Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-30
!rurs BEGINS THE STORY


sSu group OF men iohoso
ya 4, TO guard the home OF iona.
~ X Mcclure. The mon Me-
1 fears gets through the guard.
4 ,narping and q threat and
tas time and place for meet
MeGuire asks Peter to meet
r, ~an and give him money.
md HERE 1T CONTINUES
~ WANT you to 60 at once to the
n,ple tree. want you to go now
Az Won will be there when this man
80 sss You will stand waiting for
~ .,d when he comes you will throw
y. ,;sbt into his face, so that you can
" N when you talk to him, and so
k..Ls can count this money and see
1.s'the amount Is correct. / do not
.s. Vol Won to 70 too close to him nor to
-,t him to 20 too close to you--
y .re merely to hand him this pack
~ md throw the light while he counts
\. money. Then you are to say to
" these words, Don't forget the
a.ed an the knife, Hawk Kennedy y
x .ron't forget the blood on the
..,h Hawk Kennedy, " murmured
[s.tsr [ IN amazement. And then, But
rrro.a @ he wants to tell me a lot Of
S6s' you don't want me to
sTTl have to risk that" put in Me-
osirs srimly. IT want you to watch
Am % carefully, Nichols. Are you pretty
suIck on the draw"
I'What do you mean"
II mean, can you draw your gun
nd shoot quickly--surely? If you
mt. you'd better have your gun in
,our ! 'pccket, keep him covered and at
tSs nrst sign, shoot through your coat"
Peter took out his revolver and ex-
.mined It uuizzically. Il thought you
ajd, Mr.. Mcclure" he put in coolly,
stbat I was not to be required to do
nnything q gentleman couldn't do"
'Exactly, said the old man jerkily.
II shouldn't say that shooting a de-
ieuseless man answers that require
|usnt."
MCGUIRE threw up his hands wildly.
'There you COUP In the air again.
didn't say you were to shoot him, did
ip' be whined. 'I'm just warning you
y be on the lookout in case he attacks
you. That-that's ALL"
'Wny SHOulu lie dtlHCk Hlt
HE shouldn't, but he might be
hary because I didn't come myself. +"
II see. Perhaps. you'd better go,
bk Then you can do your killing your
MCGUIRE fell back against the table.
b which he clung, his face gray with
,pprehension, for he saw that Peter had
guessed what he hoped.
"You want this man killed." Peter
went on. "It's been obvious to me
nom the first night came here. Well,
Q'm not going to be the one to do It."
McGuire's glance fell to the rug as
hammered hoarsely, II never asked
bcu to do it. Y-you must be dreaming.
lin merely making plans to assure
5cur safety. don't want You hurt.
Nichols. That's all: You're not going
10 back out now?" he pleaded.
Murder is a little out of my
Dhe-"
"You're not going to fail me-?"
plcguire's face was ghastly. you
nn't," he whispered hoarsely. "You
Ein't let me down now. I can't see
bis man. I can't tell Stryker all you
know. You're the only one. You
promised, Nichols. You promised to
o."
"Yes. And I'll keep my word-but
III DO 1t In my own way. I'm not
bfraid Of any enemy of yours. Why
Bhoud / be? Eut I'm not going to
Root him. If that's understood give
ne the money and I'll be off"
"Yes--yes. That's all right. Mich
pa. You're a good fellow-and honest.
i make 1t worth your while to stay
with me here" He took up the money
Pnd handed it to Peter, who counted 1t
carefully and then put it in an inside
pocket. II don't see why YOU think
wanted you to kill Hawk Kennedy"
dcGuire went on, whining. "a man 5
BOT right to protect himself, hasn't t
PEI And you've got right to protect
Yourself, II he tries to start anything"
Have you any reason to believe that
10 mlght?''
mo. I can't say I have"
AL right. I'll take a chance. But
want 1t understood that I'm not re-
ponsible If anything goes wrong
That's understood"
Peter made his way downstairs, and
Pat OF the front door to the portico.
Pryker, curiously enough, was no.
here to be seen. Peter went out across
he dim lawn into the starlight. Jesse
brown challenged him by the big tree
Pnd Peter stopped for a moment to talk
flth him, explaining that he would be
eturning to the house later.
'Ihe old man seems to be comm to
ls, mister said Jesse.
What do you mean?"
MOT so skeered like. He was out
Esre when you went to the cabin for
hem plans"
Out here?" said Peter in amaze
Andy nodded. "He seemed more nat =
fral'like-asked what the countersign
@ and said mebbe we'd all be goin
Psck to the mills after a night or so. :"
,oh, did he? That's good. You're
Pretty tired Of this night work."
Not so long as it pays good. But
uat ala he mean by changin' the
HE didn't say anything to me about
said Peter, concealing his surprise.
Oh, didn't he? We'll, he took Andy
the prlvet hedge and sent him down
y the clump of pines near the road"
,I see," said Peter. "Why?"
You've got me, mister. If there's s
tou6!e tonight, there amt no one at
~ back of the house at all. We're
Pns man short"
'"'Who?"
..Sshad Wells. He amt showed up"
An, see" muttered Peter. And
men men, as he lighted cigarette, "Oh,
ehwell' we'll get along somehow. But
0yS sharp, just the same"
;neter went down the lawn thought
uily' From the first he hadn't been
~ 100 pleased with this mission.
ayugh Peter was aware that in the
,ns va,m OF big business it masqueraded
Pnaer other names. blackmail. at the
,, was q dirty thing. At the worst
snd McGuire's affair with the in
s0Is .she Hawk seemed to fall into this
osns.sihcatioa--it was both sinister and
,rrttemptible. NY To be concerned in these
In dcings even as an emissary was
on ,sa'y In accordance with Peters no :
w M Of his job, and he had acceded
eulire's request without thinking