Evening star., 1921-09-21
FROM NOW ON
BY FRANK L. PACKARD.
Copyright, 1871. By Pablo Ledger %.
Copyright, 1871, BY 3. q. Davis Corp.

Tooler come downstairs? 1t seemed
as though he had caught the SOUND
of lowered voice; and it seemed as
though it had come from his own room
there along the hail.
And then he smiled sarcastically at
himself, and began to creep forwaro
again. He had complained OF the
whole thing being tame, and now ne
it was all over! How could he have
heard a. lowered voice through the
closed door of his room? 1t was
physical impossibility. And Tooler:
in any case. was not In the hapi. o.
talked to any one if he could help it.
The man always seemed to be nurs-
ing a perennial grudge that he hadn't
been born a mute!
Dave Henderson's smile broadened
slant vanished entirely. as his. lips
compressed suddenly into a hard,
straight line He had halted for the
second time. hugged now close
against the wall. The door OF MS
room was not closed, and it was not
Tooler-and it was not nerves. The
door was slightly ajar, and the words
came quite audibly. and the guarded
voice had a haunting familiarity
about it:
Bookie stalled on being. able to get
old Tydeman on the long-distance
until after the train-an' me on it
was on our way. Tumble?
Dave Henderson did not move. Into
his face there had come. set in gray,
stunned amazement and a gathering
fury. He had recognized that voice
now, and, in a flash, what that voice
meant. 1t was .Runty Mott. a miser-
able little red-haired rat of a race
course tout and hanger-on. Runty
Mott-Bookie Skarvan. He -remem-
bered very well indeed that Bookie
Skarvan could not get Tydeman on
the long distance until after the train
was gone!
assent.
Take it from met was Runty
Mott again-"Bookie Skarvan's got
some head! Some head! He was
wiped out all right, but I guess this
puts him on Easy street again, Fifty
rest. Bookie says to he. he says, If
Dave: goes an gets that money. an
disappears afterward.' he says. it's a
cinch, with the ragged reputation he's
got. that he stole it,. an beat it for
known he says, is a nice little
mound of earth somewheres in the
woods about six feet long an four
feet deep, due to Dave having collided
with blackjack. 1 guess the policell
y
was smart enough to give 'em the
slip an get away with the coin for
keeps. You grab the train for Frisco.
Runty,' he says, an wise up Baldy
vickers to what 1 say. You got good
up there before Dave blows in"
Came that malicious chuckle again:
AN the poor boob went an
cracked the crib himself" calculated
Runty Motifs companion-and chuc-
"sureI" said Runty Mott. "Bookie
called the turn all right on the guys
reputation-he was born crook.
Well. it makes it all the easier, don't
it? 1t might have been harder to get
him when we wanted him if he'd just
gone up there an got the money on
the level. AS it is now. he's ducking
his nut, trying to play innocent, an
he comes back here to make a nice
fresh start up to old Tydeman's again.
trailing him from the minute he got
out of his car! I guess we got him
good. Spike telephoned ten minutes
ago that Dave was on his way back. II
he comes in by the shed, the boys'll
see he don't get out that way again;
get a peach of a welcome home!
Tumble? This is where he croaks-
an no noise about it-an' you look
out that you swing the lead SOS you
Wont nave 10 swing II Twice. we Cal!
carry him out through the shed, an
get the mortal remains away in a car
with no one the wiser" Runty Mott
was chuckling now quite as mali
ciously as his companion. Cant you
see the headlines in the papers!
Promising Young Man Succumbs to
Temptation Say. it's the safest thing
that was ever pulled, AM He
sounded from the street in front.
keep quiet" cautioned Runty Mott.
Hes coming in by the lane"
Continued in Tomorrow's Star.)