Show money lop to burn EB u r by peter be kyne it by peter B ayno vim THE STORY hiram butterworth Butterwort li miser decides to leave leav his fortune to elmer eliner clarke a poor young youn neph ew ir ile he tells abolam his hl lawyer of 0 a deal forty years ago in which he swindled a man out of and arranges for or payment with interest butterworth dies suddenly nelll nellie cathcart elmers sweetheart tells tell him his inheritance Is 18 more than a million colorado char toy icy and his partner was ma decide to pluck elmer unknown to elmer nellie Is in heiress of 0 the man butterworth swindled and she h figures there Is about coming to her bar elnier elmer becomes a candidate for or school trustee posing as a newspaper reporter under the name of 0 doris gatewood colorado charleys charley confederate ed erale calls call on elmer nellie recognizes in her the adventuress type CHAPTER vill VIII continued s emer elmer arrived in too late in the afternoon to take nellie to luncheon and as he was due that night to conduct an initiation of a class of thirty neophytes into the local lodge of the woodmen goodmen of the world tie he had no opportunity of seeing tier lier until noon boon of the following day by that time however he be had listened to enough bucolic badinage and impish queries regarding his gallantry in los angeles to realize that nellie cathcart roust must have listened to twice as much consequently he was somewhat troubled of soul as lie he drew up in front or of the bank aud and waited for nellie to emerge she came flashing him a radiant smile of welcome from the top step where she paused to make deliberate appraisal of 0 the new millionaire ills chauffeur and his new car elmer stepped out opened the door and waved her in oh boyl nellie murmured breathlessly and popped in elmer darling its gorgeous so gorgeous that im grateful to be the second girl to ride in it first nellie help thrusting that one home and it went home too elmer flushed and looked as guilty as ai a i a sheep killing dog as he climbed in beside her well there was but one thing to do and that was to tell the truth shame the devil and let the chips tall fall where they might welt well rit HI tell you all about her he began but nellie raised a menacing finger dont elmerl elmer I 1 it necessary you do not have to I 1 know you just happened to be riding along you met her she was walking she recognized you and you just had to be decent and give her a lift well have it bour 3 our own way lie he replied gloomily but bravely only that the way you see id met her before ashes a newspaper correspondent and she came up here to get a story from me on how it teela feels to be a poor man one day and a millionaire Ilon lio alre the next dext ashes a very charming girl and her name Is doris gatewood ashes a correspondent for the american weekly of new york I 1 happened to tell her I 1 was going to los angeleo to buy this car and she su suggested that if I 1 would telephone her shed let me read her story before she mailed it east I 1 suppose she want to write anything to which I 1 might object oh said nellie did she write a nice interesting story about you elmerl ill be hanged banged it if I 1 know he confessed we forgot to look at it just as well you forgot elmer she write a snappy interesting story anyhow ashes as spurious as it a ead dollar now how can you say such a thin about a girl you have never met elmer challenged saw you walking down to the depot with her the night she was in pilar aitos heard a fragment of her conversation heard her laugh noted her general makeup make up all but mats enough for little nellie cathcart well III admit she in your class nellie but nevertheless I 1 think ashes charming bully company so much so that I 1 double crossed you and gave her the first ride after id fd promised you nellies gay gurgling dattle laugh set him at his ease now that ive made you suffer dear you may pick yourself up and dust yourself off jm im not miffed at you but I 1 could kilt kill a number dumber of people in this town today so could L I 1 wish I 1 jumped into that campaign for high school trustee youre alt all that keeps me from leaving this town and never coming back I 1 hope I 1 get whipped to a frazzle in that trustee fight honestly I 1 do nellies hand came over and rested on his you go in and win she commanded the day I 1 catch you dragging your tall in this community Is the day you and I 1 are going to bave our first real disagreement leave pilar aitos as often as you like and have a good time while you are away but come back to when I 1 betin begin to demand a detailed report on your doings it will be time for you to commence worrying 1 I dunt dent think I 1 could stand that te be confessed soberly nellie laughed no man of spirit would where are you taking we me for foi huachi iou r out to joe jo well elmer nellie announced when they found themselves seated ite sold your house and lot on the terms yau you named it if drop in at the bank after luncheon and sign the deed ill attest it and the deal will be closed in twenty four hours three cheers I 1 said elmer NeIl nellie lp youre a smart girl when does the new owner desire to take possession of my house immediately 0 K ril ill take a suite at the hotel atta boy said nellie now lets talk about your campaign tor for high school trustee and organize that ive been checking off on votes trying to estimate your oi strength and it seems to me you have a fight on your hands watch my smoke said elmer clarke because he be was so BO easy to handle nellie favored him with a loving look and with difficulty repressed an impulse to lean across the table and kiss him blin dear blind straightforward straight thinking elmer all she had to do to hold him in line was wai to show him a fight and then send him into it ile he had bad been fighting and winning since his twelfth birthday and it bad never been an easy fight ills ilia path had always been beset with obstacles which he had successfully hurdled but far down that path nellie could discern one obstacle that must send him crashing to the ground yes nothing but death before he should reach that obstacle could sayo sava elmer clarke from having his nose rubbed in the dirt and nellie had a vast curiosity to see how this man who had tasted victory would assimilate simi late defeat chagrin sneers gibes and the varied cruelties cruel ties of a world which tramples joyously over the fellow who goes down in the fight standing alone in a stricken field would elmer defeated acknowledge defeat why nellie what are you crying about he demanded suddenly Y nellies sweet mouth trembled pitifully 1 I I 1 I 1 cant tell you el elmer met im just s s silly all 1 I 1 I any spunk please forgive me darling elmer was delighted most men are when they think they have observed lu fallible evidence that the girl they love but arent quite certain of evinces signs of jealousy poor elmer thought she was jealous of doris CHAPTER IX that night nellie neill e sent a telegram to the editor of the american weekly in new york asking if their los angeles staff correspondent was was bliss doris gatewood and giving her address which in the form of an anonymous letter had bad reached her that morning she requested an answer collect she had bad it early next morning 1 I thought so nellie soliloquized only another buzzard gathering for tin thi feast well elmer might RS as well learn about women from her I 1 wonder it ashes an alimony hound or just a plain swindler well a letter to the chief of police of los angeles on the bank stationery will receive prompt attention nellie wrote the letter three days later she had her answer it ran as follows dear miss bliss cathcart in response to your interesting letter of recent date the circumstances under which the lady in question made the acquaintance of your friend appeared to me to present ample ground for suspicion particularly in view of the fact that the gentleman has a considerable fortune 1 I therefore sent one of my most reliable men to investigate ue ile reports that the house at the th address you name Is inhabited by a notorious bunco known to the police all over the country as colorado charley there Is a young wom woman a n living there with hint who passes as his sister but who Is an accomplice of his she has a police record as aa thi th most accomplished come on in the business and Is undoubtedly the person to whom you refer we will keep them under unde r surveillance meanwhile it if you should havo have any further information of importance to communicate to us we shall be glad to operate cooperate co with you la in closing may I 1 suggest that you do nothing to indicate to the young man that he Is playing with fire it if we give this calf more rope we may be enabled to get him into the corral and earmark him very truly yours J fitzgerald acting captain of detectives 0 0 0 6 9 when elmer called at the bank to sign the deed to his house bouse and lot he noted that the deed ran to nellie cathcart an unmarried woman ud to lo he murmured 1 I see the buyer Is hiding biding tits his identity by using you as a dummy why all the secrecy nellie no secrecy at all nellie replied demurely 1 I am the buyer elmer scratched his ear in perplexity plex ity what do you want of tile proper property tyr lie demanded presently its a good buy elmer I 1 think I 1 can sell it tor for about two thousand dollars profit in a years time are you going to move into the tha house yourself no elmer im going to rent it well suppose you rent it to tile me tor for the present its au all furnished with my furniture and pit HI tie be far more comfortable there than in that rat trap of a palme hotel hold the rental will be seventy five dollars a month elmer youre toure a highway robber robbed I 1 there fell ell a silence while they looked at each other then how goes your fight for school trustee dear nellie asked its a fight and rm im fighting all I 1 can say am im making a house to house canvass in the new car ile he nodded better use the old tin lizzle lizzie she suggested that shiny new monster will cost you votes I 1 hoard heard a well known merchant of Pilar eltos remark to mr blody apropos of your new tin imported car that a foot fool and his money are soon ported well I 1 must be olt off nellie im afraid I 1 shall not be able to see very much of yoi yoa until after the school election atta alta boy elmerl elmer 1 As he be strode out of the bank nellie observed that for the first time he no longer walked with the slight limp that had been the result of an unexpected meeting with a soldier er of the prussian ruuard once it it had ad been a real limp then it had become a habit but now nothing like a little judicial prodding nothing like a hint of opposition nothing like an objective to be captured to keep that boy busy the ta I 1 r at 0 t he had a fight on H hi is hands handi and he fought girl soliloquized well anyhow he fib to me about doris gatewood he apologize or explain or try to excuse himself and a comfort true to his promise elmer saw little of nellie during the period intervening ter before the school trustee election ile he had a fl fight ailt on his hands and he be fought the sunday before the election be invited the entire high school district to a barbecue during the barbecue he made the only public speech of tits ills campaign it was a rattling good speech and well delivered As usually occurs when an untrained speaker warms to his subject el elmers imers oratory suddenly captivated elmer almost before he realized it he had bad announced hla his intention of seeking the office of mayor of allar aitos as an independent candidate at the november election when elmer clarke stepped down from the table upon which he had made tits his speech he knew lie had won in fact he was elected by a majority of nineteen voles and took office at the next regular meeting of the board meanwhile the Pilar eltos clarion had bad increased its circulation by one colorado charley had subscribed for three months on the off chance that thus he might be kept in touch with the activities of his intended victim As a result of his foresight elmer received a telegram from doris gatewood on the moraln morning of election day wishing him a tremendous victory and making the prophecy that any other issue would be improbable elmer though tit was both kind and considerate of tier her to do this consequently an hour after the votes were counted he sent her a telegram thanking in her and announcing his victory immediately she replied with a nigh letter suggesting that he owed himself a present and that it t ought to take the form of another visit to los angeles with that suggestion elmer was in entire accord ile he told nellie loot about tt it before he left and she agreed that he ought to so go when be told her he be would probably tee see doris gatewood and her brother while there she told him slie she hoped doped lie would see the charming miss bliss gatewood Gato wood and that he might enjoy tier her society immensely As a result of this conversation elmer departed not a little irritated he would have preferred to have nellie display opposition to his plan to say that elmer enjoyed his vacation would in these days of superlative slang scarcely express the extent of his enjoyment perhaps it would be better to state that he ate it up ile he lunched and dined and fox trotted to every worthwhile worth while hotel restaurant and road house in los loa angeles county and then departed accompanied compa comp nied by colorado charley find and doris gatewood tor for points farther south they swam and played golf at coronado they lunched at delightfully wicked ala juana and at a bare suggestion from tits liia guests lie he ruined the paint on tits his new automobile in a wild dash across the colorado desert to spend a week at the grand canyon quite early in the history of the junket doris commenced calling him elmer and insisted that it if they were to be good pals he must call her doris he did gratefully presently slie she took to calling him dear and darling and old thing and old dear and silly boy and sundry other verbal evidences of insincerity elmer liked it lie ile date ate it up in the gentle art of coquetry doris gatewood was a past master and it tg Is not to be marveled at that he became hopelessly infatuated with her she thrilled him she dazzled him she brought on a delicious pain in his heart she filled him film with the wonder of her when he be thought of nellie cathcart it was with a pang of shame and trepidation but even this unpleasantness gradually disappeared exercised exorcised by elmer himself finding lie he could not think of nellie without having his indescribable happiness clouded he ceased to think of her at all although he did send her a few picture postcards she was wa but a memory of another life nevertheless old habits particularly of loyalty are hard bard to breal break elmer was more than the devoted friend and host but not quite the lov lover r he wanted to be but lacked the courage doris realized this and opportunity port unity after opportunity for him to declare himself she even went so far on their way back to los angeles when they traveled by night to avoid the heat of the day as to pretend to sleep with her lovely head bead on his shoulder elmer trembled a little but that wai all so the lady took advantage of colorado charleys presence in the front sent scat with the driver to com weeping softly when elmer asked her tenderly why bhe wept a she ahe he told him it was because they had to part so soon thereupon she got tier her first real rise out of elmer lie ile said well I 1 dont know about th that at there is something connected with driving a fast and powerful car through the night which promotes straight thinking and so elmer came to the conclusion that he be was violently in love with two women at the same time he had to choose one he knew which one |