Show 1 money ty to burn by peter bayne ae E by peter B D kyne kyna service M THE STORY butterworth miser dies suddenly leaving his fortune of more than a million to elmer clarke nephew before his hi death hiram arranged for payment with interest of which he had kindled swindled ft a rna man n out of forty years year before unknown to elmer B imer his sweetheart nellie cathcart bank teller la is heiress of the swindled man colorado charley crook and his partner nine mae plan to pluck elmer posing as a reporter named dorla doris gatewood Gatewo adew cd mae calls on elmer elmer Is a candidate tor for school trustee tru atee N nellie e spots doris as an adventuress elmer goes to los angeles and visits doris anti and her brother Ile returning turning home elmer finds nellie knows all about Ms his visit CHAPTER IX 16 that night nellie sent a telegram to the be editor of the american weekly in in new york asking if their los angeles stare staff correspondent was miss doris gatewood and giving her address which in the form of an anonymous letter had aad reached her that morning she requested tin an answer collect she had it early next morning 1 I thought so nellie soliloquized only ft mother nother buzzard gathering for tho flirt feast well elmer might as well learn about women from her I 1 wonder it if ashes an alimony hound or just a plain swindler well a letter to the chief of police of los angeles Ange leg on the bank stationery will receive prompt attention nellie wrote the letter three lays days later slie she had her answer it ran as ag follows dear miss cat cathcart heart 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 tb me to present ample ground for suspicion particularly in view of the fact that the gentleman has a considerable fortune 1 I therefore the sent one of my most men to investigate ire he reports that the house at the address you name Is inhabited by a notorious bunco known to the police all over the country as colorado charley there la Is it a young woman living there with him who passes as his sister but who Is an accomplice of his she has a pollee police record as thy the most accomplished come on in the business and la Is undoubtedly the person to whom you refer we will keep them under surveillance meanwhile if you should have any further information of importance to communicate to us we shall be glad to operate cooperate co with you in closing may I 1 suggest that you do nothing to indicate to th the young man that lie he Is playing with e fire if we give this calf more rope we may be enabled to get him into the corral and earmark him film very truly yours J fitzgerald acting captain of detectives when elmer called at the bank to sign the deed to his house and lot he noted that the deed ran to nellie Catli cathcart capt on an unmarried woman hello he murmured 1 I see the buyer Is hiding 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 ills his ear in perplexity plex ity what do you want of the property lie demanded presen presently ay its a good buy elmer I 1 think h I 1 can sell it for about two tl thousand sand dollars profit in a years tim time are you going to move into the house yourself no elmer im going to rent it well suppose you rent it to me for the present its all furnished with my furniture and ril ill be far more comfortable there abere than in that rat trap of a palace hotel the rental will be seventy five do dollars a month elmer youre a highway robber I 1 there fell a silence while they looked at each other then illow how goes your fight for school trustee dear nellie asked its a fight and im fighting all I 1 can say eay im maki making ng a house to house canvass 11 I 1 in the new car lie ile nodded better use the old tin lizzle lizzie she suggested that shiny new monster will cost you votes I 1 heard a well known merchant of Pila remark to mr moody apropos of your new imported carthal cari that a fool and his money are soon parted well owell I 1 tie be off nillie nellie im afraid I 1 shall not be able to see very much of you until after tha ali school election atta boy elmerl elmer 1 As lie he strode out of the bank nellie observed that for the first time he no longer walked with the slight limp that had bad been the result or of an unexpected meeting with a soldier of the Pruss prussian fad guard once it had been a real limp then it had bad 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 keen that boy busy the girl soliloquized vall well anyhow lie he fib to me about dors gatewood ile 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 fight on his hands 0 pe he had a fight on his hands and he fought and he be fought the sunday before the election he invited the entire high school district to a barbecue during the barbecue lie he made the only public speech of his campaign it was a rattling good speech and well delivered As usually occurs when an untrained speaker warms to his subject elmers oratory suddenly captivated elmer almost before lie he realized it he had announced his intention of seeking the noflie of mayor of filar aitos as an independent candidate at the november election when ahen elmer clarke stepped down from the table upon which lie he had made ills his speech lie he knew he had won in fact lid he was elected by a majority of nineteen and took office at the next regular meeting of the board meanwhile the rilar eltos clarion had increased its circulation by one colorado charley had subscribed for three months on the off cliance chance that thus he might lie be kept in touch with the activities of his intended victim As a result ot of ills his foresight elmer received a telegram from doris gatewood on the morning of election day wishing him a tremendous victory and imaging the prophecy that any other cissne would be improbable elmer thought it was both kind and considerate of her to do this consequently an hour after the votes were counted lie he sent her a telegram thanking her and announcing his victory immediately she replied with a night letter suggesting that he owed himself a present and that it ought to take lake the form of another visit to los angeles with that suggestion elmer was in entire accord ile he told nellie about abou tit it before he loft left and she agreed that he ought to so go when ho be told her lie he would probably see doris gatewood and her brother while there she told him she hoped he would see the charming was Cate gatewood wood and that lie he might enjoy her society immensely As a result of this conversation elmer departed not a little irritated ile he would have preferred to have nellie display opposition to ills his plan TO BE CONTINUED CONTINUE DJ |