The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-05-01
CHAPTER XXI

dered aloud, "for each of your
American financial institutions to
maintain . private army for the
protection Of treasure in transit?"
Il guess So" Fenno replied.
anyway, they all seem to do it."
Maurice had q dim smile. IF he
was to consider this military stall
wart at all q fair criterion of the
provisions for the security Of the
jewels that he would have to cope
with, it wasn't going to be so SIM
pie to make the boast good that
u Boyce last night had haunted
him into uttering-sthat he would
have bagged the lot, undetected and
unaided, within the week.
IF you don't, your old man will"
Maurice could still hear the woman
INVITING him. "Of course, If you
vant to believe his story, that's
your business. But believe it or
not, it's just like I'm telling you:
Ill this CAB about reformation is
plain elocution. I'll have to hand
it to the old boy, at that; he's clev-
er-he props his bluff up with such
. straight face that he's put it over
on an awful lot Of people that ought
to know better. Take this dick
Crane, for instance: he's one wise
guy, but your papa's got him kid
ded 90 hard he'll never get cured.
But not little me. and not the push
! train with at home-not those
old-timers, for one little minute,
nor anybody else that's on the in
side looking out. We can tell the
world the Lone Wolf still pulls q
prowl every time the feeling comes
over him that it's better to be rest
less than rusty. What he gets away
with is simply murder"
'Murder!'" Maurice had at this
expostulated.
"Figure Of speech. dearie. MUIR
der's too easy. Way things are at
home these days. plain everyday
murders 60 for anywhere from ten
dollars to q hundred; it's only the
fancy jobs that cost anything near
. telephone number. No; what II
mean, when your old man takes >
notion to strut his stuff again, the
Job Is usually classic. Take these
Habsburg emeralds. now; il you
don't believe his claws are itching
for them, you're cuckoo. # we
don't watch out, he'll snatch them
right out from under our noses.
And here's friend Rajah simply
aching to hand over two hundred
grand to anybody that will fix i'll
20 he can add them to the Crown
Treasure Of Ladore-restore them
10 it, rather. if there's any truth in
the yarn he tells about their hav-
Ing come from it in the first place.
I'm slipping you the tip. you I'M
derstand. because you're q nice kid
with your way to make. and like
you: 20, II you're as smart as you
let on, and I believe you are, you'll
beat your old man to it and have
something to laugh over with him
when this trips history. and you
and he are oil reconciled up and
pals again."
Maurice had here q masked smile
Of Renaissance.
But what q weird amusing
creaturel And what luck. to have
fallen in with her-if for nothing
else because he would otherwise
have been handicapped by such IL.
norance Of American slang that he
could hardly hope to make himself
understood on landing, much less
get the sense Of what was said to
himi
Impossible to take her seriously,
Of course. He meant, as . woman.
Making every allowance for the
fact that any man with Fenno in
mind must inevitably see most
other women out Of drawing, the
Boyce was none the less . curio-
handsome Is you please. but out
rageous altogether. -. But even
more impossible to dispute her ar
guments, which dovetailed 50 nicely
with his unconfessed convictions.
Hadn't he been from the first a|
helpless skeptic In respect Of his
fathers pretensions, at heart per-
suaded that the spirit Of the old
Lone Wolf still walked il Michael
Lanyard, like . ghost persevering
to pursue his awful occasions ii 81
tenement al made over and mod
ernixed. refurnished and refur.
bished. especially to discourage
him1
And now this woman turned upl
with her allegations that chimed
- truly with the counsels Of &.
perience:
Don't take my word for Il, Nor.
rie boy: wait till We get ashore and
I AZ II for you to listen ID Oh the
Underground and hear what itj