The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-05


porter's eyes.
"Of met" smiling.
" Even of myself sometimes"
Conversation dropped entirely alter this
declaration.
You're taciturn sort of chap"
Am II"
" You are. But an agreement % an agree
ment, and while I'd like to print this story.
III not. We newspaper men seldom break
our word"
Jones held out his hard
e Sometimes wish I'll started life right"
said the reporter goomily. "A Newspaper
man is generally improviccnt. He ns:er looks
ahead for tomorrow. What with my special
articles to the magazines. earn between
four and five Thousand tie year: and I've
never been able to save a cent"
perhaps you've never really tried" replied
Jones, with a glance at his companion. 1t
was q good face. strong in outline: little
careworn, perhaps. but free from any indica-
lions Of dissipation ~ If I had begun life a.
you did, I'd have made real and solid use Of
the great men met. I'd have made finan-
ciers help me to invest my earnings. or saw
inss, little ~ they might be And today I'd
be living on the income
You never can tell Perhaps a woman
might have made you think Of those things:
but II you had remained unatt ched up to 81.
~ have, the thought Of saving might never
have entered your head. man in my pres
emit condition, financially. has no right to
think Of matrimony."
It might be the saving o. you II you met
and married the right woman"
But the right woman might be heiress to
millions. And poor devil like me could not
marry a girl with money and hang onto his
self-respect."
True. But there are always exceptions
to all rules in life, except those regarding
health. A healthy man IL a normal man, and
q normal man has no right to remain single
You proved yourself man this afternoon.
considering that you did not know occupied
the wheel seat Come to think it over, you
really saved the day. You gave me the op-
portunity Of steering straight for the police
station. Well. sood-by."
Queer duck +" unused the reporter as, after
telephoning, he headed for his office. Queer
duck, indeed! What a game it was going to
be! And this man Jones was playing it like q
master. 1t did not matter that some one
else laid down the rules: it was the way 10
which they were interpreted.
Braine heard Of the failure. The Black
Hundred was finding its stock far below par
value. Four valuable men locked up in the
Tombs, awaiting trial. to say nothing Of the
seven gunner gathered in at the old ware
house. Braine began to suspect that his
failures were less due to chance than to cal
culation, that at last he had encountered .
mind which anticipated his every move. He
would have recognized this fact earlier had
it not been that revenge had temporarily
blinded him. The spiri. Of revenge never
makes for mental clarity.
There was a meeting that night Of the
Black Hundred. Four men were told OF, and
they drew their chairs up to vroon's table
for instructions. Brainc sat at Vroon's elbow.
These four men composed the most dangerous
quartet in New York City. They were as
daring they were desperate. They were
the men who held up BAN: messengers and got
away with Thousands. They had learned to
swoop down upon their victims the hawk
swoops down upon the heron. The news
papers referred to them the auto ban
dts" and the men took a deal of pride in
the furore they had created.
Vroon went over the Hargreave case mi
nutely he left no detail unexplained Blunt
ly and frankly, the daughter of Stanley Har-
greave must be caught and turned over to the
care Of the Black Hundred 1t must be quick
action. -Four valuable members were In the
Tcmbs. They might might not weaken
under police pressure. For the first time in
its American career the organisation stood
facing actual peril: and its one possible
chance of salvation lay in the fact that NO
ones face was known to his neighbor. He,
vroon. and the boss alone knew who and
what each man was But the plans, the rami-
fcations of the organization might become
public property; and that would mean end
to an exceedingly profitable business
The daughter Of Hargreave rode horseback
early every morning. Sae sought the country
road. She was invariably attended by the
riding master Of a school near BY.