Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-16
-.o1Ns THE STORY

.,., NicholaerifGh' .,roi~tion.
Peter nuke. eriled by fe.o'Jpt Peter
efard ~ Ills oountry a as ~, ,et tss
comes, !" and goes to toofS ofS,o0T,;,e ~
Eichoh, Nv" "Jonathan X. Mcu"mu. 70, un:
ssfote oI; beino bldokmaited ov gno
Icds.rTe Te'ss,cdv. " Kennedy says Mg tSe
Hook he.,mdered Ben Cameron IN d ~
Cure man"Tuire says kennedv ,g ~"
West. % and Peter, beiieo,no Ken. m
tie khnny, nnnny,,olres 10 circnmpent, nc" ~
gsire, rsSy cameron ,oas the tatneJh nhom ~
ssdy. c~eron, oa girl to'h ,onomI I
Beth sns fallen IN lore. re, nc G"a n;s
Pete, haS oSncr Immediately 6etore ms
fssna 0ord orpd Peter ,oins Mcu"IJ, ,,t Jo,'
jesih, 0n' W. oipe Beth a million % ao,.
sron'i@ " Kennedy Is silenoed., t. hen
hrs rn.H r;.;,, Peters cabin ana reped.s p,.s
stdy s" s'a,' "it pou play me |'So |d'so
th nO,s' ors your hearts oieoa, So ,hboo
T'H hdVpp p,,sr laughed. ,,SdVo mo
sdys. "a for McGmre, ne sdysJ;
melodram"s "s,ored." The bluff ~orked
ImK '.a Kennedy n reldred, ,,-,s
you,RE a cool hand. /
Va, ,ton YOU think I need you or
wouldnt Dc And I'm goin' to tell you
% Do neeu eseeuu,SO~even SOr if it gives away my
hand" .,rsc,f" said Feter indif-
f,rently. 49,, h;s old "bunkie" pour
He watchJI; I.;rk Of the whisky, and a
eut anon,. 1,or of action took shape IN ms
definite Ri"h 10 could only get Nennedy
mind. II III : The whisky bottle
drunk enousn st empty-so Peter got up,
wss vsst to his cupboard ana or0us"' ''
another n,oeaSaa old ",d Pete!" said Hawk; seems
~, July the first didn't make 'n''"
,;,Eerence sst to you. ~. Nccpire :"
oilsa IA nresent from Mr. Me"ufe'
Peter explained: ,,.' COT hank nc
"Well here's to his Iat D"hH And % be
n'n Nav It soon be ours. ana ne
eounss' eos cSnjously. Peter filled his own
drank h"t when the opportunity oHcrea %
slam s.a 'T most Of it into the slop'oo
Inst behind him. -, ror Pete about
.na McGuire-about how we got
me amd nD,rs II amt n pretty story. i
INA. mn s,mc of it, but not the rca,
told you ,Unhody but Mike Mcclure ana
Pa,.," tbat-and he wouldn't teli IL
! KNOW 80 last thing he said on earth.
1t Tos Tos" w said Peter, "something
crGSseu, %seuedy laid his bony fingers along .!
p...r'a arm while his voice sank 10 u"
ilnpisrk p,rrooked as hell. Photographed as
orUy you wouldn't think Mike Nc
1eL' ~ r,Irdercr-wOuld your
"a murderer--! H..
xsrnedv q nodded. 1--WE took that
neni stole il from the poor guy. who
g' Rad staksd out his claim. Mike killed
him- or
eyes, sir. Killed him-struck MN n,t -,
tbe ribs with a knife when ne .,; Mnss
iookin'. What do You think OF that'
"NIcGuirc-a murderer
"Sure. Nice sort of n boss you W
eot And he could swing for 1t II
8dn't hold my tongue.
'This Is serious >.
"You bet it is-if he don't come
across. Now I guess you know WHY
he was so cut up when l showed u,
around here. I've got 1t on MIN III
right" ,.,,
"Can you prove II
Kennedy rubbed his chin for a mo
ment
blinked pensively at his glass. ",WeIl
you see--in manner OF spcaR'n -
he's got 1t on me, too.
And Peter listened while his villain
ous companion related the well -knowi
tale Of the terrible compact betweei
the two men in which both of then
had agreed in writing to share tn
guilt Of the crime, carefully omittini
to state the compulsion as used upol
Mcclure, Hawk Kennedy lied. |
Peter had ever needed any further proc
Of the honesty of his employer he reaC
" IT in the shifting eye and uncertain
verbiage Of his guest, whose tongue nov
wagged loosely while he talked of thu
two papers, one of which was in Nc
Guire's possession, the other in hi
pwn. Hawk was no pleasant companion
or an evenings entertainment. From
the interesting adventurer of the Ber
mudan. Jim Coast had been slowl.
changing under Peters eyes into per
fonality more formidable and sinister
And the drink seemed to be bringin;
ntc Importance potentialities for evil n
which Peter had only guessed. Tha
ne meant to fight to the last ditch TO
tne money was clear, and If the wors
came would even confess, dragging Nc
Su're down among the ruins Of botl
!heir lives. In his drunken condition
would have been ridiculously easy
tor Pcter to have overpowercd him. bu
~ was not sure to what end that woult
you say there were two papers,
@ia q Peter. Where are they?"
McGuire's got his--here at BlacI
"oeK, muttered Hawk.
p. How do you know that?" aske
reter with interest.
~, Where would he keep IT," sneere
aswk. In his business papers 70
ieeutors to look over?"
And where's yOurs?" asked Peter,
ne hoped for some motion of Ken
heay s hngers to bctray its whereabouts
sut the man only poured out anothe
N'iaT .s5 ana leered Mt Peter unpleasantly
I'm, mat sh my business" he said wit
No." "oh' Is it? I thought I was t
nave hand in this" ~
hi,Ssnncdy grinned.
n,ra are Your job is t. get tn othc
w. psPsr from McGuirc's safe. And tho
w W nave fortune in-hic--nutshell." :"
"a ,oi see. I've got to turn burgla
NJ So:. !.'a your little criminal society. Sup
\, az Wv, wont. Why. Pete. it ought t
~ essiest job in world. A fcw drops
md sass hs when you're talkin' businc,
wa wa se never know it happened. The
sttsrosa Nh peat IT, understand, m writ
tISt Sn-Thice SILL lettersh. One of 'cm
10 tbs Teal hl daughter Of his. That woul
NV. NV business, pronto."
fummihnatively. "'"'''''d iet'
cb,rSsuare sure It will-but we'll give hi
ipSte. ps,e. Are y on?" he asked
then: "'' silent Tor moment. An
pane, az cont S see why You want tn,
uactlv oM,mriuirc's." he said. "rhcy',
ullkn.