The evening world. Newspaper, April 7, 1916, Page 23

pues ul E Marsland Indignantly Rejects a Very Handsome Bonus. UT Forbes did not accept the Cer nd Marsland was | forced to realize there was ° No use attempting to fool Dimself further; he must recognize “the strene other's hand, sink pride ani effect some s ort of a com- Promise. Time was passing, the Ful “16F people ba 1uired a site in the Adjoining block and demolition pr ceedings at the Gotham were alm st at & standstill, little being accor plished despite the outward show of bustle and activity, The building had been razed almost to Forbes's 4 ment, but beyond that it was sible to proceed, Mr, Steele, Forbes lawyer, seeming to be on the scene Perpetually and taking particular eare no damage was done the apart- ment. He was proving a very sharp thorn in the side of the Empire Com. pany, and it was he who had advised. Forbes concerning the Mr. ridge had signed, a document that admirably protected the young man's interests Marsland th refore capitilated with much inward anathema, still blind to the true situation or the fact that Forbes intended holding out for the preposterous sum demand Ingly, Bergstre renew the ha op instructions being to dou inal offer, and, if neces Tength of two thousand This being refused, Marsland, in due nd with additional profanity, Jo it five thousand, but when ev double this amount was likewise 4 howled, “Ha won't en, in Heaven's ? Answer ne he take? rations, wry, go the take ten th name, what will he tak that! What “Twenty trom dispiri down a cent y but {t's nh} use; you might as well ergue with a tombstone. Marsiand = raised nother how! “Twenty thousand!" he raved. “Why, the fool's crazy! He's out of his mind!” He walked up and down the office, waving his arms impotently, "It's : outrage! Unheard of! Do you thi for a minute he'll get it?" Bergstrom shrugged. “I don't py Way out; he's got us by t ruff of the neck, and he knows it We're losing money eve day, and either we'll have to pay or quit cold We can't afford to turn the district over to the Puller people, and yet we Might as well if they get in first and grab the trade, We've gone too far to retreat, and there's far more to be J we ined by going ahead even eto drop this twenty thousand ach as I hate to admit it, T don’t see Any other way out of it.” “You don't, eh? excla Jand, “Well, understand, I'll see that ung blackguard hanged before Lf y twenty thousand! Yes, or any- like it! What do you take me for, anyway? If that's the best you h it's mighty rotten, that's all I could,” retorted B pressed lips, “You can't by main make a man take gomething he doesn’t want, “1 know T've failed, but I've done my level best, aM an do better I'l be dover the job, of your impu retorted Marsland. "The Lord knows I can get enough without pe ing for it. I say you've acted ve badly throughout th ter, mans jaged $t with surpris smpetens in the very first instance it's en our fault we find ourselves in thes tion, for Partridge told you be- fore the papers were signed that 4 enant held a thre ase, It ou'd take » find out hat tenant tdentity all this would ve been saved"—— “T think that's hardly fair M nd, 1 reported the matter fully to the papers were signed, agreed with me that we'd that it wasn't we ering over, In the past we ne any difficulty, and we'd no reas on to suspect in this instance nough!" ered the other may, it's quite evident you can't han- Ne this situation, so Til attend to tt bes will find this he sucker he thinks ereupon he had jammed on Wa hat and stormed out. He called on Forbes that evening, esenting all dignity and for- ability of manner which had once apreg’ed the other so strongly. In ; ct, so far as Marsiand was con- » Weerned the disgraceful affair tn con- }"mection with Miss W te forgotten. Forbes, however, n ced the change in the other's ap- rance since last they met; the fy bags un the eyes, the un- holesome complexion, a peculiar Blare at times in the eyes, and the mervous twitching of the mouth, He @Urinised that the easy aplomb and urance were but a pose, and that Tho Marsiand, for 6 reason, had become a victim of “nerves” and was ced to exert the utmost self-con- 1 to keep from showing it, Be iend adopting a@ f Menified attitude, plunged « the object of his visit if cour yw as well as isk is utterly pre- ind quite out of the ques- distant, onee in ouss that, Mr. Mars- is twenty thousand, restrom from the n of that fact will 1 time ed hat figure re quite hing will induce you to change Nothing.” suppose it's quite to ap 1 to your sense of fairness and Forbes?" useless ee The Mystery Romance of ‘ | ____A Seated Box and a Strange Heritage | * PPI LL DL LD ALA DALDAALIAALG | , ! > § 2 By W. B. M. Ferguson 4 Pr aaa fabisbibi dha iin APRA RORTRRNA Se mith) “L fill to see anything dishonest in ve x ny tion, M Marsiand. I'm not a asking your company to buy my} ‘ lea If you want it, the price is twenty thousand: if you don't"—| i ure He shrugged politely. “Surely, as a) business man, you can't blame me for | Fie taking «advantage of conditions and preferring to sell at @ profit rather tha i joss? As Marsiind waved his arms, “Don't ‘ talk that way to me! I'm neither a n a tie child nor a fool. If you got two we itm thousand for your lease and every piece of junk in this place you'd be CHAPTER NII. coming out ahead of the game; you know that_as well as I. It's nothing Lut a barefaced attempt at swindlin, Mr. Forbes, and any decent man Would be ashamed to attempt"—— If that's all you have to eay, Mr, Marsland"—= es, and I've @ lot more to say!” cried Marsland. ‘I've to say that your cupidity has got the better of your caution; you've overplayed the hand, young man; lost your market! We offered you ten thousand, and you fused; now I offer you five thou sand, and if you don't take that you'll yet nothing! Not a cursed cent u won't interfere with our pian ry not for a minu We'll bull new hotel round this apartment, | understand?) When we finish, this aparunent will be in the middle of kitchens, We'll see how you; ke that!” | Forbes smiled. "T refuse to be bluffed, Mr. Marsland, Give me credit for knowing a little about archi- tecture. How do you propose to have your Kitchens on the ground fidor, front—riught in the middle of your ntrance? “Dil show * yout Tt show yout" | cried the other, though knowing the; impossibility of the thing. “I'll show | you if the Empire Company intends! being the victim of such blackguard- | ly — practice! Blackguardly, Mr. | Port for you're acting like a: Dlackguard! It's not business and | never was; {t's nothing but low- down, contemptible spite! Spite be- cause you were discharged by the| firm, and because my daughter, thank Heaven! found out your true charg ter in time, ‘This {8 your dastardly, | scurril revenge!" He had worked himself up into a fine temper, and! Forbes was now the one to show bis! self-control, | u're quite right in saying there’ something back of y attitude,” he replied composedly put my treat. | ment by Mist Marsland or the firm has nothing whatever to do with it. let me refresh your memory, Mr, Marsiand From the desk he brought the col- lection of elaborately engraved stock certificates of the defunct Sterling | Mines Company and spread them out | carefully before the other's eyes. — | “A splendid investment,” he mur. | mured, quoting some previous words | of Marsiand’s, “Absolutely — safe! pays 10 per cent, and extra dividend Here is twenty-five thousand dollars’ worth, Mr. Marsiand, Now, on the day ae twenty thousand for my these. Think of it! An absolutely © gift of twenty-five thousand dol- ‘8’ worth of stock in such a sound, able, Well-paying concern as the ling Mines Company, about which you've always been so enthustastie! Isn't t an unheard-of bonus? Can you still accuse me of dishonesty and sharp practice when I offer to give up and twenty-fve thousand in gilt-edged security in re- mere twenty thousand? Surely that's @ most generous offer, the sort of bargain the Empire Com- pany prefers, and always tries to maki Marsland’s face was a study; his eyes were congested, and his mouth worked as if the torrent of his ghts defied expression. “Perhaps you wonder why I make it twenty thousand instead of twenty- ot nued Forbes politely, “I'll Mr. Marsland, Five thousand off to profit and loss; I de- » lose five thousand for being a fe Experience, to be effec: tive, should cost something, I've had my exper ee; you've taught me a gor and I'm quite willing to pay fe Marslind found his votee. vached the desk, and pointed mobling finger at the array of s! certify “What do you mean?" he thund “Why—why, you infernal young whelp, do you dare insinuate that | had anything to do with the loss of your beggarly money? Is that what you mean, eh? T'll have you up He ap- ms in court, young man! I'll show yo f there's a libel law tn this country! Vil teach you what defamation of haracter means! We'll see if worth- less young fools and vagabonds n make any of reckless statement, and get away with it! Come, out with it; let me understand you fully, Are you charging me with’ “r’'m charging you with nothing, Mr, Marstand,.” said Forbes in a bored voice ou are accusing yourself, I'm not saying you knew Mr, Green's rieht name was Haummersly, and that he was a rank § either am I saying you knew ring Com. pany to be nothing but a fraud, And I'm not saying you were interested in it Normeven that you got a commis- sion for to iny the money you induced me st. Oh, no, T haven't made any s statements like that, I've merely offered you-as a ttle present for buying my lease—this lot of valu- le stock, so surely there's no reason to get ungry und excited and talk about lib d defamation of charac- ter, Really, I thought I was doing You @ great kindness, the inestimable favor done me when you induced me to ling people.” y swallowed two or. thre tines, Positive, vindietive hatred was leaping in his eyes, and at that moment he looked quite capable of murder; as if his twitching hands were itching to pick up the chair they grasped and brain Forbes where he stood. With a FA L visible effort himself, picked up his ha to the door, where he turned and glared, "Mr, Forbes, [warn you about how you use that vile tongue of yours!" he said hoarsely, “Don't push me too far, for though I've con- descended to ignore these scurrilous e mastered tand strode insinuations 1 won't s! repoti- on of them in public o vate, You depeat them at you As for * other matter, you've acted like a thief, and the son of @ thief! T need yay no more," He tore open the door, slamming it after him with a bang before Forbes could reply, The reference to his father hurt, as it was meant make you a free present of b WHAT 'S THAT ON YouR BACK SERA Your. MoNogRan > SHE Loves ME, IT'S A STENCILLED PORTRAIT oF YOURSELF. STENCIL DESIGNS ON THE SKIN ARE THE LATEST FAD STOHN ia STENCIL DESIGN For. LEAP YEAR GIR STENCIL DESIGN SHE LOVES Me NOT to; the brutal probing of a wound y no means healed, He could have Struck the words from the other's mouth, In the outer hall Marsland, half blind with rage, and cursing aloud, collided with a visitor who was about to ring at Forbes's apartment; this visitor Was Mr. Graves. Marsland, beginuing an angry exclamation, sud- denly paused and stared, the’ color slowly leaving lis congested face, Then, with « muttered word of apol- ogy for his awkward haste, he hur- ried out. Mr. Graves found Forbes sitting sl- Tent and gloomy at his desk. “L met your friend Marsiand out. side,” he greeted, “and he was looking 4 bit peevish—almost walked over me, in fact. Must have been a lively ees- sion, for you don’t look particularly happy, elther, Does he still refuse to recognize the inevitable?” Forbes forced a smile, “Oh, the ine terview was all right so far as that Ko pany And he told briefly what had passed, aves nodded, “That twenty housund’s as good as In your pock- et" — You mean the Chicago Second Na- tional.” “As you like, You may be sure Muller doesn't know yet of the situa- tion, but Marsland will have to tell him without further delay; then there will be a fine old row, and Muller will pay you a visit and beg you, with tears in his eyes and by all you hold sucred, to let up. n he under- stands {t's no use, old. Shylock will nd your clie He'll see the ultimate profit lies in going ahead; that the only thing to do is to pay up, nd the sooner the better, Our little has been a great success.” Nks to you. ied Forbes ‘ot i bit of it, You've play difficult hand exceedingly well, You' become quite a business after Muller's own heart if he didn't happen to be the goat.” id Well, I'l be glad when wer,” replied Forbes grimly, “I don't know if my temper ean hold out much longer, I've earned the money in the way of hard words; I've been called everything fror v J to a thief, I don’t mind for myself, but T can't stand it when they throw up about my father, You told me to for- get. to look forward, not backward; to live in the future, not the past. Sound advice, which I've tried, and all to no purpose; I'm not allowed to forget, and, anyway, IT can't forget! 1 think of him constantly; I can't get him out of my mind, And when people refer to him as a thief I could Kill them, though knowing {t's nothing but the truth!" Mr, Graves took a turn or two about the room, fingering his unlighted cig- arette, “Forbes, would you mind let- ting me see that letter your mother left?” he asked suddenly, “You've kept it, I suppose?” The ‘other nodded, looking rather surprised, “Yes, read tt if you Ike You and—and Miss Willoughby are the only ones I wouldn’: mind show- ing It to.” Mr, Graves had met Miss Willough- by and owned rather a good idea of how matters stood between Forbes and her, Mr. Graves now read Mrs, Forbes's letter through in stlence, and when finished reread certain parts of it, ‘Your mother seems to have had a strong conviction of her husband'y innocence,” he observed at length, “A conviction, of course, entirely unsups ported by the facts in the case.” Forbes nodded, “Yet T can under- stand, for it's not merely the blind, unquestioning faith of the woman « n=-one | THe FOR NEW YORK GIRL BROOKLYN RAVALS who loves; I thought that once, but dbave reversed my opinion. My mother points out that the whole affair was tirely opposed to my father's cter as whe Knew it, and | can't believe he a double personality and showed her the best. My mother had brains and discernment; and such a woman, no matter how blind her love may be, cannot live with & husband six years or so without gaining @ pretty accurate knowle of his true character, Doesn't 4 seem go to you?” Mr. Graves nodded again, “And what was your own impression of your father? 1 know you were only & youngster at the time; but, as a rule, children have finer, truer in- stincts than adults.” “He left so vivid an impre replied Forbes: ¢ it Beams but yesterday since I | saw him, To me he always repre- wented all that was kin ad and noble, His memory } are influence in my life, and when I lost it--well, 1 needn't. speak of th time.” A picture of that same in which he now sat, as it had le one night, had arisen before him, and he saw again the rubber tubing lian ing from the chandelier and the wait- ing couch. ves was lying back in his attitude, eyes closed, legs , and the unlighted cigare!te hanging from his clean-cut lips, He opened a bright blue eye and cocked it at Forbes. “May I see those letters r speak ather's you didn conver he sat of which your “You mean my { hope was and them? said Forbes, “I was & domy mind, Here they a spent a long time ding each one at leisu he mused at lens real detective, like ads about, instead of ere bungling amateur, these letters would be sure to prove i mine of startling informat would disclose to me at a ghar both you and your mother f see," For ingtance, Lom diately pronounce | thi f therefore your father was inn guilty neither of suicide ne might even go so far as to sa ves, and, from some mysterious t hand, produce him in t's not a Joking matter to me, Mr ves," beg your pardon, Vorbe tm sure I didn't mean to joke your feelings in any way. | thinking aloud—somet fortunate habit of mine ng I were that sort ¢ detective who smoot trouble, unravels the immasks th moment, an in the last chapter, Being normal, humdrum sort of f ite serious drawbacks.” You're far from being humdrum,” exclalined Forbes imi You' the most wonderful man I ever met nd the best friend Tever tid You' smoothed away a lot f nd you've done fi ean ever thank vou f you can't aecomplt you can't twist fact or me. And there are pointing to his father's letters “C knows,’ added on. ately, "T've tried. ainst reas > deny them and believe nnocent I've tried to give them and the world the He! But tt's no us » use, T simply can't blind myself as did my mother, he hy wrony Mr n Ject of Mr. CHAPTER 3 whole before Graves can ed with the “Yea, may." A SOpERAGETTE There world has workt i whe holding out war are te this, cabmnly ve moun er cony in poss! t the it May [hay tainly; rurios ening World Daily Magazine, Friday, April 7, 1916 ITS STENCILLED ON AY BACK For A ORESSMAKER i FoR A BRoAdWAY CHICKEN the facts which verified been dead my hoy,’ replied “and they say ytuins, Im rather fuith your mother jection of At your may they be, "t hold. nothing, Vorbes) letters for a few ty or anything them?" you know you In thie wise waa the primary ob- Forbes one o! ft Se as a gent ves's Victoi VES curate any day Muller, visit attained, LV. ry! ed before disguised patd pm an, \ visit in person The Empire Company was merely many conducted by the & suc ful ent aduate f prises, n Hea er Street, his visits to the office were infrequent, active control was vested in Marsland, and therefore the latter lad been able to keep secret the holdup.” When, however, he found hat Forbes could be neither bullied 1 r bhutved, and that ' rm of com. promise was to be effected, it became painful duty to acquaint Mutier with the facts, ‘The fine row, pre- ted by Mr, Graves, followed, Mul contenting himself with calling trom and Marsiand fools, but things for which he could e been arrested Ile was too Vd & business man to under. nate the situation, veallaing at ’ hat) Forbe had them check ‘True to his character, how: and the tradition of bis propose to yield to in- je until he had exhausted all Mis art and eloquence, He ge ed Forbes like a long-los the aking him warmly by the qu wfter his health s 19 fashion, He ‘ Wnal sorrow occ Forbes's sudden and una ' resignation from the Em- Just as if he had not proved of 1 the facts ead with f course, all ke, Mr. Vorbes, dis ask Jousand for your lease, A 4 Forbes, © it not Mu 3 Blad you sve Betrom and Mr. Mars « t eh L tried to point out to m. Itsar f to nd one of you y wit t aif an hour's sweating CUBIST STENCIL \ | &rgument Muller condosoended to rec ognize the inevitable, “Mr, Vorbes he sald grimly, “any dime you dink of changing your job, come to me, As 4n architect you are no goot, but as @ business man-—vell, you hat poasi- bilities, Yes, you haf possibilities. 1 say No more Tt was the following day that Forbes at last learned some deiinite and as- tonivhing facts concerning hia whilom neighbor and the person to whom he owed so much; and it was rathor re. markable that the information should come from Miss Willoughby, whose acquaintance with Mr, Graves was of the briefest Forbes had lunch with her as usucl, relating his interview with Muller, which he considered the last step in the campaign, He then spoke of the onumental debt he owed Mr. Graves, ty the way,” said Mis» Willough= yw twinkle in her gray eyes, “tat minds m I've learned someting about your mysterious Mr, Graves; in fact, | know all about bim., Hes no longer a mystery.’ bes started. You? How sould you know Well, you see, he's rather well Koown if certain quarters, and I'm only surprised you didn't find it out for yourself. I know a reporter on the Sun—you know that Mr. Davis you met—und he told me, It was really all a coinineidence, though, for I ran into Mr. Davis in Forty-second Street yesterday, and while we chat- ted a moment who should pasy but your Mr. Graves, who bowed to me d iifted lily hatin that Beau Bram- mel manner of his. To my surprise, Mr. Davis evidently knew him too, und so, after @ really ridiculous lot of Jestionk and crooked answers, rned his right name and tdentity Graves isn’t his name at all Now I'll give you three guesses who and what he is." She leaned forward, lnughing, flushed and excited, "Come, three guesmes!"* orbes shook his head, “It's no une. I'd guess all around the compass, for I haven't the slightest Idea. He's al- ways been a mystery to me, You don't mean to say he actually labors ra living m4, and Yi orbes groaned “You're taking away all the romance; you'll be te ing me next he's a hard-working butcher, grocer, or fishmonger.”” Miss Wilougiiby laughed and clap- ped her hands, “The thre and all wrong! I'll tell yo his name is Mr. James Blunt, and he's the head of a big detective and inquiry agency perhaps the biggest in the world He used to be at Headquarters and with the Manhattan Surveillance Company. In short, my dear Arnold, he's none other than the ‘Lisping Jimmie’ you and T and every one have read about. ‘There! What do you think of that? Forbes's expression showed what he thought of it, “W-what!" he stam- mered, “Lisping Jimmle—why-—why, Nan, This is one of jo Come, honest Kuesses, you're fooling, your peculiar now!" No, ne. nold, truly, and honestly, samy heart 1e " Mr, Davis knows hin well, Don't you sce how tt explains every. thing? Tis almost uncanny knowl. edie of people and affairs: Nila influ ss Rand & Co. Mt eay, Is na- doMr, Davia ence with sucl Hig influe u firm you mi knows the sort of service done tn Mr. ands ¢ it was the extrication of eelect coterie of biackmatlers, And Mr. Davis says he's Just like that, al- wavs he cause be Ju 6 ng the under dog if his and often finding more mp i nn me emer arses inmate | GUESS NY NAME | | | realty market; | opportunity; he had no special inside — a nea mR If you should find a scrap of amber in a snowdrift— And if you should find it was the clue to a terrible secret You would find yourself in the same odd position as the heroine of THE SECRET IN ‘THE SNOW By MILDRED VAN INWEGE Next Week’s Complete Novel in The Evening World This is not quite like any other “love-and-mystery” story you have read. It is more than worth your while to read it. Intellectual pleasure than pecuniary profit in cases that interest him.” Forbes sat buck and strove to di- Rest the startling information; of all the weird guesses he had hagarded at times concerning “Mr, Grav surpassed the actual, matte truth. He wondered he had shown, He had listened mont daily to the peculiar affected isp which had earned the other his sobriquet; he had noted and com. mented upon ail those mannerisms and features with which, through type and camera, he and countless others had become familiar, Who, tn fact, had not heard of “Lisping Jim- mie” Blunt, the man who, beginntny as plain headquarters’ detective, ha achieved success in @ etring of sen- eational and baffiing cases until now he headed an agency whose arms vir~ tually encircled the globe, Forbes almost smiled audibly as he thought of Mr. Blunt's words: “Now 4f only I wero a real detective, ke the kind one re pout, instead of being a inere bungling amateur’ —— A real detective like the kind one reads about? Ile was all that and more; infinitely more A letter was waiting for Forbes when he reached home that night; @ letter from the WDmpire Company con- taining @ check for $20,000 and @ curt notice to the effect that they expect- ed him to vacate the prone res wenty-four hours, The che Peers 4 and counter. Second National Rank of Chicago, It Was borne in on him with irresistible forces that he must keap bis pledged Word to himself; keep it at all hazards. This was the one and only solution of the problem, and deep down tn his inmost consciousness he had rec- ognized it from the first, though at- tempting to cloud the issue He tnuat keep his pledged word to him- self, to bis own self be true, and his love for Nan Willoughby bad noth- ing whatever to do with the matter; it was not that he loved her less, but honor more, Yes, it waa simply « question of honor; altruistic, quixotic even ridiculous it might be, yet still to him no less a question, He must make some attempt at restitution, for his whole campaign against Mars- land and the Empire Company had been founded on such @ proposition. That twenty-thousand-dollar check Was not his own to do with ag he Uked; from the first ft had been pledged in another direction, @edi- cated to another purpose than the promotion of his own personal happi- ness, He knew also that Nan Will- oughby wasn't the kind of girl to buy happiness at the price of principle; she was aware of the pledging of that check, she knew for what purpose it was to be used, and he could not rove false to his vow. No, there was But the one answer to the question, nor had there ever been another. So Forbes sat down and Rhian signed by Mars deferred letter to the Second Na- nigned by Muller, and Forbes eyed It tional Rank of Chi inclosing the with conflicting emotions; {t meant indorsed check, And he kn the answer had been ven, for now peace and contentment were no longer fictitious. He had not compromised with his sense of honor, nor had victory been lightly achieved, CHAPTER XV. After Fifteen Years. victory, aweeping and emphatic, In a fow weeks, he thought, he had acquired, and almost without effort, the equivalent of elght years’ labor at his former salary; almost seventeen ears at hia present one. ‘This wi how the great majority of fortu! were made; not by the slow and path ful process of saving cent by cent, dollar by dollar, nor yet by investing abe in such schemes as those offered by HE “mysterious Mi vex” a@ concern like the Sterling Mines \ dropped in as Forbes fin<« Company, but simply by using one's {sted addressing and stamp- Ore Ee ane et ee ene iver: ware ing the letter to his father’s Led RL oder teiep th. former employers, It was one of the h opportunities confined to th. for p reall t they were cropping uy asions when “Mr. Graves” looked daily in every branch of endeavor to cid as the everlasting hills rather than be Cites hee pased by ne Rie fresh and young as the summer morn, wake, For inetance, any pa di “ have done this thing, but #t had re- ‘Good evening, Mr. Blunt,” greeted mained for Mr, Blunt to recognize the Forbes with a smi.¢. sping Jimmie” returned the #mtle as be sank Into a chair, “So Mis Willoughby has exposed me?” “How did you know? Have you seen her?” “Not aince yesterday, when I saw her talking to Bob Davis of the Sun, 1 knew, of course, he'd enlighten her, information, but had merely used his brains, and, by inference and deduc- tion, accurately forecast coming events, Such, in the abstract, was the method of all great financiers, ‘This knowledge acted as a healthy, sobering influence on Forbes and kept him from being dazzled by suc pele re ‘ ja + tron, e ementar ” himweif, However, the little business non. never pusmeed. (Gata conflict. with the Empire Company had taught him much; his old, care never happened to meet who knew your true role, any one less, improvident, happy-go-lucky \') ? oe 7 a y this secrecy hs characteristics had vanished, and he «Well, notoriety haa tte drawhétks, had become alert, clear-ey replied Mr, Blunt dryly, “It's @ nui- keen-witted for the battle of life, The past few months and association with uc man as Mr, Blunt had taught could the sane, whole- sance, and sometimes IT want to get away from the day's work If I can, ‘Then again the average person has a him much, no y natural distrust for members of my some Influence of Nan Willoughby Ba Profession; the mere word ‘detective makes them shut up like clams and Some- 20,000 check also meant much he anything but themselves, to Forbes, and in quite a different fiines: too, a man wants to be liked or way; 1t represented a huge, giganld pated for himself, not for what he temptation-—the biggest that had c+ represents, Occasionally I assume curred in Us life since his #ignal various names and live here and there triumph over the dawning craving qn peace and seclusion until an in- for alcohol, Thi occurred to him quisitive somebody exposes me; then now as he stood fingering the check. Ptike another name and move on, A To him twenty thousand represen « huge fortune, yet it meant Infinitely more than that, which could not be put into words or tigu {meant he could now ask Nan Willoughby that tion old as tine itself yet ever He was no exoist, nether ool, and ho knew What her an ‘ must for he had seen hovering in hem eyes more than one Yet he had sald nothing, believing he ad no right to speak when there was no prospect of tnarriage, What right member of my profession requires & nom de guerre quite a» much @ popular author or actor—more so, In fact; otherwise it's impos ible to en- joy one's private life in decency and comfort. It's very flattering but rather embi sing at times to find n epidemte of newsboys, district messengers and other patrons of lurid rature forming an impromptu stion committee on the stoop or front hall. You see, among them I'm re rded as a cross between Old had he to bind her to an engagement wieuth, Nick Carter and Jack John- thee PANE Rave bo ene son, 40 don't blame me if occasion penis: Fe nan ye ees Aily I try to dodge the spotlight.” The Wared gvene soe well & amaus detective laughed and. threw debt ha 0 7 us detect mere {dex was ludicrous. We hee cetnn Woe eee Vorbes had finishe our frien have patd up, eh Ho fingered the check again. Why not keep it? Why attempt the impos- sible? Why attempt to pay off his wo've won out: the check was father's theft? Had not even Mr. waiting for me here night, and I'm Hlunt called it altruism, said he was fi clear out in twenty-four hours, Of neither legally nor morally respon course, Mr. Blunt, none knows bette sible? Payment in the abstract, and than | that at Jeast half, if not all, th when one lacked the money, was all 1 you, but 1 suppose it's very easy, but it seemed quite differ ent when’ the means came to hand the least use in the And during the past few weeks, cs ian ther with hia interest in Miss Willoughby ier Gases ehAt strengthened and deepened, thought wall, not t of payment of his father's theft ad 1 he heeome troublesome in rat When ia eoula rat myplated, marriage had t ' \ ulations; {th entered into his ca appeared as an utter Impossibility » bank And now it remalied an. impossibll- ke a nite ity, but In anotlier sense, for payment okeepina of ‘the theft even in part meant he acurniele ihe could not marry Nan Willoughby, He i wale must choose between ber and his sense mitted frais of honor. in TL dante And, after a long struggle, Forbe that way augat deotd as, perhaps, the averag 1 y young man tn such a position would ed have done, Of course, he would 1 » 1 restitution to the Chicago bank nis ston time, but that time was relegated with the nite future; “Tt wa the he Would pocket the ch ria J nve rt it and ¢ to his own Use, rematned. true ‘ This decision, after weeks of pain- by your own hand. No ful thought and indecision, was a re ns ce some Hef, and, congratulating himself tha i he ‘had done the sensible thing y you only thing, ct~he determined 1 he feel quite he and contente i ‘i cordingly, he lased the I and settled bimsulf with book y Vy eet nomehow the matter refused to be diamissed, the problem refu: . to be solved, and, instead of readin ste his khts into he found himself turning it over and “tt \ over in his mind with all the old t we {Hon. He took the check innocence, f fr ketbook, w! indorsed impossible, Me remoinat Mt dal as his own; nd quite. at the other, and leneca suddenly tha conviction was borne in t produced tt on him with trrestatibie force that had borrowed it was not his own, but belonged to the (To Be Continued.) a a eo if "