Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-27

"Quite enough. You see, there's a delay
of fifteen minutes, naturally, in getting a
result to the pool rooms. That gives us our
chance; so, we hold up the message here,
phone it at once over to MacNutt's rooms,
three doors from Penfield's and, when he
has had time to drop in. as it were, and
place his money; we send through our inter-
cepted message
Then Penfield has no idea who or what
MacNutt is?"
He knows him only as real estate
agent with a passion for plunging, a great
deal of money. and-and''-The girl shrug-
ged rounded shoulder, flushed a little, and
did not finish.
And you know him as?"-suggested Dur
kin.
THAT lies outside the area of essential in
formation" she answered, with her first
show of animation.
But you?" Durkin persisted. She met
his eyes, but she refused to deal with his
cross-questioning He was still waiting for
away the enigma. Yet he rejoiced, in
wardly, at the thought that it had not
come.
Both you and shall have to drop in
ON certain days. and do what we can at
Penf1eld's lower house. while Mackenzie Is
doing the Madison avenue place. We've
been going there. on and off, for weeks now,
getting ready for-for this!'
'"Then MacNutt's been working on this
scheme for long while?"
Eyes, this house has been rented by the
month, furnished. just you see it, SIM
ply because 1t stood in about the right
dollars, altogether, in Penf1elRs different
places. But. in the end. the three of us
are to hit Penfield together, on a ragged
field when there's chance for heavy ouus
But. of course. we can do it only oncep
"And then what?' asked Durkin. Again
the girl shrugged shoulder.
"Penfelds patrons are all wealthy men"
she went on, in a sort of pedagogic ex-
nj asTho hating nQrficu1a RI at ha
upper house, Is always very heavy. A book
Of a hundred thousand dollars is common
enough: sometimes it goes up to two or
depends aes h on our ODDS. MacNutt himself
hopes to make at least hundred thousand.
But then he has worked and brooded over
it all SO long, I don't think he sees things
quite clearly now!
It was her first shadow of reflection on
their chief. and Durkin caught up the cue.
He seems sharp enough STILL to leave
you and me here. to take all the risk, In
yes" she assented. with the. touch of
WEAKNESS that came into her voice at times.
He is shrewd and sharp-shrewder and
sharper than you would dare believe"
now, here from this moment on?"
Eyes, I quite understand It," she an
swered. with undertaking evenness of voice.
His fingers were toying nervously with a
little magnetic wire finder"
How in heavens did you ever get mixed
up with-with-in this sort of thing7" Dur
kin at last demanded, exasperated into the
quickly, as he asked it. and the eyes of the
two met, combatively, for moment or
two. 1t was the girl who at last looked
away.
How did your" She. she asked. quietly
woman bookfe he had seen or heard Of be-
fore.
"Oh. me-Tm different" he cried. depre-.
catively: For some subtle reason she went
pale and then flushed hot again.
"You're-you're not MacNutt's wife?' he
asked her. almost hQpelessly.
She moved her head from side to side,
the window. where she gazed out over the
house-tops at the paling afternoon.
mo, I'm not his wife," she said, in er
quiet contralto.
mixed up in this sort Of thing?'
TITS all 80 silly and SO commonplace"
she said. without turning to look at him.
"Yes?" he said, and waited.
She wheeled about and wrung out with q
sudden passionate ooh. what's the good Of
all thisl am here tapping wires. and you
are here doing the same. Neither Of US be-
longs at this sort Of work. but-but, we're
herer'
Cant you tell me7" he asked. more gen.
thy, yet inwardly more logged.
Eyes, I shall tell you." she answered him,
my mo.Rsr asd IN london yes and
father went to pieces, went pitifully to
pieces, and had to give up his profession as
q barristsr. felt sorry for him. and stayed
with him. through his months Of drunken
ness, and his gradual downfall. He started
q little odioe for genealogical Researches
we called it-digsng up pretentious al
liances. and suitable ancestors for idle and
wealthy nobodies. This was bad enough,
but little by little 1t degeneratsd Into sort
OF nsxt-ef-ktn agency. and wruug Its money
from the poor, Instead OF the richi',
She paused fer moment, before she went
on, gaming at the man before her Ia grim