| Show synthetic y gentleman 8 I 1 by 5 CHANNING POLLOCK copyright channing Chann int pollock pollack WU service CHAPTER I 1 11 I 1 the house stood aadne on a sand dune overlooking the sea dark de dc sifted and silent except for the swish of the rain blowing against its shingles I 1 wet to his skin shin and shivering the duke nice struggled to pry open a window from his dank coat pocket the alike drew a cheap fackt nife and a tiny searchlight with these in his hands he turned tamed to look toward the highway it was invisible two hundred yard yards irom the porch on which he stood winding over and around and about these dunes the dukes thumb pressed the button and momentarily the ray revealed waving wet beach grass and a single scrub pine bent in the wind then carefully he began cutting away the dry putty that held a pane of 0 glass it was slow work wily why dont I 1 break the damned thing the duke asked himself and a minute later felt the glass drop into ills his hand it was easy to open the window then and easy for a slim and agile nan anan to climb through once inside the bouse lie he paused would the electric lights be working and would it be safe eafe to turn them on wily why not half aalf the summer residences in southampton tad lad been opened for the season even fin an observant passerby passer by if there were to be one would think a brightly lighted room less remarkable than a furtive ray the duke touched a switch tits his searchlight ht had disclosed beside a door it was exactly the sort of room he tad bad expected a luxurious breakfast room in a luxurious summer residence most of the furniture was covered tint but tit a gay breakfast table stood in the center and beyond it was an open door to a pantry the duke walked through and into the kitchen turning on lights es as he went guess going coln 0 to open the house pretty soon after all why should they mind an extra weekend guest ile he grinned ard and anyone who 11 ad seen that grin might have found it liard hard to mind it was an ingratiating grin in a pleasant likeable face A lean face weather beaten benten and a little boney but with large kind steel gray eyes surmounted by a thatch of unruly brick red hair the dukes trim figure stretched a tidy six feet above the worn soles of his untidy boots but his gray suit though worn too and wet was well cut and well made revealing square shoulders and firm muscles wonder if theres any grub said the duke all the kitchen shelves bore bright colored tin boxes with bright lettering but they were empty the breadbox was empty of course no use opening that but above the shelves was a cupboard and in that cupboard wore were rows of canned things each can neatly wrapped in paper sardines anchovies ch cb chavies ovies caviar chicken ham tongue all sorts of things hospitable people said the duke 1 I wonder where they keep tile the coffee 11 thirty minutes later his grace had dined if not well half the contents of the pot of coffee still bubbling on the stove had warmed him comfortably and he washed tile the dishes then he be put everything back in place turned out the lights and whistling rier merrily rily went upstairs at the top of the steps was a kind ot of library 7 book lined with doors on either side and at its end windows facing the sea even through tile blackness the intruder could discern the almost luminous white of bre breaking breaching ahing waves again he be touched a switch and tills this time lights sprang into being in shaded table lamps doubly shaded now by win nin ter wrappings lire fire had been laid in tb the grate lie he lit ift the tire lire and a cigar and then opened a door on ills his tight this was a mans room gracious und and inviting the duke fel the mattress drawn back over the footboard of the bed and sniffing a pungent odor of cedar and camphor turned his attention to a closet across the room A veri very large closet with an electric light in lt it and built in drawers and a cellar cedar chest atop the chest were two pairs of slippers and above it hung the only garment visible a blue striped dressing gown of soft light flannel dannel ills ow own apparel still clinging damply the duke took the dressing gown and rs back to the blazing fire cre and standing luxuriously before it changed his bis clothes still neat meat lie he carried the gray suit and the wet undergarments back to the bedroom folded the trousers carefully and I laid ild them on the box bos spring with one hand he flung the mattress into place over them lie ile returned to the lire fire stretching himself lazily in a huge over stuffed chair outside the storm was growing steadily worse wind flung against tile the windows the rain kept up its incessant aivish A little puddle formed on one of the sills the duke bopp mopped up w v mi hi an old cloth that hart hall been spread over the big chair and looked through the glass lass into a cluster of bushes illuminated lumina ted from the windows that hint tossed their tops tells frantically us as though moved by wild despair its a filley night the man in the dressing gown thought as he be sauntered back to the crackling III logs illg drawl drawing contentedly biedl tI edl at tits his cigar and pausing to take a book bonk from the loaded shelves A filthy night in the thick of it he had been an hour before penniless overcoat loss trudging along the cement paved road from BrIdge bridgehampton hampton uve five miles to the east was it elve miles he be thought or fifteen or fifty on foot he had find left new york that morning just after daybreak jobless and flat broke for a month oll all through april in fact the duke hall had tramped the streets looking for a regular job what the h I 1 makes me want to keep straight lie be had asked himself again and again nil all right for guys with an all income if started me in a rubber tired pram and wheeled me into college and out again into papas office sure id run straight abl wily why not who bi be a knight in armor but being a knight ailt without armor different when you pet get dumped into a fight naked alth nothing but your bare lists fists and ant tile the whole world coming at you with brick bills ants and brass knuckles what a d d fool you are to stick slick to the marquis of queensbury rules still he had find stuck stock reasonably at least in the face of what seemed almost a conspiracy of discouragement fired out of hollywood for a theft of A aich lie was innocent as nn an unborn babe all right he had said ive got a few hundreds saved and ill go east and start all over oer again confidently fi be had left the railway station in chicago only to have his pocket picked before he had got as far as the hotel he had nearly frozen in chicago ile he had nearly starved and then he had hitchhiked hitch hiked to new york riding freights when he could A pal had christened him the duke because of ills his clothes and his english and the grand manner lie he had acquired in filmdom new york with those hollywood shoes wearing thin and that hollywood gray suit that had cost getting tin frayed and baggy part of a jobless army in a city without jobs ile he had eaten tits his overcoat or the proceeds from it at any rate and paid the ahe last dime for a bunk la in a flophouse A love of books a sense of humor and the wanderlust these he had inherited from an irish father whose name was francis X gilbert and whose proudest boast was that lie he came from the university of dublin ile he had died in china nearly six years ago leaving the seven seventeen t een year yea rold r old boy barry to fight his way vay from hong kong to hollywood and from chicago to new york tork and so barry had bad cr crossed 09 sed the queensboro Queen boro cridge bridge to lan long island and picked up a truck and charmed the arher into buying bubin him film a pretty good lunch at huntington bay shore in a passing car and Sa fayville sayville on foot and another truck to ton where lie he had lost his bearings and tramped back bach nines miles before lie found himself again on the edge of southampton it was black night and beginning to rain A cold wind had sprung up frum the northeast an ali endless winding road and wind and balu swept dunes with solitary houses grand houses they were all of them A few had lights inside and dogs wandering about as lie had discovered in the course of two de desperate excursions most of these dwellings were dark and vacant houses without people tile duke had muttered still not too resent fully arid and people without houses it see seem 11 fair tits ills teeth were were chattering by now and mi his feet squished in his wet shoes and this house had seemed so utterly deserted so entirely safe and secure ten said the duke the lie cliance chance of anyone finding me ire in fit there tonight and if they do its better than freelin free freezing zIn 7 to death ill be on my way again at daybreak now fed and warm he was growing drowsy before the ire fire it must be swell to live like this all the time he brooded blooded bro oded dreamily 11 1 I break into ani blodys house if I 1 had bad one like this cost I 1 guess ill sleep here its warmer than tb the bpi bell and ive ire gut got a long like hike ahead of tile me in the morning ilis his head fell forward and tits his ees were closing when he heard an automobile door slam slain find and an instant later voices and tile the of feet on oil the porch directly beneath beneat li him the duke sprang to the electric switch fast lie moved ills his wits worked faster still 0 no o he thought that wont do it if the lie lights fights go out know theres something wrong the breakfast room window that was it put nut not in dres dressing drig sown gown and slippers damned fool to take my clot he sofr thought the duke who ulio were these people anyway driving up to a closed house at this hour bourl thieves stragglers like himself hardly in a big limousine like that he glimpsed hastily from the window well what next jall jail probably how flow long ions could they give a min man for unlawful entry Dar darrina rint said ta alif ill duke and then lie he heard the lower door open and a womans comans voice in the hall Il maybe laybe I 1 can talk my wily way out lie he thought and started down the stairs abos therel there he called bravely as his its feet touched the first landing A man answered willetts he said willetts Wll letts the butler Is that you mr ridder and the lights went on standing there on the landing naked except for the dressing gown tl alie ie duke found himself facing a party of four willetts Wll letts with ills his hat in his hand squat and powerfully built and ludicrously bald another man in a chauffeurs uniform and two women one quite young and the other middle aged and stout they seemed propitiatory ti and the fact gave him instant courage Is that you mr ridder the question hall had been asked first in the dark but now DOW it was repeated in a glare that made every face plainly visible the butler know mr 1110 ridder der then eliat hat haq wa a i lucky bucky break it would woul d give him time to dress and get away yes he answered quietly youre toure a little late arent you sorry sir said the butle 41 1 I have any idea be here sir your mother said you coming until tomorrow evans had to take em cm down to the ship hei hee tind ind your fattier sir and then he had to go back to the hotel and pick up ne me and cook and the maid the storm help neither nelt lier and we stopped at patchogue for dinner I 1 hope ou on aint going to be put out sir TO TO EE DE CONTINUED |
