Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-04
Che
Socia1Htates
Story No. 3
THE PARASITE
Plot by George Bronson Howard.
Novelization by Hugh C. Weir.
Copyright Kalem Company.

"oh, please-please" said Mary.
"Why-what harm could it do. Mr..
Clyde? We don't know this woman
and we would never tell on your
to u.s." said Mona. 4 It think in It's TsfyTE your
duty to tell us, so that well never. by
any chance. make the same mistake
mo fear of THAR said Clyde. warm
Pm that you know anything and never.
BY BY. any toih chance, nee to breathe to soul
"oh, we Will" said Mary. Honest
iy, you needn't be afraid"
s It's a common enough story" said
The plain truth of it is that the poor
lady has a husband she doesn't get
along any too. well with as II is-and
!. ! know enough of the case to be sure
Trust a man to take the woman's
side" said Mona. But she didn't say
It nastily; Mona had good deal more
charity for her sex than some women
who have never had to withstand
temptation can muster.
We'll, be that as it may" said Clyde
! two ago. to have some correspondence
! with another man. 1t never came to
anything, But there were the letters.
They get lost-and people Won't be:
lieve they're harmless"
oh" said Mona, quickly. "she lost
the letters ne sent herW
Lost them-or they were stolen
from, her: 1t doesn't so much matter
which. The point is-they've turned
Up. In the hands OF a man who knows
eheir value-or thinks he does. She'd
have paid any reasonable sum-any
sum she could have managed to get to-
gether. But she figured on her hus-
bands money, not on what she can
can't get it."
"Oh-and what does he intend to dor"
Turn them over-some of them-to
her husband, If she doesn't make good
In the time he's given her. She's come
to me, half mad with terror. How he
could help being sorry for her, or be-
lieving she can't get the money, don't
see see but But I've heard things nearly as
What a dreadful thing" said Mary.
is there nothing that can be done to
Not without the very thing she's
most afraid of-publicltyi If l tried to
make a move, the first thing this man
Reynolds would do~would be to expose
her. It's his only weapon-but it's a
terribly strong one. It's kept him out
of the clutches of the law for years.
The police and half the big private de-
tective, agencies in the country have
him-and he defies them"
"It seems incredible!" said Mona,
"True enough~but there are the
can possibly know what to do with.
believe the things come to be sport for
him-that he takes vicious, deprayed
sort of pleasure in seeing. his victims
5quirm. He has a wonderful place out
in the suburbs. and-well, don't know
that this is thing to repeat before
you young ladies, but his neighbors do
a good deal of talking about the worn-
time
ugh" said Mona. What beast.
He's an old man, you say?"'
"As repulsive and vile looking an old
scoundrel as you'd find in long days
''Yoa were right" said Mona. "1ts
an ugly story. But I'm glad you told
1t to US! Oh do hope that poor wom-
an finds some way to beat himi How
more than that. He won't strike until
he's quite certain that there's no way
Of getting the money out of her. I
Back IN their own room Mary shud-
dered.
= "Tm. not glad he told u.s." said she
II think 1t was dreadful story,
$50 do r." said Mona "But, Mary
can't you see? Where could we find
a better person to present our next bill
"oh-oh! I didn't thinkw said Mary.
"But, Mona-a man like that is no
Tomlinson Gerry! We might very
easily burn our fingers If we tried to
serve him as we did Gerryw
emily" said Mona. "Oh, let me think!
I know there's some way Of outwit-
ting. an old villain like that-and
wouldn't I love to do 1t, Just! I know
one thing. too-the more we know
about him the better ours chance will
be. You heard what Clyde said-the
private detective agencies must all
know about him. Well get a report
from one"