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Show 18 SYNOPSIS. Howard Jeffries, banker's son, under lie evil Influence of Robert Underwood, ellow-student al Yale, leads a life of dis-:ipation, dis-:ipation, marries the daughter of a gam-iler gam-iler who died In prison, and Is disowned iv his father. He is out of work and In lesperate straits. Underwood, who had nee been engaged to Howard's step-nother, step-nother, Alicia, Is apparently In prusper-us prusper-us circumstances. Taking advantage of lis Intimacy with Alicia, he becomes a nrt of social highwayman. Discovering its true character, Alicia denies him the louse. He sends her a note threatening micide. Art dealers for whom he acted :s commissioner, demand an accounting. Te cannot make good. Howard calls at lis apartments in an intoxicated condi-ion condi-ion to request a loan of ?2,000 to enable nm to take up a business proposition, toward drinks himself into a maudlin ondition, and goes to sleep on a divan. V culler Is announced and Underwood Iraws a screen around the drunken leeper. Alicia enters. She demands a remise from Underwood that he will not ake his life. He refuses unless she will enew her patronage. This she refuses, ind takes her leave. Underwood kills liniself. The report of the pistol awa-:ens awa-:ens Howard. He finds Underwood dead, toward Is turned over to the police. ?npt. Clinton, notorious for his brutal .reatment of prisoners, puts Howard lirough the third degree, and finally frets tn alleged confession from the harassed nan. Annie. Howard's wife, declares her icliof in her husband's innocence, and :alls on Jeffries, Sr. Ho refuses to help inless she will consent to a divorce. To :ave Howard she consents, but when she inds that the elder Jeffries does not in-end in-end to stand by his son, except financially, finan-cially, she scorns his help. Annie appeals o Judge Brewster, attorney for Jeffries, Sr., to tnke Howard's case. He declines. t is reported that Annie is going on the itatre. The banker and his wife call on fudge Brewster to find some way to present pre-sent il. Annie again pleads with Browser Brow-ser to defend Howard. He consents. Uioia is greatly agitated when she learns hat Brewster has taken the case and letectives are looking for the woman who ailed on Underwood the nittht of his ieath. Alicia confesses to Annie, that she it'.s a letter from Underwood threatening micide. CHAPTER XIV. Continued. ' 'And you know what mine are!" ;xclaimed the banker, hotly. "I re-,'use'to re-,'use'to be engulfed in this wave of hysterical sympathy with criminals. will not be stamped with the same iall mark as the man who takes the I '.if e of his fellow being though the man be my own son. I will not set :he seal of approval on crime by defending de-fending it." The lawyer bowed and said calmly: "Then, sir, you must expect exactly ex-actly what is happening. This girl, ivhatever she may be.J is devoted to four son. She is his wife. She'll go ;o any extreme to help him even to selling her name for money to pay .'or his defense." The banker threw up his hands with impatience. "It's a matter of principle with me. Her devotion is not the question." With a mocking laugh he went on: 'Sentimentality doesn't appeal to me. The whole thing is distasteful and lideous to me. My instructions to you ire to prevent her using the family lame on the stage, to buy her off on ner own terms, to get rid of her at sny price." "Except the price she asks," interposed inter-posed the lawyer, dryly. Shaking his jead, he went on: i "You'll find that a wife's devotion is very strong motive power, Jeffries. It will move irresistibly forward in spite of all the barriers you and I can ;rect to stay its progress. That may 30und like a. platitude, but it's a fact nevertheless." Alicia, who had been listening with ?aried emotions to the conversation, now interrupted timidly: "Perhaps Judge Brewster is right, iear. After all, the girl is working '.o save your son. Public opinion may chink it unnatural " The banker turned on his wife. Sternly he said: "Alicia, I cannot permit you to interfere. in-terfere. That young man is a self-confessed self-confessed murderer and therefore no son of mine. I've done with him long igo. I cannot be moved by maudlin sentimentality. Please let that be filial." Turning to the lawyer, he said, coldly: "So, in the matter of this stage business, you can take no steps to restrain re-strain her?" The lawyer shook his head. "No, there is nothing I can do." Quickly he added: "Of course, you Jon't doubt my loyalty to you?" Mr. Jeffries shook his head. "No, no, Brewster." The lawyer laughed as he said: "Right or wrong, you know 'my country' that is, my client ' 'tis of :hee.' " Turning to Alicia, he added, laughingly: "That's the painful part Df a lawyer's profession, Mrs. Jeffries. The client's weakness is the lawyer's strength. When c.en bate each other and rob each other we lawyers don't pacify them. We dare not, because ihat is our profession. We encourage encour-age them. We pit them against each other for profit If we didn't they'd 50 to some lawyer who would." Alicia gave a feeble smile. "Yes," she replied; "I'm afraid we all love to be advised to do what we vant to do." Mr. Jeffries made an Impatient gesture ges-ture of dissent. Scofflngly he remarked re-marked : "That may apply to the great generality gen-erality of people, but not to me." CUAldX KLEIN Y y j ILLUSTRATIONS BY RAY WALTEH$ g COPYKICKT, 1909, BV O.W. DU.LINCHAM COMWMV t-.l l Jljl.i.i. i, ., inuni.,,.......)!, H'.efl,TWI W H'-'r I Wtat.t,v,.ayV..WW.aMt PI Vr1 j tj 1 y ' 1 r -j ri ffT"? "It's Your Duty to Do It." Judge Brewster looked skeptical, but made no further comment. The banker rose and Alicia followed suit. As he moved toward the door, he turned and said: "Drop in and see me this evening, Brewster. Jvlrs. Jeffries will be delighted de-lighted if you will dine with us." Alicia smiled graciously. "Do come, judge; -sse shall be all alone." The lawyer bent low over her hand as he said good-by. Mr. Jeffries had already reached the door, when he turned again and said: "Are 3rou sure a very liberal offer wouldn't induce her to drop the name?" The lawyer shook his head doubtfully. doubt-fully. "Well, see what you cap do," cried the banker. To his wife he said: "Are you caning, Alicia?" "Just a moment, 'dear," she replied. "I want to say a word to the judge." . "All right," replied the banker. "I'll be outside." He opened the door, and as he did so he turned to the lawyer: "If there are any new developments let me know at once.". He left the office and Alicia breathed a sigh of relief. She did not love her husband, but she feared him. He was not only 20 years her senior, but his cold, aristocratic manner intimidated intimi-dated her. Her first impulse had been to tell him everything, but she dare not. His. manner discouraged her. He would begin to ask questions, questions ques-tions which she could not answer without seriously incriminating herself. her-self. But her conscience would not allow her to stand entirely aloof from the tragedy in which her husband's scapegrace son was involved. She felt a strange, unaccountable desire to meet this girl Howard had married. Tn a quick undertone to the lawyer, she said: "I must see that woman, iudge. I think I can persuade her to change her course of action. In any case I must see her, I must " Looking at him questioningly, she said: "You don't'think it inadvisable, do you?" The judge smiled grimly. "I think I'd better see her first," he said. "Suppose vou come back a lit tle later. It's more than probable that she'll be here this afternoon. I'll see her and arrange for an interview." There was a knock at the door, and Alicia started guiltily, thinking her husband might have overheard their conversation. The head clerk entered and whispered something to the judge, after which be retired. The lawyer turned to Alicia with a smile. "It's just as I thought." he said, pleasantly, "she's out there now. You'd better go and leave her to me." The door opened again unceremoniously, unceremon-iously, and Mr. Jeffries put In his head : "Aren't you coming, Alicia?" he demanded, de-manded, impatiently. In a lower voice to the lawyer, he added: "Say, Brewster, that woman is outside in your office. Now is your opportunity to come to some arrangement with her." Again Mrs. Jeffries held out her hand. "Good-by, judge; you're so kind! It needs a lot of patience to be a lawyer, doosn't It?" Judge Brewster laughed, and added In an undertone: "Come back by and by." - The door closed, and the lawyer went back to his desk. For a few moments mo-ments he sat still plunged in deep thought. Suddenly, he touched a bell. The head clerk entered. "Show Mrs. Howard Jeffries, Jr., in." The clerk looked surprised. Strict orders hitherto had been to show the unwelcome visitor out. He believed that he had not heard aright. "Did you say Mrs. Jeffries, Jr., judge?" "I said Mrs. Jeffries, Jr.," replied the lawyer, grimly. "Very well, judge," said the clerk, as he left the room. Presently there was a timid knock at the door. : "Come in!" called out the lawyer. CHAPTER XV. Annie entered the presence of the famous lawyer pale and ill at ease. This sudden summons to Judge Brewster's private office was so unexpected unex-pected that it came like a shock. For days she had haunted the premises, sitting in the outer office for hours at a time exposed to the stare and covert smiles of thoughtless clerks and office boys. Her requests for an interview had been met with curt refusals. re-fusals. They either said the judge was out of town or else that he was too busy to be seen. At last, evidently evi-dently acting upon orders, they flatly flat-ly refused to even send in her name, and she had about abandoned hope when, all at once, a clerk approached her, and addressing her more politely than usual, said that the judge would see her in a few minutes. Her heart gave a great throb. Almost Al-most speechless from surprise, she stammered a faint thanks and braced herself for the interview on which so much depended. For the first time since the terrible affair had happened, there was a faint glimmer of hope ahead. If only she could rush over to the Tombs and tell Howard the joyful news so he might keep up courage! cour-age! It was eight days now since Howard's arrest, and the trial would take place in six weeks. There was still time to prepare a strong defense if the judge would only consent to take the case. She was more sure than ever that a clever lawyer would have no difficulty in convincing a jury that Howard's alleged "confession" was untrue and improperly obtained. In the Intervals of waiting to see the lawyer, she had consulted every one she knew, and among others she had talked with Dr. Bernstein, the noted psychologist, whom she had seen once at Yale. He received her kindly and listened attentively to her story. When she had finished he bad evinced the greatest Interest. He told her that he happened to be the physician called in on the night of the tragedy, and at that time he had grave doubts as to it being a case of murder. He believed it was suicide, and he had told Capt. Clinton so, but the police captain had made up his mind, and that was the end of it. Howard's "confession." he went on, really meant nothing. If called to the stand he could show the jury that a hypnotic subject can be made to "confess" to anything. In the interest inter-est of truth, justice, and science, he said, he would gladly come to her aid. All this she would tell Judge Brewster. Brew-ster. It would be of great help to him, no doubt. Suddenly, a cold shiver ran through her. How did she know he would take the case? Perhaps Per-haps this summons to his office was only to tell her once more that he would have nothing to do with her and her husband. She wondered why he had decided so suddenly to see her and, like a flash, an idea came to her. She had seen Mr. Jeffries, Sr., enter the inner sanctum and, in-stinctlvely, in-stinctlvely, she felt that she had something to do with his visit. The banker had come out accompanied by a richly-dressed woman whom she guessed to be his wife. She looked with much interest at Howard's stepmother. She had beard so much about her that it seemed to her that she knew her personally. As Alicia swept proudly by, the eyes of the two women met, and Annie was surprised to see in the banker's wife's face, instead of the cold, haughty stare she expected, a wistful, longing look, as if she would like to stop and talk with her, but dare not. In another an-other instant she was gone, and, obeying obey-ing a clerk, who beckoned her to follow fol-low him, she entered Judge Brewster's Brew-ster's office. The lawyer looked up as she came in, but did not move from bis seat. Gruffly he said: "How long do you intend to keep up this system of warfare? How long are you going to continue forcing for-cing your way into this office?" "I didn't force my way in," she said, quietly. "I didn't expect to come in. The clerk said you wanted to see me." The lawyer frowned and scrutinized her closely. After a pause, he said: "I want to tell you for the fiftieth time I can do nothing for you." "Fifty?" she echoed. "Fifty did you say? Really, it doesn't seem that much." Judge Brewster looked at her quickly quick-ly to see If she was laughing at him. Almost peevishly, he said: "For the last time, I repeat I can do nothing for you." "Not the last time, judge," she replied, re-plied, shaking her head. "I shall come again to-morrow." The lawyer swung around in his chair with indignation. "You will?" .Annie nodded. "Yes, sir," she said, quietly. "You're determined to force your way in here?" exclaimed the lawyer. "Yes, sir." The judge hanged the desk with his fist. "But I won't allow it! I have something some-thing to say, you know! I can't permit per-mit this to go on. I represent my client, Mr. Howard Jeffries, Sr., and he won't consent to my taking up your husband's case." There was a shade of sarcasm in Annnie's voice as she asked calmly: "Can't you do it without his consent?" con-sent?" The lawyer looked at her grimly. "I can," be blurted out, "but I won't" Her eyes flashed as she replied quickly. "Well, you ought to " Tile lawyer looked up in amazement. amaze-ment. "What do you mean?" he demanded. "It's your duty to do it," she said, quietly. "Your duty to his son, to me, and to Mr. Jeffries himself. Why, he's so eaten up with his family pride and false principles that be can't see the difference between right and wrong. You're his lawyer. It's your duty to put him right. It's downright wicked of you to refuse you're hurting him. Why, when I was hunting around for a lawyer oue of them actually refused re-fused to take up the case because he said old Brewster must think Howard How-ard was guilty or he'd have taken it up himself. You and his father are putting the whole world against him, and you know it." , The judge was staggered. No one in his recollection had ever dared to speak to him like that. He was so astonished that he forgot to resent It, and he hid his confusion by taking out his handkerchief and mopping his forehead. "I do know it," he admitted. "Then why do you do it?" she snapped. The lawyer hesitated, and then he said : "1 that's not the question." Annie leaped quickly forward, and she replied: "It's my question and as you say, I've asked It 50 times." The lawyer sat back in his chair and looked at her for a moment without with-out speaking. He surveyed her critically crit-ically from head to foot, and then, as if satisfied with his examination, said: (TO BE CONTINUED.) |