Nogales international., 1930-07-22
Thirteenth Installlnent
SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS
Rex Leferre forges the name of Luke
Madison, wealthy banker and his sister
found dead with note in his handwriting
accusing Madison of having ruined him
Margaret marries Luke Madison, after
he has given her everything he owns. She
leaves him, telling him she has ruined him
to revenge her brother. Luke, bewildered,
wanders about London, is attacked by thugs
who take him for detective, recoyers in
hospital to find he is known as Smith. y
Ii this new character he becomes involved
with the Joe Connors gang, who mistake
him for an Australian crook named Smith,
and is made an unwilling accomphce in a
jewel robbery. He does not know that Mar
garet has relented and has returned to his
bankers all the money ne gave her, to the
dismay of one Danton Morell, her dead
brothers friend, concerning whom Gunner
Haynes, an American jewel thief, whom
Madison had once befriended, has been
making inquiries. Detective Bird of Scot
land Yard, known also as The Sparrow, is
likewise interested in Morell. Madison goes
to his own old bachelor quarters, is taken
<or burglar, escapes from the police and
tries to get in touch with Detective Bird
The Connors gang learn of this, sandbag
and imprison him in an underground cell
near the river where he is certain to be
drowned when the tide rises. Meantime
q sheet of paper on which Luke had begun
a letter to his friend and lawyer saying that
he is in desperate trouble, Margarets joy
over the discovery that Luke is alive and in
London is tempered by the statement of
Detective Bird that the man concerned in
the jewel robbery, whom she now knows
was Luke, had been going around TOR two
years with the woman whose accomplice he
was.
Gunner Haynes drops into Joe Connor's
limo inst ('0nn0rS
fastening Luke's feet with chains to a large
block of rock salt, intending to throw him in
the river, where the salt will dissolve. the
chains drop off and the body will be found
without marks of violence. Haynes defes
the Connor gang and takes Madison into
the yard, pauslng as he sees two men Climb
Ing the fence.
The Gunner takes Luke to his room and
learns from him the reason Margaret hated
him was because she blamed him for her
brothers. death Then Haynes calls on
Magaret and offers to help her and her
husband.
Madison is kidnapped from Haynes's
rooms. Meantime, Haynes gets into Dainty
the letter which Rex Leferre had left for
Margaret was a forgery Rex had been try
ing to warn his sister against Morell, not
against Luke. And Morell gets into Mar
garet's rooms and steals some blank checks,
to one of which he forges Luke's name, and
tries to get it cashed.
! NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
"For Gods sake, Margaret, con-
slider what you're doingl"
! She saw he was really alarmed; his
voice was tremulous, his whole air
suggested panic.
Il swear to you I don't know where
Il ie,---1e was on a barge.
Connor had him there. The swine |
didn't tell me that Madison had
signed check. All he told me was
k:lat he jumped into the river and got
away or was droWned-I don't know
which. That's the truth l knew
nothing about it till Connor had found
him. l swear to you this is the
truth !"
Where is Connor?" she asked.
Il don't know. He was here this
and told me about Luke get
ing away. That is all the information
| have. I didn't believe him, and
it's lie he told me"
He saw she was undecided and /
eagerly sought to turn her from her
He had no doubt that she {
meant what she had said. K
She did not know what to do.
Gould you find Haynes for me?"
Find Haynes?" he almost shouted.
You don't imagine l would communi- I
ate with that fellow, do you? He's a s
dangerous man, Margaret" II
Mrs. Madison" she said coldly. s
Hes dangerous-you oughtn't to t
lave any dealings with him" {
He did not attempt to deny the theft
# the checks. {
you don't know where Mr. Mad '
lison is at al1?"
He accepted the corrected relation a
hip without murmur. /
mo, Mrs. Madison, I've no idea.
|onnor's been looking for him all c
light" r
When she returned home she found a
he Sparrow waiting for her on the Q
oorstep. The sight of a large kitbag t
t his feet surprised her, and when t
lie carried it into the house and into v
ne little study on the ground floor, she
vas to have a shock. She did not t
the crumpled clothes he took I
rom the bag. o
These clothes were found in the h
ossession of a river thief, who was f
rying to sell them this morning" he c
aid. He didn't know that your a
name was stitched in the fl
inside pocket" Il
my husbands name?" she gasped, q
urning pale. "Where did he get "
hem?" "
That's what want to know. The h
arm he tells is that last night he a
licked up man who was wet through j.
nd who had come out of the river, D
nd took him to house. We've since h
erifed that-though from the descrip- II
ion I've had it couldn't possibly be
fr. Madison, who is still abroad, l p
resume?" a
Was there a note of sarcasm in his a
oice? She thought she detected it, ii
nd very wisely did not answer. O
"The man said the clothes were II
iven to him, but that of course is the d
sual yarn. | have reason to believe fC
nat they were stolen while the owner Il
yas in bed Can you throw any light I
pom them" b
She shook her head. 1t was a pitt Il
bic confession, but she knew she d
ould not even recognize an old suit
clothes worn by her husband 1t c
yas the suit into which he had c