Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-01
Now Go on With the Story

car to the other, held her hand a
moment in parting, promised to meet
them all the next Sunday at Mrs.
Greenberg's for dinner; and then
stood waving as they drove away.
With their departure he shed his
role of the moneyed idler. Stern
business demanded him now-just
how stern he did not realize until he
started to pay the garage-keeper for
the use of tho %flivver, and discovered
that he had only a dollar and thirty
five cents left in his pocket.
However, he did not betray his
dilemma; his training saved him. He
still had his tongue, and it had extri-
Gated him in more embarrassing
straits than this. Chilly, steadily he
talked on to the garage-keeper,
while trying to decide on his next
move.
He surreptitiously explored his
various pockets in the faint hope of
finding some overlooked currency.
and his fingers came in contact with
a familiar object. Like a magic
talisman, it restored his equanimity
and courage.
1t was an imitation meerschaum
pipe, and tor rather, its fellows
had for years provided Charlie with
what he called his little graft" He
always carried with him on his jolr-
neys an assortment of these. retail
ing at about fifty cents apiece, and
on his arrival in a "hick" town
would set out with one of them in
his pocket carefully wrapped up in
an old silk handkerchief. In the
Office of the railroad hotel or at the
Main Street pool parlor, he would
mark down his prospective victim
sometimes a lounging patron, some
times the proprietor of the place
and strike up a conversation, mes
merizing him with his gift of lam
guage. Then at the psychological
moment he would draw out his pipe,
and handling it as tenderly as if it
were some rare treasure, would offer
it for inspection.
"My father put in thirty-two years
coloring hat bowl" he would af-
firm, pensively reminiscent, brought
it with him when he came over from
the other side, and gave it to me on
his death-bed. l never thought that
anything could make me part with
it. but old Hard Luck is some per-
suader, and I've made up my mind
to let it go. OF course, if | had time
" u II a b1hAs i Cbio 0AIJ 6tA a.
high as four or five hundred for n
| pipe like that; but these bum lungs
of mine tell me that l can't afford to
lose any time getting to Arizona"
Here a hollow cough would shake
his whole frame.
$50, If you know of anybody,
friend, that's willing to come across
with the twenty-five l need to make
up my fare to Phoenix, the nicer
schaum's theirs"
The listener generally fell for the
bargain. and by the time the fraud
vas discovered and the constable set
on his trail, Charlie would be many
miles away.
OF course, with the garage-keeper,
he had to vary his story, and adapt
it to his character as for
"put-it-together-yourself' furniture:
but he did it so effectively that when
he closed the transaction, he had
paid all charges against him and had
eleven dollars to boot.
Then resolutely putting out of his
mind the Princess, the garage
keeper, Ranger. everything that in
terfered with his study of the prob
lem before him, he raced toward
Long Island.
Ell ANIl1
1t was just about the time that
Charlie had gained from the Prin-
cess the clue which pointed to the
sanitarium, that Hope and Kelsey in
Bristow's high-powered car went
crashing through the hedge and
sweeping down the road.
Their plan had been to drive west.
change the car al some garage, first
disabling it, and then proceed in an
other less conspicuous one to New
York.
But Kelsey noticed hat she had
headed east, which was we'll as it
would lead the pursuit in hat direc-
ton. Half a mile beyond the hos
pital, though, she turned into a ar
row lane, and he soon saw that by
clrcuitous routes she was now max
ing her way west.
Neither of them spoke. Crouched
over the wheel, Hope drove-a
valkyrie of a driver. and for the
time nothing more, every fiber of
her bent on that. And in the first
ecstasy of escape. Kelsey gave 10
thought to the dangers still before
them.
Twilight was falling now. AS they
whirled on, following tangled and
tortuous by-paths, he could no long
er see ahead of him.
With a twist of the wheel Hope
brought them out of a lane they had
been following through the scrub
oak onto a more Travelled highway,
and ahead of them he saw the lights
of a garage. She slowed down and
stopped. rubbing her numb hands.
run ahead and ~reconnoiter," she
said, land l will get ready to put the
carburetor out of commission, if the
coast is clear. Then, with another
car, we will make a detour around
that bend and strike into the main
road"
He was already out of the car, and
starting on his way.
Two or three minutes passed and
then he came running back. There's
a car there" he painted. There
were men in it-Bristow's chauffeur.
The garage men were gathered
around it. We haven't a second to
lose. They're after us"
She jumped into her seat, and
/ slowed the machine sharply round
They whizzed down the road and
back into the scrub-oak again. He
heard shouts behind them, and the
/ 1oi1d hOnkino of a horn. with an an