Evening star., 1923-11-08

tions more generous still. These
| were realities.
Mephistopheles at play. He had
left Larmon at Suva. Fiji. Thereafter
-outWardly. Actually, even here in
New York with the continent between
them for Larmon had resumed his
lie in which he played the role OF
penevolent and retired man OF
wealth in San Francisco. they were
IN constant and extremely intimate
touch with each other
A modern Mephistopheles! Two
men only in the world knew Gilbert
Larmon for what he was, One other
man named Maldeck-Peter NAL
deck. But only one man knew him
John Bruce, in his new role, and that
was Gilbert Larmon.
Maldeck was the manager Of the
,, entire ring Of gambling houses, and
which the profits flowed into Lar
| mons Golfers; but to Maldeck. he,
John Bruce, was exactly what he
appeared to be to; the world at large,
and to the local managers of the
gambling houses in particular-a mil
llonaire plunger to whom gambling
was as the breath of life. The 'in-
spector of branches dealt with Gill
pert Larmon alone. and dealt con-
fidentially and secretively over NAL
writing fluid supplied by the old
samoan Islander playing its part
when found necessary, for it had
been agreed between Larmon and
himself that even the most innocent
appearing document received from
1ected to the salt water test; and he
had, indeed, already used it in sew
eral of the especially confidential re-
ports that he had sent Larmon on
some of the branches.
He shrugged his shoulders. The
whole scheme of his changed exist
ence had all been artfully simple
and superbly efficient. He was under
no necessity to explain the source of
his wealth, except in his native city,
San Francisco, where he was known
and San Francisco was outside his
Maldeck making that their head
quarters, other supervision of the
local "branch" was superhuous; else
where, his wealth was Inherited
that was all So, skipping San Fran
cisco, he had come leisurely east
ward. gambling for a week or two
weeks, as the case might be, in the
various cities, following as guidance
apparently but the whim of his sun
posedly roue inclinations. and he had
lost lot OF .money-Which would
eventually find its way back to its
original source in the pockets of
Gilbert Larmon, via the clearing
house conducted by Peter Maldeck
1t was extremely simple-but. equal
y, extremely systematic. The hab-
tues Of every branch were care
fully catalogued. He had only-and
casually--to make the acquaintance
of one of these in each city. and. in
turn, quite inevitably, would follow
an introduction to the local house: :
and, once introduced, the entree, then
OR on any subsequent visit to that city,
was an established fact
John Bruce laughed suddenly. soft
ly,I out into the night. 1t had been
good bargain that he had made
with Mephistopleles Wealth, lux
ury, everything he desired In life was
his. On the trail behind him In the
cities he had already visited he had
nightly lost or won huge sums of
money until he had become known
as the millionaire plunger. It was
quite true that, inasmuch as the
money, whether lost or won, but
passed from his right to his left
hand pocket-the pockets being rep
resented by one, Gilbert Larmon-the
gambler craving within him was but