PAGE SIX
M’sHonjiiptoe I
St®wart Edward White
oh K |jjfag:> j* ||M/| ‘ j Illustrations by fUnry Jay Lee
‘lt' ill Mil 1 I Copyright Stewart Edward White
Publishers Au-toceteter Service
WHO’S WHO IN THE STORY
GRIMSTEAD, a capitalist, stran
ded by the breaking down of his
car on a California mountain side, j
BURTON GRIMSTEAD, his char- j
zning, spoiled daughter, is with him.
She is not overly pleased when she
finds that her father had insisted on
her coming in order that she may be
thrown in with
ROSS GARDINER, her father’s
second-in-command, a capable young
man whom, however, she does not
tike.
SIMM INS, their .English butler
chauffeur, is sent after help and re
turns with v >v- * *
LAWRENCE DAVENPORT, a
young fellow in a ludicrous home
built car with a battery that is
shown to be a marvellous invention,
producing, by some mysterious agen- 1
cy, from the electricity by
which the car runs. His winning a
SIO,OOO bet from v Gardiner by cor
rectly predicting* storni, and
the revelation (to'-.her alone), that
he is “the” Lawrence Davenport, a
famous writes* make him vastly in
teresting to Miss Burton Grimstead.
Impressed by the' commercial pos
sibilities of the battery, Grimstead
has Gardiner draw up a contract for
its exploitation, which Davenport
formally agrees to Sign after it is
stipulated that it will, not be pushed
so fast as greatly to 4i stur b capital
and labor. Davenport tells Burton
that every one possessed the same
power he possessed and she tries to
laatti tkp verpt
SIMMINS. butler-chauffeur, who
is friendly toward Davenport, is per
suaded to try to steal the signed
agreement from Grir?st?ad’s bill-fold.
CHAPTER XIX
Sim&dns, * True KLnight
The campaign of dissemoling went
off with a bang. Grimstead’s hos
tility melted easily. The impact of
Davenport’s identity as a famous au
thor, instead of the mechanic he had
believed him. was tremendous. The
engagement finished him.
Davenpci; was an excellent match
he was a manly chap, and —if Grim
stead could arrange it —he was go
ing to be immensely wealthy. Os
course he had a lot oi damn-fool
idealistic notions, but an author was
supposed to be eccentric.
Supper passed jovially enough.
Then Grimstead caused the hearts
of three of the party to skip a
beat.
“Simmins,” he commanded, "here
is my coat to clean up a little; it’s
got an awful iish smell about it/’
As he spoke he took off the gar
ment and hung it on a stub, replac
ing it with a sweater. He removed
nothing- from the pockets, and all
three of the conspirators could dis
tinctly make out a corner of the
bill-fold showing from the inside
pocket.
Simmins picked up the coat, and
with it started toward the creek.
“Hey!” called Grimstead after
him. “Where you going?” I don’t
want that thing washed!”
“No sir; of course not, sir. Mere
ly a trifle of soenging, fresh run
ning water, you know, sir” stammer
ed Simmins at a loss.
“Well, go ahead. But there are
some things in che pockets; look
out you don’t lose them. , There h
a tobacco pouch and a notebook in
the side pocket, and my pocketbook
in the inside pocket.”
“Never fear, sir, I’ll take the best
of care,” chattered Simmins, beating
a hasty retreat.
“You’re not afraid to trust him
with a pocketbook?” Larry ventured
to suggest
jUrimstead laughed.
“I wouldn’t trust him with my
rol:,” he “But that pocket
book contains nothipg* but papers;
and they can ail be replaced. There
is nothing there to interest Sim
mins.”
Burton and Larry 'exchanged an
other glar.cc. . It was almost too
good to be true.. : -
After 10 minutes Simmins glided
unobtrusively into the firelight and
hung the coat again on the stub.
“Here,” Grinfstead commanded
at once, “bring me that pocketbook
out of the inside pocket.
For a moment Simmins limbs
refused to work; but he succeeded
in extracting the pocketbook and
bringing it to his master. Contrary
to expectation, G 4‘instead did not
open it. He examined Simmins
curiously.
“You’re trembling like a leaf,”
he said. “What is the matter with
you?”
Simmins muttered something about
it being chilly by the stream.
“Well, bring me my small leather
kit bag.”
He opened the kit bag, burrowed
down to the bottom, and tucked the
bill fold beneath the flap.
“There! She’ll stick safe enough
there until we go. Take it back,
Simmins.”
“Yes, said Simmins, “and if there
is nothing more, sir, I ask permis
sion to return to my camp to turn
in.”
“Well. take a drink before you
go,” offered Grimstead. “Here is
the key. Your teeth are chattering.”
Simmins gratefully swallowed the
whiskey, returned the key and dis
appeared.
Larry and Burton wandered off
toward the car and found Simmins
waiting for them.
“Here, sir; here it is,” he burst
out, thrusting a paper into Larry’s
hands. “What is to happen when
he discovers his loss, sir, I cannot
for the life of me imagine.
“Nothing! Don’t worry, Simmins.
If he finds it out, I will take the
blame. You have acted very nobly
in this matter. Neither Miss Burton
nor mvself will ever forget it.”
“Indeed we shall not, Simmins,” .
added Burton; “You are a true
knight!” •
Simmins retired, his heart glowing. *
The two young people made their
way to the bank of the little stream
where they would be screened from
the camp. There Larry lighted a
match and cast a hasty glance of
inspection at the document.
“It’s alright,” he assured Burton :
relievedly. “This is it! Blessed be
Simmins!” !
He tore it into small pieces and
cast them into the current. !
“I feel as though the weight of 1
worlds had been lifted!” he cried. 1
“It does seem as though some
one or something was helping us,” j
said Burton soberly. “I chink chat
we should be very thankful that N
things came about so easily.”
CHAPTER XX
Discovered
The moment the young people,
were out of hearing Grimstead turn- (
ned on Gardiner with an almost sav
age intensity of manner.
“Listen here, Ross*,” he said rap
idly. “The time has,.come for ac- j
tion, and we must get busy. Things .
are at touch and go with us and the
stakes are the biggest ever played.” j
Gardiner looked at him blabkiy. j
“Never mind figuring.it oirh-Lis-t
ten to me, and take orders. This
man Davenport is a fool, but he has
brains. It was perfectly evident that j
the thought would soon suggest it-;
self that if he could once get hmd of |
the agreement he had signed he .
could tell us to go whistle.” j
“But since be and Miss Burton
—” . , I
“Poppycock! Do you think that _
type of fanaticism ever becomes rea- j
sonable ?”
“Then why—” ;
“A blind. It wouldn’t fool a mud- .
hen, let alone a wi£e f/ old coot like
me. I'm an old bird; I can put two
and two together. The first thing
to try was obviously to get hold of
it peaceably, by stealing it. If that
didn’t work, he was going to get it:
some how, if he had to hold us up j
or sandbap- us. I know the type. He’s i
a fanatic, and the most dangerous
kind. He’d commit murde; before;
he’d give in.” !
“Get him before he gets us” he ;
suggesieG.
“I be>zan to take my measures at .
once,” Grimstead went on. “Obvi- i
ously he’d try first cf all to steal j
the bill fold. So i made it easy for ■
him.”
“Did you suspect Simmins? ’
“Not .-it that time. But I figur- |
ed Davenport would begin co man- 1
oeuvre to get hold of the coat orj
near it.”
“A test/’ murmured Gardiner.
“Precisely* Well, when he did■
not, I began to think I might be :
wrong*. Then Simmins came back as j
scared as a rabbit, and I realized he *
was in it. I’ll settle with him later.” i
“But the agreement —”
“Was not there, of course! I sub- ,
stituted the carbon conv.”
“They’ll detect the difference; it,
isn’t signed.”, - - . I
“I signed it for him,” grinned j
M e older m„n “it isn’t a verv good
forgery, bet ad he’ll do -tonight wdl j
I to examine it with a nint h to •
ofe if it’s vhut he wanto.”
“Clevr-r '.7 >.*«:, chief,” cried Gar- ;
c.iner. ‘Bv 1 don’t set that it '
gets ns IN.” 7 i
It gets 1.3 until morning. And
it corroborate -s my suspicions ”
•‘Now listen carefully, Russ,” eon- j
tinned Grimed can, “for the? i - whs*. j
you must do. You’ve got to get j
out of here, ana you’ve got to take .
Ibis agreement with you to the near-!
recorder’s, and get it entered. 1
'l'- at means > >u start tonurf!.. just I
as scon as e has turned in.” j
Gardiner nodded. * I
“So far r-o good. Ba: the* ? is |
another thing. This man is ah so- •
lately Capable of laying down on us, |
no matter what agreements we may j
have.”
“What do you mean?”
“Refuse his formula.” {
“But you can ruin him.”
“He’lTstand that. He ll stand for
now he’s got nis head set';
That’s the sort they used to use the;
thumb rack on without muon sue- J
cess. Could you you analyze this;
battery, if you had it, and reproduce j
the formula?”
“Certainly, if what he • says is 1
true, that the plates are a simple *
alley, and there is no further i
secret. It will only be necessary to ;
analyze them, measure their exact i
proportions, determine their sped- I
sic gravity, and observe carefully;
any peculiarities of their shape and 1
position.”
“Remember, their distance Irovn j
each other is important.”
“That of course. I see your idea. !
We are to steal the battery.”
“It must weigh 40 pounds.” ob-!
jected Gardiner. “Do we hide it i
somewhere?”
“No, you’ll drive it out. The
roads will now carry you* Iv’e been j
watching them. Put the battery
; back in that rattletrap of his and j
drive it out.”
Gardiner pondered.
“When we stop that self-starter
it will be noticed,” he objected, “and
“ there’ll be a lot of noise getting off.
; Simmins sleeps light next door. What ,
do I do with him?”
; “Simmins is already taken care
> of,” said the pirate chief calmly. :
1 “He will continue to sleep. That :
; drink I gave him will fix that.
“Doped?” surmised Gardiner.
“Just that. Morphine from the j
I
medicine case. And we’ll, feed
Davenport a little of the same.”
“Chief, you’re a wonder!' You.
think of everything. I’d suggest you
tie him up after he goes under or:
he’ll likely raise hell when he comes
to.” ■ • V >
“I expect to,” said Grimstead.
“Look out; here they come! You
understand your job and remember,
it’s the biggest stake in the world.”
CHAPTER XXI
Events ran smoothly along the
plan laid out for them by the pir
ate chief. Burton and Davenport
returned shortly to the campfire
At a suitable time a night-cap was
proposed and drunk. Soon after,
with Burton in her darkened tent
and Davenport deep in stupor the
conspirators had the place to 1
themselves.
Silence rushed in upon the dying
clatter as into a vacuum. Gardiner 1
paused long enough to look in on
Simmins. That worthy had not. ■
stirred.
It was the work of but a few mom
ents more to reinstall Davenport’s
strange storage battery in the other
car." < -
Gardiner found the engine much
more flexible than any gasoline car
he had ever driven. For a few
minutes he amused himself by.
bringing it almost to a stop and
then picking up smoothly and posi
tively by merely opening the throt
tle. He then started out and settled
down to the sheer pleasure of driv
ing as fast as his skill would permit.
He was a good driver, and he un
derstood well how to pick up on the
straightways and just how much to
check at the curves. And he was a
safe driver, as genuine skill is us
ually safe. # ’ ,v
But Gardiner was not alone in the
car. No less a personage than Pun
ketty-Snivvles occupied the seat next
to him, but the little dog’s protect
ive coloration had concealed him
from Gardiner’s notice.
Now Gardiner had once cuffed
Punketty-Sniwles soundly when that
personage had been left in his char
ge. So, crouched in his place, Pun
ketty-Snivvles fixed his beady eyes
in malevolence on his enemy, and
worked up a fine big hate.
| Gardiner flashed around a last
corner to see ahead of him a straight
bridge. The lights showed him its
approach on a slight rise, and that
it was built on a high trestle. Then
the nose of the car touched the slight
rise and the lights lifted.
At the same instant Punketty-
Sniwles. whose hate had worked up
to a point of action, reached out
(and bit Gardiner in the wrist!
Gardiner, who had not known of
! the dog’s presence, jumped in sur
prise and alarm. The car swerved,
but he was tpo cool a driver to per-
I mit it to leave the road. However,
! for three seconds his attention was
' deflected, and that time was suffi
! cient to shoot *he car on the plank
-1 ine of the bridge.
Gardiner saw all this with the
! corner of his eye, and steered true,
i while at the same time his direct
! vision was occupied in identifying
: the cowering little dog. Then he
, looked back to the front.
| Before him yawned an abyss. The
i bridge had been carried away by the
flood!
! Even while he reached for the
! brake his brain photographed clear
jly the jagged edges of the bridge,
; the opposite bank picked out clearly
iby the lights, and ■ dimly far below
j a white and phosphorescent tumble
of waters hastening' to the sea.
; The brakes checked the raoment
; uni almost but not quite enough. The
| car slowed, ran off the edge, seem
* ed for an instant to hover right side
.up like a bird.
! Then down it plunged and the
foaming, turbulent waters seized it
t and bore it shouting away.
CHAPTER XXII
I And Rapscallion Docs His Stuff
| By the campfire Grimstead strain
' ed nis pars to catch the last sounds
jof Gardiner’s departure. Things
j were going* very well. They always
; did go well, he had found, , when di
| reeled masterfully. V *
j Burton, as he had foreseen, did
; not stir in her tent. She was young
and slept soundly, especially in the
ifiist part of the night.
I After a while he threw away his
! cigar, stretched and arose. First
! he Davenport for a mom
j ent, listening to his father* stentori
i ous breathing. Then he sauntered
ito the big redwood at whose base
, the kitchen had been made.
! Here he deliberately unknotted a
i.shoit piece of line that had been
i used to suspend a shading bit of
i canvas, and with it returned toward
i the sleeper. He was thoroughly sat
■ isfied, and was humming a little
tune.
j In his brief absence another had
' added himself to the scene. Rapscal
-1 lien bad shared the tent with Bur
ton. Now, however, urged by some
| vague restlessness, some telepathic
i uneasiness, some trickle from the
j current searching out a channel of
his doggy mind, he had deserted the
warm and grateful nest and had
come forth to sit by his master.
Grimstead paid him no attention;
but, cord in hand advanced upon the
sleeper. Now the queer thing hap
-1 pened.
Rapscallion was the most friendly
i of dogs, ever polite and eager, whose
with humans had ai
-1 ways been courteous. Also he was
of course, thoroughly familiar with
| Grimstead.
! “Here, Rap, you old fool!” 'he
j admonished in a low voice. “What j
ails you?”
j ; And again stepped forward. I
I
THE CHATHAM RECORD
Instantly XiTpsc Lon uttered a .
sharp and clm'ienglng bark.
The sleeper d a not stir; no sound
came from trie tent. grimstead
stepped i’orw.vrd agaian. -
Now Rapscallion did not know
what it y/as ad about. Only his sim
ple dog imfid had received the im
pression tnat, unexplainedly and for
the first time, the proximity of this
large human meant trouble to Mas
ter; and iliU simple dog code told
him to stick tight, say as much as
he could about it, and, in extremity
to do his utmost.
If he had a private thought apart,
which is improbable, it was a re
flecting one of despair at relative
sizes and powers; but it did not af
fect his course of conduct. He be
gan to bark rapidly and wnrningly.
As Grimstead continued to ad
vance he bobbed forward and back
a few, inches as though propelled by
a spring. . .
These things impressed Grimstead
just so far as to cause him to pick
up a heavy club shaped, brand of
wood, a weapon that plainly outgun
ned the armament of the little red
dog‘who fought at 15 pounds!
At this moment Burton appeared
from the tent.
“Dad!” she cried, “what are you
doing with that club and that rope?
“I’ll keep him quiet.”
Her first sleepy thought was that
the dog’s barking had awakened
Grimstead and exasperated him to
the point of canide.
As her mind cleared and fo
cussed, however, he'* eyes widened
with terror. Davenport’s immobility
amid all this noise, Grimstead’s day
attire; what did it mean?
She dashed forward to Larry and
undeterred by Rapscallion, fell on
her knees, at his side.
“What have you done?” What
have you done?” she cried, terror
stricken.
“Nothing—nothing at all—he is
perfectly all right!” cried Grim
stead, whose one idea was to reas
sure her before she lost control of
herself. “He’s not hurt. He’ll
be as well as ever in the morning.”
But by this time Burton had as
sured herself that Larry was living
and unhurt, and rose slowly to her
fret. Her brow was puckered in
thought. ~ - >
“You’ve drugged him!” she de
cided at last. She pondered for
a moment more, then raised bar
head.
“The engine has stopped—you ve
stolep the car!” she cried in sudden
enlightenment. A deep scorn rose to
the surface of her eyes. “And now,
you were going to tie him! You re
afraid of what he might do!”
On the passinp; of the danger of
hysterics Grimstead became himself
again. This was too big a matter
to permit of sentiment. He spoke
brusquely.
“This is not woman's business,
Burton,” said he, “and you must not
interfere. No harm is intended to
your young man. Indeed, lam sav
ing him from himself, and in. the
future he will thank me for making
him a rich man instead of permitting
him to ruin himself by foolishness.”
“He will never thank you; and
I will never forgive you,” she said
passionately.
He shrugged his shoulders. Wo
men always got over these things.
Still, a slight change in minor tac
tics seemed desirable. It would
no longer be possible or desirable to
restrain the young man by force.
“X leave him to you,” he told
Burton. “Try to get some common
sense into him —if it’s possible. But
be sure to tell him one thing: That
his interests are going to be scrup
ulously protected. He’ll get every
cent that is coming to him.”
He disappeared down the meadow.
Burton looked after him, her bos
om heavinp- with emotions too deep
for reply. Then in a passion of min
gled loyalty and anger she fell on
her knees again beside the unconsci
ous young, man.
(Continued Next Week)
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\ SHfCSSjP
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I
The I
POLICY
of
PRO«REBi
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V i • . 4 V. ? •. I *
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by
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Thursday, February 18, 1928