Evening star., 1925-11-08
The Double Cross
BY A. E. THOMAS
Mystery Story of Dramatic Power.
by poddM Mead&
Copyright. 1925. by Dodd, Mead 4 Co.


Well, Doris Colby is just that-a very
rich woman. Now you stick by me-
and I'll stick
Silence fell. 1t was broken only by
| the heavy breathing of the stricken
| Waterman. Stanley sat down upon
| the corner of the desk and looked al
him.
! DO YOU recognize the voices YETI
he asked.
"No-No," stammered the other
It's a frame-up, l tell you, and you
| know it--a damned frame-up"
''IS it,"
Yes. by God"'
How about the woman who went to
| Doris and slandered me? What did
she tell her? Haven't we just heard
it?"
II tell you it's lie" shouted
Waterman. You've frame me-" He
made as if to take a step toward
Stanley.
Better sit down again" suggested
the latter quietly, with a slightly sug-
gestive gesture with the revolver.
Rebelliously. Waterman obeyed.
And" continued Stanley, there s
just one other little matter"
He took from the breast pocket of
his dinner jacket a little yellow cham
ois bag. DO you know what this bag
contains?" he asked.
Waterman was silent.
NO? Very well then, YOU shall
see" And the next moment, in the
brilliance that fell from the crystal
chandelier, there flashed the myriad
lights of the Colby necklace.
''Well,' asked the inquiSitor. have
you had enough
II don't know what you mean y
stammered Waterman.
Stanley knew that the crucial mo-
ment had arrived. He could see that
Waterman was resperate enough. He
knew that the man saw himself eX-
posed in all the nakedness of his
treachery both to his friend and to his
wife. Only one point remained to be
decided. Desperate as he was, how
would he take il? Would he stink
away like a whipped dog? Or when
the screws We're frightened just a notch
further, would he? Well, the
time had come-in a moment he would
know.
Il mean. Rollin,' he said in that
sarHe cool, level voice, II mean just
this. You've betrayed your friend
you've stolen your wife! you've ruined
her happiness. and finally, you're a
thief. and these are the stolen goods
Again Waterman staggered to his
feet. and this time Stanley did not
stop him.
Il tell you, it's lie.' he cried.
You've framed me. You're jeal-
Gus of me. You've cooked up this
whole plot to steal away my wife,
He shuffled nearer to Stanley with
each word. Stanley let him come. but
You know that that's =
lie
For d second Waterman hesitated.
I,a 10 h two -
on that. Then, To the others in
tense relief. Waterman hurled HIM
self on Stanley. The latter struggled,
not too successfully, and in a second
Waterman had wrested the revolver
from his hand.
Now" he cried, backing off, nov
We'll see. Take the cylinder off that
machine and give 1t to me-
''Oh, no." said Stanley.
''At once, or I'll take it,
Never" was the stern answer.
Then stand aside, Stand aside OF
by God, I'll Kill you"
Now for the final insult.
'Oh, no, YOU won't. You haven't
the pluck, even though you know that
I'm going to publish this story so far
and wide that YOU can never look a
white man in the face again-the
story of u gentleman who betrayed
his friend. You're a skunk and
sneak and Il traitor, but you haven't
the CUTS to kill
Waterman raised the revolver and
cried, stand aside, 1 say" But Stan
ley made no move. Then by God
take it,
He pulled the trigger. The hammer
snapped harmlessly. With a cry of
rage, Waterman broke the pistol, saw
that its chambers were empty, cast
it aside and with a roar hurled him
self on Stanley.
Crash went the table upon which
the two men fell-the glasses, the bot
tie. the ash tray. Savagely they fought.
rolling upon the floor. Ere the issue
was decided, the lights went out. The
struggle continued in the darkness.