The Washington times., 1913-12-07

" Clancy repeated the
words in the form of
. question, after an interval OF silence
that followed his announcement of the
presence of the two men from headquaT-
ters outside the house.
Just one moment before We go into
that" Harvard replied. Il wonder
whether those two men out there sus-
pect that l may be here with you, OF
What difference does it make wheth-
er they do or not?'
Very little. Ill admit, But Is
likely that they do suspect
why so? How could they suspect
your presence, BIng"
There is the light still burning, for
one thing. For another, the inspector.
whether he issued the orders that sent
them here over the telephone, or IN per
son, probably remembered what said
to him concerning my impulse TO follow
you into Chester's house, after L saw
assume that l would be likely to come
directly to you after ! left him"
We'll, what of it? Suppose he did?'
Il can't stay here forever, Tom. You
know that"
AN the same, you are here now, and
you can't go outside just now. So just
forget all about those cops across the
street and tell me what it is that you
want me 10 90 IOT .Ou we "Oll lHlnA
about the manner of your going until
the time comes for you TO CO."
so be it A little while ago, when l
mentioned that night al Chester
house, at the time the charge of theft
was first made against me, l purposely
omitted one circumstance, Tom.
.'Au right. Let's hear about il"
There's a woman IN the case"
"A woman Who?"
"A young woman, Tom, very beau
md fhnTnTIphlV
woman, too. But a sadly misplaced one.
/ want You to save her from herself.
There was no pretense in the stare of
unfeigned astonishment which Thomas
Clancy bestowed upon his friend. At
last he So i'd:
THAT is a-pretty big proposition,
isn't it?''
perhaps So 1 cannot do it for my
self; therefore you must do 1t for me
Between you and me, Bing, think
I'd much rather tackle the other JOB. l
never did anything in the killing line,
but when it comes to cholce between
that and saving a beautiful young
woman from herself-Say! What the
dickens have you been up TO, anyhow?
Nothing. I'll tell you about II.
II wish you would
.'On my way to Chester's, that night
Of the attempted arrest l met her just
before 1 got to the house. She LED me me
70 think that she was not sure Of her
direction; also that she was, or had
been, IN. 1 walked with her to a Mad
ison avenue car, and put her aboard
of it"
Highly romantic. that. Go ahead,
"one night. about four weeks ago.
came upon her again, quite uneXpect-
'Weu?"
Il had not forgotten her. recognized
her the moment / saw her, although
she was walking ahead of me, and her
back was toward me. But knew ner: l
thought II strange that she should be
alone on the street at that h9ur II
was very late. I overlook her. l
spoke to her.
Then the Night Wind related his ex-
perience and his meetings with Miss
Maxwell.
You are telling me" said Clancy,
mot in words. but by Implication, that
ali the while your beautiful and charm
ing Young woman belonged 70 the po-
lice force, and was, in fact, woman
de-ec i've who had been put on your
trial
"Precisely. that. Tom
You have :old me another thing
also by implication
I don't doubt il
That you are in love with her. That
q the plain English OF it
II suppose Il is-only it is. trife
palmer than have admitted 10 myself.
Now wait a minute"
Go ahead"
Tina; night. in front Of the house
where I had taken a room, she warned
ne that RUshton as coming. and ad-
vised me to get away. Later that same
uight, when ! got cut Of the clutches Of
the doctor, she actually saved me from
capture.
when I was sick and helpless. and
z dead easy mark, she took me in.
cared for me- nCrsed me. and subs=-
quently kept Rushton occupied while
] again made nv escape That was
Rbou four weeks ago.
"Bing, what is i that YOU wish me
70 dor Tom Clancy asked, with deltb-
Harvard leaned well forward in his
chair He reached out and laid one
hand lightly upon his friends knee He
gaz=d searchingly into Clancy's eyes.
What I tell yor now, Tom. have
not until now so much as confessed in
secret TO myself
TT IS true that Katherine Maxwell
has awakened in ne that emotion which
we call love-and all the while ! know
her TO be police spy. All the while I
ner beauty and her attractions for a
tness Of pOttage.
I know that she started out TO find
me with the idea in her head that |
would fall victim 10 her charms. and
80 be easily led into anv snare that
che might set for me. / know she be-
longs to that same develish system
which has made Rodney Rushton what
he is, and which. sooner or later, If
she stays with IL, will make her just
such another-like him.
I know that she has been false TO
the powers that employ her because
she has saved me from them, because
she has befriended me. Having dis
covered something in me that was not
all bad. she has been a traitor to her
own cause And yet with all that,
and more that l have not told / am
compelled to the confession that she
is more to me than all else in the
world.
Curse Rushton. But for him I
could have gone TO her clean-handed.
But for him ] might have loved her.
and told her so. and won her. and
made her my Iife-after I had torn
her away from that fostering blister
that they call a police system. Don't
you see now. Tom clancy. why ! have
got to kin him with these two hands
rf