The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1922-10-05
CHAPTER v
The Masquer Unmasks.

Vi olu-WOTlu me. these pensions 90
not advertise. The average tourist
knows nothing of them. Even If he
knew, Indeed, he might have some
difficulty in obtaining accommodations,
for 1t is not nearly enough TO have
the money; one must also have the in.
Productions, come well recommended,
and be under the tongue Of good re-
pute.
Gramont had obtained a small apart.
ment en- pension-a quiet and severely
retired house In Burgundy street,
maintained by very proud old lady
whose ancestors had come out OF
Canada with the Sieur dIberville.
Here Gramont lived with Hammond.
quite on basis of equality, and they
were very comfortable.
The two men sat smoking their pipes
before the fireplace, in which blazed a
small fire-more for good cheer than
through necessity. 1t was Sunday
evening.
Gramops stared into the Pickering
fire and sucked at his pipe Suddenly
he reused himself and shot a glance
at Hammond.
Sergeant You seem TO have
pretty good recollection Of that night
at the Lavergne house, when l found
you entering and jumped on YOU"
you bet l have!" Hammond
chuckled. "When you'd knocked the
goggles off me and we recognized each
other-h-l! l felt like boob"
Gramont smiled. "How many places
had you robbed up to then? Three
wasn't it,"
Three is right cap'n," was the un.
ashamed response.
1--WE haven't referred to IL very of.
ten, but now things have happened"
| GramOnts face took on harsh lines OF
determination. do you know, it was
Il lucky thing that you had no chance
to dispose Of the jewels and money
you obtained?"
NO chance" snorted the other. No
chance is right, tap'n And l was
sore, too. Say, they got a ring of
crooks. around this town you couldn't
bust into with grenades Listen here,
and I'll tell you something big"
Hammond leaned forward. lowered
his voice, and tamped at his pipe.
when | was young fellow ! lived
in little town up north-I amt say
In where. My old man had livery
stable there, see? Well, one night a
guy come along and got the old man
out Of bed, and slips him fifteen hun.
| dred for a rig and a team, see? I
drove the guy ten miles through the
hills, and set him on a road he wanted
! to find.
"Now, that guy was tie biggest
crook in the country in them days
still is, l guess. He was on the dead
run that night, to keep out o. Leaven.
worth He KEEP out, all right, and he's
settin' in the game to this minute. No
body never pinched him yet, and never
will"
"Whyr
Because his gang runs back to
politicians and rich guys all over the
country. You ask anybody on the In
side II they ever heard of Memphis
H.
that very identical guy on the street
the other day. never could forget his
ugly mug! And where he is, no out
side crooks can get In, you believe
me-"
"Hm Memphis Izzy Gumberts, chi
What kind Of a crook is he, sergeant?"
THE big kind. You remember them
Chicago lotteries2 But you don't, o.
course. Well, that's his game-lot-
teries and such like"
Gramont's lips clenched for min
ute, then he spoke with slow distinct.
ness:
Sergeant, I'd have given five nun
dred dollars for that information q
week ago!"
"Why?" Gramont shook his head
"Never mind. Forget 1t I Now, this
stunt of yours was clever. You showed
brains when you got yourself up as an
aviator and pulled that stuff, ser.
geant. But you handled 1t brutality
terribly brutality"
at was q little raw, 1 guess" con-
ceded Hammond. II was up against
1t, that's all. When you took over the
costume and began to get across with
the Rafiles stuff-why, 1t was pipe
for you, cap'nl Look what we've done
In a month. Six jobs, every one rum
ming off smooth as glass Your no.
ton of going to parties ready dressed
with some kind Of loose robe over the
fiyin' buds was a scream And then
me running that motor with the cut
out on-all them birds that never
heard an airplane think you come and
90 by air, for certain Nobody will
ever find us out"
Gramont nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes2 But, sergeant, how about the
| vuiet little man who came along last
night at the Maillard house and asked
about the car? Perhaps he had dis
covered you had been running the
engine"