Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-06-08

induce others to go ant do likewise. But
1 am not malicious.
AREN'T you thrilled" Ethel demand
ed.
Not yet. There's something so inev-
liable about Pixies Peak. Being up YOU
know you've got TO get down. The same
way YOU got upl I've an idea the Peal
grows on one after ones got 1T over"
Don't be dumb. Leona," Ethel ac'
vised. Say nothing If you can't be hui
man. Some one may hear you"
Captain Victory was standing quite
close and I saw his brown eyes twink
ling. He wasn't on the burro now ano
was merely a tall young man with nice
broad shoulders. handsome, we'll cul
clothes and features. and merry brown
eyes. But the minute I tried to apollo
gize, the picture he made flashed across
my vision and 1 laughed right up in hi;
face. l had to tell him about it, and he
went into such gales OF laughter that the
hills woke up and laughed with him.
"Oh. why couldn't the coach have
been a wasp or q hornetl Something
daring and dangerous! A cockroach-
o. Lordi"
Ethel remarked later that the idea was
about the ~silliest thing she'd ever heard
on the lips of a grown married woman
do you know who that man is?" she
Kissed on our way down. Hes Captain
Victory. You know who Captain Victory
is"
She knew I didn't. I admitted it with
irritation.
A plying expression downed in her face
1t was as If had said I didn't know who
General Pershing was. MY dear. Captain
Victory is the president OF the Washing
ton bureau of criminology."
Meaning he's a detectiveq" I said
caustically.
"Detectivei" She gave a whispered
shriek-if there is such a thing. Dear
heaven! The man is a genius. During
the wal he was at the head of the gov
ernment's research bureau. which insti-
tuted the vocational system for the study
Of men with criminal records to deter
mine the possible extent of regenera-
ton. II knew she'd memorized that)
."He has a large private fortune, doesn't
have to work. does 1t partly for adven-
ture, partly for the good of the country.
His mother and sister live in Washing
ton and he is here. doubtless"-she low
cred her voice-"on the trail Of the
Asp.'"
"Where'd you find his biography" I
asked. I'm the library?"
81 a only to obtain his name. and l
knew the rest. AS does everybody who
reads the papers. Leona," pointedly.
You're certainly we'll read on that
subject" I admitted.
Rich, handsome. young and a genius"
she said dreamily. And to think, If 1t
hadn't been for me you would have sat
down and grown to one of your ram
shackle chairs in q ramshackle house in
a 20 ~ CHI a pl1o <rn-r1 10 Cha ctnhad Iann1v
A stranger might not have been able
to decipher the connection between Cap
tain Victory's youth, looks, wealth and
genius and my sitting in an old chair in
an old town. She instantly revealed it.
Leaning toward me she whispered In that
kissing and mysterious way she had,
And he's unmarried"
This was not the first inkling I'd had
that I was conducting q marriage expe-
dition for Ethel.
II saw him several days ago and yes
terday we fell into conversation" she
went on
And did Captain Victory tell you what
a great man he lisp"
Certainly not. He didn't have to. He
merely told me his name. And when we
parted I strolled up to the desk and fell
into conversation with that dark clerk
that's all the time trying to fiirt with
me, and between us we figured him out.
That is, we figured out that he was on
the trail of the Asp The clerk says he
knew him at once. He signed the regis
ter with his full name-Randolph Nolan
Victory, Washington. He didn't sign his
title or the initials r. NJ, by which he's
so we'll known, but Mr.. Fredericks CHATS
the clerk said right away, Glad to see
you. captain
HE said the captain looked annoyed
and said; My friend, you notice / signed
my full name to avoid the publicity that
has attached itself to my initials. You
are very quick
mfr. Fredericks said, That's all right,
captain. NUNS the word, sir And Mr..
Fredericks said I was the only person
he'd mentioned 1t to, though. Of course,
all the clerks know. and I promised not
to tell. Really, Leona, he's perfectly fas-
cinating. And when he mentioned that
he was joining this party today /
thought, since everybody ought to take
1T mean the trip-that we might as
well come along"
II wondered why we decided so sud-
denly to climb Pixies Peak" I said.
The Carlton being some distance out Of
DNANCl dAA0 ShbiAClJ ot1iOoloCo Wy cSSA
cry, the chief occupation is climbing and
gazing. We had been doing both for
something over an hour, talking Of Moth
ing much, when I said abruptly, You
know there's one crook whose career
rather fascinates me-his performances
are SO spectacular"
The captain must. have been thinking
of the Asp, also, for III without
hesitation, Eyes, and his flair for the
spectacular is his great weakness. In
that. though, he displays his genius
Genius must have an audience. The per-
Torrance is never enough. He hungers
for personal recognition. 1t tortures him
to be classed with the herd"
"Geniusl" I echoed, striving to hold
Toodles, an English bulldog Ethel had
given me. ito invite conversation from
strangers"
But what I want to know" put in
Ethel. looking very earnest and intelli-
gent, lis why he picKs on women. They
say he makes a fool of at least one WON
an on every job"
Her light lisping voice brought him in
~stantly back from a thoughtful man to
his habitual boyishness. Probably some
woman made a fool Of him once and he's
avenging himself by making fools OF
women" he chuckled.
TITS odd about people. There's Leona
comes OF the bluest blood of the Caro-
linas, yet she is the exact type Of all the
clever crooks 7 ever Saw If Won know