The Washington times., 1912-05-22
CHAPTER Nv (Continued).
- HE blond attendant appeared with
anna zipp ra nidifv

- HE blond attendant appeared with
amazing rapldity.
Ready with the coin?" he
queried.
Il am not" said Banks, sourly. "Sit
down. want to talk to you. How
much less than three hundred dollars
will you take to get me out?"
Two cents!'
bah! Don't try to be humorous.
Talk business with me- Name your
lowest figure, mani!
two hundred and ninety mine dol
lars and ninety-eight cents'
Banks sighed gratingly and took to
meditating again. For minutes he
stared at the other. Then:
Say! Whatll you take to release
me from this room itself and let me
take my chances on getting out Of
"Eh?" The man stared. Then he
and flfty'Il do it!'
Banks screamed:
II can't pay that much! Ill-Tll
G' feG aSS nSa6fytyi foytsi" III give you a hun
~ Make AXE, It p hundred and forty-hve
I'll -IJi make it a split III call it q
fifty centsl" snarled the millionaire.
If you want to take that, take it
quicK!
his shoulders. Hand 1t out!
Grudgingly. with shaking hands
and quaking sou, Banks produced the
money, bill by bill; 1t was all there
and he seemed to have only a quarter
and a. pair of dimes and a dollar bill
left, in the way of small stun. He
searched; at last, from different pocR-
cts of his clothes, he produced Ave
pennies and. throwing them down,
There's, you blood money! Open
The attendant obeyed, Banks rose
swiftly. The attendant smiled.
Want your hat and coatT"
Ten dollars morer
you yell like that and you won t
stand one chance in ten billion of get
man. "Going to pay?"
From Banks pocket came a single
80 certificate. He crammed his hand
kerchief in his mouth to deaden the
shrek of pain that followed. He low
cred his head to hide the tears that
welIed UP from some new. inexplicable
emotion as the money went out.
He had to have his coat: he had to
ing for them
They came quickly. He slipped into
the big sable coat and donned the hat.
He turned without word and walked
out OF the room.
There was a big staircase ahead.
Naturally, leading downward, 1t must
end somewhere near the entrance of the
strange establishment. He made for 1t.
and he was In no way hindered.
He looked downward. Below was the
broad, open corridor through which he
must have entered in the mysterious
darkness. There were curtained doors
Ill 1tI
came a hum of conversation and a low
laugh or two. But, chiefly, what ap-
peared to be the big ,vestibule door
stood unguarded, and all he had to dc
was to walk down and out!
He walked. He accomplished the stair
case in perhaps three seconds. without
making a sound, and he was in the
lower hall and within fifteen feet of tbs
and looked through the curtained door
to the right there was big room, witt
half dozen men in big chairs, reading
industriously through penny evening
newspapers. He turned to the left and
looked in.
There, about a large table, were three
men. To all appearances they were
playing poker. But instead of any sign
of real money, instead of any chips OF
anything else that looked like money
they We're playing with ordinary, white
More than that, they were men he
For they were none other than John
Seabright, Jared Barkus, and James
Tate!
Whereupon. despite all care on the
part OF the author. th0AN comes an
other pause!
These pauses are getting to be posi-.
lively astonishing; and yet this pause
was perhaps the most thrilling of all
For Banks stood between the parted
curtains and gulped just six times ir
quick succession.
They were there-aH three of them
All three of the gentlemen he had Sc
lected to float his Consolidated Colo
Water deal were sitting around the
same table in this mysterious house
and playing poker with dried beans!
And these were the same men, abso
lutely the same men, who used to keeI
Mr.. Banfield and others running an ali
night express service between the hous,
and the All-Night Trust Company Il
the palmy days. These were the mel
who never bought the sort of cham
pagne which was printed on the winI
list! These were the men who would
give you ten or twenty thousand in cole
cash from their pockets when yol
asked theml