Show synthetic gentleman by Cli channing anning ta pollock copyright channing allock sti set vicc SYNOPSIS the duap barry gilbert likable youth of twentythree twenty three jobless and broke enters an unoccupied summer homo home in southampton seeking shelter from a storm ile he makes himsel at home dozing at the fireplace lie he Is startled by the arrival of a butler willets and a chauffeur evans ile he learns that the son of the owner of 0 the house jack ridder whom the servants had never seen been is expected ile he decides to kluft blurt it out ilis his supposed parents have left led for germany next morning hell heis given elven a letter for his mother ile ho opens it and finds a message from the real jack saying baying he could not command come and returns 9 ler a hundred dollar bill the boys fath lather had pensioned him into obscurity barry pockets the money intending to return it later lle he orders evans to take him to montauk Won u ic 1 intending to disappear there on the way lie he meets judge Ilam hambidge bidge and his daughter patricia invites believing he Is jack ridder she invites him to dinner the following thursday barry returns to southampton deciding to stay a bit longer loneer mr ridder sr through his newspaper the globe a accuses judge liam hambidge bidge of taking orders order from tammany hall in ft a condemnation proceeding barry meets reter winslow prominent attorney hinsl 0 aw tells barry that judge Ilam hambidge bidge h had d seen an accident in which a woman was killed by a taxicab at homo home barry finds the wife of the real jack radde r awaiting him lier her husband Is in jail in new york charged with the murder of 0 mike hike kelly tammany boss the girl reggy peggy tells barry how hov she had met jack in florida and married him as jay rogers Il jack lost his job and they went to new york where she got work at the cocoanut Coco anut bar there she was accused of trying to pick the pocket of mike kelly and was arrested iler her husband went to kellys to induce him to drop the charge later kelly was found dead his bis skull cru crushed blied by a decanter barry suggests he can help as jack ridder and mrs rogers agrees judge hambidge Ilam bidge delivers a decision in the condemnation suit in which kelly lia had d been interested barry cables mrs lira ridder for winslow takes rogers case barry gets a lob job on the globe under his true name the editor ernie li harwood arwood assigns him to cover the kelly murder barry suspects the filipino servant of 0 kelly CHAPTER IV continued 10 yes sir ive been a loafer most ot of my life and this Is the beginning of a new nev chapter thank you sir willetts Wll letts said im very pleased sir if you dont mind my ay saying so very pleased there were three memos of telephone messages from pat looking at them on the library table carry barry went on grinning ile he called her ber immediately and she asked risked where hed been all week when lie toll told her ber she seemed almost annoyed so youve deserted me tor for a chorus girl she said could pat be jealous how soon can you come over she inquired Mar marians lans not here yet and dinner ll be late but I 1 simply cant wait to hear your adventures to in sleuthing As he dressed barry kept thinking of this conversation absurd that patricia hambidge could be worried won led by his bis attachment to the glittery lady willetts Wll letts and rat pat both oozing disapproval or do I 1 merely imagine icv it but rats pats disapproval at least was depressingly evident from the moment he saw her she met him film at the door cooki looking lovelier than ever tile the one girl in tile the world tor for me barry thought levs lets sit on the sun porch pat greeted him Fat fatherly Father herll 11 be down to in a minute marian came over by ferry from new london ashes dressing flancy fancy your being concerned with this kelly murder A true motion picture hero go on I 1 want all the details and as barry related them the girls irritation began to show in her face it fair she said to idrac drag poor old peter into it just because met in tills this house at dinner nor could she see why he wanted to go into his fathers office under the name of 13 larry carry gilbert frankly im disappointed in you she concluded and obviously meant it before barry could reply the judge appeared looking tired and haggard that changed the subject and patri cias voice which had bad been a little strident softened again she was Y plainly disturbed about the old gentle V 1 man and kept glancing at him acx bously fathers been III all week she said you oughtie ought ve called off this dinner 1 I wanted you to meet marian but I 1 do hope she comes down soon fathers got to get to bed early the judge patted her hand ban nonsense I 1 the doctor warned you against late hours bours pat reminded him but you would go to that banquet last friday that late hours the judge argued we were all through before midnight but then you went for a walk barry said lie he said it quite innocently but he was startled at seeing fl hand close spasmodically over pa kt trl tri clas who told you that the judge asked amr mr winslow hambidge relaxed again so I 1 did he recollected but only a couple of blocks nearer a couple of miles nr barry was still making conversation but there was nothing casual in the judges why do you say that mr air winslow says you saw that taxi accident at sixteenth street and fifth avenue the judge raised his eyes to barrys almost defiantly the tail accident I 1 saw was in times square he declared 1 I dont know where you got the idea that it was at sixteenth street I 1 certainly say that to peter what does docs it matter tat asked here we are gossiping when im supposed to be preparing you for a reunion A what vili at A reunion with will an old friend thais tile the reason marlon marion was so anxious that I 1 should have you here 1 I know myself until halt half an hour ago bla marian r ian lorn do you rebern remember ber she knew you at harvard well it was bound to come barry thought are you surprised marian wanted you to be terribly 1 I arn am terribly this was the payoff pay off what would patricia say patricia was saying well you must be delighted too marian was going to surprise all of us and then she lost her nerve woul d nt it be too catastrophic she said lt if ile he remember me miss lorn was on her way down tile lie stairs I 1 barry arry braced himself come on youl you V pat called dinners waiting and sos mr air ridder marlan marian raced down the steps and halted looking fooling at him across the balustrade us trade mr ridder now for it I 1 well she continued the jokes on me I 1 should never have known you edve known you anywhere of course you had to say that cut but your hair used to be dark sure I 1 bernaed hennaed it no ko fo tooling olin I 1 thought you were slighter too cut but of course there was only that one evening thank god for dont tell me we met only once dont you remember it seem possible that I 1 let you slip through my fingers come on patricia urged every things getting cold not barry lie ile was warming up C A I 1 lk f A g well it was bound to come barry thought and actually enjoying himself it was amazingly how ho w his luck hll held 1 A pretty girl marian all fluff and gurgle she and barry had bad the table conversation pretty much to themselves patricia put in a word occasionally casio nally but she was distressed about her father and with reason for the judge seemed suddenly worn out exhilarated hila bila rated by this newest escape barry was almost brilliant they wore were finishing their coffee when martin marian said do you still play bridge or golf T lie asked silly 1 the violin of coursol course 1 I 1 hope you been flattering natt ering yourself that it was you I 1 remember it I 1 even know whether hether your hair was dark or fair but ill never forget the way you played tile Liebe you never told me you played 11 pat said oh I 1 dont any more that was a youthful indiscretion youthful genius I 1 call it marian persisted that night was full of music pat A party at betty r fletch 1 letch ers I 1 came late as usual and the lights were very low and mr redder was just beginning the Liebe little you knew what an admirer you left in that darkened room shame on you youl I 1 exclaimed patricia youve got to play for me now waterloo 1 I touched a violin since I 1 left college darry barry protested 1 I dont even know where the old fiddle Is mines upstairs marian interjected ril ill bring it down and she bounded out of the room 1 I cant play any more barry held out lamely and I 1 flatly decline to destroy bliss lorns Illus illusions ioris or yours no excuses pat said very definitely bitely come on well go into the drawing rooms room As they passed through the old fashioned sliding doors marian instrument in hand reappeared ill accompany you she insisted and ive brought the great barry said but I 1 w warn arn you patricia was opening the piano 1 I warn you barry said tin im going to make mahe the most awful sounds human ears ever heard and with that he pulled together the double doors ouch I 1 lie he exclaimed they all turned to him the matter pat asked nothing serious barry replied clamey ive slammed the doors or oo my fingers ile he held up tip his right land hand it was crushed badly everybody was extremely solicitous and rat pat wanted to send for the doctor certainly not barry declared its ita only broken tile the sidn shin ill take care of it now patricia said dispatching the butler for witch hazel and bandages well the end of the violin playing marlin marian remarked im ilai afraid so I 1 stupid not L of at all patricia answered m manipulating a ting the gauze deftly the judge wanted to go to bed e early arly anyway I 1 wonder whether mind telephoning for evans ill run you home in the roadster pat volunteered touching the bell again its been a swell evening barry insisted ghang marian his left hand pleasant surl surprise lse meeting you here this goodby good by is it up to you ill be around until monday good night judge and I 1 hope you feel better tomorrow the roadster had been brought to tile the door and patricia climbed into it ill be back soon she promised five minutes later the car halted in front of the ridder house thanks awfully barry said dont mention it there was something iery ery like mockery in her voice and mr gilbert for in an instant barry certain he had heard beard aright youve got courage patricia went on ill say that for you and a grand sense ot of melodrama I 1 suppose you picked that up in hollywood 1 I dont know what youre talking about barry floundered helplessly no well mabe ill tell you sometime she laughed meanwhile as he alighted from the car id watch my step if I 1 were you im all right barry rejoined that depends patricia said bald youre being a little bit reckless I 1 think she put her foot on the accelerator and tile the car moved away CHAPTER V pat knew of his imposture that was clear and what else por for hours after her car had left him at the door barry sat in the library of the big house where he had no right to be thinking thinking and tile the more he thought the more complete was his mystification every word pat had spoken every intonation was impressed on his mind and mr gilbert 91 she had said youve got courage and a grand sense of melodrama I 1 suppose you picked that up in nolly holly wood how did she know obviously the crushed finger bad not deceived her no question ab about mt IE it the girl had seen through his desperate ruse and realized that he had c closed the doors on his hand band deliberately to avoid the discovery that he was not john clarke ridder jr sho she must have had some hint of his brief career in the movies after all that would have been simple the vague recollection of his appearance in a picture an old circular with his photograph not without pride barry reflected that he had bad won mention in advertising before he left hollywood what did it matter anyway she know knew and she had advised him to watch his step youre being a little bit reckless I 1 think she had bad warned him was that a warning or a threat and why should pat threaten the answer to that was apparent she want roe me to ask questions about her father but why not what la Is she trying to conceal that too was easily answered of course there had been no taxi accident in times square it was absurd to suppose that two cabs had mounted the pavement and killed two women almost almost simultaneously the judges accident had been at sixteenth street what was lie doing doln down there a hundred yards from A mike kellys at two in the morning the same morning kelly was murdered A few hours before the filing ot of a decision alleged to have been dictated by kelly none of my business I 1 barry snapped at himself im not a detective tec tive but why should pat be afraid of investigation why afraid she was worried about her fathers condition and did not want him harassed needlessly under the circumstances of course she resented barrys pr bIngs but damn it barry exclaimed she began resenting before I 1 even mentioned her father I 1 he made an effort to marshal his facts three things are clear he began kelly was expecting someone when jack loft left or was he be winslow doubted that too anyway kelly told jack someone telephoned and then hambidge arrived at sixteenth str street beet hambidge denies that be did eo 80 and then daughter warns me he had bad begun pacing the floor TO BE CONTINUED |