The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-06-12
81 HudsoND ou8lAs

late hour, his sullen rage was still
mounting steadily. Twelve more
hours had gone by, and by SO
much had his chances of a great
fortune diminished. The thought
of that had become an obsession
with him.
On the following morning he
rose unrefreshed, after a sleepless
night, and took up his station i'm
mediately be had breakfasted; a
needless rrecaution at that hour
since he was quite we'll aware that
Seager's nocturnal habits were not
such as might conduce to early
rising. He meant to run no risk of
missing his man, however, and
stayed there, a statue of venge-
ance, all that day and the next
and the next again, always at the
same spot, impervious to the curl
GUS glances bestowed on him.
1t would have suited his, mood
much better to take some more &C
tive measures, to scour the. ken
nels from gate to gate in search of
the Grant Seager. But, even as he
had once told that bungler of his
own and other mems chances in
life, he could be very patient. 1t
was by virtue of such quality, as
well as others less admirable, that
he had risen, or fallen If you prefer
1t, from the status of an underpaid
master in the mercantile marine
to that of more or less wealthy
dealer in what he called hardware,
while others would have described
his occupation as that of an Illicit
trader in weapons and ammuni-
tons of war.
1t takes man of cold courage
and nerve to follow any such dan
gerous calling successfully, and he
had not altogether failed in it. Few
people had found it pleasant to
stand in his light, and one at least
who had done SO had finished up In
the North river, not very far from
Duane street, with a hole through
his head which had greatly puzzled
the police who picked up the body.
In short, Dirck Arendsen was an
absolutely inscriptions scoundrel,
and it would surely go i'll with
Seager when he should come
within reach of his pursuer. On
the fifth afternoon of that Tuning
watchers seemingly endless am
bush, Seager walked carelessly
into the vestibule of the Hotel du
Palais.
He did not see Arendsen, and
Arendsen did not spring from his
seat at the sight of him. The big,
black bearded man stayed still
where he was, watching his uncon-
scious accomplice swagger up to
the bureau, smiling sardonically as
he saw the clerk point toward him
in mute reply to Seager's assertive
inquiry. Put If he had hoped that
the other would show any sign of
dismay over his presence there, he
was doomed to quick disappoint-
ment, for Seager gave him back a
look as black as his own when
their eyes met, and bore down on
him like thunder cloud.
That sufferer from a supposed
friends distrust had thought the
situation out to a nicely, and the
conclusion to which he had come
since Arendsen had not replied to
his urgent message was now
proved correct. 1t was In the ex-
pectation of seeing Black Dirck in
Paris that he had eked out o
wretched existence of late, rather
than take any desperate steps
toward a return to New York. He
felt hot against the other for hav-
ing left him in such sorry plight,
and his opening speech quite took
the wind out of Arendsen's sails.
Course you'll" he began in a low,
tense tone as he threw himself into
chair alongside his treacherous
ally, while the clerk looked on, half
relieved and half disappointed that
there had teen no such disturbance
as promised.
Curse you. Arendsen! Why
didn't you reply to my wire?
You've let me rot In nice hole
here. and the girls in New York.
There's only week of the year
left now, and we may be too late
after all. ewing to your Internal
folly. What was the use of stink
ing over here after me? l gave
you the straight tip, hut you're
such a crook that you couldn't take
1t for that. suppose. You're rob-
hing me. that's what you're doing,
and cutting off your nose to spite
your damned ugly face"
Arendser eyed him evilly. but
heard him out in silence. too much
taken back by his unfeigned belief
that the grievance was all on his
side to break In.
What have you done with all
the money I gave your" he Kissed
through set teeth as the other con
cluded. but Seager glared all the