Evening star., 1921-07-21
. HOW MANY CARDS?
By ISABEL OSTRANDER
uthor of The Island Of Intrigue "Ashes to Ashes etc
Copyright Robert M. Mcbride q Co.
entrance door.
'Crevelin. the millionaire" Clancy

"Crevelin. the millionaire" Clancy
| responded.
mot Eugene Creveling, the fellow
who used to pull off all those wild
stunts on Broadway a matter Of ten
on fifteen years ago?" McCarty de-
manded. "They used to call him Mil
| lion-a-month Creveling"
y, Il don't know anything about that"
| Clancy asserted. Must have been
before my time. All l know Is he's
got a grand-ooking wife and, bar
ring the big entertainments they give.
the house is the Quietest on the block.
Here, you! Quit that or I'll give you
rap thatll put you to Sleep! This
to the struggling youth who now.
utterly unnerved. was sobbing wildly;
Mac, go and try the other bell"
McCarty obeyed. but with no result.
Save for the low light glowing from
the open window the huge. house
might have been indeed a tomb.
There's nothing to it. Mac. We
can't get anything out Of this bird.
either. now. You get hold OF him
and I'll go in the way he did, through
the window
Mccarty gripped the shabby sweater
up, caught the sill and swung himself
over it, sweeping the curtain aside IT
fell again into place and for minute
1 there was silence.
A second bus rumbled past, limou-
sine or two and prowling taxi; but
none saw the two figures huddled
tense in the shadows.
Say. what are you, mister dick:
the youth whined, passing his sleeve
across his slobbered face. IF you
trailed me like youse said. you know
you didn't hear nottin'! You know l
wasn't dere long enough to croak
him."
"Croak who?" demanded McCarty.
de guy in dere in de soup-an'-flsh,
wit his chest all shot to pieces! You
know I didn't do it! Dere amt a pill
! gone from my gat! II youse an de
There came rafting of bolts. and
chains on the inner side Of the huge
entrance door and it divided and
swung slowly inward. revealing
hind him the wide marble staircase
and rug-hung gallery Of an imposing
rotunda.
"Come in," he invited. laconically.
II switched on these hall lights my
self, but there was some already go
ing in this room back here; come and
see what I found"
He led the way across the marble
hall, rich in the mellow, subdued col
orings of the rugs and draperies un-
der the soft lights, but funeral with
the huge carved chairs ranged IN
walls. McCarty followed with the
Elagging. handcuffed youth in tow.
The door of a room beside the stair
lease was open and as they reached II
all three paused for a moment on the
threshold. 1t was spacious in itself,
(although small in comparison with
the vastness of the hall. and was fur
nished as study, with two daTen-
ports facing each other projecting
from either side of the fireplace and
knh N Hn-
tween. Bookcases lined the walls, a
massive writing table stood between
1.-TWO windows at the. rear and deeply
upholstered chairs We're scattered
here and there. each with smoking
stand beside it. but McCarty's eyes
ltook in the details with mere glance
His attention was riveted on the
Hong figure clad in the perfection of
dinner clothes which lay stretched
upon the floor. The feet in their glis-
tening pumps were upturned and a
Eleam of white showed where waist
coat and shirt-front met. but all the
upper part of the body was stained
| crimson.
Clancy's own face was white. and
| Injured as he was to sights as hideous
sea sweep over him. while their cap
tive put his manacled hands over his
eyes and moaned.
"Is it Creveling himself. do you
think?" McCarty asked in a lowered
tone.
For reply Clancy knelt beside the
body and. slipping his hand in the
stained waistcoat pocket, pulled out a
platinum cigarette case as thin as q
knife blade. the top Of which, barely
pr9truding; pd,s :; a had ,o caught H4s his eye;
the latter plainly read the initials
upon it: "E. C. c."
az remember now," he observed, So.
berly. II saw the name in the papers
often enough. years past, to bring it
back to me: Eugene Christopher
| iCreveling.'
carefully and pointed to something
which lay beside the body. 1t vas a
huge army pistol and it lay almost
within touch Of the finger tips Of that
limp. nerveless right hand.
| I'll have word with you, Clancy
McCarty turned and showed his cap
tive into the nearest chair. "Sit there
and if you stir I'll blow the head of
you"
But there was plainly no thought of
either resistance or flight left IN the
boy; he half turned and, resting his
arms upon the wide de-spreading ones Of
the chair, he buried his face in them.
| McCarty drew his confrere to the
other end of the room and with an
| ever watchful eye upon the thief he
whispered:
! HE never had a hand in it. Clancey.
saw he was up to mischief and
trailed him for. four or five blocks,
as I told you. I wasn't more than a
block away when he skinned in that
window, and I didn't lose any time
reaching the outside of 1t. There was
no shot fired in the meantime, and
I'd hardly got here when he came
squirming out again. I grabbed him
and dragged him over to the light of
| that street lamp and I saw then that
he was scared clean through; he
| looked as though he had seen a
ghost! He's telling the truth, all