Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-21
AND HERE IT CONTINUES
CHAPTER I
Their Story-Alsddin's Lamp

| 1OHN BRUCE, stretched at fuu length
u on q luxurious divan in the most
sumptuous apartment of the Baync..
Niiloy, New York's newest and most
prententious hostelry, rose suddenly TO
his feet and twitched of the lights. The
samo impulse carried him IN rev
strides to the window. The night was
stiil and the moon rode high and full.
| Il was the same moon that three months
ago he had stared at from the hat OF
his back on the beach at Apia. A smi's,
curiously tight, and yet curtously whtm.
sical, touched his lips. II 1t had been
"moon madness that had fallen upon
the gambler king and himself that night,
It had been a madness that was strange.
" free In its development from hallu.
cination. Tint diagnosis no longer
held. It would be much more opposite
to lay 1t bluntly to the door Of
Mephistopheles. From the moment ne
had boarded the mail steamer he had
lived as q man possessed OF unlimited
wealth-as man with unlimited funds
always in his possession or ut his In
slant command. ...'
He whistled softly. Il was, though,
il not moon madness, perhaps the
moon, serene and full up there ss II
had been that other night, which he
had been watching from the divan a
few moments before, that had sent bis
mind scurrying backward over those In
tervening months. And yet, perhaps
not for there would come often enough,
as now, moments OF mind cropping, yes,
even the sense of hullucination when he
was not quite sure but that certain
bubble. floating at one moment IN daz'
zlingly iridesccnt beauty before his
eyes, would dissolve the next into blank
nothingness, and Well, what would
II be then? Another beach at some
Apia, until another Mephistopheles, IN
some other guise, came to play up
against his role Of DR.. Faustus againF
He looked sharply behind him
around the darkened room, whose dark.
ness did not hide Its luxury. His
shoulder brushed the heavy silken por.
tiere Mt his side; his fingers touched
roll of banknotes In his pocket, a gen
erous roll, whose individual units were
OF denominations more generous stih'
These. were realities.
Mephistopheles at play! He had left
Larmon at Suva, Fiji. Thereafter their
ways and their lives lay apart-out-
wardly. Actually, even here In New
York with the continent between them
for Larmon had resumed his life ir
which he played the role of benevolent
and retired man Of wealth In Sar
Francisco, they were in constant and
extremely intimate touch with eacf
ether.
A modern Mephistopheles! Two mer
only in the world knew Gilbert Lar
mon for what he was. One other be-
sides himself. And that other was 4
man named Maldeck-Pcter Maldeck
But only one man knew him, JohI
Bruce, in his new role, and that wal
Gilbert Larmon.
Maldeck was the manager OF tn
entire ring Of gambling houses, nm.
likewise the clearing house througl
which the profits flowed into Larmon'
Golfers; but to Maldeck, he, Joh
Bruce, was exactly what he appeare'
to be to the world at large, and to tn
local managers Of the gambling house
in particular-a millionaire plunger t
whom gambling was as the breath
life. The inspector OF branches
dealt with Gilbert Larmon alone, an
dealt con6dentially and secretively ove
Maldeck's hcad-even that invisibl
writing fluid supplied by the old Sa
moan Islander playing Its part whe
found necessary. for 1t had been agree
between Larmon and himself that eve
the most innocent appearing dOcumen
received from him. John Bruce, shoul
be subjected to the salt. water test; an
he had, indeed, already used 1t in sev
ernl of the especially confidential re
ports that he had sent Larmon on som
Of the branches.
He shrugged his shoulders. The who
scheme Of his changed existence had a
been artfully simple--and superbly ei
ficient. He was under no necessity
nI.t- xho NJ hfo Ivnnlfh nyPnI
in his native city, San Francisco, whel
he was known--and San Francisco WI
outside his Jurisdiction. With bot
Larmon and Maldeck making that the
headquarters. other supervision OF II
local "branch' was superfuOus; elst
where, his wealth was inherited-th'
was all. So, skipping San Francisc
he had come leisurely eastward, gan
bling for a week or two weeks, as Il
case might be. in the various cite
following as guidance apparently b.
the wh!m Of his supposedly rous IL
clinations. and he had lost lot
money-whlch would eventually find
. way back to its original source In Il
| pockets of Gilbert Larmon. via Il
| clearing house conducted by Peter Ma
deck. It was extremely simple-bu
equally, extremely systematic. ~
| habitues OF every branch were car
j fully catalogued. He had only--ai
I casually-to make the acquaintance
| one of these in each city, and,
turn, quite inevitably. would follow ,
4 introduction to the local "house'; an
once introduced, the entree. then or I
\ any subsequent visit to that city, VI
" an established fact.
N. John Bruce laughed suddenly, softl
|u out into the night. 1t had been
III good bargain that he had made wi
Mephistopheles Wealth, luxury, ever
III thing he desired in life was his. {
the trail behind him in the cities
" had already visited he had nightly Ia
or won huge sums OF money until
had become known ~ the millionai
plunger. 1t was quite true that. i
asrnuch rs the money, whether lost
won. but passed from his right to
left hand pocket-the pockets being re
resented by one Gilbert Larmon--t
gambler craving within him was b
MI served, almost In sense mocke
hut that phase of 1t had sunk into
significance. The whole idea was
gigantic gamble--a gamble with II
The whole fabric was OF texture M
precarious. IL exhilarated him. 4
citcment, adventure, yes, even pei
beckoned alluringly and always fr
around the corner just ahead. He ste
naainst the police; he stood q W
.h.-on - haino dlnrnva,