Evening Star Newspaper, April 15, 1923, Page 80

Coincidences Have Important Part in a Story of Mystery, Excitement, of Thnlls. Aclipn and Succession EELER, paying teller of the Ore and Metals National ankB, cast a last glance Bank, cast a last glance olls of a dozen concerns were all neatly arranged awaiting the arrival of messengers with their firm checks. Keeler was a methodical young man. Always cool and calm, he was clock-like in his punctuality. His firm chin, his strong nose, his steady blue eyes were, to the discerning, sufficlent indication of his integrity. Also, one felt that there could be no question of his courage. And his ability in his chosen career seemed proved by the fact that at twenty- nine he had achieved so responsible a position in one of the largest banks in the world. He saw the uniformed porter un- lock and open the huge steel doors of the bank, and Turner, the young mes- senger of the Caraway Company en- tored. Almost simultaneously emis- sarles arrived from the Wilton Com- pany, the MacEnany concern, and the other big clients of the bank. Each one, Keeler noted, was accompanied by a husky guard Keeler hed automatically for ~=» bundlcs of Dills labeled “Cara- Then. almost as automatically, his hand " »w the coun touched tiy a jarvine re w bl switeh € drop crash, the steel grating whose interiaced bar »uld protect mm from assaul ber:. His other hand gripped his ready pistol, and through the bars he aimed the weapon. For half a dozen men had entercd the bank after the messenger from the Elspeth store. Keeler had heard a cry from the uniformed porter struggling with one of the late arrivals. He had acted with instant decision; the bank's money was protected against the ma- rauders. For Keeler had only to dodge down behind his counter to be out of range of any possible bullet and the steel grating could be ralsed only by the switch inside the cage. No threat cou Keeler touch that switch a But did bide behind the counter. Tnutead, he pointed his re- volver at asman struggling with the Wilton g The man heard hi hoarse ¢ immediately ceased his etruggle. The uniformed portar had backed whose attack upon him had the outery. Into a upon a shrill poli “,n'rm\ the one an whistle “ x K ¥ atier the had up ree minutes against and were nk detec- Keeler pressed ¢ ! the heavy stecl asend into the cciling. He laughed as he did so. In a moment the police, summoned by the porte whistle, would arrive and take away the ridiculous bandits. Indecd, the police atrived svoner than he had deemed possible. A whole platoon of them, sixteen in all, head- ed by a sergeant, raced up the bank steps with drawn revolvers and nightsticks in their hands. The ser- geant took one comprehensive slance at the situation, then orderel the massive doors closed. From the inner offices the presi- dent. the secretary, the treasurer, and other officials of the bank had come. The serceant scemed to recognize the president. He called him by name “Get everybody in here, Mr. Dana,” he commanded brusquely. erybody! Looks like an inside job to me.” “That's absurd.” said Dana. His heavy jowls shook with indignation. “Every man In this bank. every woman, too—Is ahsolutely trust- worthy. Why"—and he pointed at the six cowering figures against the wall—"they're all outsiders.” “How'd they know all these pay- roll people were to be here at a cer- taln hour, with the cash ready for them? Get everyone here; 1 want to look at them." Dana felt the justice of the ser- geant’s attitude, even though he could have informed the police officer that information as to the time of sending for pay rolls could be easily picked up by any client of the bank who kept his eyes open. He ordered an underling to summon the rost of the employes. While they were coming the ser- geant and five of his men advanced to the prisoners. They slipped hand- cuffs on each of them and hustled them roughly into the center of the bank lobby. The sergeant looked at the other customer's of the bank. “Any of these mixed up In this?" he demanded of Keeler. The paying teller peered through his cage. “That's Mr. Kelly, an old client; that's Mr. Wynans, another old customer; that's Mr. Bennett, who's all right; and that is Mr. Pellham. They're all known to me, and I can vouch for them.” “All right,” grunted the sergeant. He turned to the president. “Every- one here?’ demanded the sergant. “Even the telephone girls,” Dana re- piled. Over spread a grin. the face of the sergeant Pelham, the dapper young-old man with the gray hair, who had been last Indicated by Keeler, seemed to sense something 0dd In that grin. He took a step toward the sergeant; a policeman standing beside him lifted his night- stick, and Pelham crashed to the floor. Dana cried out in astonishment. The cry died in his throat. For the sergeant thrust a revolver against bis stomach. The banker was suddenly slok. “Hands up, and don't move, every lastone of you,” cried the sergeant. His sixteen policemen wheeled sud- denly upon the armed guards who had accompanied the messengers. Nightsticks knocked them down, ard thelr revolvers were taken as they sprawled upon the floor. * ok ok % EELER, dazed, uncomprehending, reached for the switch that should lower the grating again. Too 1ate he remembered that the mechan- ism of the thing had got out of order & week before. A temporary repair fixed the mechanism so that the grating could be lowered and raised onoe. After that had been done it ‘Was necessary to adjust certain parts of the machinery again. And, of conrse, there had been no time to do this now. Sick with apprehension, he reached for the revolver which, upon the ar- rival of the police, he had placed <gyia upon the shelf below the coun- ter. But before his fingers closed &AQW_&EM ong of the begun, | He pointed as he spoke: | l | $800,000 in | than policemen's should, the floor. revolvers struck his and whirled him dlizzily to A tap upon the head from |one of those heavy nightsticks ren- dered the teller hors de combat. And almoest before the dazed bank 1ple could think of offering re- they were disarmed, beaten ous, or shot. appeared from beneath the blouses of two of the invaders. These two stepped into Keeler's cage. His assistant, covered by a revoiver, had no opportunity to resist. More than bills were swept, in less thirty seconds, into the sacks carried by the counterfeit policemen Seventeen of them, including their leader, and reinforced by the six hand- es sistance uncons ucks cuffed men in business clothes, herded | those of the bank employes and cus- tomers who stlil were conscious Into | an inner room, the private office of President Dana. A telephone in the room was ripped from its fastenings. Dana was seized and searched his pockets were removed keys; one of them fitted the lock of* his pri- vate office, and the door was fastenc upon them. ter the key to the outer door had been taken. The great doors swung open on to Broadway. Attracted by the closing of the doors, the porter's police whistle. and the nolse of the shots was a great crowd of excited people. They set up a vyell of exultant fury as the policemen descended the bank steps | hustling the handcuffed men toward empty taxicabs that happened to be atanding at the curb. The spectators could guess that a robbery had been attempted, and that the bandits had been captured. After all that the papers had been saying about the in- competence of the police department, it was good to see Wwith your own eyes proof of the falsity of the news- paper charges. That is, it was good until you hap- pened to read the afternoon papers. * K % % “¥ TELL you, Jerry,” Pelham positivel, Ghost.” Jerry Tryson shook his round Lald head. Also, his shoulders moved w mirth. Mr. Pelham, said Jimmy t's the Gray you're as crazy as 1 | was ten years ag “Were you crazy, asked Pefham, mildly. The red face of the former police- man—now one of the most success- ful private detectives in Now York —took on a deeper shade. “You know what I mean: every- thing that happened. I said ‘Gray Ghost’ and T got the raspberry from headquarters, the papers, the public, and every one.” “Except me,” insinuated Pelham. Tryon's eyes lowered in embarrass- ment. “Don’t think I've ever forgotten 1t, the way you encouraged me, backed —me—everything. Only, Mr. Pelham, the Gray Ghost is dead “And ten years ago every one said that he had never been alive,” smiled Pelham. The square blue chin of Tryon set stubbornly; his lower lip protruded pug- naclously. *“But, Mr. Pelham, we cor- nered the Gray Ghost aboard your yacht ten years ago. He jumped overbvard a couple of hundred miles from land. You can’t get behind that, Mr. Pelham. “I never saw his dead bod: you?' asked Pelham. “But how could he have escaped?” cried Tryon. Pelham shrugged. “What differ- ence does that make? I couldn’t an- swer that offhand. But he might have caught a rope hanging over the yacht's side, pulled himself aboard, and stowed himself away. Or, what is more probable, he might have kept himself afloat. You know it's not 1y for a boat's crew to find so small an object as a man's head in the waves. Suppose that he was picked up by some trading vessel?” “He'd have been turned over to the authorities at the first port” said ‘Tryon scornfully. “The whole world knew of him and of his leap from your yacht” \ “But you know, Jerry, the Gray Ghost might have had In his pockets Jewels worth thousands. All the loot that he stole was not recovered. It might not have been difficult for him to bribe a whole ship’s crew to keep silent about his rescue.” Jerry?” dia From | From the uniformed por- | HE _SUN. 19} MORE THAN $800.000 IN BILLS | Tryon suffered exquisite confusion. | Jimmy Pelham, by placing his for- | tune at the disposal of a discredited i;u-ln» officer, by belleving implicitly lin the reasoning of that officer, had enabled Jerry Tryon to effect the cap- | ture of the Gray Ghost, a stroke that | immediately made Tyron internationally famous. * k ox x N years ago, in the great days of the rounding up of the Gray Ghost and his gang, Jimmy Pelham 'had been a gay youth In his late twenties, with a favorite in society, a man of importance in the eyes of cer- tain banks and trust companies. But shortly after Jerry Tryon had achieved reputation and fortune by {the destruction of the Gray Ghost's | gang, reverses had come to the young millionaire. | the young man was ruefully contem- plating the impossibility of living on the bare ten thousand a year remain- [ing to him. He forgot his troubles for the next four years, during which he served with distinction in the French army. On this morning in Jerry Tryon's office he was down to his last thousand dollars. Time and again Tryon had offered Pelham a half interest in the pros- | perous detective agency which the former police officer conducted. But Jimmy Pelham wi not in the list for charity. Now, once again Tryon made an effort to return past favors. “Ot course, Mr. Pelham, you may be right, at that. Suppose you come into my office and let me detail halt a dozen men to you, and you can start an investigation. It would be worth, at least five hundred a week to me ‘m have you- i ! Pelham’s roar of | rupted the other. lold heart, Jerry,” he cried. “You'vé | tried in o many ways to put your |hand in my pocket and leave some | money there. * * ¢ Thank you |just the same; but if you think I'm | crazy, T don’t want you to oppose your |own judgment. Not another word {about it.” He rose and rubbed gingerly the ter on the crown of his head. ‘I must run along now, Jerry.” he said. “They want to question me at | headquarters,” Tryon smiled deprecatingly. “I | wouldn’t menticn the Gray Ghost to | them guys down there, Mr. Pelham,” {he advised. “They'll just give you | the razz, and, honest, the papers will | think you're a nut. { Pelnam returned his smile. | obliged, Jerry. TI'll try laughter inter- “Bless your good Pl “Much to be dis- a smile and a nod he left| Tryon's offices, * X ok X MMON sense sald that the Gray Ghost was dead, that he had perished ten years ago. But imagina- tion told him that one might as well expect to find two Napoleons in the same generatlon as two Gray Ghosts. Such greatness: could not repeat itself so soon. The Gray Ghost lived! Pelham clung to the thought. But at headquarters he did not mention his belief. 8o he gave his little information in matter-of-fact fashion, embellished by no speculations. Intending to leave the previous afternoon on a fishing trip to Maine, he had stopped at the bank to cash a check. So he had been present at the robbery. Somehow or other he had suspected the alleged -sergeant of police had taken a step toward him and that was all that he remembered until he awoke with his head resting on the knee of an ambulance surgeon. He had gone home as soon as his Injury had been attended to. The captain of detectives who ques- tioned him grinned: “Must have re- minded you, Mr. Pelham, of the days when you and Jerry Tryon rounded up the Gray Ghost. Those were the €00d old days” . He made the state- ment regretfully, as though he la- mented the passing of the police's great antagonist. “Maybe he's come to life,” laughed Pelham. The officer returned his laugh. othing but part of the crime wave that's been following the war. Much obliged to you, Mr. Pelham,” he said briskly, terminating thé conversation. Outside, in the hallway, Pelham en- countered Keeler, the paying teller of the Ore and Metals Bank, just re- lsased from an examination by a dep- jtwo groups o The great war broke out just as| WAS SWEPT, IN LESS THAN THIRTY SECONDS, INTO THE SACK! uty commissioner. The teller car- ried one arm in a sling; there was a plaster upon his head. drawn and bloodless. They shook hands and Pelham noted that the other was weak. idiots shouldn’t have let you come down here. Let me take you home.” Keeler thanked him. | bit woozy,” he admitted. I that at a time like thi: | Pelham could but commend younger man's attitude. “Do the police seem to have any idea, any theory, about the robbery | he asked as they stepped into a taxi- cab. Keeler's blue eyes were contemptu- ous. “I've heard a lot of loose talk about inside jobs 2nd outside jobs. | But common sense ought to tell them it was an outside job. Furthermore, hold-ups aren't inside jobs.” “True enough,” wgreed do feel a But what's the DECLARED SLIM DICKE! down the second time. The newspa- pers sald the machinery was out of order.” Keeler groaned. “One of those un- accountable carelessnesses that crop up everywhere. The thing could have been repaired, but who could have foreseen that two attempts would be made, one right after the other.” * ok kR s SUDD! thought flashed into Pelham's mind. He asked calml. “What was the idea, do you suppose, of the fake robbery?” “Pretty obvious, wasn't it?” retort- ed Keeler. “As soon as the first ban- dits were disarmed we dropped all precautions. Whoever planned the crime counted on that very thing. Who on earth would think of ques- tioning the bona fides of a platoon of uniformed police? Certainly no one in the bank. And the people outside, seeing a bunch of policemen dragsing half a dozen bandits into taxicabs, would never suspect that the uniform- ed men were confederates of the pris- oners. The first group were decoys to draw our fire.” “Perhaps,” suggested Pelham, try- ing to keep his voice steady, “their leader knew that the mechanism that raised and lowered your grating was out of order. That would explain the t robbers.” “Those | You ought to be in bed. | } i 1 ou're making an inside job of said Keeler. “Only three people His face was | knew that that mechanism was out | house. yof order. President Dana knew it | Cashier Henry knew it, and I knew it. And I never told a soul” He touched his wounded shoulder. “This isn't proof of my honesty, but it's evidenc he laughed. Pelham, helping the telier to the sidewalk, grinned. “I guess that it's pretty good proof,” he said. Upstalrs In Keeler's apartment he made the teller lie down and pre- pared some medicine which the doe- tors had left with the wounded man. The other man urged him to stay a while for a drink, a smoke and a | talk. ! Pelham liked Keeler. commercial success, he was boyishly frank d Ingenuous. Perhaps the suffering induced by his injuries ren- | dered him a shade more confidingly | loquaclous than was his wont. Any- Despite his Pelham. | way, he told Pelham of his hnyhood; “Too bad that grating didn't come ' struggles, his self-cducation, his am- AYBE I'M THINKING OF ANOTHER MINNIE GREY,” SAID PEL. HAM, SHAKING WITH NERVOUSNES: 'NOT FROM MY TOWN,” bitions, and, finally, of his girl. He even pointed out her picture where it hung upon the wall. She—this Minnie Grey, who was Keeler's flancee—was a shade too so- phisticated in appesrance. But, then, le told himself, nearly all giris wear ‘a look of sophistication nowadays. “Black halr?” asked Pelham, “Yes, and black ‘eyes, too,” Keeler. ‘She’s beautiful,” admired Pelham. “And lovely,” supplgmented the teller. “We're golng to be married | soon. Funny thing, I've always sworn that I'd marry a small-town girl. The minute I met Minnie I fell in love with her. And I could hardly believe it when 1 discovered that she came from a little town in Maine.” “What part of Maine does she come from?” asked Pelham idly. “Town called Juno,” smiled Keeler. ‘Funny name, isn't it?" “I suppose you'd prefer that her |home town should change its name to Venus, after Miss Grey,” suggest- ed Pelham. Keeler blushed. ‘“She Too beautiful for me; too good for me. And such a patient girl. She's been the sole support of her mother and sister, down there in Maine, ever since she: came ta New. York two said is beautiful. DAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, APRIL 15, 1923—PART 5. The Gray Ghost Returns | slightly bored. “She works, then?” | “At Mason & Marsh's brokerage She's a stenographer. But not after next month—she's to be Mrs. Keeler then.” My heartiest {sald Pelham. {made his excuses and his departure. e LHAM walked to his apartment. All the excitement that had been |in his mind had left it. Certainly {the president was beyond suspicion. | Pelnam happened to know that the | cashier was one of the chief stock- I’holder! of the bank and could hardly | 1 congratulations,” his own institution. Keeler, his honesty was too patent to be questioned the grating was a coincidence, then, that had been fortunate for the rob- bers. And the moment that Pelham admitted this he ceased to believe in the existence of the Gray Ghost. For cotncidence never aided nor hindered that master of crime. Chance | never entered into his schemes; they worked with mathematical exactl- tude. retained by run down the criminals “And I didn't tell them that I thought it was the Gray Ghost' | work,” chuckled Jerry with good-m | tured malice. thousand dollar retainer.” “All right for you, Jerr laughed back at him, “but I didn’t warn you. The evening pa- the recovery of its money and the arrest of the criminals.” “Yes, it's a nice mark to shoot at,” said Jerry. “When are you going down to Maine>" “In the morning,” replied Pelham. 'Well, I wish I was going with You.” sald Tryon. “Hope they're bit- ing. ‘Much obliged,” answered Pelham. £xx T noon next day Pelham left for Maine.. Two mornings later he was seated in the bow of an Old- town canoe, the waters of Lake Shennebago. By 7 o'clock he had caught eight beau- ties, and his guide him back to camp. During the after-breakfast smoke the guide, one Slim Dickenson by name, discussed many things, finally fastening his speech upon New York. “The way I look at it.” pronounced Slim, “Iit don't take no more to be a big guy in New York than it does to Juno. If a feller has git-up-and-git to him he'll succeed anywhere at all. Ain’t I right, Mr. Pelham?" “I guess vou are” Pelham con- ceded. “Did you say that Juno was your home town?" “Certainly did,” said Slim. “Born and brought up there. Know every man, woman, horse and dog in the township. Why? Ever been there? Know any one thére?” “No, I dom't” admitted Pelham, “but a friend of mine is engaged to marry a girl from /Juno. Minnie Grey. Do you know her?” “Minnfe Grey? ’'Course T know her. I can remember, like it was yester- day, the day she put up her yellow halr. Used to hang in a pigtail down her back, yellow as corn.” “The Minnle Grey I mean has black | hair and black eyes,” sald Pelham. “Don’t know about her hair now, Slim said. “She may have got crazy g0 to New York. But her eyes wa as blue as blue. And they ain’t found eyes, have they?” “Maybe I" { Minnie Grey,” suggested Pelham. He i was shaking with nervousness. “Not from Juno,” declared Slim ‘with decision. Shortly thereafter he be suspected of complicity in robbing And as for The failure of the mechanism of Jerry Tryon called him up that | night to Inform him that he had been the bank authorities to | “If T had, they'd think I'd gone culkoo, and I'd lose a ten " Pelham it the Gray Ghost does show up don't say per says that the bank is offering a hundred thousand dollars reward for industriously whipping was propelling be a big guy In my home town of Her name's Ideas like the rest of the girls that any way of changing the color of 'm thinking of another might be & madman. What connec- tion there could be between the state- ment of Keeler and the emphatic contradiction of Slim Dickenson, he did not profess to understand. But he was convinced that the gulde was not mistaken; nor could Keeler be mistaken about the oolor of his sweetheurt's eyes. If the gang knew of the accident to the grating machinery they could have learned it only, Pelham was convinced, through the flanoee of the paying teller. On the assumption that Keeler had told the girl and that the girl had told the gang, Pelham theorized. It he could reconcile the discrep- ancy between the two Minnle Gruys—— He tock Slim Dickengon with him to the offices of Mason & Marsh. He gave the gulde a hundred dollars. “Go in,” he told him, “and buy a liberty bond. I know the offices. The stenographers are all in an outside room. See if Minnle Grey is there. A quarter of an hour later Dicken- son reported that he hadn't seen Min- nie Grey inst: “We'll walt right here,” ham. In & doorway across from the brok- erage house they walted until the offices closed for the evening. Pel- ham recognized the original of the photograph that he had seen In Keeler's room. to Dickenson and ordered him to fol- low her. Pelham went directly to Keelers apartment. The young feller was still in a weakened condition and was wrapped in a dressing gown when he received Pelham. . “Keeler,” said Pelham, “you told Miss Grey about the trouble with the grating that protects your cage.” Keelers face went dead white “How dare you say such & thing?" he cried. “Suppose I told you that your Min- nle Grey doesn't come from Juno? What would you say to that?” The fire dled out of Keeler's eye Peltam wes 80 patently in earnest. “I'd not indi in heroles,” sald Keeler. “But I'd ask you to explain, and If you couldn't I'd throw you out of here, wounded shoulder or not.” “Spoken like a man, Keeler,” said Pelham. “But I have a man in New York who comes from Juno, who knows Minnie Grey extremely well. He says that she left Juno about two years ago and has never been heard said Pel- | nfe Grey is an impostor. Now, did you tell your flancee about the mis- hap to the mechanism of your grat- ing? Keeler had mentioned it to her! He admitted it, white-faced, dazed at Pelham’s statement, yet belleving, be- cause there was no reason for Pel- ham to lle. “Pelham, do you think they'll ar- rest her?” he asked. “Nothing has been proved yet,” said Pelham. “But if proof follows—I'm sorry, old man,” he said. Keeler, lying upon a couch, buried his face In the wide sleeve of his dressing gown. Pelham got Jerry Tryon on the phone. “I'm at the apartment of Keeler, the teller of the Ore and Metals Bank, Jerry. Race up here with at least twenty men. Hustle.” No sooner had he hung up than the phone rang. Slim Dickenson was on the wire. “I followed the girl to her home; I waited outside 2 while, until she came out. Then she took a taxi to Washington Square. At least, O the editor: On acct. of this being the vernal season of spring in most sections of the country, when people is fixing up there yd. and etc. I have been re quested to come acrost with a few idears in regards to landscape gar- dening as we was through a seige of same last yr. and everybody that passes past the house makes the re- mark in loud tones what a beautiful yd. On a ordinary week day it is no seldom occurrence to have the same people pass our home twice and 3 times per day a speciaily if they are ériving a truck belonging to some laundry or the Flushing scavenger company or something. S0 1t Jooks like the best idear would be to simply describe our yd and Bive other folks permission to imitate it to what ever extent they see fit though I would best warn my read. ers that they would better go kind of slow unless they are cleaning up |2 income of 330.00 per w. at tne most. ‘Well, in the 1st place running along the front of the yd. they's a white rail fence consisting of about thirty sections of 3 rails each except 2 sec- tions where the top'rail aint there no more as anything that makes a yd. tiresome is to have the fence all look alike. Right behind the fence is a large floral tribute consisting of my name and the wife’s maiden name planted in toadstools. This was put there for use as well as beauty as the whole family was sick in tired of having moderate price motors stop out in front and ask if the Swopes lived here. The yd. from the fence up to the house is a serious of terraces but to break the monotony of same they's a Tow of trees on each terrace and a street sign on one of each, like for inst. Maplé Avenue, Hickory Lane, Oak St. and etc. In realty the trees on every ter- race up to the top is all the same namely quirk treets but the different street names gives casual visitors a delusion of grandeur besides keeping them from running past there block. R S a further guard vs. this last named menace the top térrace is “Perhaps you're thinking of herl;janted with hall trees where you sister,” argued Pelham. “Minnie never had no sister,” stated the guide. an orphan, who lived with her aunt. Pelham cross-examined the gulde, “She was an only child— can't help from seeing that it is time to hang up your hat and on the front porch itself they's a lay out of shoe trees as we would just as leaf have but the man stuck stoutly to his|Patrons remove there shoes before en- story. He vowed that he could mot be mistaken. * % % '\WENTY-FOUR hours later Jimmy Palbam landed ip New York. He tering the home so as to not wake up the children and Japs. So much for the front yd. The piece of resistance in the back yd. is a for- mal Italian gardea in the middle of He indicated the girl | from since. He says that your Min- | BY ARTHUR SOMERS ROCHE. that's where my chauffeur says I am. She went into a house and she's there wsow. What'll T do?” 'Walit for me!” cried Pelham He turned to Keeler. “Tryon will be here in a few minutes. Send him right down to Washington square. It's tough, Keeler,” he said gently. “You haven't proved anything vet,” 8a1d Keeler deflantly, “For your sake 1 could wish that we wouldn't,” replied Pelham. * % % % B left the apartment. Presently he had alighted from his taxlcab and was standing on the south side of Washington square with Dicken- son, watching the house into which Dickenson said the girl had disap- Peared. As they stood there a man alighted from a limousine and walked rapidly across the sidewalk and up the stoop of the house. He let him- self fn with a latchkey and the door ¢losed behind him. Pelham turned to Dickenson. ¢ “That,” he sald, “is one of the men who staged the first attempt at rob- bery of the Oré and Metals Ba: “Let's go in and clean them,” gested Dickenson. “Let's wait,” said the cannier Pel- ham. % Ten minutes later Tryon and a score of his private detectives emerged from taxis. A sentence in- formed him of the situation. While one of his men ran to summon ti police, Tryon sent some of his m around to the back of the house. W the others and with Jimmy Pelham by his side, he crashed in the from: door. 3 Three hours later, in Pelham's apartment, Tryon congratulated his former patron. ‘“As neat a plece of detection as I ever heard of,” he com- mented. “Of course, you had luck. Running into vour guide and him happening to know what the real Minnie Grey looked like didn't hurt none. We split the reward, Mr. Pel- ham. And if you'll only come in with me—" Pelham shook his head. *“You don’t belleve in the Gray Ghost, Jerry.” Tryon laughed heartily. “Just be- | cause none of those prisoners that we | took tonight will talk, you think they're afraid of the Gray Ghost. T don't. I just think that they're wise guys, waiting for their lawyers.” “How do you account for thelr hav- ing all the loot of the bank gathered in one box at their house, undivided? | Doesn't that look as thought th | were awalting instructions from the chief?” demanded Pelham. “If they'd had a chief, he'd have got his a couple of days ago,” de- elared Tryon. 4 “If that chief happened to be the Gray Ghost, he'd have so many irons in the fire that he'd be necessarily delayed in removing some of them” objected Pelham § Jerry Tryon rose, stretched his arms and yawned. “Well, Mr. Pel- ham, we won't quarrel about it. But before you are too certain that the Gray Ghost is alive get hold of some real proof.” “I will,” said Pelham grimly. That proof came sooner than he had expected. In the morning’s mail there came to him a simple note, which read: “Dear Sir: Ten years ago you in- terfered with me. You have done so again. Yours respectifully, “PETER BALLANTYN There was no threat in the letter None was needed. For Peter Ballan- tyne had been the nom de guerre ten years ago of the Gray Ghost. (Cooyright, 1028.) Shoe Trees Feature Lardner’s Garden which is a barber shop and shoe | shine stand presided over by careful | reproductions of early renaissance | barbers and bootblacks of the Naples | epoch. | Surrounding this is a formal cluster lo! spaghetti and garlic plants while | drooping over the roof of the shop are branches of vermicelli trees, ‘tree greatly similar to our weeping willies In the immediate rear of the barber | shop is an outdoor swimming pool o | the most modern variety, with run | ning hot and cold water, a soap cage |and & towel rack. | To increase the illusion | equipped the pool with a stopper | which can be pulled out when the | client is through with there bath i Fox { lend a certain privacy to this | pool as well as add a citrus touci o the gen. effect, the tub is in the |midst of a grove of mock orang: trees which is simply nothing more than common bandana trees rung with croquet balls painted vellow. lHardl)' a guest ever sees this little { touch without expressing there amaze ment that such large oranges can e growed on Long Island Still further vet behind the shoy and near the extreme back boundars of the lot is an artificial ice skating rink which is the final touch to the glories.of the premises and has af forded us more than a fair share of amusement. 1 do not need to tell the reader that this rink ain't made of real ice even persons of our means would find it tmpossible to keep up such a lux- ury the yr. around on acct. of it being 1-2 a mile by 20 ft. wide. What the surface is covered with is plate glass and where the amusement comes in to see the unsuspecting guest jump on to it on there skates only to break the glass and crash through into the stagnant pool below On some occasions it has been quite a struggle to get them out agaln and once or twice the struggle was oniy made 1-2 heartedly you might say T must not close this description { the estate without forgetting to me tion a wd. about the bird houses o which we have put up & plethora. As all bird fancers knows, birds is very particular in the matter of choosing there home and a certain bird will only pick out a certain kind of a bird house. So we have special- ized in quail houses, sparrow houses and pigeon coops. At about this time of yr. the houses begins to fill up with the unsuspect- ing rasorfal visitors and the minute they's a sufficlent quantity to make it worth while we slam the doors shul and have enough birds to provide many & g0od tasty meal for week-end guests. In a early issue I will write « article In regards to dwellings the.n selfs with perhaps a extra article on interior decorating a subject on which I have made & name which don't bear repeating. RING W. LARDNER. Great Neck, Long Island, April 13, we have i l