The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-07-28

i
s'Who's he?" demanded Hammond.
young Maillard-son of the banker.
He roped me into an oil company |;
caught me, like sucker, almost the
first week l was here. l put pretty
near my whole wad into that company
of his"
"You mean he stung your"
"Not yet" Gramont smiled coldly,
harshly, Il fell right enough--but I'll
come out on top Of the heap"
The other frowned. II don't get
you, cap'n. Some kind o. stock deal?"
Eyes, and no." Gramont paused, and
seemed to choose his words with care.
miss Ledanois, the lady who was
driving with US this afternoon, is an
old friend of mine. I've known for
some time that somebody was fleeing
her. suspected that 1t was Maillard
the elder, for he has had the handling
Of her affairs Sor some time past.
Now, however, those papers have given
me the truth. He was straight enough
with her; his son was the man.
HE worked on his father, made his
father sell land owned by Miss Leda-
nOis, and he himself reaped the prof
its. There are notes and stock issues
among those papers that give his
whole game away, to my eyes. BY the
way, get that tin box out of my trunk,
will you? want to take my stock
certificates with me in the morning,
and must NOT forget them"
Hammond disappeared into the adj
joining room.
Gramont sat gazing at the boxes be-
fore him. He shook his head gloomily,
and his eyes clouded.
"All wasted--the whole effort !" he
murmured. II thought it might lead
to something, but all 1t has given me
is the reward Of saving myself and
possibly retrieving Lucie. AS for the
larger game, the bigger quarry--it's
all wasted. I haven't unraveled a
single thread; the first real clue came
to me tonight, purely by accident.
Memphis Icy Gumberts! That's the
lead to follow! I'll get rid Of this
Midnight Masquer foolishness and go
after the real game"
Gramont was to discover that 1t is
not nearly SO easy to be rid of folly
as 1t is to don the TESTERS cap and
bells; fact which one Simplicissimus
had discovered to his sorrow three
hundred years earlier. But, as Ora.
mont was not versed In the line Of
literature he yet had the discovery
ahead of him.
Hammond re-entered the room with
the tin box, from which Gramont took
his stock certificates issued by Bob
NIaillard's oil company. He pocketed
the shares.
"I'll go to Maillard the banker-Jo-
seph Maillard-frst thing in the morn
ing, and offer him my stock. He'll
be mighty glad to get it at a discount,
knowing that 1t Is In his sons COM
pany. You see, the son doesn't confide
in the old man particularly. I'll let
the father win little money on the
deal with me, and by doing this I'll
manage to save the greater part of my
Investment"
Holy mackerelw Hammond ex-
ploded in a burst Of laughter as he
caught the idea. "Say, if this amt
the richest thing ever pulledI When
the crash comes, the fancy kid will be
singing his dad good and hard, chr"
Exactly; and think his dad can
afford to be stung much better than I
can," agreed Gramont, eheerfully.
Nov let's take those packages and
stow them awaysin the luggage COM
partment of the car. I'm getting
nervous a. the thought Of having
them around here, and they'll be per-
fectly safe there overnight = safer
there than here, in fact. Tomorrow
you can take the car out of town and
send the packages by parcels post
from some small town.
I'm that way they ought to be de-
livered here on Wednesday. You'd
better wear one Of my suits, leaving
your chauffeur's outfit here, and don't
halt the car in front of the post office
where you mail the packages"
II get you," assented Hammond,
sagely. ''But what about them avia-
tors clothes?"
take them with you--better get
them wrapped up here and now. You
can toss them into a ditch anywhere"
Hammond obeyed.
Ten minutes afterward the two men
left the room, carrying the packages
Of loot and the bundle containing the
aviator's uniform. They descended
to the courtyard in the rear of the
house. Here was small garden, with
a fountain in its center. Behind this
were the stables, which had long been
disused as such. and which were now
occupied only by the car of Gramont.
1t was with undisguised relief that
Gramont now saw the stuff actually
out of the house. Within the last few
hours he had become intensely afraid
Of joachim Fell. Concentrating himself
upon the man, picking up information
guardedly, he had that day assimilated
many small items which increased his
sense of peril from that quarter.