The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-09-17

spurred BY n chance book OF fiction.
lot the check boy at the club ease
him into his eight hundred dollar
rur-!Ined cost and sailed forth In
toxicab 70 seek adventure In a house
chosen at random. Trivial as the
adventure had been. II was STIR
ring event in Morley Smiths placid.
weli-groomed life. For a week he
munched Il IN his mind and was sat-
.stied He elowed with a feeling
that he had seen life. Then came
the urge 70 further adventure.
When he had finished his ample
dinner at the club, washed down BY
a haH-plnt Of good sauterne (his
tavorite dinnerwtne). Morley Smith
had retired TO the smoking room,
nothing farther from his mind than
the thought OF going out into the
miserable, drtZly night 1t was an
excellent night on which TO sit in
drowsy comfort In the club. and he
settled himseb IN SSS chair. with
fat cigar and the daily paper. II
may have been 30 slight thing as
q whispering Of uneasiness in a re-
zion under his waistcoat where all
was usually placid. Without know
Ing why, Morley Smith felt a vague
discomfort. He tossed the newspaper
onto the tabla
~Oh. ptnei- no mumured.
For an instant he thought Of tho
opera-whtoh bored him always. He
thought OF his tavorlte musical
COMEDY, and thought Of It with dis
taste. Suddenly. with the impetus Of
. food. thare swept through his con-
SctouAnAAs memory 6 the tremu-
Ions rnoments during his first anna
tsur adventure. when he was not
sure whether be would DO kicked out
Of tho apartment into which he had
50 tarinsly ventUr2d. or accepted as
. lawful visitor; and he desired once
moro to feel that thrill. He tapped
the oen at his side.
Henry" he said. "A taxi"
Yes. MIR. smith," Henry said.
There Is one outside now, sir"
There was now, In a manner OF
speaking. no turning back. OF course
be might. II he chose. tell Henry nc
had changed his mind. or he might
order the taN-driver to carry him
70 this or that theater. but as an
amateur adventurer, such falterlng
was not according to the rules Of the
game. The adventure began when
the first word was spoken. When he
vas buttopsd into his fur-lined coat
and stood with one foot on the step
Of the taxi. the adventure was we'll
along.
Where to. Mr.. Morley" asked
the driver.
On his way from the courtroom to
the street, Morley Smith had plunged
deeper into adventure than he had
ever imagined possible. This time he
would choose no quiet. respectable
street but plunge into the heart ot
danger, where adventure teens. He
would leap into the heart Of the
black area known as the East Side
vaguely so known 10 Morley Smith.
East Houston Street." he said. II
say. don't recall the number, what?
When you get there. drive. along
bit slowly. old chap. and III know
tho place"
THIS was going Il strong. He halt
ed the taxi before n tenement house
that was as like all the others on
the block. as one third pea in a pod
Is like the fourth ard NTH. He
stepped out OF the cab and looked up
at the facade Of the building. The
East Sidel
Wait hero for me-" he said. and
the driver clambered down and threw
a robe over the hood OF his cab. Dis
cretion Is the better part Of valor.
II was as well to have the cab at
hand.
In tho entrance Morley Smith
I'D not find the row OF letter boxes
he had expected. Here. evidently.
one d!d not push a button; one en-
tered and went where he chose. He
looked up the dusky stairway. A
man was coming down. Morley
Smith stood until he should pass
for the stairway was narrow. The
man stopped
Here already? That's quick
work. he said arprovingly. It's
the fourth, door. the first door on the
night. Go right up"
THANK YOU" said Morley Smith.
ana he went up the stairs.
As you mount the stairs In ten"-
ment, one side OF the building IS 90
your right When you reach a.
landing and turn onto the floor OF
tho dark. narrow hall. the other sid
d, tho building is on Your right
Morley Smiths heart vas beating
rapidly. either with the citation due
to the adventure or tho exertlon of
climbing the stairs. as he knock, Il
on the door to his right. after trying
tho bell In vain. He raped as a
sott-knuckled clubman would rap
not noisily but with AUTHORITY. and
at the second rapp!nG the door
opened
A girl, not more than sixteen. thin.
big-eyed and pale. answered. The
room behind her was go scGnt.ly fur-
nished as to seem but temporary
lodging place. There was no carpet
on the moor. On a couch pushed
against the opposite wall was an un
made plle Of cheap bedding; there
was no chair and no table. Instead
there were short. Hordcscrirt
wooden bench and a packing-casc on
which stood an oil lamp. On tho
box were a bottle OF milk and loaf
Of bread from which perhaps half
had been cut away. On the wall,
on hooks. hung several articles Of
.emal" wearing-appare and dowdv
LITTLE hat. The feather OF the hat
was still wet. or had dried while pre-
serving It's wa.er-suakcd appearance
All this Mor!ey Smith saw. but NOR"
clearly he saw that the face Of the
sirl was strcaked with tears. and
that tears still G'is."n"d in her eyes,
She supported herself against the