Show S SYNTHETIC Y GENTLEMAN al CHAPTER VI continued 13 tat rat lie began still standing ive stumbled on something so I 1 gathered she observed and I 1 assume that it has haa do with your sow pet murder it has to do with your fattier father she smiled 1 I suppose youve discovered that he be killed kelly ive dJs discovered covered that be called on kelly that night Wonder wonderful full 1 pat mocked who to told id you thakill that the taxi man who drove him down town barry related cil his adventure with the errant medico pat listened almost indifferently it was sheer chance barry concluded clouded 1 I nay any idea of implicating your fattier father but now lie Is implicated you must see that 1 I dont unless you insist on drag ang him into it 1 I insist on nothing pat elc except ept ell clearing aring an innocent man bat at the expense ot of one equally innocent 1 what does docs your fattier father stand to lose by telling the truth we know vow now that kelly was alive when rogers left the house im just as sure that he was alive when the judge left but he be must ime been killed soon afterward weve got to find out who killed him why because now weve wee two men to clear if my father saw kelly after the boy left that clears rogers ll and puts it up to my fattier father your fattier father kill kelly barry said 1 I know that and I 1 know why he went vent to that house really he went to protest against filing that jefferson street decision and then filed it ue he had bad to the pressure was too strong for him hed been struggling against it for weeks in polities politics even honest men have hare to listen to reason sometimes your father had to how interesting in spite of the hullabaloo lie wrote the decision and that day came came the bitterest onslaught of all the globe made a direct accusation your you rather father was frantic fral ItIC just before midnight lie he telephoned kelly from the tobacconists shop and went straight to sixteenth street lie ile told kelly this verdict would ruin him might alight ruin everybody for more thau than an all hour he be plead and argued no use kelly was Addi adamant your fattier father gave up at two left kelly alive and filed his decision next nest in morning orning before anyo anyone knew that kelly was no longer alive the truth it so plausible that telling it publicly would probably end my fathers fat tiers career and so and so I 1 think wed better forget it you mean that to continue your fathers career let this boy go to tile the gallows of course I 1 dont she turned to him the hardness gone out of 0 her voice theres no chance of that and you know it theres always a chance well face that when we come to it weve got to face it now list why she plead and then passionately siona slona tely what right have you to demand that we do anything you dont even know this boy 1 I do since last and you know inow him lies the he real lohn john clarke 11 that gave her pause whoever lie Is hes bes got a wife and sk a baby I 1 cant risk his life to save you or myself it if lies convicted 11 pat began 1 I wont have him go through that it if the judge tell the truth dow I 1 will rats fats mouth became a straight hanl bar line and believe you she asked 1 I can prove take tile the word of a bribed taxi arlier and a branded adventurer listen pat you listen ive warned you to stop prying into our affairs you went right on and now dow you ou the scum of the earth slie she was losing her head now iou ou come into my iny house bouse with a story vilifying my father and threaten to tell it if WO we dont MY ily reply to to that Is go ahead I 1 and an hour after you do be arrested for robbing the malls they stood facing each other that letter you opened before wll wit letts the letter with the hundred dollar bill that addre vj to larry barry gilbert was it no pat crossed the room tea im sorry she said but aled a led for it 1 I did but I 1 cant take your anwer answer r I 1 cant because god help me pat fat im in love with you she gave no sign of 0 hearing im an adventurer lie he went on and youre a lady the realest I 1 ever met why you cant do this no ans answer cr 1 I harry barry continued and ain a fake gentleman I 1 wanted to I 1 wanted to drop the whole business 1 told willetts that after joud warned by channing pollock copyright pollock service me last friday and willetts willetta said that done A gent lemans got certain responsibilities ties ile ie has a tradition stronger than we are rat turned at last this Is funny she said YOU rou it Is funny he cut her short id like to behave like a loafer and I 1 cant im willing to go to jail to save this boy find and im the scum of the earth youre a lady how about you it if it were only me she broke your fathers a gentleman how about hlin him before she could reply tic the double doors opened judge was standing there erect and soldier like mr air gilberts right pat lie said 1 I 1 release you from your promise to me I 1 cant go through with it ini im too tired and full of self loathing lie ile turned squarely to B carry arry youre right about everything about my going to kelly eliat at night nl ailt and the reason I 1 went ile he let me in himself we quarreled violently so violently that lie took a revolver out of its ills desk drawer fin and kept it in his hand then I 1 walked out of the house but you were wrong about just one than tiling g sir mr gilbert I 1 left tile the house fit at two but when I 1 left it kelly alive CHAPTER VII they were a curiously inert little group for a minute or two after the revelation it was like it a play carry barry thought curtain down on a climax and the actors relaxing until it should rise again for the next scene after a time barry crossed the room to the pair pat turned on him well now you know she said you know about us but remember we know about you too she was herself again hard bard and de cant ignoring her for the moment barry asked the judge do you want to tell me what happened 1 I wrote ray my opinion in the jefferson street proceedings and then again as you say I 1 go through with it id never done a crooked thin thing in my life I 1 dont know how I 1 ever eve ak I 1 I 1 its not a criminals crime either barry answered made that speech at the astor the instant it was finished I 1 telephoned kelly better come down and talk it over lie he said of vourse course it 11 would have been fatal for anyone to learn of that meeting why I 1 got out of the hie taxi at j twenty third street As I 1 told you kelly admitted me himself ile he was drunk and in a bad temper the uit ietter ter with you ike he asked when wed gone into the drawing room white livered here take a drink dr izil and forget it there was a bottle on tile the table and two glasses both of em had bad been used but lie he halt half filled them and gave me one I 1 needed it but I 1 cant drink scotch never could I 1 told kelly so and lie he blazed out at rue me youre too good to drink with me Is that it no I 1 answered not it but I 1 cant hand down that decision I 1 simply cant sir mr kelly its rotten and everyone knows it ive got the cursed thin tiling in my pocket and and ive got something in my pocket lie shouted Fa father therl 1 pat intervened for over an aa hour I 1 plead and argued and kelly kept drinking and getting uglier lie ile was a big man with ft bull neck and huge hands at last he said shut your damned mouth and get out of 0 here V I 1 1 I said tin im not going no ko he sneered and got up from his chair lie he stumbled across the room to a great old fashioned desk and got a revolver now beat it he yelled land and damned quick 1 V all right I 1 said but I 1 wont ole file that decision 1 I walked into the nail hall and kelly stood leaning against the door with the pistol in his hand so furious that I 1 half expected him blin to shoot before I 1 could get my list hat you think you can scare me lie he shouted you and the globe you think you got something on me ine witnesses squealers Squeal ers vell fell I 1 know how to take care of them by godl beat itt and if that decision nent filed by noon today rii again pat said father I 1 1 I know hambidge interrupted himself pats admonition had come just in time harry barry thought the judge jude had risen tense and so excited t that lint he seemed on the verge of collapse and that wa was s that carry barry calmed him film not quite judge hambidge llam bidge continued but in a lower tone when I 1 got to tile the bottom of the steps the stone steps I 1 mean I 1 stood thinking if I 1 left that hat way there was no telling what kelly might do ive got to go through I 1 thought its ruin either cither way but if I 1 obey ey orders ruin only for me id bettor better give in 1 I make up my mind though I 1 kept looking back half decided and suddenly a queer thing happened the front door swung open the judge mopped his hands again id shut it carefully car chilly tie he resumed but there it was wide almost like an invitation I 1 walked into the hall the glass doors to the drawing room were closed hut but I 1 could see the light through them when I 1 put my hand on the knob tile the lights went out I 1 turned the knob and pushed but tile the door open not latched it was VL as as if someone was holding it kelly I 1 thought lie wont let me in ive got to act quick now almost in a daze daie I 1 wanO wandered ered up to the avenue at nine I 1 gave the indecision to my clerk and told him to file it immediately A few hours later I 1 learned that kelly was dead the papers said his body was found stretched across that door to the hall I 1 knew then it was there when I 1 left the house bouse and that was why I 1 open the door I 1 pat said are you are you barry asked or would you rather that I 1 tried to find who killed kell kelly 1 1 Is what does it matter pat beggan began hotly 1 I think clr fr gilberts answered that question the judge interrupted weve got to clear young ridder at any cost pat weve got to clear him clr gilberts GIl borts our friend her fattier went on ile he says so and I 1 believe him film what do you want to know sir mr gilbert how ion oni did you stand at the foot of tile the steps before that door swung open five minutes maybe a little more do you think someone opened it someone who then went in to kelly you mean the murderer carry barry nodded no the last thing he would have done the door probably latch when I 1 closed it while you were in the house did you see anyone but kelly no we were shut in together did you hear anyone since you mention it once I 1 did think I 1 heard the front door close I 1 may have imagined it but now I 1 remember kelly asked chos that in the hall it was about halt half an hour afterpe went into the drawing room and I 1 looked out but there anyone ile he or she may have gone into the dining room carry barry said whoever killed kelly came out of the dining room im certain of that why because the drink kelly offered you was scotch wb whiskey iskey was there anything thin else in the room if there had been edve asked for I 1 11 exactly and the weapon that crushed kellys skull was a cut cutlass cutglass lass decanter containing g rye whiskey in the five minutes you were standing on tile pavement barry reasoned someone came out of that dining room with that decanter and struck kelly there was no time for a quarrel that roan mail or that woman knew hat lie he or she was going to do why do you say she pat asked this aint a omans crime its not a criminals crime either barry answered A criminal would have brought the weapon and it ve been a cutglass cut glass decanter A criminal might have hare worn gloves to prevent leaving ringer linger prints but since this a criminal I 1 the lie fact that there were no finger prints suggests that the murderer just happened to be wearing gloves and pa pat 7 inquired tensely and men dont often wear gloves on a warm night women do it was wag a warm night it was very warm the lie judge said sald you are a shrewd young man the girl gibed gabed at him but your assumptions are ridiculous gloves 1 anyone might have worn norn em anyone might remember tile the risk of leaving fingerprints and wipe them off a bottle with it a handkerchief anyone might ve come in through an un latched door any time after my fattier left but barry objected kelly was dead then how do you know that how flow do we know my fattier father right when he thought kelly was as keeping him out all your conjectures lead nowhere mr air gilbert the only dis discovery coveri youve made Is that father saw kelly after young did and as I 1 told you merely implicating one innocent man instead of another and you naturally its the second innocent man I 1 care about especially since his innocence of matur keep your disclosures from disgracing him TO BE CONTINUED 4 |