The evening world. Newspaper, February 8, 1915, Page 13

OR EREEALS (Copyright, 1914, by Pronk A, Muse Co,). CHAPTER I. The Boom in Relampago. OWARD five in the afternoon, as a rule, when the last teller had tucked away his cash and the last accountant had slid his books into their appointed place in the big vault, it was very still in the! Banco de Relampago. Buch was Relampago's lt was otherwise to-day. room. . main bank on most tate Four men sat around the table in the directors’ f] Two of them, Jose Alfaro and Manuelo Roquez, owned each one share of Relampago Water Company, and held each an excellent position in the w Banco de Helampago; they were on hand to furnish a majority of the or firectorate, The othei 7 ould formalities be necessary. two were better worthy of attention. Miguelo Pacato, president of Santa Chana itself, president of the ( , * Banco de Relampago, president of the Relampago Water Company, and a dozen other things, leaned forward with his elbows on the shining tabl swund his thin brown fingers interlocked. He smiled quick appreciation now and then, and nodded in his own swift, nervous fashion; his eyes twinkled “animatedly, and ever and anon he turned to Captain Velvet, lounging at the # ema of the table, and vented an explosive ee) “Ab! You hear?” Capt. Velvet merely grunted ac- * @ulescence, Retired buccancer; this “last quarter-century supreme apecial- Yt tn South Ameri revclutions, ~ “dominant personality of the entire re- public; there was nothing in this first “annual directors’ meeting CA the _ Water Company to bi wt of excitement to Capt Vel bronzed cheek. te. .“We come then, the board was proc ~ Bpani: our fir the secretary of ming in flowing “to the final summary of this, year's corporate existence. vering beneath our city the ‘8 greatest subterranean supply er, the expense initial source of cost of connecting this ~-supply to our previous city mains has been, in round figures, $27,600, big States. The total cost of salariés has been $6,000. Our gross foxpendituren therefore, are a trifle over $38,000, Opposed to which we find the revenue which has been paid to the company. From the city of Relampago for reg- ular water supply, $1,000, from the seven incorporated hich have contracted for water from our mains, ejaculated Pacato— with since 49 per cent. of the stock belonged to himself. - “From the local fire department for 000; from suburban "Bo that we have declared a divi- dend of 660 per cent, on the capital tock aa issued. The net profit of Relampago Water Company for the first year of its existence, is 500!" ‘And here instinctive dramatic effect dribbled away from Senor Ramon tirez, the Secretary, and plain human nature took its place for the moment. He looked at Senor Pacato and at Capt. Velvet with eyes of sheer envy, and there was @ sour twang to his final observation of: “And this vast amount of poner, contributed by a kindly nuture, is divided Reresualiy between you two wrleating’s adjourned tor another year,” announced the Captain, and Sore veers’ nero at him. “Was there somethin, a want to aay, Mike? he ‘naked. "co * "Go on.’ sea “It was this, then,” announced the President quickly, “Velvet, you are a rich man.” “Sorter,” mused the captain. “Below, in the vaults, deposited in gold, according to your wish, you have more than §1,000,000 as the profit of this water company,” Paca! hurried on, his voice tense. " “Then in New York, in the vaults of the Union Metals T Company, you have—- Capt. Velvet scratched hie short -gray beard and yawned. ‘Oh, I dunno, Mike,” he confessed. “Gold coins and jewels and stuft— there might be another couple of million: Teast,” eu eco! 8 the president In what foolish manner this to possess great wealth?” “Eh? is earning wothing at all.” ‘Well, what of the captain impatiently." “If I want a couple of Fe ed dollars to pay bills with I go downstairs and the box and get ‘em. I'm never to spend all that money. What do want more for?” “Because it is proper to invest what one has and”—— Capt. Velvet shook his head. “T ain’t an investor, Mike," he aaid, “I don't want to lose what I've got.” “But here in Relampago to-day one cannot lose!” the President cried vio- lently. “Witness, Velvet, what has happened this last year, since Relam- pago can furnish abundant water for any earthly purpose. Factories have sprung up in a might almost! Capital has rushed to our city as never before nd in the history of South America, Bust- ness, as you say, is booming—not here alone, but all over Santa Chanza. ‘There is so much prosperity that not one leader {n the repubilc has time to think of revolution even, and we e become a model government. “Real estate is Scalne— ania quadrupling in value. And it will go on and on and on. {oney inveated here to-day, Velvet, is paying back yearly interest month, and there is room for a hundred millions ore, To have idle money in Relam- to-day is worse than murder! So me send to the United Metals ‘Trust Company and have your wealth turned into currenc: id a draft sent down at once and" “Miguelo,” said Capt. Velvet sol- only, I'd trust you; but I dunno’s I'd trust any other banker living, So I guess we won't bother with any rose and etretched.. The rest of the a tha bear t Pacato, drifted out. dominating figure of Santa Chana b tarned 1? i; the, President of that. republic 4 “Thats @ million apiece, Mike, on an investment of nothing!” i “It is the truth, my dear Velvet, the President assented in awed Eng- Neh. bi that’s @ million dollare ‘aplece we've made this year almost without raising a hand—and we owe ery darned cent of it to a plain lew rw Yorke rook!" “Pardon! the truth,” chuckled the Cap “If Pollard hadn't shut off t water works a year ago, we'd nev » Eire discovered that we were living top of the finest natural water sup- in the world, pressure Log ae the R jampago y and owned it between lard’ work—hum! ‘et, when one reflects that t! » lard would have murdered us a! » @heerfully, it is not to feel gratitude ble, as How- r, it is mot of Pollard that Velvet, but’ —— I wonder if tha “Kad Bun Ryani” "chuckled Capt. © Velvet. “What a arene oie nt hulking Meine to think of it--the Spanish te," said the gaptain, and grinned oa edd the little, skinny ‘t used to slide around, Mike resi though. It was Evans a ey called him the I belleve."* and T eEnery Evans. ke among themsely: * forgotten, "They are quite forgotten—not by me, “Th in't forgo! 1 b , Mixer” sald Velvet placidly. “I'd shot ‘em cheerfully a year ago if thoy « hadn't been out of range; but I kinder * think T'd have been for it Is {\'Two of ‘em didn't uw " bug that feller Pollard had brains. and any quantity for, 4 1 find ‘e brains wherever the captain sald stubborn- ity, ‘and then added with becoming {modesty: ‘‘Pollard’s the only man T jever met with brains anywhere near as good as mine. He came nearer to H getting the best of me than any man ifivi ing anywhere else in my life. To gure, there was a feller in the fall of 1879 down in"-— ” a0” nald Capt, Velvet « th eianies “T was thinking about him “during that meeting and thinking that this town and ourselves owed fm a considerable debt. I wae think- ing it was a darned shame that a ~fhap ae bright as him should have “turned out ie, A feller wie ti trained seach Hate ae then, do you not go your- ae! “To New York?” “Of course, and bring back the wealth that all be trebled in a The captain returned to his survey of the shipping. “They say that steamer, Almirante Vito—in the harbor down there wit! ‘unnel—is ‘considerable, much be mused. row morning, Velve uri his friend. Lay pt. Velvet shifted his cigar and bit into it as he considered the blue funnel furthei “And New York ain't such a bad town—for a visit,” he conceded medi- tatively. CHAPTER II. ._ Aftera Year. eral practising criminal, fre- quently really charming confidence man, sat at his own particular table in the inconspicuous corner of @ certain lit- tle grill room and beamed apprecia- tively at all things in sight, for it was @ long, long time since he had had a chanee to beam about that particular grill. Willy-nilly, his mind ran backwara * to all the things that had happened. The great, original mistake of course was in having tried to hold the Re- lampago water works a year ago, He shuddered as he thought of it. That somewhat bizarre undertak- ing had carried its own punishment, Hurled bodily out of Santa Chanza, with a storm of bullets behind them, he and “Spanish Brute” Ryan and “Snake” Evans had reached New York only by stoking their way on the steamer that carried them from oer- . tain death—and the stoking was very nearly as bad as the bullets, Landing, they had discovered that 4 properly vigilant district attorney. does not forget capable criminals within a week or two. And after that landing-—— eat Mr, Pollard shuddered delt- cate Xs A bad year had followed that interesting hour in New York, with underworld warnings coming thick and fast, and every minute wafting them nearer to prison. One does not travel Pell without money, Empty freight cars had taken them a certain distance south of New York; brake beams had taken them farther, and in the allegedly happy eouthiand they had been eking out a precarious and humiliating livin, esmania cistoune ot county tare gad bad cursed roundly whes they Roane Ms Ai Ne, yh back to th IR, ROBERT POLLARD, gen- } pivot ie the meager pickings of thoue But « trustful, good-humared man in Atlanta had consented to buy a full six hundred dollars’ worth of stock in a mine that existed somewhere in Robert Pollard’s brain—and now, In- formed on excellent authority that the official stratum of the town had los! interest in them and that a return was safe, they were back in New York. The bulk of the six hundred reposed safely in Mr. Pollard’s pocket to carry them along until intelligent crime began to pay real dividends once more. Pollard turned from his inspection of the grill and smiled pleasantly at the yery large and muscular person on the other side of the table, who chanced to be William Ryan, some. times known as the Spanish brute, and James Evans, more oonvent- ently termed the Snake. “Both these tips are straight, and it's near ten o'clock now,” be said. “We ought to atart things going by making a clean-up—all three of us— wee first day we're back. Go to it, ‘The Spanish Brute nodded without much enthusiasm, “The young kid gets this pay-roll— what time?” “He leaves the bank with it every Monday at quarter past ten,” Pollard said crisply. “They tell me he gets office about twenty-five minutes of id all the em- Pl il be enough, Bill. Stay bi block till you see him coming around hoy) Church Street corner, and hen*—— He amiled significantly. Mr. Ryan rose with some reluc- tance. “This daylight pretty raw, Rob @ atarter, anywa: ‘The iy) on thia thing came traight f I'd found it m: * Mr. the money. ou've lost your nerve, Bill, don’t tackle it, because T don't want any botch work from this time forward. Sit down again and have a lemonade, and the Snake snorted, lost any nerve,” was his “I'll go out ad brin back if I have to twist carrying it in two and But gruff retort. that pay the kid that’ uff the pieces in my pocket. telling you it's risky.” “and I'm telling you It's not,” amiled Mr. Pollard, cheerily. Cheerily, too, he watched the large bulk of the Brute as it sauntered from the Ikue grill, Well dressed, well barbered once more, William Ryan had lost all resemblance to the unkempt citizen of a week ago, H would pass simply for a sturdy New Yorker of the middle class—and with that last little taunt working through his leisurely intelligence he would re- turn with a pay-roll reputed to be worth three thousand dollars. James Evans, dapper again as Ro’ ert Pollard himself, drummed a quee: dubious little tune on his teeth with his perfectly manicured nails, “You want me to get right out, too, he queried. “The sooner the better. Mr. Pollard glanced about cau- tiously and permitted his voice to drop. "Re. ny Fy igeed r told me about this, 8 ‘and it was an act of Mtendehip. I ore not to tackle it more than once, because he wants to pick off some himself next ree whe oung fellow’s name is Rip! e's about twenty and na silent, air and @ weak chin. worth @ souple of millions, ie the kid alwa: @ pocket full of money—seo? He ae in Doa- ovan's every morning half post ten, snd that's whe: ua‘ aD ve him wt wd na roll dic all Gar mt nim oe teak agit re parted from the amount with a sigh. “Then ring in your loaded dice and trim him. Don't take more than five hundred under any circumstances,” “If he has more with bim”—— “Never mind what he's got with Bim, you let it go at five hundred” capes the master intelligence of tne “I'm willing to ei" Ki ¢ at nothing if you say Inake ra‘ner startled him by’ eee was read- & ing the cards this morning, and they don't work out right. There's a couple of combinations that I haven't seen since the day we ran into Captain Velvet, right in this town, The Snake trembled frankly for a moment. Mr. Pollard sat back. “Ripley—light hair—weak Rotors 's place,” he repeated, “But"— “And not one cent over five hun- dred,” concluded Pollard, ‘Hustlo!"* “You're going to be here?” “Im going to think over two or three things and see what I can find out by telephoning. I may go out after a little easy money myself. If I do, wait here till I come back.” Was quite the old Pollard, issu. ing orders in the old way. Once upon a time he had been the one criminal in town blessed by good luck that nothing could shatter, The same old smile was on bis lips dust now, and the Snake took heart and followed William Ryan from the grill whistling. After which Mr. Pollard atretched his legs and pondered pleasantly—be- cause it was all right. Mr. Pollard straightened up sud- denly and discovered that his most innocent and pleasing smile had ap- Deared automatically, for there was a new presence in the deserted little grill room. This latter happened to be @ eome- what bby person of possibly forty, with Nn eyes and a generally cun- ning cast of countenance. He glanced bout the apartment, grunted at the ht of Mr, Pollard, and came straight to his table, And there, kicking out a chair, he sat down with a thud and sald: “Howdy, Smiling!" Pollard smiled more pleasantly. minute, Mossley,” he sald. lad to Ree you, as an if 80, but you've admitted the mas. ter mind of the trio; “but when one of our best known county detectives comes and sita down opposite me”"—- “I'm not @ county detective,” Snapped the visitor, “What?’ “Not any longer, Pollard,” Mr, Mossley said tartly. “There was a lite tle mess down in the district attor- ney's office week before and somebody double-crossed me. “And you were-—er—fired?” “I certainly was fired,” the new- comer agreed moodily. “Yet instinct, I suppose, and the training of years,” Pollard probe! with growing curiosity, “led ' here to look me over and mal that I was violating no law, eh? Mossley leaned across the table and his teeth bared in a most unpleasant Nttle amile. “T'll tell you what brought me bere, Pollard, and when I'm through tell! it, you'll thank o he snarled. Kot back to this morning, eh?" “About.” “Well, the dear old chief got word that you were here about seven o'clock,” the visitor proceeded. “Hey?” “And by eight, the boys tell me, was down in the office going through the Mies to find out just what he had on roa th t was good enough to asprin, ort notice, see? You bate hin oy fifteen time: + We walked s 191! by Ths Tree Putuetag Co (Tim New York Kveuing Work! <<. The, _ “Well, of fully clever piece of your . there fancied tt telling the truth and ‘that you fealty bs had been a fired. But so long aa I'm forced to.as- sume that | bad Te just the plain county detective I've known and loved eo long. let me say that this stunt of ago coming in here and trying to get on bd rie Wf wes of me and find out what of criminality is next in a order . a ‘a diatnal failure. “A diamal Kenlagde leva Sa a ailly one, because, for one thing, I'm out of crooked work altogethe: thie is @ fright Catective work on Bang aoe haat your genial Dis- trict Attorney hasn't a thing on me that he can use and”—— Mr, Mossley, having shrugged his shoulders, rose, “You can take it or | it, Smil- ing,” he pointed out, “I've told you the truth, That Burgeas indictment— and I have this. stral, they're going to They're gatherin, minute, And it'll Kya: And an- other thing that I have, as atraight as am Saale string, ls that you're all three id going to be until y to take you in, which some time between now and to-morrow night. Thi it over,” said Mr. Mossley, and sauntered out. Ever = obligi Robert Pollard thought it over. For two minutes he smiled cyni- cally; then the smile faded. It was humanly possible, of course, that Mossley had been telling the truth. Indeed, the more he considered it the more he was inclined to think that ‘Mossley had told the truth. And If it were true— But it wasn't, of course! Mr. Pollard shook off the gloomy train of thought and smiled at his cigar. The door opened and in the eame second closed again. William Ryan, his eyes round, his breath coming rather ss Mer was cros the room -~and Polla: keen gla tied to detect a poc lumpy enough to con- ceal a purloined payroll. “Get it?” he anapped. “I got it; but not what you mean!” ‘The Trute spoke hoarsely. “What"— n, Robby,” croaked the large member of the trio. “We're all done before we even get to the post. It's just what I said when we were com- ing through Washington—that was the place to get off!” “So your nerve did , en?” the leader inquired caustically. “This is how much it went,” Mr, Ryan said with feeling, “Your tip was right, Robby. The young lad with the satehel came around that corner on the tick, and started for that passage on the tlek~—and for tha matter of that, I started down tho block on the tick. There wasn't mors than fifteen feet between us—and then i J knew some one wan behind me com- ing down that block!” Brute. sighed the I was just thinking whether to knock him cold or scare the life out of him and get away with It before he could yell, when two hands came down on each arm and Kittry—you remember breathed im," agreed the Frute. ‘Well, he said the air was better UP, at the other end of the block and we'd better walk that way. So wo walk “And he arrested you “Neither Kittry no corrected Mr. Ryan, “and that was the funny part of it. They just sald that they saw I was back again—and dup at the corner, the: eaid I'd Lotter beat it, And I thin! aes Sree me stagiont to the door Robert Pollard his cigar. his friend,” By Robert Minor “Mousley righ then!” escaped the leader of the band, Mr, Ryan dab at his ld Mossley?” They fired him, and he'e sore. He came in her ten minutes and tipped me off, Bill. getting ready to pinch us on account of that old Bur; affair, I thought that was dead, but”-— He said no more fot the moment; bis Angers snap; nervously, Watch- ing him, Mr. William Ryan slowly whitened, use memories of that Burgess affair were quite clear in the 1 mini “The Snake'll be back in @ few min- utes, and maybe he'll bring somethi: eae "he suggested, still hope! wee Snake, indeed, was back even then! Entering soundless! speed that suggeste: through the keyhole, Evans had glided across t! ment and was at their aide almost and with a t before they were aware of his pres- ence. His trim handa clutched the edge of the table, and there was avery startled gleam in his eye as he sald breathlessly: "Al bots are p off, Robby!” You foun “Donovan's and the b spitionnire wld? Til det I did, and hole lot more,” stated the Snake. ‘He was waiting there when I got there, and there was @ sort of darkish man standin, the left of him, and over a the ri was a red-headed man with three teeth in front!” cried Mr. Pollar@® “It and drummed too with his finger-tips, “It Mike Brophy, my best detective in ine good old days, money, partner, darkish man, out to the street and Mike told me all about it!” Pollard merely nodded. The Snake 7 laughed insanely. “It's all fixed—every little detail of it!" he said. “They're going to make thin the biggest advettising stunt the administration hae pulled eo far, They're going to arrest us some time to-morrow—hold us without bail get ua tried and convicted before Fi day—nsentenced Monday and in Sing Sing Tuesday. This ts going to be the record for all eriminal prosecu- tlons, and Mike tells me that they've sent word to Judge Kister to come home from the country and take the case, because he never hands a guy anything but the Hmit! they get us"-—— “Precisely!” sharply, first, ‘They're not figuring on taking us in before to-morrow?” “They'll nab us in two minutes tf we try leaving town, Mike says. There are six of ‘em watching this Place now," “Six?” gasped “Six!” repeated the Snake, and sat down heavily, “And that's the hoo- doo number my cards have been They faced him rather “Not for any of us,” snapped his turning up for the last week!” CHAPTER Ill. Y hopelessly. ‘Item one, we're not o- chief, ‘We'll walk straight out of that door and make for lower Broad- nce Pollard = interrupted the leader of the trio. The Narrow Path. ing to be taken ted the leader. OU two sharply. “Buicide in here?” the Gaske in. quired blankly “Not for way, and get there about moon when % ‘fe the crowd lp on the street, We'll find & well-pecked best house er a aaloca, ‘They're tabi tal Wiillam Ryan, with a long sigh, re- “But they'll have to get us bi Mr. Pollard eai4 i OMondsy<. Febrorey “s jand Bill and I'll block the you leave 4 the side door, Snake.” “after that, we'll come out as if ymothing had happened and fiad an- other place, and I'll jam things until) Bill can make bis getaway by the back You'd better make for Jersey by different routes, and don’t | meet until you get there. | “And you, Ryan. Mr, Pollard laughed contem| iy; “Bi if I've gone so bad that I can't off a dosen of these third- rate sleutha, it's time I went to is settled, th, T'll see you in Jersey City at 2 erclook Fi t of it five hundred miles ve hu our evenr hare Ryan. ve to go farther that!” 2 Rae's returned in a voice, “See here, both of you. besa Moor ah long?” grinned the otha of ti etre snake “What have we gotten out of itt” “Huh inquired the fe gy Brute. “We've trimmed all sorts of people in all gortr of way: “wove had all kinds of money and we've spent it for all kinda of things. But now, after all these years fm. hard, earnest work, ploking up @ sould te dollar that every good thing could be trimmed head Pollard * eve with ome force. [eal re else befor w outside ee worrled aft e' re right we tree, Se ekene wn wise to ua!” snap Per Sw have phony mith hours, ai In try to Pull a whole re regiment of tectives comes marching 8, be! telle ua to let it alone! much chance of stealing a fiv: pula bill in this city as @ snowman vould have of yansiag through hades intact! otly, “Don't get sore about it, Robi Y advised the somewhat startled Bo id Robert Pollard, “‘there’s lod real ‘money in crime. Let's be honest!" choked Mr. Ryaa, ry eer thick laugh. it ange, sf ar jot; hi alck!” said the Snake, with lively concera. polars not Save mean ‘ he used omy to build half a doen trams, and we've got nothing out ‘nit it. We've Lay crete woeuek Klee Ae hed J in the middle ef kno honest! ‘ie tint thumped down upom the laxed and amiled. “Nobody ‘d stand for that,” ae opined. “And I can tell ‘re gol get out gd ng we' to work it, we country in all ‘probeulity, ded ad: that I t we jus chaplai queried ‘dublously. tain Velvet!" anid Mr, Pollard. there and to that bilatering little dago hole apd let him pour us full of Bullets, aad then"—— Nothing of the sort,” the demented leader said. “I'm going to write bin & letter.” About leading Dertect): “About ing atraight life and making big money out It, He knows perfectly well that the braine and the energy. I'm one to put the thing atral ‘up to'bime to mean s sae Pollard, throat, “Not for that—not f dollars!” he gasped. =e pee wwwhy? “Because—eay, I'll truth!” the Snake cried wild Rat bad ‘Every time I read the cards thi og that Capt. Voivet man has iat an been cot ing up regularly with | the danger. nal beside him, just as he did t ee him. On thi Ri bert Pollard’s refrigerator eye use. wave him heeta of pa, ind he directed, Rauletly. The eye turned on William Ryan, and William Ryan obeyed, sad but ! obedient. Mr. Pollard's brilliant smile co: forth, and his pen began to One entire sheet is covered without 4 atop. The writer glanced up pres- r ently as he passed to the next. a lc stretch here about finding a little child crying on LY reet uptown heca her dis- had been sent to jail told him it hance that we fork again. t top to bottom, and Mr. Pollard passed quickly to the third, and covered that Finally, in neat, round char- acters, they saw him subscribe ‘Yours in most earneat repentance” They all three signed. “We're going down to the United etals Trust Company now!" hesald, “Huh?” cried the Snake. “That's the concern that has al} his Jewels in ite va) tet wr nt personal communic \ ion't want to have it kgo over Bouth America befo: ‘They fell into ate ie they, them thee to th t eo ey by?” asked William 5.4 alligator valise, so cy expensive, was rat start of Capt. eant utter astonishment; signified instant and and the rage wae all rage, it least in his steely eye, Also right arm meant that cope A quarter of a ik from the eam mouth. Only the} than hand was on its way to one jueer of his concealed re ete the financial district ¥ ic, and on the pany ree forme those forms would 10 face cas of anything we've dena, bed re nothing to fear now. We've honest. “Hub?” choked the dominast Chansa. of Santa “And what's more, we've bees ing you a@ letter to iy you and tell how earnestly we all the wild things we tried sir,” me guiding mind passionately. “Pollard,” he fe Uke of it. Ye eae =you wouldn't,’ you waster agreed. reform’ man, you kn te T fall to feller thas t of doin, fully for a “Farm!" he where youvall oughter be." mi that? ee