Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-27
The
Substitute
Millionaire
By
HUBERT. FooTNER

| 10 you mean to tell me- you've
been in business with this man for
! three years and don't even know his
right Manner
| Its a fact, and what's more I've
never laid eyes on him from that day
to this"
! Come off" said Jack incredulous-
~.
ITS q fact, tell you. 1t stands
to reason. don't it, that he couldn't
be seen around here?"
You could meet him outside"
'Too risky. II the other anara-
chist got on to his connection with
me. his life wouldn't be worth a
plugged nickelg'
But you know where he lives?"
K Anderson shook his head.
Then how do you send him his
| share Of the proceeds"
II send it In cash on certain day
every week. ]. put it in an envelope
together with, a statement of the
4 weeks business, and send 1t to a
name and address previously fur
nished me that day over the phone.
It's always different. Generally to
| a hotel, to be called for. send 1t
by messenger"
| Have you never had the curiosity
| to follow up the messenger"
| mo. sir! I've learned that it's
healthier for me to follow instruc-
ltions. get my instructions over
the phone, and by Cad! IL they're
not, carried out to the letter he knows
it, and soon know it from him.
| He must be wonderful man.
! Hes q marvel! Say it scares you
like, the way he knows things. He
tells me everything to do: who to
see and how to approach him; how
to follow him up. And everything
always turns out just the way he
says It's like magic!"
Andersons talk got a little muzzy ;
| and drifted away to other subjects.
A perfunctory attention was all he
required and Jacks brain was free
| to ponder on what he had heard.
He believed Anderson's storxs.in the
main. Incredible as it had seemed
beforehand, he no longer doubted
that Anderson was an innocent tool
in the affair--at least comparatively
innocent. The great sums he was
making had no doubt helped to quiet
an inquiring mind. When one is
anxious not to discover an unpleas-
ant fact. one may very easily re-
main in ignorance of it thru all.
IT began to look as if the decent
little gentleman withlthe goatee was
the guiding spirit i'm the whole
| scheme. Jack had made a long step
| forward in his investigation. but he
now found himself opposed by an in
! telHgence of the first class; one be.
fore whom Jacks youth and mex
i perience might well falter a little. He
marvelled at the cunning with which
the principal used innocent men to
further his criminal projects. APP
| parently he had built up highly or
| gained. business of blackmail, with
various departments all working in
! dependently of each other. And he
gathered up all the strings in his
own hands.
CHAPTER XVII
Arno Sturani, otherwise "Barba-
rossa,' z answered Jacks note and in
vited him to call at his house in the
evening.
Jack visited Evers' shop as a pre-
liminary, and he was obliged to go
III the afternoon before closing hours.
He dispatched Bobo to dine with
Mrs. Cleaver and Miriam. While
Bobo could hardly be said to be safe
in that company, still it was some
satisfaction to Jack to know where
he was.
The astute little wig maker and
wife, the retired ballet-dancer, greet
ed Jack like an old and valued GUS
toner. Old fashioned shop-keepers
have this art.
Everything going well?" asked
Mr.. Evers.
"Splendidly!"
THAT little job I did for you; has
it served it's turn?"
Couldn't have been BETTER"
"What do you require today?"
"a fresh makeup for another pur-
pose"
"Ah! Come back into one of the
dreSS1nS-rOOnS.
Mr.. Evers was distressed to learn
that Jack had put himself out to get
to the shop before closing time.
"You can make an appointment by
phone for any hour of the day or
night" he said. "Of course it would
be too conspicuous for me to let you
in and out Of the shop after closing
hours, but my apartment is upstairs.
Come there any time, and we can get
what we need out of the shop
Jack thanked him. "This time" he
said, 81 want to look like a mere lad,
a poor boy in cheap worn clothes,
but student. highbrow, full of
wild, anarchistic ideas"
5"Anarchistic? said Mr.. Evers, ele-
waiting the scant eyebrows. Are you
going into that kind of society?'
Temporarily"
Beware! l know nothing about
such people, but l am told they are
like wild beasts. Curious, isn't it,
how they run to hair? Disturbs all
| my theories. Such Boards. Such
tangled, flowing locks. How is 1t
that men SO unbalanced are thus
favored?"
II don't know" said Jack, smiling.
Perhaps they don't have any more
than other men to start with, but
spare the scissors and the razor"
I've taken that into account. Even
so, you never heard of bald an