Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-08-01
john AillSEX
AMaSte Thief
N.Y. r1lu7 SomeB Roche
Copyright 1904. NEA Service Inc
TENlE NASN lElpnS(ODE=


She had been crying. AS a mat
ter of fact, she was weeping now.
Bravely she was endeavoring to
hide her emotion. Indeed, emotion
is not the word, for that word con,
notes a certain agitation that was
lacking in her manner.
Sheer hopelessness was written
upon her face that despair of
youth SO infinitely more tragic than
the despair of age. And she was
pathetically young. In years, per-
haps, she lad reached maturity, but
hers was the type Of face that mir
rors the innocence of childhood.
Neither time nor experience can
ever age such folk.
But even these can suffer Per-
haps, indeed, they suffer more than
the calloused of soul. /, a cynical
violator Of the laws of man, wanted
to go over and pat her hand, and
wipe away her tears.
| smiled as I pictured mysef do
ing this Her young escort would
doubtless resent such an action, for
/ have not reached the age when /
am young-not as young as The
youth who accompanied her, but
still of an age when women some
times glance my way. Partly, too,
my smile was sardonic 7 was not
the person to offer chivalrous SYM
pathy to weeping maidens, with Or
without escort.
At this very moment the police of
New York were searching for me.
AS / have recounted in a previous.
chapter one Swede Thomassen, al
brutal murderer, had been killed inI
my apartment by the White Eagle.
that great Frenchman whom |
would rank as the foremost criminal
genius of his time, did not truth
compel me to admit that ] have de-
feated him on numerous occasions.
The newspapers were filled with
accounts of the finding Of Thomas
sens body, and with tales of the
extraordinary efforts police were
making to find Robert Stickney, the
tenant of the apartment. Indeed,
the newspapers did not condemns
Stickney. They said that he had
rendered a service to society in
riddingSit of Thomassen, Nevethe-
less the police naturally desired to
interview Mr.. Stickney. And if
Mr.. Stiekney were captured by the
police, it would transpire, possibly,
that he was a gentleman of fortune,
who had become a professional &c
spoiler of the too numerous prof.
teers which the war had created.
Now /, John Ainsley, had no wish
to disclose my identity, my means
of livelihood. In fact, that means
of livelihood, ! hoped, had been
abandoned. / had made my stake.
I intended to sail for Australia. In
q couple of years l would return |
would go to that native town Of
mine where the Ainsleys were
known and respected, and would
take up.again the life that ! had led
before the war and the crash of
my fortunes.
Five days had elapsed since the
discovery Of Thomassen's body.
And during those five days l mad
secluded myself in the rooms which
] had taken in a modest hotel.
But was always a restless per-
son. Tomorrow, at five in the morn
ing, the Celeste sailed from her
dock for Sydney. My baggage was
already in my stateroom. 1t would
have been a simple matter for ne,
having paid my hotel bill to step
into taxi, drive downtown and
across Brooklyn Bridge to ne
steamer.
But I would not see New York
again for at least. two years. 1t
would take me that long so to estab-
lish myself in Australia that if, in
the years to come, some one should
ask if John Ainsley really had made
a fortune in the island continent, it
would be possible to point to back