The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-10-13


your clever scheming come In? why
have you held me back: He went to
Sussex. You wouldn't let me follow
him. He was out late several nights
on his motor car along the North road.
I would have met him and smashed
his face in with life preserver, but
you held me back. What are you driv-
ing at? What's the gamer"
You shall see"
Grenier went to cupboard and took
out small box. From this he pro-
duced a single check and several slips
OF paper on which were written names
and signatures.
That is an old check signed by Phil
ip Anson," he said coolly. Here Is his
signature repeated several times for
, amusement. It only needs a man OF
action like you, an accomplished actor
like myself, to possess the necessary
nerve-the nerve that risks all on a
supreme coup-and we will be not only
| rolling In money, but able to enjoy life
| pleasantly in any part of the world we
select, even in London when the wind
changes little"
"You must talk plainly il you want
! iIc W unueIsLduu you, sdlu EadSou
doggedly.
what like Philip Arson at this mo-
mept?"
His image, confound himw
| mo; not his image. would not
| humbug his friends. might puzzle
them for a moment at a distance. but
let them speak with me, and I am
done. 1t is sufficient that / resemble
him. But the handwriting - that is
good?"
"First class"
There agree with you. My skill in
! that direction has been admitted by
three bank clerks and an Old Bailey
| judge. And now for the coup. II you
intend to kill this young gentleman,
you may as well kill him to our mu-
tual advantage. There is no gain in
being hanged for him unnecessarily,
eh"
| Mason glared at him in silence.
II see must keep to the point. We
must, by some means, inveigle him to
place where you can work your
sweet pleasure on him. All, that in
terests you! 1t must be known that he
Is going to that place. 1t must be
quite certain that he leaves it."
Leaves it!''
| Eyes. 1, Philip Arson the second,
will leave it. / will lay my plans
quite surely. will even telegraph my
movements to his fiancee and to his
agent, Abingdon, who used to be sti-
pendiary magistrate at Clerkenwell.
Now, don't interrupt. You spoil my
train Of thought Philip Arson will
live again for days after you have
er-disposed Of him. By that time you
will have established such an alibi that
an archangel's testimony would not
shake it Then Philip Arson will dis
appear, vanish into thin air, and with
him a hundred thousand or more Of
| his own money, some In gold, but
mostly in notes which will have been
changed SO often as to defy any one
to trace them. As precautionary
i measure, he will go out Of his way to
annoy or insult the young lady whom
he intends to make his wife, and that
alone will supply an explanation, of
sort, for his wish to conceal his move
ments. With proper management,
Philip Arson should leave the map
without exciting comment for weeks
after he Is dead, and when the weeks
grow into months people will class his
! disappearance with the other queer
mysteries familiar to every one who
reads the newspapers. Neat isn't it?"
TOO neat. You can't do it,
Have you or I evolved the idea!
Who runs the greatest risk, the man
! It'll tc
figured corpse or he who calmly faces
hundreds of men and says he is Philip
Anson?'
II don't care about risk, but If 1t
comes to that / suppose you are the
more likely to be found out"
Thank you. You see my way at
last. In any event, you are safe. Even
suppose am discovered, will l split on
you? Will ! add q charge of murder
to one Of forgery? Not much! tell
you the scheme Is workable, not by
timid bunglers. but by clever men. ]
admit I haven't the nerve to kill any
/ body, nor would care to suggest this
present arrangement to an accomplice
merely to make money. But If you
are resolved to end Philip Anson's
earthly pilgrimage l can't prevent you.
and I fail to see any reason why l
shouldn't profit by the transaction"
| What about me when the thing is
doneT'
''Oh, you are beginning to appreciate
the other side Of events. Now, we
will assume that Philip Arson has
been dead couple Of months and Vic
tor Grenier has amassed fortune by a
| sheer run of luck on the turf; 1t is fair
~ evident that Victor Greuier must
divvy with Jocky Mason or the latter
can make the world too hot to hold
him, even if an old friend were unkind
enough to refuse to disgorge unless IN
der pressure"
Mason's brows wrinkIed in thought.
The project sounded plausible enough.
Determined as he was to wreak his
vengeance on Philip, Grenier's ingen-
ious idea not only offered him reii-
able means of escape, but promised a
rich harvest of wealth. Certainly it
was worth trying. Not once, but many
times, during the preceding month Gre
nier had withheld the murderer's will