Evening star., 1921-10-09
CONTINUED from Yesterdays starr
III.
Nicolo Capriano Plays His Cards.

Nicolo Capriano Plays His Cards.
--Nicolo Capriano's eyes were closed:
the propped-up form on the pillows /,
was motionless-only the thin fingers |!
plucking at the coerlet with curl i-ousls |
| patient insistence bore eidence that tn. |
man was not asleep.
Suddenly he smiled and his eyes
! opened, a dreamy, smolderlng light in |
their depths. hls hand, reached ou.
Tor the morning paper that lay on the |
. bed beside hum, and for the second
time since Teresa had brought him the
paper half an hour before he pored
! for a long while over leading !
/ story on the front page. 1t had
nothing to do with the disturbance
/ in Vinetto's saloon Of The nlgnt pc
fore: it dealt with strange and mys-
terlous bomb explosion in a down +,
town park during the small morning
hours, which, besides awakening ana
. certifying the immediate neighbor-
nood, had, according to the news
paper account, literally blown a man,
and. with the man, the bench ton which
I he had evidently been sitting under
! an arc light. to pieces. The victim
was mutilated beyond recognition,
! all that the police had been able to
identify were fragments of Il bomb
thus establishing the cause of the
accident, OF, more likely, as the
: paper hfnted. murder.
j The fool'' Nicolo Capriano whis-
i. pered. 1T was Ignace Ferroni-the
fool! And SO he would not listen to
! Ola Nicoio-eh?' He Gackled out sud
I ing through the room. Well, per-
haps it is us well. eh. Ignace? Per-
! maps it is as welI--perhaps you will
) be of some Service, 1gnace, now that
1 you are dead, eh, 1gnace-which is
. something that You neer Were when you
4 We're alive"
!: He laid the paper down, and again
his eyes closed, and again the blue
tipped fingers resumed their inter-
7 minable pluching at the coverlet-!
Z but now he whispered constantly to
I himself.
"A hundred thousand dollars. :.
L |. 1t is Il great deal of money. :.
= We worked for much less in the "ld
: days-foC very much less. !
am old and sick. am l? Ha,
ha: But for just once more.
l. eh-just once more,-to See if the old
cunning is not still there. And
[ if the cards are thrust into ones
hands. does it not make the fingers
itch to play them! Yes. yes
it makes young again the blood in
! the old veins And Tony is
! dead. Yes. yes. the young fell
. low is clever. too-clever enough to
/ !, find the money again if the police do
= not NEEDLE with him. And
4 t the gang, Badly Eichers' gang-bah.
! considered-they have not long arms
they do not reack far-they do not
! reach to New York-eh-where the
I police reach-and where old Nicolo
I nace-the fool! So he would
3 not listen to me, ell--and he sat out
I there under the park light trying to
3 fix his old bomb. and blew himself
:: no reason to complails en-. Nicolo?
r.. It will bring the police to the
!. door. but for once they Will be well
] coE1e. eh! =. They will not know
l. We will see if Nicolo Capriano IS not
. still their natch!"
! Outside somewhere in the hall he
7 could hear Teresa moing about. busy
4 ently-not to his daughters move
ments. but for {: footstep on the
4 pavement that, instead Of passing by.
3 would climb the short flight Of steps
| to the front door.
i. We'll, why do they not conle--eh:c"
they not Gomez"
] He relapsed into silence, but he
no longer lay there placidly with his
!. eyes closed. a strange. excitement
4 |, seemed to be growing upon him, 1t
. tinged the skin under his beard with
a hectic fiush. and the black eyes
, glistened and glintea abnormally as
] they kept darting objectiveless CLAN
= here and there around the room.
Perhaps half an hour passed, and
: then the sick man began to mutter
again:
VIII they make me send for them
the fools!' H" apostrophiZed the
/ foot of the bed viciously. NO, no
it would not be as safe. If they do
[ not come in another hour there will
be time enough then for that. You
= always come before to Nicolo Cap
! rfano, If they thought old Eicolo
I could help them-and with a bomb
ha. ha-to whom else would they
4 come-eh?-to whom"
He was instantly alert. Some one
j was outside there nov. He heard the
door bell ring. and presently he heard
| Teresa answer it. He caught a con-
fused murmur Of voices: The thin
: jubilant motion one over the other.
! The black eyes, half closed again,
I fixed expectantly on the door Of the
! room opposite to the foot of the bed.
I 1t opened, and Teresa stepped into
: the room.
: said, in low tone. HE wants to
] talk to you about that bomb explosion
] go" 4 queer smile twitched at
7 the old bomb kings lips. He beck
oned to his daughter to approach the
I bed, and. as she obeyed, he pulled
. her head down to his lips. You
u
. derstand? Nothing except to cor
I roborate. anything that I may say
s You did not even know that there
1 had been an explosion until he spoke
of 1t. You know nothing about lg-
j mace. You -understand?'
"Yes." she said composedly.
'Goodi" he whispered. We'll, now,
I go and tell him that do. not want
! to see him. Tell him said he was
4 to go away. Tell him that I won't
see him. that won't be bothered with
him AND his cursed police spies! Tell
him that"-he patted his daughters
head confidently-"and leave the door
i. open. Teresa, little one, SO that can
lhear."
What do you mean to do, father?''
] she asked quickly.
"Ha. ha-you will see, my little
: : ted her head again. I'VE do not for
=. ! get our debt to Tony Lonazzi. No!
: Well, you will see! Tell the cum
! ming, clever Barjan to go awayr
He watched as she left the room:
; and then, his head cooked on one side
l / to listen. the blue-tipped fingers
. treached stealthily out and without a
] sound slid the newspaper that was
Lying in front|of his under the bed
I covers.
I ri am very sorry he heard Teresa
4 lively refuses to see you"
"Oh, he does-does he?" a voice re-
I turned in bland sarcasm. well, I'm
5 very sorry myself. then, but guess
/ he'll have to. change his mind! Par
: don me. Miss Capriano, if L"
A quick, heavy step sounded in the
. hallway Nicolo Capriano's alert and