The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-06-03
THIS BEGINS THE STORY.

Peter NicholaeyitCh, Russian
Grand Duke, cxiled by revolution,
comes to this country as Peter
Nichols, and takes charge of a
group of men on the estate OF
Jonathan Il. Mcclure. 1t is their
duty to keep all strangers away
from the house, but the man Nc
Guire fears breaks through the
guard and leaves a message and
makes an appointment. Peter
keeps the appointment for Nc
CURE, discovers that the man is
an old acquaintance and hears
his story a story of murder and
worse in the far West. The
stranger, Hawk Kennedy, tells
the story of the staying of Ben
Cameron, their partner, by Nc
Guire. Peter is the more inclin-
ed to believe the story because
while he talked to Kennedy a
shot was fred and kennedy was
injured. Peter is satisfied that
Mcclure fired the shot and Later
charges him with it. Mcclure is
startled to hear that kennedy
had told his story. HE talked"
McGuire's Doise was slipping
from him.
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES.
"One moment, if you please, I
want this thing perfectly understood.
Your arrangements were cleverly
understanding the guards - your
Instructions to me-the f1ash1ight and
all the rest. You didn't want to kill
me if you could help it. I'm obliged
for this consideration. You forgot
that your hand isn't steady as IL
was when you were dead shot out
in Arizona-Ah, I see that you al
ready understand what 1 mean"
MCGUIRE had started forward in his
chair, his face liVid.
EYou know-?''
Yes. More than I wanted to
know-mo ore than 1 would ever have
known if you'd played fair with me.
You cared nothing for my life. You
shot, twice, missed killing your man
and then when the light went out,
sneaked away like the coward that
you are-'
Oh you" croaked Mcclure
feebly, falling back in his chair.
Leaving me to the mercies O. Sour
ancient enemy in the dark - who
thought me your accomplice. You
can hardly blame him under the cir
him-luckily for me-and disarmed
him. If you had remained a few
moments longer you might have
taken part in our very interesting
conversation. Do you still deny all
this?"
Mcclure, stf1ed with his fear and
fury, was incapable of a reply
Very good. So long as we under
stand each other thus far, perhaps
you will permit me to go on. As you
know, / came to you in good faith.
1 wanted to help you in anay way
that a gentleman could do. Last night
you tricked me, and put my life in
danger. If you had killed Kennedy
cverything would have been all right
for you And I would have been ac-
cused of the killing. If I had been
killed no harm would have been done
at all. That was your idea. 1t was
a clever little scheme. Pity it didn't
work out"
McGuire's fa1tering courage was
coming back.
"Go on" he muttered desperately.
Thanks said Peter. Il will. One
shot of yours scraped Kennedys
shoulder. He was bleeding badly, so
I took him to the caoin and fixed him
UP. He was rather graf eful. He
ought to have been. I gave him a
drink too-several drinks. You said
he wouldn't talk but he did
You made him talk, d--n you"
Mcguire broke in hoarsely.
mo. He volunteered to talk. |
may say. he insisted upon it. You
see, I happened to have the gentle
YOU"
I'VE met on the steamer coming
over when We were escaping from
Russia His name was Jim Coast
then. He was a waiter in the dining
saloon. So was L Funny. isn't 1J?"
To Mcguire it seemed for from that
for at this revelation his jaw dropped
and he stared at Peter as though the
entire affair was beyond his compre-
hnsion.
You know him! A waiter, you."
'sYs Misfortune makes strange
bedfellows. 1t was either that or STAR
walton. I preferred to wait"
'.For-for the love of G'od-go on"
grow'led Mcclure. His hands were
was madness in his shifting eyes, so
Feter watched him keeniy-
II will. He told me how you and
he had worked together in Colorado,
up in the San Louis Valley, of the
gold prospect near Wagon Wheel
Gap, of its failure-how you met
again in Pueblo and then went down
into the copper country-Bisbee. Ari-
IONA
Peter had no pity now. He saw
Mcguire straighten again in his
chair, his gaze shifting past Peter
from left TO right like a trapped ami
NAL. His fingers CROPPED along the
chair arms, along the table edge.
trembling, eager but uncertain. But
the sound of Peters narrative seemed
TO fascinate-to hypotize him.
go on he whispered hoarse-
ly, go on!'
you got an outfit and went out
into the ella Desert" continued
Peter. painting his picture lefsurely.
deliberately 'It was horrible = the
heat, the sand, the rocks-but you
veren,+ going to fall this time There
was going to be something at the
end of this terrible pilgrimage to re-
pay you for all that you suffered. You
and Hawk Kennedy. There was no
water but what you carried on your
pack rrluIes-no water within a hun
dred miles. nothing but sand and
rocks and the heat. No chance at all
for a man. You saw the bones of men