The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-07
Continued from Yesterday)
FRANK l.. PACKARD

frankly 8, thief, wasn't he? And he was at his pitiful calling now-down to the lowest dregs of it. What else did she expect? Because he hae4 the appearance of a gentleman, was it that her sense of gratitude for what she owed him had made her deep down in her soul, actually cher ish the belief that he really was one made her hope it, and nOuriSh that hope into belief? Tighter her hand cIenched- Her lips parted, and her breath came in short, hard inhala- tions Was it true? Was it all only an added misery, where it had seem ed there could be none to add to her life in these last few days? Was it true that there was no price she would not have paid to have found him in any role but this abased one that he was playing now?
 The Adventurer broke the silence
 Quite so, my dear, MT. Viner." he agreed smoothly. Ut would ap- pear, then, from what you say that I have been mistaken-even stupidly so, I am afraid And in that case, can only apologize for my intrusion. a-,1 as --~- 1e1icata1r- ->-r+ it oet out H slipped the papers. wit a l.;f -lOSaIJIi-- r!l tII- ders, into his inside coat pocket, and took backward step toward the door. T bid you goodnight, then MT Viner- The papers. as you state, are doubtless of no value to you, so you can, of course, have no objection to my handing them over to the po- lice, who-'
 No, no! Wait! wait!' the other whispered wildly. 'WaitI''
 "Ah!" murmured the Adventurer. .. ''I-Tn-the bent old figure was clawing at his beard-'Pll-''
 Buy them?" suggested the Adven- turer pleasantly.
 ''Yes, Tll-Tn buy them. live got little money, only .. little. all I've been able to save in years, a-a hundred dollars
 How much did you say?'' inuired the Adventurer coldly.
 Two hundred The voice was a maudlin whine.
 The Adventurer took another bao.. ward step toward the door.
 Three hundred"
 Another step
 ''Five-a thousand"'
 That's better!" he said. tFWhe ere you keep a thousand, you keep the rest. Where is the thousand, MT Viner?"
 The bent figure hesitated a mo- nent; and then. with what sounded like despairing cry, pointed to the, table.
 
 curses on you. for the thief you are!"
 Rhoda Gray found her eyes fixed in sudden, strained fascination on the table-as she, imagined. the Adven- turer's were too. It was bare of any covering, nor were there any articles on it's surface, nor, as far as she could see. was there any drawer. And now the Adventurer, his right hand still in his coat pocket, and buIging there where she knew quite well 1t grasped hts revolver, stepped abruptly 10 the table, facing the other with the table between them.
 The bent old figure still hesitated and then. with the despairing cry again. grasped at the top of the ta- ble, and jerked it toward him. The surface seemed to slide sideways a little way, a matter of two or three inches, and then stick there; but the Adventurer. in an instant, had thrust the fingers of his left hand in- to the crevice. He drew out a num- Der of of loose banknotes, and thrust his fingers in again for & further supply.
 Open it wider" he commanded curtly
 I'm trying to- the other num- bled, and bent down to peer under the table Its stuck. The catch is underneath, and--''
 It seemed to Rhoda Gray. gazing into that dimly lighted room, as though she were suddenly held spell bound as in some horrible and anaz- ing trance. Like a hideous jack-in- the-box the gray head popped above the level of the table again. and quick as a flesh. a revolver was thrust into the Adventures face; and the Adventurer, caught at a disadvan- tage. since his hand in his coat poe l. s,,- Jy,r- 1~I top. stood there as though instan- taneously transformed into some motionless inanimate thing, his fling CTS still gripping at another sheaf of banknotes that he had been in the act of scooping out from the mar TOW aperture.
 And then again Rhoda Gray stared and stared now as though bereft of her senses; and upon her crept. cold and deadly. a fear and a terror that seemed to engulf her very soul itself. That head that looked like a pack-in- the-hoN was gone: the gray beard seemed suddenly to be shorn away. and the gray hair too, and to fall and f1utter to the table, and the bent shoulders were not bent any more. and it wasn't Nicky Viner at all - only clever. a wonderfully clever. impersonat:on that had been helped out by the poor and meagre light And terror gripped at her again, for il wasn't Nicky Viner. Those mar rowed eyes. that leering, gloating face those working lips were Danglar's-
 And. as from some far distance. duned because her consciousness was dulled he heard Danglar speak.
 Perhaps you'll take your hand out Of that rig1t-hand coat pocket of yours now!" sneered Danglar. And - take 1t out - empty!"
 The Adventurer's face, as nearly as Rhoda Gray could see. had not nov ed a muscle. He obeyed now, coolly, with shrug of his shoulders.
 Da1glar appeared to experience no further trouble with the surface of the table now. He suddenly jerked iJ almost off, displaying what Rhoda Gray now knew to be the remainder of the large package of banknotes he