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Show The Recluse of Fifth Avpip! STORY FROM THE START from the comfortable flnnnclnl situation to which he hnil heen horii. Peter Mllmnn, Is practically practical-ly reduced to pi-miry through the misfortune of a. frleml unwisely triistc-l- LenrnliiB of Brewer's sul-Ide, sul-Ide, whleh means the deslrue-tion' deslrue-tion' of his last hope, Mllman sends letters to Prof. FlemlnR Bradney, Floyd -Millet nnd Nee-an(l Nee-an(l Barnes, men once of high position. In response, the three jl'l on him at his home. Kaeh relates the circumstances that wrecked their careers. .Mllman convinces them that their misfortunes mis-fortunes were all due to one man, Taul Raxon. Himself Impoverished Im-poverished through Haxon's financial fi-nancial crookedness, Alilman proposes nn association of the four men an association outside the law which shall pull down paxon and force him to disgorge his ill-Kitten financial g-ains. Haxon's Hax-on's political ambition Is the national na-tional senatorship from his state. McKimber Is the admitted party nominee, and must be eliminated. CHAPTER VI Continued 9 Raxon smiled. "I want Intelliirent loyalty, and you're not overburdened with intelligence any more than OnC-fray OnC-fray was. I'm not underestimating you. You've been useful to me in a Dumber of ways." "Thank you," said Loddon, almost bitterly. He thought of certain unprofessional un-professional things he had done at his patron's bidding which had, in effect, delivered him bound hand and foot to Raxon. That Raxon aspired to a United States senatorship seemed a laudable enough ambition. But that, he had a chance seemed, on reflection, almost absurd. And yet Raxon was not the kind of man to delude himself. Loddon Lod-don voiced his doubts. "McKimber is the party's nominee," he observed. "Of course, he'll carry New York city, and they say he'll get more votes up-state than any possible candidate." "The party will get the votes, not the man," said Raxon. "But McKimber's the party's choice," Loddon persisted. "It looks that way, doesn't it? Raxon smiled. "McKimber's very popular." "You're keeping something back," said Loddon. "I always do. That's why I get on. That's why I'm going to the senate." His hands clasped behind him, Paul Rasori stood at a window and looked over the sound. Loddon talked, but he did not listen. Raxon saw himself in a few years as the greatest money power in America. All his future was carefully planned. He was now engaged en-gaged in mapping out a present. He appreciated the power of wome politically and knew he must appear a:-a home-loving man, a man who was notoriously good to his wife and children. chil-dren. Fortunately, all of them were attractive physically. He was interrupted by Mrs. Raxon. She was a handsome, dark woman who had only just discovered that while she had been living abroad her husband had become enormously wealthy. She had the sense of a personal per-sonal grievance against him highly developed. de-veloped. He could see she was prepared pre-pared for battle. "I -want a suitable allowance for myself and the children," she began. "I want a banking account and my own limousine and chauffeur."- She had thrown down theage and waited, a little frightened, for what was coming. com-ing. Paul had always seemed incomprehensible. incom-prehensible. She did not understand aim now. When he smiled it might be, she supposed, the prelude to some biting sarcasm. "Certainly," he said. "A very good !dea. Fortunately, Loddon is here. Talk It over with him. I am very willing that you should take your P'aee in society. I only ask that you will be careful with what people you my house. I'm after big game, and " I rise you'll go up with me. Talk It over with Herman." He smiled and talked slowly from the room. A"d while Marie Raxon was passing n enthralling hour discovering her mtny needs, and her husband was "'ottering how best to start to beau-"fy beau-"fy Bellington's enormous building, nie men in Lower Fifth avenue were discussing his ruin. s'ulet had returned from Philadelphia, Philadel-phia, where he had thrown up bis imon. Already another laboratory assistant had taken Bradney's place. The two had yielded to Peter Mil-man's Mil-man's importunities and agreed to re-Bl:llu re-Bl:llu us his guests. Neeland Barnes had not yet come back from Peekskill. e hud gone with the avowed intention inten-tion of paying Lippsky something off hls aeeount and hurrying back with Bl"ue clothes. So that he might escape the ridl-c,l!e ridl-c,l!e attending a man who reaches his suburban honfe in full evening dress at midday, Barnes arranged to come ' "is distasteful abode when it was dusk, He wanted to remove his entire fardrone from the Lippsky shack and I'a)' as little of the deferred rent as Possible. 1-ippsky's front yard, which com-1;il'ded com-1;il'ded a view of his tenant's entices en-tices and exits, the aggrieved landed land-ed whs trying to bring to maturity wpi'esstd looking vegetables. His !JS glistened when he saw who ap-.,r"ded. ap-.,r"ded. He dropped his spade and llrled to meet Neeland Barnes. "s you expecting a lady?" he de-prided. de-prided. "''""d God, nel" Barnes stopped "stantly. nad old ghosts arisen to Cullfund him? By WYNDHAM MARTYN Cornish! In the United Suite. W N U Serv ice "Has any woman the right to go in -0 jnonkey about with yot,r tMit!gs h" " nb0dy" I!i'rnes "led. Mi Barnes." said Lippsky shrilly, jou are a loafer. You sent her in to . your clothes so you should go wny and leave me without nothing To 2 T 1 Bt your number, and bv Ul her if she makes a fuss I send the police. You thought you should me out. You know this is my lodse night." J "I didn't know there was a lod-e low enough to admit you," Barnes d angrily, (ind x sent noim(iy here Send for the police. I've had enough of your d d insolence." "Pretending she was a fine ladv " sitid Lippsky, who was growing angry. Looking at me and my house as "She Called My House a Pigsty." though we was dirt. She wouldn't believe you lived here. I tell her right quick you wouldn't even be living liv-ing here If you didn't come over with rent." Neeland Barnes removed his silk hat and mopped his brow. "My good ass," he began, "what the devil are you ranting about?" "I tell her," Llppslv went on, unap-peased, unap-peased, "you could go out with your tine gentleman's clothes on, and a silk hat even, and treat me like dirt. I'm a citizen here same as you, and this is an end of you walking over, me with your silk hat and your fifteen dollar shoes. I know the price of them shoes. I tell her to scream all she likes, nobody hears away up here." "You mean to say you've locked a strange woman up in my house?" "It's my house. If you pay the rent, you can go in and get your clothes. If you don't, you stay out." Feverishly Lippsky destroyed whatever what-ever chance of life a row of kohlrabi might have had. Then, when he saw his tenant march toward the shack, he followed. "One of them yellow hairs," he scolded as he trotted by the tall man's side. "A swell lady who said she didn't know how you could live In such a pigsty. She called my house a pigsty. Well, she's been locked up in a pigsty since it was my dinner time." Suddenly Barnes' powerful hand seized Lippsky. "If you don't give me the key," he said, "I'll twist your arm out of its socket." Barnes turned the other's wrist a little. "You shall sleep In the jail for this," Lippsky cried when the key was forced from him. "It will be less verminous than this place. Barnes answered.' He put his key in the door and threw.it open. He was wholly at a loss to know whom the Invader could be. The noise of the opening awoke her She was a tall, slim girl with golden hair, In a white knitted sports suit. When she saw him she held out her arms. "Darling daddy!" she cried, throwing throw-ing her arms around his neck. "Nita," he said, stroking her hair, "how I have longed for you ! But, my dear, how is it you are here?" "I ran away," she confessed. "They said such utterly beastly things about you I couldn't stand it. How well you look, daddy. I shall call you my big brother. Nobody will believe you're my father. What makes you stay in such a funny place as this?" Suddenly Sudden-ly she caught sight of Lippsky. "Who is that dreadful little creature?" Lippsky spoke up distinctly. "I own this house, and I've come for the rent. If he don't pay, he goes to sleep in the village jail. I guess he don't mind. I guess it ain't for the first time. He ain't got no money. You say he's your father." Lippsky grinned. "Well, you got the chance to save your daddy from jail." "Dud," she whispered, "I hadn't any idea it was as bad as this. I've only-three only-three dollars left. The boat trip took all my savings." "My dear girl," he said easily, "the man is known widely as the village idiot. Nobody believes him. It does happen that my rent is due. By the way, how much is it?" "Ninety dollars eighty cents." "I rather thought it was more," said Barnes. He took out a roll of bills and paid. He was left with seven dollars. His reward came in the relief the girl showed. " "It's a fad of mine staying up here," he admitted. "The air is good and I've been in training. I shall leave now. I think we'll go to New York as soon as possible. How lovely you look. You have those unforgettable violet eyes of your mother, but you are taller." The thought that he had nowhere to take her made him miserable, miser-able, but he would not let her see it. It was Incomprehensible to him that the countess of Horsham, his. late wife's eldest sister, had allowed her niece to come. The countess had always al-ways been his enemy. "It came to a point," the girl said when they were in a New York-bound train, "when I was asked to drop my own name and take my mother's. Not that I minded being Nita Fessendon, except that it seemed as though I were publicly ashamed of you. I simply refused. There were awful rows. So I ran away. I was twenty-one and my own mistress. I sent all the jewels and presents back and started to earn my living." "Nita," he cried, with admiration in his look, "how could you possibly do what I've always failed in?" "It wasn't easy at first," she admitted, ad-mitted, "but I stuck it out nnd made enough money in secretarial work to come out to my own country second cabin. I tried to find you six months ago, but the silly clubs returned all your letters." Neeland Barnes colored. "Must have mislaid the address," he said ; "d d careless of them. I shall report it." He wondered how she had run him to earth. "When I got to New York I 'phoned the Knickerbocker. I knew it used to be your favorite club. I told the secretary, secre-tary, or whoever it was, that I was your daughter and simply had to find you, and they told me to call up later. When I did they said you lived in Peekskill. I spent three hours looking and then that village idiot locked me in." She did not tell him that naturally she had started her search expecting to find him in one of the better sections sec-tions of the charming Hudson-side city. The Lippsky cottage on the out-skirt's out-skirt's had been a dreadful shock. But the search was over and she was happy. She was very proud of him. Her aunt had drawn the picture of a decrepit, vice-ridden physical wreck. Instead he was vigorous, clear-skinned, and agile. "Where are we going, daddy?" she demanded, after she had passed Sing Sing's embattled walls. "I'm staying with Peter Milman," he answered. "Lady Horsham may have mentioned him." "I remember. His wife ran away and he shut himself up in his house and went mad." "That is just wdiat your aunt would say," he returned. "He did not go mad. He happens to be the best friend I have, and I shall ask him to let you stay the night there. Much better than a stuffy, noisy hotel." "And tomorrow we'll get a cozy little flat. I've often wanted to look over the treetops Into Central park." (TO BE CONTINUED.) |