The evening world. Newspaper, December 3, 1921, Page 15

{ i is .- THE EVENING WORLD’S FICTION SECTION, SATURDAY, DUCEMBER 3, 1921. "8 ‘was pulled down close over t's ears. Squinty raised his face timidly. “Boss!” he wavered in. 4 isrynxless voice, “Could you slip m» enough for “ cup of coffee? I've not kad a bite to eat for two days. Honest, bss. I’m wear starved.” Thornton took the ecarecrow by the arm anc looked him over, “Why don’t you go to a police sta- tion?”’ Squinty trembled in his grasp. “I'm afraid of the bulls.” “What are you afraid o* them for?” Suddenly the scarecrow tottered. liad. Thornton not csrabted him Squinty would have deprrte? in an wmbulance, The poor devil waa all in. That was cnough for Dean, “Come along with me, old man!” said Thorntod, . “I can fix you up some- how. There’s-still something left in the ice-box, I guess!" Twenty minutes later a steaming Squinty was slowly rotating fore the -‘fire in the Thognton parlor, Dis boots were off—his jumper hung on a chair turned to the blaze, and 6n (he man- felpiece beside him stood what re- mained of a tumbler of hot teddy. He had deévoured, standing, ‘wo cold chops, a dissociated chicken wing, & saucer of olives, a can of salmon, and Lalf a loaf of bread. As the warm toddy percolated through 1.is body his heart expanded and he whimpered with happiness blent with p:ty for his unfortunate self. “Feel better?” inquired his host. Squinty nodded solemn'y. “Guv'ner,” he said huskily. “You've saved my life.—Too bad, tr ain't worth savin'!" “Nonsense!" retorted MBornton, “Any life is worth saving.” “Mine ain't!’ mittered Sqvinty. “I'm done. It ain't no usé for me to try to pull anything on you. ['m a gun. Doin’ time up the river. The warden he let me come down to bury my” grandmother, but I fell fur the booze and broke my parole. I’m scared to go back ‘cause beside the six months I owe yet I'm under a tcn year sus- “ pended sentence for another ,ob, and Vll forfeit my good behsvior. That makes eleven and eight. Life—for me —boss! Yes, life! Tk not Ive through it!” _™: Thornton looked at him curiously. “Why did you tell me that?” “'Cause you treated me ‘right. 1. want to be on the level with you. You'll have to surrender me.” “I'll not’ surrender you!” “Not?” “No. But I won't help you to make & getaway, either.” ° “Getaway!” Squinty shrugged his thin shoifiders disdainfuly. “A fine getaway I'd make. I dassent show my Yace outdoors. I ain't had pat three bites in six days and noth'ng to d*tnk ‘cept out of the sparrow fountain in Madison Square. Some life, what? Getaway! O, rapture!” Thornton tossed him a cigarette. “You say the warden let you come to New York alone?” Squinty nodded. “Then he must have had consider- able confidence in you!” . “Confience? I. should say he did! ain't I—I mean wasn't I—2n the honor roll?” “Oh!” Thornton regarded him se- verely. “Won't this performance of yours seriously affect prism discl- pline? Won't the women lose faith in the boys?” Squinty bit his lips, his twisted face became distorted, and tears—real enes—came into his eyes. . “Look here, my friend!" eaclaimed ‘Thornton. ‘You're sure to 40 back! No question about that! If you don’t, every privilege they’ve g>: up there will be cut off. You'll make the other fellows pay for your good time for the next two years!" “Good time!" snorted Sqtinty. had a hell of a time!” “But you preferred the hootch to keeping your word!’ “No, I didn't. I didn't want no hootch.” “Well, why on earth ddn't you g:. back?" “Because,” averred Squinty, Thornton again, Order “I've facing “those damn .Phelan Your i «4 “cousins of mine at the funeral give me such a pain it just took a!l the pleae- ure out of it, I had to get drunk.” T was 2 o'clock befors it occurred to Thornton to go to bed, and had it not been for, Squinty inability to keep awake they would doubt- fess have conversed all night. Leav- ing the fugitive snoozing in )is chair. ‘Thornton foraged for a bivnket and arranged a shake-down on the divan. There was a small safe in ihe corner end before going back h unlocked it dnd placed .the sheaf of papers which Le had been carrying in his pocket in one of its pigeon-holes. Then he con- ducted .Squinty thither, bade him goodnight and locked him ‘a He felt quite sure he cowd square “DAMMIT!” Squinty with the warden. He was still dteaming when he heard a #nock on his b2droom door and awofre to fird to his surprise that it waa already caylight, * “Mr. Hawksley wants to speak to you on the telephone,” said the maid. Thornton lifted the inst'ument fron the bed-table beside him, Pe “Excuse me for disturbing you,’ came his broker's voice, “Bui—ydu've got a hundred ‘Pujo,’ haven't you? I thought so! Well, did you see where Pujo closed at 49 last night?" “No.” In an instant Thornton was Lolt upright. “Why,” he gasped, “it’s been selling for years arond 7 and 8.” “Sure!” But they say old Scanlon is trying to corner it, If you went to get out, now is the time.” “Hurrah!” exclaimed his delighted client, “Sell by all means!” “All sight,” replied Hawksley, “I'll enter your order to sell at the market at the opening. Be sure and send me down your certificate some time to- Gay. So long!” Thornton dressed slowly. His luck bad turnec. Forty-nine huvitred dol- lars! A neat little profit. Almost enough to take a chance and marry *Jessica on. Evening World A reward f.r going tha food Samaritan act the m git before. With his heart aglow he wih's'led h'm- self downstairs and turnei *o the dour sf the den. It was ajar. Th2 room was vacant, Squinty had van-b¢d. Anil tif safe in which he had so careful'y Placed his stock certificate for 10) shares ot Pujo was open wid empiy Also empty was a bottiec, b's last bic- tle of King William standing solitary upon the mantel, He cou!! :o longer sell his stock for he cou'd nut deliver it. : He looked at his watch—3 45. In ff- teen minutes the gong on the Stock Exchange would sound ari Hawks.ey would sell a hundred Puj; for his ac- count at the market. Why wot let the ROARED THORNTON. “i CAN’T SELL. | HAVEN'T ANY STOCK!" fale go through onethe chance that Squinty would turn up or be arrested Guring the course of a-day or so, ur that Pujo would sell off afier ‘ht open- ing so that he could cover ut nearer what the stock was worth? He prob- ably could cover in the twesties, or st least in the thirties. Five minutes to ten! But—suppose Scanlon had cornered the stock and it should go up? He would have to buy in at a higher price in order to de- liver—and he had no money. It was too risky! It wouldn't be honorable, for Hawksley would have sold rely- ing on his assurance that he had the stock. Without more ado he got Hawks- ley's office on the telephone, asked for the broker, and, finding the floor, sent word through his partmer to cancel the order to sell. The partner pro- tested politely. There had been pri- vate dealings in Pujo and already be- fore the opening therd were outside bids of @ for the stock. Sixty! Thornton turned faint at the risk he had run; then sick at the thought of the profit he was losing. Six thousand dollars! If he could only locate Gquinty and get back that wretched certificate—wholly useless to the thief! How did one lost people, anyway? find ~ OTHING had been heard of the truant cither at Sing Sing or at Police Headquarters, The use. of the s#varden’s. name, to be sure, secured for his inquiry in- stant attention at the Detective Bu- reau. But it at once developed that the fact that Thornton himself had seen and talked with the fugitive the night before was the first and only clue the police had of him. Thornton slammed down the re- ceiver. Instantly he received a fresh incoming call, . Hawksley speaking from the floor of the Exchange, “Look here, ‘old man," he panted. “Pujo has climbed up to 89. . There's terrific dealings in it. Looks like a real corner, Market may break at any moment. For God's sake let me sell your stock. Why man, it’s near $9,000!" “Dammit!” roared back Thofntoni “I can't sell. I haven't got any stock!" “Haven't got it? Where is it? Did you sell it through some other house?” “A burglar took it!" yelled Thorn- ston. . ‘There was an amazed silence at the other end of the telephone. “A bur- glar!"’ “Yes—a .burglar!" “I'll be damned.” “Well, you can be for all of me!” retorted Thornton. “Isn't there any- thing I can do? Sell for future de- livery?” “Not in a market like this!'\ an- swered his friend, ‘They want im- mediate delivery, What you better do is to apply to the trapsfer company for a new certificate, file an affidavit setting forth the circumstances sur- rounding the Inss and offer to give a bond in double the amount.” “And how long will all that take?’ “Oh, about a week. Sorry, old top! I've got to get back to the post!” And Hawksley rang off. p Thornton racked his brains for some method of tracing the elusive Squinty. How about an advertisement in the evening papers which might catch the convict’s eye? . “Pujo Ltd. Lost! Certificate in my name for 100 shares of Pujo Limited. Agree to pay one thou- sand dollars ($1,000) for its imme- diate return. No questions, DEAN THORNTON.” like, He'd the regular ‘‘ads" box--cost what may. after 11 o'clock and he de- cided to go to his lawyer's and start proceedings the issuance of a fresh certificate. As he left the sub- way at Rector Street a boy shoved an extra under his chin. In a two-inch Ah! this among eight-inch It was Something print in an for headline all across the top ran the words: “CORNER IN PUJO LIMITED: STOCK SOARS TO 136.” Thornton: brushed him roughly aside. At the lawyer's office the cor- her In Pujo was causing something like a Roman holiday. By lunch time Pujo had jumped to 190, at 2 o'clock to 0, and when the gong rang was quoted 385 bid without takers, Thornton caused his advertisement to be inserted in four evening papers with,the result that his telephone kept ringing all the evening. But did not call up. Thornton lay awake ali night trying to devise ways Or means to extricate himself from his tantalizing predica- ment. The only possible chance lay in the forlorn hdpe that Pujo might Squinty not decline too much before his new certificate could be issued—which they told him weuld take ten days. He arose with his nerves twitching like a dope fiend's. Pujo opened at on advance over- night of 50 points—a ten-shure lot at 435. 470, and by noon the stock was quoted 505 bid. Thornton spent his morning in a frenzy of telephoning, to .the Detée- tive Bureau, to Sing Sing, to the hews- papers, to the Pujo Company's offices in case the certificate had been picked up and turned in. Pujo closed at 677! A few more shares came out at in Advance