Evening star., 1921-08-20

7
ter and his OUTFIT" he declared. frank
! ly. Il was making money and we
were happy enough few years ago,
with our own jolly little crowd. but
change Mrs. Ford got ambitious So
cially. She met Mrs. Creveling at
some charity affair and got in with
her, and Creveling introduced me to
it. and I don't mind telling you that
encouraged Mrs. Ford to travel with
| that bunch; 1 thought I'd get In my
self through them with big moneyed
practically using my own wife as
-capper. the way Cutter is using Mrs.
Baillie Kip: She's just a kind of
! grown-up little girl. my wife, is;
taken up by the swell people and she
/ be another motive behind the fiat
tory Of other men. rotters like Cutter.
or so ago and she came to me like
a big kid and told me: I let him
/ know where he got off and after that
I she wasn't bothered. but they had
/ it in for me. You see the game now,
don't you, McCarty?"
| McCarty nodded slowly in his turn
and his expression was very grim, but
he waited without speaking.
| Mrs. Creveling and Mrs. Waverly
are different; they belong by right of
| birth and their old, withered family
trees. They don't have to struggle to
get anywhere and in another way
bands. They've exhausted every al
| lowable means Of amusing themselves
| and they turned to the game for what
| excitement they could get out OF II,
and it got thsmthe tSs sf
Yes. sir"
They're both beauties; Mrs. Creve--
ling in a cold. aloof sort of way and
| Mrs Waverly is devilish. snaky vamp.
Both mighty attractive and each diff
| ferent type; get me?'
"You mean that Cutter is using them
both as steerers, too?" McCarty's hon
! est tones were filed with shocked
amazement Ladies like them. with
money than they can spend!"
"Oh. without their knowledge. OF
course. but their husbands stood In with
Cutter. 1 know. because they were
little intimate dinners and afternoon
musical he was supposed to give. but
which really masked the games which
went on day and night. The rest OF
us were rank outsiders asked only on
certain specified nights; only the Creve-
lings and the Waverlys met all the diff
ferent exclusive little groups that gath
! cred there. That is the secret OF CUT
| ter's success and his immunity. You
don't think he made his millions out
Of just our set. do you? He kept his
| crowds separate, with those exceptions.
i and only catered to people who could
no more afford the scandal and noto-
riety of a raid than he could. More
than one poor devil has lost his last
| dollar and shot himself in that room
, that looks like conservatory at the
| back of Cutters house, and I'll wager
that more money has changed hands
at Monte Carlo for the same period!
But no scandal has ever attached to
/ Cutter. his system was too perfect for
| that; the poor devils who did themselves
| in were spirited home and the papers
made big fuss over their deaths
from accident or appendicitis opera
| tions. or some such lie. OF course their
, families were as eager to conceal the
truth as Gutter: that's where he played
safe. The worst part of it is that he
thing in this country; his family is
one of the oldest and he has always
kept his social position impregnable,
though l understand he inherited moth
cestor's gambling instinct! People
don't dare squeal on him. for he has
clients and victims among the connec-
tions Of every prominent family in the
| country. He thought wouldn't dare.
81 wonder he didn't take that into
consideration McCarty remarked.
"You say he refused to let you have
loan to tide you over when he knew
it meant ruin to you.'
Ford colored painfully.
There was a personal matter in
volved and it warped his judgment, 1
guess" he mumbled. my wife, you
know"
voice sympathetic, but he was filed
with loathing for the unprincipled weak
ling before him. He'd borrow money,
If he could, from man who had in.
suited his wife, and if he couldn't sell
tingled to administer kick to the cow
ardly sneak. but he must learn more.
'If Mrs. Waverly and Mrs. Creveling
played just because they were bored and
Mrs. Ford because you wanted her to.
O'Rourke sit in the game?"
''oh. Connie Kip is a born adven-
turess; a professional gambler in a
way, like Cutter" replied Ford. care
lessly. She's too shrewd to jeopardize
the social position she has wormed her
self into by any indiscreet filtration, but
the cards are her means of livelihood,
and could swear I've caught her cheat
ing more than once; though If Cutter
| knows it he doesn't mind her counting
| herself in on his graft. for she's popular
and useful to him as a steerer. 1t is
| through her that he gets his clutches on
i the young asses in society with more
money than brains.'
|
| evening"" asked McCarty, suddenly.
mo, only the O'Rourkes. We ex-
pected Creveling, but he phoned that
| he couldn't make it. SO we had five
! handed game; tame enough. too, with
neither Creveling nor Waverly there.
They were the plungers and helping
along Cutters fleeing of O'Rourke. I
/ suspect. I might have warned him. I
| suppose. but l had my own fish to fry
! in trying to win my money back. from
them or get loan, and then misery
, loves company. you know
| But Mrs. lO'Rourke?' persisted Nc
Carly. What possessed her to play?"
responded Ford. with an odd note Of
! respectful admiration in his tone.
McCarty rose. He felt suddenly
stifled and. as though his breakfast
/ had not agreed with him. This cheap
renegade might be useful to him in
the future. and his native caution
warned him to go before he expressed
himself openly. Not for the life of
him could he listen to another word
concerning the Lady Peggy, even in
praise, from such lips.
Thank you, sir. I guess you've
told me all I need to work on now
! and I won't poster you any longer. I
won't give you away. but there1l be
no more fteecing of Mr.. ORourke nor
any one else, / can promise you that"
Il don't give a damn about that,
I'm done!" Ford followed him to the
door.
McCarty breathed deeply when he
reached the street once more, as
though to clear his lungs from fetid
atmosphere, but he felt that he had
than at any time since he had
undertaken the case