the moment planned a week of polo, that the friend of Swithln Swith-ln Weld and the intimate of Mrs. Mortimer Mor-timer Bentley was persuaded to participate. par-ticipate. Had Sutton laid a wager with Trent that he would not be staying In the Italian palace that copper had built for Guggensohn, within the week, he would have lost It was a week to a day from the time that Trent had prophesied, that his roadster rolled up to the Grant entrance and bis chauffeur, John Hubbard, drove It to the garage and established himself Id RegaD's good graces. Trent was greeted with effusion by Natica Grant She lamented the fact that he probably would not know one of the dozen house guests. They were business friends of her husband's to whom she owed certain civilities. She conveyed the Impression rather adroitly adroit-ly that In a few weeks her beautiful home would swarm with such people as Trent had been in the habit of meeting. He was shown to a delightful suite overlooking the ocean. Outside the sitting-room was an Iron balcony. A sunken Italian garden tilled the space between the house and the sea. It was a magnificent place, vacant only because Guggensohn and his wife had bought a residence in Mayfair and were also interested In entertaining , the forgetful great at dinner. r The Grants dined at half-past seven. When Trent had been Introduced to those guests for whom his hostess had apologized he found he had an houi in which to dress. A man laid out his clothes. Trent drew from his pocket a report he had received from More on the servants. Indoor and- outdoor help were here described. More had the talent for getting a man to talk. (TO BE CONTINUED.) . 1 |