Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-02-05

BY CLWEBD 1888

flash of the sun breaking through
| clouds in q storm-cracked sky had
driven the fright from the girls
ewes. Madame Leclerc, whose chair
rubbed arms with that Of her one
time prisoner. reached over and
patted her shoulder.
Cheer up, my dear" she said
with a smile that lent a wonderful
charm to her handsome face. We
are going to help you and your
brother. Herbert Maxwell Is very
cunning. a very tricky Scoundrel,
but without Jean Bouchard TO help
him he cannot hold the fortune he
has sto' nj"
II most certainly hope you are
right, Madame Leclerc," q SAID
earnestly. But I cannot help feel
ing skeptical when anyone speaks
of defeating Herbert MaXwclss
carefully planned schemes. For as
long as I can remember I've heard
him spoken OF as a wizard and
now with my own experiences 70
warn me, I freely confess that I'm
| afraid Of himl"
Hes a fox sure enough and as
crooked as any corkscrewl' de-
clared the crooked ones late as
sistant. the raSp Of a grievance IN
his tones. when Old MaXy wants
something from you he's the grand
est promiser in seventeen statesi
When you ask something from him.
he's most likely TO hand you a
double-crossl"
Has he handed you a double
cross YETI" asked ballard curious
ly.
I'll say he did" gritted the 9TH
err, his nostrils ~quivering at the
recollection Of his wrongs. He
promised me one Of the fourteen
million my resemblance 10 Jimmy
Blair enabled him to steal from
his wards. I had no choice. 1t was 10
help him or be turned over TO the
French police for a crime I didn't
commit. After we had taken the
Blair securities TO the bank safety
deposit vault I asked for my share
and a box for myself. Did I get II?
Huh! He never made any answer
10 my squawk. He just slowed away
the stuff-all in one box, for which
he got the KEY. He told me he'd
fix me up with a ten thousand
dollar checking account. ! protest.
/ ed. He laughed. When he opened
the account for me upstairs he made
a stipulation with the officials that
25 dollars a day must be the limit
Of my Withdrawals. / had 70 accept
or get nothing. His purpose, you see,
was to keep me tied 10 him. It's
Just as 1 told him: He had the
first 'double-cros5' put on me, at
the finish he'll double-croSS me
himself just as he's double-croSSed
the Blair twins. He'll make u q
triple-cross-if he has his way!'
Rex ballard and the Doctor
laughed outright. Not SO much at
the clever trick of Maxwell as the
na.vete displayed by young Bouch-
ard; his candid acknowledgement
virtually, that his grievance owed
itself TO MaXwells double-crosSing
tactics. Margery smiled vaguely,
but Pats face indicated a big ques-
ton in her mind. Madame LeclerC
studied the c-ountenance OF the
young man who had promised tc
help save her husbands life. She
too, seemed TO be asking herself 2
question.
Returning TO their apartment
near Gramercy Park that night, o.
morning, rather, in the taXicab ir
~f-s1L @ArvW Nod 4mt~nn Dot arr
Margery home, ballard and th'
Doctor discussed the problems d
Pat and the possible effect tha'
Madame Leclerc and Jean Bouch'
ard might have in the girls deal
ings with Herbert Maxwell.
The woman, I believe, IS a Squart
shooter and to be trusted averreC
Rex. But this Bouchard-' III
shook his head and the gesture, jus
observable in the dim glow Of tn,
tiny incandescent above, was dis
tinctly significant. The young mar
whose resemblance to Jimmy Blail
had brought 50 much heart-achI
and worry TO Patricia was. obvious.
Nv. an individual TO be watched. j
Rex ballard was any judge Of meI
and their ways. The Doctor nodded
in agreement. evidently, with boti
spoken and unspoken opinions.
The fellow strikes me" he said
"as being an average example o
the educated crook, as well as tht
typical rat Of the underworld. Ant
the rat, the S~quealer. you know, 4
the most hated product OF crook.
dom. Unless I'm greatly mistaken