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FOURTEENTH EPISODE Tnim Tturtnn a. worker in a steel mill, suddenly Inherits !an English title and $10,000,00.. HeMecIdes hf. ,fpend his life if necessary, in an attempt to solve the question i"ls Humanity in the Grip of Evil?" Each episode of this series forms a distinct story In itself depicting his experiences In Ms searcn ior me irum. Humanity Triumphant. s Th Appeal. The fuse was a slow one. Evidently t had been eoiontPri In order to nrolong the agony.' Bill Reil ly's nerves, less nnder control than Burton's, yielded to the strain and he seemed to find relief in upbraiding the wretches with whom he once had fraternized but who now hated him with a deadlier malice than the man they regarded as chiefly responsible for the gang's threatened dis ruption. But, like all criminals, they were cowards at heart, and fled the danger zone long before the hissing serpent between the chairs could release its true venom. Burton felt quite resigned to this last stroke of an outrageous fortune." Was he ready to die? Did he really resent be ing thus reft from life in the plentltnde of his physical and intellectual powers? He did not know. f Bill Reilly felt some regret that he had not suc ceeded in accomplishing what he set out to do rescue John Burton from the hands of the Hell cats. He wished to free Burton, not for himself alone, although he had great admiration for the titled millionaire who treated all men as his equal, but he did desire in a measure to pay, in the one way he could, Grace Doe for the kindness she had shown him. He regretted he had ventured alone into the hands of the Hell-cats and wasted a few precious seconds thinking how he might have let Blanche Griffin be more of a help to him in the work he had cut out for himself. He wondered whether Grace Coe, when she heard of his rejoining the gang, would believe Blanche's story, that he had done it to aid Burton or would think that he had suffered a change of heart. No sooner was the room emptied of the cut throat gang, not one of whom dared even the slight risk of watching the actual explosion of the bomb through an open window or doorway, than he made a determined effort to free himself. He succeeded almost at once, and with a whoop of triumph wriggled out of the chair. By this time nearly three-quarters of the fuse was consumed, so this daring fellow, without the slightest hesitation, picked up the bomb and hurled It through the porch far out into a disheveled gar den. Banging the door, so as to obviate any risk of injury by flying metal, he raced back to Burton's side and began untying him. The Hell-cats had gone about their business more leisurely with the millionaire, and the knots defied Reilly 's nimble fingers at first. He had only partially extricated the man whose life he had risked everything to save, when the infernal ma chine exploded with a deafening detonation. " But Reilly never ceased his efforts. Ere it was possible to distinguish the light of the day again John Burton stood at liberty by his side. The respite thus gained did not endure long. The Hell cats understood how they had been foiled, and swarmed back like angry bees returning to a dis turbed hive. The almost defenceless pair carried no effective weapons, but seized the chairs which had formed their sacrificial altar, and defended themselves valiantly against all comers. Such human riff-raff as composed this gang of gunmen, however, were not minded to risk broken heads and sore bones in a fair hand-to-hand fight. One of them whipped out a revolver and fired point blank at Reilly. The bullet struck him in the breast and he staggered and fell. Burton, giving his faithful companion one agonized glance, was momentarily taken unawares and soon yielded to an attack in force. The whole dramatic scene ended almost as quick ly as it had begun. Burton was now a prisoner again, and poor Reilly lay groaning on the floor, little caring what further suffering a vicious fate might have in store for him. For a few seconds it looked as though the brains of both men would have been shot out then and there. But, as Burton ascertained subsequently, Mother Flannigan had been an interested spectator not only of the fight but of Reilly's unexpected re lease, with its sequel in the explosion of the bomb outside the house. The old hag herself, aided "by Tv.o-Gun Jake, had experimented with fuses of various lengths, and meant making a last attempt to extort ransom from the principal victim before it was too late. Knowing that the gang did not possess a sec ond bomb, she determined to change her tactics, and intervened shrilly at the very instant one of her henchmen was drawing a pistol with intent to fire point-blank in Burton's face. "You wait for orders, you boob," she screamed. 'Who tole you to butt in? Put away that gun, and toe him up in the chair again." Her command was obeyed with difficulty, since both chairs had been broken in the struggle. While John was being lashed to a rickety seat, he looked calmly into the scowling faces of his persecutors. "What good will it do any of you to kill me?" he said. "You are only committing a stupid crime, which will surely be discovered, and lead to a hue and cry of the most determined kind." Mother Flannigan thrust herself forward. Her evil eyes blazed into his. "Now you're talkin'," she croaked. "Do us a bit of good, an save yourself. Will you give us fifty thousand dollars, an' keep mum when we turn you loose?" j John shook his head. "That is not my meaning at all," he said quietly. kTo buy my life on those terms simply implies the triumph of evil. I will repay you by help and kindness. I will promise you the fair treatment which many of you have never yet received from society, but I absolutely refuse to bargain In terms of money.'. : Toirdo, eh?" screamed the virago. "Well See abput that.' You are' in our hands here, Mr. Mar quis,' aiid don't you forget it. If it wasn't for the carelessness of some of these blunderin' idiots, oti aiid your pal '.would have gone up a mihriit since In J smoke an , fire. You think, perhaps, that the tops are after; us, ah'Jf you can only waste time theyjll rescue you. Don't you believe it. To prove jay words ra give you one hour. If, however, at fine end "? of that-: time you iV V 1.WCH. UUU L JIUlillSe ' 1 Py pown' fifty thousand plunks Just when and where we want 'em, I myself will drive a knife through your ribs, an let the boys here finish the-Job as they like afterwards." It was only too evident that the dreadful old Creature meant what she said,' but John met her gaze unflinchingly, almost with compassion. "Very well," he said, "I accept your , respite of , an hour, but don't let poor Reilly bleed to death straight away. Let him have his hour, toll). Bind his wounds, therefore,, and give him some water. . . v Now, men," he added, sweeping the igrim circle of the Hell-cats with a comprehensive glance, "carry out your terms fairly and squarely." "D'ye mean that you're willin' to pay?" broke in an, eager voice. " "That is to be settled at the expiration of an hour," was the calm answer. "He thinks he's playin with us," sneered Mother Flannigan, "but I'll teach him. See if I don't!" Nevertheless, moved by some lingering sense of fair dealing, she wet a handkerchief, made it into a pad and bound it tightly over the bullet wound in Reilly's breast. And thus began an hour of mental and fmysical agony. Meanwhile some stirring events had happened In the city. It will be remembered that Burton had employed a Japanese Valet during the absence on vacation of the smooth-spoken English servant who usually filled that office. He had come to like the little brown man, and retained him in his service, so that the two valets alternately per formed the same duties. When the gunmen made their attack on Burton's house, choosing the hours Of broad daylight as the safest for their purpose, and depending for success wholly on rapidity of movement, the Japanese happened- to be in a dressing room adjoining the library where his master was at the moment at tending to some belated correspondence. Hearing a sudden hubbub of rushing feet and muttered oaths, the little man ran in only to pe blackjacked forthwith. He fell like a pole-axed ox, and the Hell-cats did not care whether or not he was actually dead. The fate of a valet was of no account. What they wanted was a bound and gagged millionaire safe in the limousine of a fast car, and this achievement they carried out with a daring and efficiency worthy of a better cause. So the Jap recovered his senses, and was able to give the police a fairly lucid account of the at tack. The police decided that a widespread publicity would best serve their ends, and supplied the press with such meager details as they possessed. Grace Coe was sitting down to a belated lunch- 1 Grace Coe Takes the Gangster's Mother to Gang Headquarters. 2 Asking Grace Coe to Find Her Son. 3 Burton and Reilly in the Gangsters' Power. 4 He Could Have Found No More Beautiful and and Gracious Partner. eon when her brother ran newspaper in his hand. "I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Grace, but feel that you ought to know the worst. Burton has been captured by the Hell-cats! They actu ally took him bodily out of his house, and have rushed him in a car to some place which the police have not been able to locate. I think you can help. Those people at the Settlement " The words died away on his lips, for his very heart was chilled by the sight of the wan misery In the. girl's face. But she rose steadily enough, and her voice was extraordinarily under control. "I half expected this," she said. "Yes, I must do what I can. Don't come with me, George. I shall go alone. You do not 'know the ways of my poor friends. If you are there, they will be dumb, but to me they will tell the truth!" On reaching the Settlement she found Blanche Griffin there. Her own despair was equaled by that of the girl whom she had dragged out of the gutter, for the newspaper reports made it clear that Bill Reilly, the ex-convlct who had found re demption, was missing as well as the millionaire. Poor Blanche 'was already harboring a dream of her own wherein a quiet cottage home, children, and the happiness which comes alone from love and honest work, might one day be hers. That vision was rUdely shattered. It was replaced by a grim and tragic reality. Wherein John Burton Solves the Problem. In looking back through the history of an Indi fidtlal, as of a nation, it would seem as though Idle chance played the most Important part in human affairs. - It is not so, of course. The apparently aimless currents . of life mingle at last and unite in one mighty and irresistible stream-of progress. ..Who, for instance, could-possibly have imagined any active connection between the arrival that ' day of a worn, frayed, elderly woman at the city's cen tral depbt with the deadly menace threatening John burton and his faithful friend, Bill Reilly? Surely not the poor creature herself ! .On leaving the train she emerged into a crowded street, and the be wiidered, half -frightened, half-despairing expression betokened by ' drooping - Hps and lack-luster eyes showed; that she, at least, ' was irresolute of mind and ;sadl aware of her own unimportant place in the-general scheme of : things. 'Amid the noisy chaos of the passing multitude she - picked but a policeman, and approached him timidly. Fumbling in a' reticule which she carried, together with;' a delapidaf ed suitcase, she produced a photograph. , , :: "PardOh me, mister? she said in a quavering apologetic voice, put no you happen to know a ybuhg man looks 'like this?" Author oFThe WinoS of the MorniM' "The Pillar of Lightt "The Tennsiof Surrender." "Number 17.- Etc. The policeman gazed " down at the questioner. Slightly amused, he took from her. trembling hands a photograph of the carte-dervisite order, yellow with exposure, and much stained, it might be, with tears. "No, ma'am," he said after careful scrutiny. "Who is it?" : . ' "My son," came the answer. "I haven't seen him for ten years, but a Itnan tole me he believed he was in this' city." "What's his trader inquired the officer of the law kindly. The wrinkled and tired face, already pallid with fatigue, blanched a little more. ... "He used to be a locksmith," she faltered, "but but the man said that my boy wasn't workin Just now." . Then the policeman understood. "Gone to the bad, eh?" he commented, trying to help the poor creature in a difficult confession. "I suppose so," she almost sobbed. He looked again at the picture, and" shook his head. "No," he said, "I haven't seen him. He can't be much of a tough, mother, or I'd be sure to know him. So cheer up ! Sometimes things ain't so bad as people make 'em out. They're always ready to say the worst, you know. Tell you what there's a sort of Settlement bureau In this town where young folk who have gone wrong are given a helpin' hand. You may find out something about him there. Even if Miss Grace Coe doesn't know him, someone in the Settlement may be able to assist you." The woman Jiad named the subje.ct .of the photo graph "John William .Evans," so the policeman was hardly to blame if he failed to detect in the linea ments of a fairly handsome and intelligent looking youth the scowling features of Two-Gun Jake. Nevertheless, his -counsel was good, since it led the searcher's faltering steps to Grace Coe at the very moment when the girl was nearly distracted with terror and foreboding as to the uncertain fate of the man she loved. Even In that hour of storm, and Stress her sweet disposition and splendid self-control permitted her to listen to the elderly woman's story. She bent over the photograph; but could only return it sadly. "No," she said, "I have never seen your son, Mrs. Evans." It happened that Blanche Griffin was standing near and heard what passed. Though she, too, was racked with . misery, she almost unconsciously N scrutinized the simpering youth in the print, and a doubting half-recogniti6n flitted across her eyes. "May I look at that?" she asked. Taking the lit tle square of pasteboard to a window she examined it intently, and a half-repressed cry of amazement brought Grace to her side. "It is It must be-pTwo-Gun Jake," she whispered excitedly. "Of course, Miss Coe, you don't know him as well as I do, but unfortunately I have seen a good deal of him during the past four years, and sometimes, when in repose, he would look Just like , that. Oh, if this should be his mother, -how for tunate for as!" 1 " , -. mm I m . n ftn " f X I SSJ sSlP &3!&X$mMwm&l MmwmnBMiiiiiiimniiiiiiMMi in with an evening I rYfTl i - - W 1 f 1 'iK ' i if'' v b v : ' v 4f ' 1' hospital, and, : if anyone, wouia Know wnere mose w;weu umi iuis whs so. ine presence of o wretched men have taken Mk ' Barton ana mi Reilly. Perhaps, if we bring his mother, to him, she may arouse his better nature, and- -tum y ! , Grace caught the drift of the girl's notion at once. "Oh, yes, yes i she; cried impulsively. " must npt lose a second. Let us act alone. Three weak women may succeed where the police have, failed." Mrs. Evans was easily persuaded. Indeed, she from the first instant of their meeting. A Car was in waiting, and the three were taken swiftly to the hospital. Blanche' was the first to alight, and was consequently Just in time to see Jake being helped into an automobile drawn up by the curb at some distance from the main building. ' " ' " f " She recognized the man with him as a particu larly brutal and dangerous member of the Hell-cats gang, and ere she could frame a startled explana tion which would convey the truth to Grace's ears while concealing it from the hapless mother, the other vehicle was vanishing down the road in a swirl of dust. "Follow that car," she said instantly to the chauf feur. Leaping inside, she tried to make clear a dis tinctly perplexing Situation. It should be borne-in mind that no other course was reasonably possible. Blanche was justified in assuming that Jake had been liberated from the hospital on the urgent rep resentations of his friends, and, bad character though he was, he could not be detained, since no charge had been lodged agalnkt him. The1 quick witted girl decided at once that' Mother "Flannigan and the gang needed him. I The pursuits continued until the guEimen's automobile turned into an almost disused track leading to the house which held the prisoners. Luckily, Grace Coe's driver detected, the maneuver and contrived to pull up his own car behind a clump of trees. Hence Jake's companions there were two of them, together with the chauffeurs-saw nothing alarming when they looked around before entering the house. Without the slightest hesitation the two younger women led Mrs. Evans towards the building, screen ing their advance as best they might by taking coyer behind a ragged hedge. .. At that time more than half of the allotted hour had passed, and John Burton, whose thoughts were ' 'X tr y..:t-:-:-:c3:?;-ojt centered now in the great purpose.which had domi nated his whole life, was inclined rather to spend himself in a last effort towards regenerating human ity than in a seemingly futile attempt at self preservation. He had made up his mind firmly not to yield to the Hell-cats' demand. A luminous thought pierced his brain as light ning darts through black stormclouds at night. What would Christ do In like circumstances? he asked himself. What did he do, when writhing in agony on the Cross of Calvary? There could be no doubt as to the answer. He besought his Father in heaven to forgive his enemies, "for they know not what they do." Straightway John Burton saw the open road, and took it. "Say, boys," he exclaimed, attracting the atten tion of the Hell-cats within hearing, "would you mind asking Mother Flannigan and the rest of the bunch to gather round? I want to say a few words which should be of interest to all of you." He used the simple phrases "which alone these men could Understand, and, not without some of the orator's skill, began by enlisting their curiosity since they jumped" to the conclusion that he meant yielding, and wished to have the bargain ratified by every member f the band. Soon they were all collected, and, by good fortune, the group of inter ested listeners was" swelled by Jake and the others who had brought him -f rota the hospital. "I could tai& more easily if you would kindly free my hands," went on John quietly. "There- is no fear of ray escaping," he added, smiling so geni ally that his captors grinned In unison. John's bonds' were untied; he stretched his stiff arms, and permitted bis bruised body to relax. 'T hope you won't interrupt," he began. "I shall endeavor not to trespass' beyond the allotted time, but it wjjl not be my fault if what I have to say does not command a sympathetic hearing." Then, to their intense surprise, instead of outlin ing a basis of agreement in terms of money, and life, he sketched briefly but with winged words, the ? story of his career. He : depicted his childhood's days, passed in " surroundings with tthlch everyone present was familiar, and thus,, at the outset, placed himself on a par with the limited inteUIgeqce and. dismal experiences of his audience, fie told how he had risen to be a foreman in the Iron works, how he led the strike, and was befooled like another . Samson by a Delilah in fine raiment and anointed with swesmeliing spices. By a wave of am magician's wand he led them from the dirt : and squalor of a working-class quarter to the palaces and well-tended lands of an English r tfeleman. He even held them spellbouhd. by" deScT Aihg the unhappy quest which had dominated his manhood's years tliat unending and never successful search for an answer to the far-reaching question Is Humanity in the Grip of Evil? that Blanche wouia . not oe so awturueu wiuiy u wwuuuiug wai mo auuience was increase good cause. " - women had crept up unheard. and . i. ' .' ' ' ii 'it lL-i.ivl. mm-. 'I doV could hardly have failed to tram aisconeert hi m TlMr sight of her sweet face must ha?e IndnmH -I .. A. IV M 1.-1 A. J,-U I puiguttut uiuuguia iBini iv lue even now of his ad- orets. wvuvua uut,ru, iu mo uioivij Ui IQIS gT8y q(J woxia nas any man spoxen to sucn a group of rut- uiroaus unaer sucn conamons. ay an inprplioable miracle proDaoiy Dy tne unknown action of tht was ready, to put the utmost confldeftce in Grace, subtle force vaguely described as telepathy Burtoo uroxe on: aDrupuy at an instant wnen his hparori were xeyea up to tne nignest pitcn. "How Is time going?" he Inquired, and the woM. fell from his lips so nonchalantly that for a ft seconas none stirrea. awituuu uaA.tr was Lilt; ursi io recover hllHslf ae iumoiea at a watcn witn nis uninjured hand. uueno ii um n iin l x tc uccu IU1U, JOU ve Still Ftlt nve minutes, ne mutterea A" white-faced old woman crouched beneath the wmaowsiii gasped wnen sne heard that voice. Mr, Evans had listened like one In a trance. She un! derstood neither the meaning nor the Intent of that strange harangue, but it held her like the others. Tnen Jonn made his big hit. "1 want to use those five minutes to good nd vantage," he said, looking around with a benignant expression which utterly baffled and nonplussed the woman and the men who a little while before had been thirsting for his money or his life. W.J wwu iJtrrsuuui rtrcuru now ceases TO lntt.est either you or me very greatly," he continued. "I shall not buy my life at your hands. Soon I myself shall be with yesterday's seven thousand years, while you will go back into the world, not en riched at my expense, but vastly poorer, because you will carry to the grave the memory of one more crime added to the many which have sullied and discredited the great trust which God gave when his Spirit breathed an immortal essence Into your mortal bodies. I want to give you one final mes sage I want you to accept the one great truth common to all mankind. The chief, I might almo say the only, real driving force in the world ii love. And love begins and ends with the maternal instinct, which is as strong in the jungle as In the most civilized of communities. Every man among you must nave known, It In greater or less dejrree. Even you,' and he turned a luminous glance on the withered and shaking hag, "must recall those early years when you were a child at your mother'i breast. If you have had children of your own, yon must have felt the divine instincts of a mother. Toe were ready to risk life Itself to bring a child Into the world. Tou must have been prepared to sac riflce that same life over and over again for th sake of your offspring while it was still a wee mtt looking at you, and you only, for help and bus X w t- . ivuamje. x oeseecn you tnen, woman ana met when yon go away from this house, to search lnt your own hearts and Inquire whether the selflsi ness which now inspires you is really worth while "If my example can assist you In finding the bette way I shall regard death as a real blessing. Tor will deprive me of a few troubled years, but I shall count that loss as a gain my spirit, wandering Ii the unseen, encounters even one soul which I maj have lifted out of the pit. I am not mouthing vale things. A man who has little more than a mlnuti to live can, at least, afford to be candid with hln self and others. I repeat that I shall not pnrchaw my freedom. Do with me as you will. bnt. with my last breath, I. implore you to pay heed to whi: I have said." Two-Gun Jake strode forward, and stood In front of the prisoners. Though one arm was out of ac tion, the other was as efficient as ever, and blf right hand twisted in a businesslike way towards i hip pocket "Boys, he snapped, "I needn't tell any of yon that I'm mighty quick on the draw, an', to that extent, what I have to say must ro. I can't talk like Mr. Burton, but I can make my meanin' clear. We're quits with this guy here an' now. Is any of you-all partlc'lar anxious to argy the point?" No one will ever know Just what might have hap pened but for the interruption which came from a totally unexpected quarter. Mrs. Evans could be restrained no longer. She rushed in, scattering th startled Hell-cats right and left, and threw her arms around her son. That's Spoken like my own boy," she sobbed. "I don't care what you've done, John. It's nothin' to me how wicked you have been. I'm your mother, and I'd believe in you even if they was to take you to the chair this minute, though I've sought for you an' wept for you through ten long years. You're good at heart, John ' Tou couldn't be my son an' your father's, an' bs a real bad nan. 0b, my boy, my boy, Tm a pore ole woman, bat ft ready to die now with a smile on my lips:" .' . .- . And thus. In the most effective way concelrablft did John Burton, tenth marquis of Castleton, And the answer to his question. He would sconT today at the conceit that Humanity is in the Grip of E. Conviction came through love. Had he searched the wide world he could have found no more beauti ful and gracious partner than the girl whom he net amidst surroundings which might well have added one more to the many dlsllluslohments of an event ful career. . Grace would not be a woman If she did not also appreciate the fact that she had become the coun tess Of Castleton. Bnt this new dignity only addtf to the sweetness of her disposition. It enlarged her sphere of usefulness. The elegancies of a new li rendered her even more noteworthy, while ner knowledge of real difficulties of the poor gu! her phiianthropie efforts into the one true and aw lng channel, namely, that of education and sen help. At this very day her most trusted assistants ar Mr. and Mrs. William Reilly, while In the once dreaded Hell-cats she has a band of welling a enthusiastic helpers, chief among them being a some what truculent-looking and energetic person wn wins Instant notoriety on the platform when ibubf duced to expectant audiences as the famous ror, "Two-Gun Jake." ' Why, even Mother Flannigan earns a respectiM living in a laundry ! And thta is the end. The allegory is plain tGt Z men to read. Even in these days of horrible with Its outrageous crimes and sanguinary causts, it is true now. as ever that God Is in havn. , , And aJl'a well with th world THE END.
The Wilmington Dispatch (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Nov. 12, 1916, edition 1
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