The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-03-06
CHAPTER TX

THAT night Nellie sent a tele
1 gram to the editor of the Amer
lean Weekly in New York asking
If their Los Angeles staff CORE
spondent was Miss Doris Gatewood,
and giving her address, which In the
form of an anonymous letter had
reached her that morning. She re-
quested an answer collect.
She had It early next morning.
81 thought So" Nellie soliloquized.
"Only another buzzard gathering
for the feast. Well, Elmer might as
well learn about women from her.
I wonder If she's an alimony hound
or just a plain swindler. Well, a
letter to the chief of police OF Los
Angeles, on the bank stationery. will
receive prompt attention"
Nellie wrote the letter. Three
DAYS later she had her answer. 1t
ran as follows:
Dear Miss Cathcart:
"In response to your interesting
letter of recent date:
''The circumstances under which
the lady In question made the ac-
uu%aintance Of your friend appears
to me to present ample ground for
suspicion-particularly In view OF
the fact that the gentleman has a
considerable fortune.
II therefore sent n of my most
reliable men to investigate.
"He reports that the house at
the address you name is inhabited
by a notorious bunco %steerer. known
to the police all over the country
as Colorado Charley. There is a
u woman living there with him
who passes as his sister, but who
Is an accomplice of his. She has
a police record as the most accom-
plished come-on In the business,
and is undoubtedly the person to
who you refer.
"We will keep them under surveil-
lance. Meanwhile, If you should
have any further information of i'm
portance to communicate to us, we
+ shall be glad to cooperate with
you.
I'm closing, may | suggest that
l YOU uO uOlIlnS " thoiNobS " hhO
young man that he Is playing with
fire? If we give this calf more
rope we may be enabled to get
him into the corral and earmark
him.
Every truly yours,
81. Fitzgerald.
Acting Captain Of Detectives"
When Elmer called at the bank
to sign the deed to his house and
lot, he noted that the deed ran to
Nellie Cathcart, an unmarried WON
an. Hello" he murmured, 81 see
the buyer is hiding his identity by
using you as a dummy. Why all the
secrecy, Nellie?"
mo secrecy at ALL" Nellie re-
piled demurely. ~ am the BUYER
Elmer scratched his ear In per-
plexity. "What do you want of the
property?" he demanded presently.
ITS q good buy. Elmer. think
| can sell II for about two thou
sand dollars profit In a years time"
Are you going to move into the
house yourselff"
mo. Elmer. I'm going to rent
It,"
We'll, suppose you rent 1t to me
for the present. It's all furnished
with my furniture, and I'll be far
more comfortable there than In
that rat trap Of a Palace hotel"
1.-THE rent will be se~venty-f1ve dol.
lars a month, Elmer"
You're a highway robert"
There fell 9 silence while they
looked at each other. Then: How
goes your fight for school trustee,
dear?" Nellie asked.
"It's a fght-and I'm fighting.
That's all | can say. I'm making a
house-to-house canvass"
SIN the new carr" He nodded.
'"Better use the old tin Lizzie" she
suggested. "That shiny new mon
ster will cost you votes. I heard
a well-known merchant of Pilarci-
tos remark to Mr.. Moody. apropos
of your new imported car, that a
fool and his money are SOC parted"
"Well, I must be off, Nellie. I'm
afraid I shall not be able to e
very much Of you until after the
school election"
Alta boy. ElmerF"
AS he strobe out of the bank
Nellie observed that. for the firsl
time, he no longer walked with the
slight limp that had been the re
suit of an unexpected meeting with
q soldier Of the Prussian Guard
Once 1t had been q real limp; then
1t had become a habit; but now
Nothing like n little judicial
prodding--nothing like a hint Of up
posltion-nothing like an objective
to be captured. to keep that boy
busy" the girl soliloquized. well,
anyhow, he didn't fb to me about
Doris Gatewood. He didn't apol-
ogize or explain or try to excuse
himself-and that's a comfort"
True to his promise, Elmer saw
little of Nellie during the period
intervening before the school
trustee election. He had a fight on
his hands and he fought The Sun
Nj