0£Z/cJF ^ ___ c/GqSEJPI*"* tes^jr I omi j r—, ... TTITM )t m%ncxel^_ SYNOPSIS. /•Mad** Dan Maitland, on reaching his N* vs York bachelor club, met an attrac tive- young woman at the door. Janitor ‘/Hagan assured him no one had been "'•thin that day. Dan discovered a wom an's linger prints in dust on his desk, along wiili a letter from his attorney. Maitland dined with Rannerrnan. his at torney. Dan set out for Greenfields, to get his family jewels. During his walk t" the country seat, he met the young woman in gray, whom he had seen leav- i ine his bachelors’ club. Her auto bad I broken down, lie fixed it. By a ruse she I ‘’I• #si' him. Maitland, on reaching home, surprised lady in gray, cracking the safe ‘•niaining his gems. She. apparently. b'«.k him for a well-known crook. Daniel Anisty Half-hypnotized, Maitland opened his safe, took therefrom the .jewels, and gavt them to her. first forming a part nership in c rime. The real Dan Anisty. sought by police of the world, appeared "*i tl • same mission. Maitland overcame him. He met the girl outside the house ;u;d they sped on to New York in her an te. He had the jewels and she promised !*• meet him that day. Maitland received a "Mr. Snaith,” introducing himself as a de fective. To shield the girl in gray, t Mail land, about to show him the jew- i Hs. supposedly lost, was felled by a blow ! from “Snaith’s” cane. The latter proved to te Anisty himself and lie secured the gems. Anisty, who was Maitland’s dou bly. masqueraded as the latter. The riininal kept Maitland’s engagement with th» girl in gray. He gave her the gems. aft< r falling in love at first sight. They w re to meet and divide the loot. Mait land revived and regretted missing his engagement. Anisty, masquerading as Maitland. narrowly avoided capture through mysterious tip. The girl in gray visited Maitland's apartments during his j absence and returned gems, being dis- j covered on return. Maitland, without j ■ esh. called up his home and heard a woman’s voice expostulating. Anisty. disguised as Maitland, told her his real J identity and realizing himself tricked fried to wring from her the location of the geir.s. CHAPTER X.—Continued. “By the powers. 1 forgot for a mo ment! So yen thought me Maitland.: eh? Well, I'm sorry I didn't under stand that from the first. You’re so f quick, as a rule, you know—I confess you duped me neatly this afternoon— that I supposed you were wise and k only afraid that I’d give you what you deserve. If they had sent any one but that stupid ass, Hickey, to nab me, I'd be in the cooler now. As it was, you kindly selected the very best kind of a house for my purpose; 1 went! straight up to the roofs and out ! through a building round the corner.” I But the shock of discovery, with its I attendant revulsion of feeling, had been too ntueh for her. She collapsed suddenly in the chair, eyes half closed, face pallid as a mask of death. Anisty regarded her in silence for a meditative instant, then, taking up the lamp, strode down the hall to the pantry, returning presently with a glass brimming with an amber-tinted, effervescent liquid. ■‘Champagne." he announced, licking his lips. “Wish I had Maitland’s means to gratify my palate. He knows good wine. Here, my dear, gulp this down,” placing the glass to the girl's ; lips and raising her head that she | • might swallow without strangling. j As it was, she choked and gasped. I but after a moment began to show . some signs of having benefited by the | k draught, a faint color dawning in her ; cheeks. “That's some better,” commended j the burglar, not unkindly. “Now, if j you please, we'll stop talking pretty j and get down to brass tacks. Buck up. ! now, and answer my questions. And | don’t he afraid; I'm holding no great j grudge for what you did this after-' noon. I appreciate pluck and grit as i , much as anybody, I guess, though I do j think you ran it pretty close, peach ing on a pal after you'd lifted the jewels. By the way, why did you do it?” 'Because— But you wouldn't under stand if I told you.” i suppose not. i m not mucn goon | splitting sentimental hairs. But Mail-' land must have been pretty decent to you to make you go so far. Speaking < I which, where are they?” "They?” "Don't sidestep. We understand one another. I know you’ve brought back the jewels. Where have you stowed i hem ?” The wine had fulfilled its mission, endowed her with fresh strength and I renewed spirit. She was thinking 1 ^ quickly, every wit alert. “1 won't tell you.” “Won't eh? That's an admission that they're here, you know. And you { may as well know I propose to have j 'em. Fair means or foul, take your j pick. Where are they?” * "I have told you I wouldn't tell." "I've known pluckier women than you to change their minds, under pres sure.” He came nearer, bending over, face close to her, eyes savage, and gripped her wrists none too gently. “Tell me!” "I.et me go.” He proceeded calmly to imprison both small wrists In one strong, bony hand. "Better tell.” "Del me go!” she panted, struggling tfi rise! His voice took on an ugly tone, j "Tell!" She was a child in his hands, but ] managed nevertheless to rise. As he j a| plied the pressure more cruelly to , her arms she cried aloud with pain ; and, struggling desperately, knocked, the chair over. It went down with a crash appalling j !y loud in that silent house and at that hour; and taking advantage of his instant of consternation she jerked free and sprang toward the door. He was upon her in an instant, however, hard fingers digging into her shoul kticrs. "You little fool!” “No!” she cried. ‘‘No. no, no! Let me go, you—you brute!— Abruptly he thought better of his methods and released her, merely put ing himself between her and the door way. "Don't he a little fool,” he coun seled. "You kick up that row and you'll, have us both pinched inside of ^ the next .five minutes.” 7 Defiance was on her tongue s tip, but the truth in his words gave her pause. Palpitating with the shock, every outraged instinct a-quiver, she His Voice Took subdued herself and fell back, eying him fixedly. "They’re here," he nodded thought fully. "You wouldn't have stood for that if they weren't. And since they are. I can find them without your as sistance. Sit down. 1 shan't touch you again." She had scant choice other than to obey. Desperate as she was, her strength had been severely overtaxed, and she might not presume upon it too greatly. Fascinated with terror, she let herself down into an easy chair. Anisty thought for a moment, then went over to the desk and sat himself before it. "Keys," he commented, rapidly in ventorying what he saw. "How'd you get hold of them?” "They art* Mr. Maitland's. He must have forgotten them.” The burglar chuckled grimly. "Co incidences multiply, it is odd. That harp, O'Hagan, was coming in with a can of beer while I was picking the lock, and caught me. He wanted to know if I'd missed my train for Green fields,'and I gave him my word of hon or I had. Moreover, I'd mislaid my keys and hud been ringing for him for the past ten minutes. He swallowed every word of it. By the way, here's a glove of yours. You certainly man aged to leave enough clews about to insure your being nabbed even by a New York detective." He faced about, tossing her the glove, and with it so keen and pene trating a glance that her heart sunk for fear that he had guessed her se cret. But as he continued she re gained confidence. "i could teacn you a tning or two, he suggested, pleasantly. "You make about as many mistakes as the aver age beginner. And. on the other hand, you’ve got the majority beaten to a finish for ’cuteness. You’re as quick as they make them." She straightened tip. uneasy, op pressed by a vague surmise as to whither this tended. "Thank yon," she said, breathlessly, "but hadn't you better—" "Plenty ot time, my dear. Maitland has gone to Greenfields and we've sev eral hours before its. look here, little woman, why don't you take a tumble to yourself, cut out all this nonsense, and look to your own interests?" "I don't understand you." she fal tered, "but if—” "I'm talking about this Maitland affair. Cut it out and forget it. You're too good-looking and valuable to your self to lose your head just all on ac count of a little moonlight flirtation with a good looking millionaire. You don't suppose for an instant that there's anything in it for yours, do you? You're nothing to Maitland— just an incident: next time he meets, the baby-stare for yours. You can thank your lucky stars he happened to have a reputation to sustain as a vil lage cut-up. a gay, sad dog. always out for a good time and hang the expense! Otherwise he'd have handed you yours without a moment's hesitation. I'm not doing this up in tin-foil and tying a violet ribbon with tassels on it. but I'm handing it straight to you; some thing you don’t want to forget. You just sink your hooks in the fact that you're nothing to Maitland and that he's nothing to you, and never will be, and von won't lose anything—except illusions.” She remained quiescent for a little, hands twitching in her lap, torn bv conflicting emotions—fear of and aver sion for the man, amusement, 'chill horror bred of the knowledge that he was voicing the truth about her, the truth, at least, as he saw it, and—and as Maitland would see it. ’"Illusions?” she echoed, faintly, and raised,her eyes to his with a pitiful attempt at a smile. “Oh, hut I must 3n an Ugly Tons. have lost them, long ago; else I shouldn't be—” "Here and what you are. That's what I'm telling you.” She shuddered imperceptibly; looked down and up again, swiftly, her expres sion inscrutable, her voice a-tremble between laughter and tears: "Well?" ”Kh?" The directness of her query figuratively brought him lip ail stand ing, canvas flapping arid wind out of his sails. "What are you offering me in ex change for my silly dream?” she in quired, a trace of spirit quickening her tone. 'A fair exchange, I think—some thing that I wouldn't offer you if you hadn't been able to dream." He j paused, doubtful, clumsy. "Go on." she told him, faintly. Since j it must come, as well he over with it. "See here." He took heart of j desperation. "You took to Maitland ! when you thought he was me. Why ! not take to me for myself? I'm as I good a man, better as a man, than lie, ! if 1 do blow my own horn. You side with me, little woman, and—and all j that—and I'll treat you square. I ! never went back on a pal yet. Why,” I brightening with enthusiasm as his gaze appraised her. "with your looks ami your cleverness and my knowl edge of the business, we can sweep the country, you and I.” "Oh!" she cried, breathlessly. "We'll start right now." he plunged on, misreading her; ’'right now. with last night's haul. You'll chuck this addled sentimental pangs-of-conscience lay, hand over the jewels, and—and I'll hand 'em back to you the day we’re married, all set and—as handsome a wedding present as any woman ever got." She twisted in her chair to hide her face from him, fairly cornered at last, brain a-whirl devising a hundred maneuvers, each more helpless than the last, to cheat and divert him for the time, until—until— The consciousness of his presence near her, of the sheer strength and might of will-power of the man, bore upon her heavily; she was like a child in his hands, helpless. She turned with a hushed gasp to find that he had risen and come close to her chair: his face was not a foot front hers, his eyes dangerous: in another moment he would have his strong arms about her. She shrank away, terrified. "No, no!” she begged. "Well, and why not? Well?”— tensely. "How