Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-30

@A NAAN AoSCs
cell door). which hand deftly lifted
something blue and shining and
slipped II under the mattress.
The Job took but few minutes,
the old wire was pieced, a new globe
screwed into the socket, and the cell
lit. With cherries goodnight,
the two left. the porter waited till
their footsteps died away. his power
or inhalation seeming inadequate to
supply his greedy lungs.
A Colt, three files and a note! He
read 1t, holding 1t in the palm of his
great hand' with his back to the cell
door.
Have tip. Cole gone to Los An
geles Name of Richard Walker"
That was all. But. 1t was, to the
man who read 1t an epistle satisfying
and complete. Slowly his mouth
twisted itself into a terrible smile,
threatening, hideous. his eyes stared
hard as though through the heavy
walls, as though at something, clear,
distinct. attainable beyond, and he
drew his fingers in a gentle caress
across the barrel of the steel-blue
Colt.
An hour later, after changing
clothes with g. scare-crow in the
ields. he swung aboard a slowly NOV
Ing freight train and started west
ward toward Los Angeles to ind John
Cole, now Richard Walker-toward
the attainment of "his hearts desire!"
That same night, Richard Walker
was a welcome visitor at the Hilton
residence. He spoke long and
earnestly to Edith, pleading the sim
cerity of his love, and painting we'll,
though not too obviously well, the
splendid social future of the future
Mrs. Richard Walker.
When he left that night he was
happier than he had been in many
years; in fact the vision of a gaunt
man behind uncompromising steel
bars, was almost obliterated from his
mind-almost, but not quite.
For Walker had made his plea we'll,
and had sealed 1t with a kiss
The bottom had dropped out of A.
& NJ, and Hugh Keene, unable to
cover, stared ruin in the face He
had already drawn $4,000 on Richard
Walkers deposit with him. and felt It
would be unsafe to go further. the
funds of the Sunset Club, of which he
was treasurer, were in his possession,
and he thought, uncertainty, of them
in considering "just where he stoed."
A. & NJ. had broken badly, there was
no escaping that; but he felt sure u
was only a bear" raid, from which
the stock would quickly rally. II only
he could hold on! He knew that, es-
sentially, all this trading was the
rankest form of gamble. But this
this particular case of his. 1t was SO
sure-so absolutely certain. He
soothed himself with the thought that
II he. as broker, knowing the risk
OF playing the market, was sure of A.
& M, why then, IL A. & M. disap-
pointed. whose fault was that?
To have stopped where he was, with
the already certain loss of $4,000, not
his. would have been more level
headed than to have gone on; but to
stop now would have been tantamount
to an admission that his judgment had
in the first place been faulty, and to
admit that would be to admit that his
appropriation of Walkers money was
just stealing. OF course, 1t was not
stealing for him to borrow money
from business associate, to help him
out, in a deal that entailed no risk
whatever for the money borrowed I
Why, it was done everyday! The fact
that 1t was a risk did not alter the
status of the case at all, since he had
OPcEdlcU OIl lnS IndL 1t Cs
30, to justify his original judgment,
(and incidentally to satisfy his desire
for ealth-at-a-scoop) there was, OBJ
Viously, nothing to do but go on.
The next check he wrote to cover
his margins with George Summer, was
drawn from the account of the Sunset
Club.
After that, he started briskly to 60
through his afternoons mail, and
stopped suddenly. with apprehension,
at an envelope addressed to him in
Richard Walkers hand. He opened
1t clumsily, and read:
My dear Keene:-
pen you n special invitation to at
tend a dinner at my residence tonight,
where I will announce the engage
ment of Miss Edith Hilton and my.
self. You know, consider you in
italy responsible for my meeting
Miss Hilton. and am correspondingly
grateful.
Very sincerely,
~