THR SUNDAY UKK: OMAHA, OCTOKKK M. 1U22.
The World Outside
By Harold MacGrath
(Oallaixd him ! Three.)
d Uis laM nam because I dIJ not
want anybody to stumblo upon the
truth brfoi I wa ready. 1 wanted
to miik some real frlemls; for until
I met you two I had never had any.
J wo the win of the village pariah
-the villa miner, My poor futh
rl Th honeitteat man Ood ever
permitted to walk thin earth! Do
you want the story now? It will
prove to you thut Nancy la in no
danger,"
' "Hut you?"
Well, I honestly don't bellov I
am, either. Hero la tlio letter my
father wrold to ins before be died.
Head It."
Jenny took (he letter and reseafed
herself upon the bed. While aha
reud, Bancroft walked over to a win
dow and stared Into the afreet, free
ntly a taxi shot around the corner,
rolled Into Ninth stretit, and drew
up In front. Instantly Bancroft
Comprehended that thla veliiclu waa
to carry him to Ktcwurt. He smiled,
and Inexplicable amilo; he waa cap
acious that he amlled, but not why.
To face the man when the fury
would be full, blind, and ruthless!
There was no escape. Ho beard
Jenny High, and turned.
"Jeremiah, your father waa a
white limn,' mid Jenny, unsteadily;
"an' you're a while nian'a aon. But
even million! An' me on' beglnnln'
t' fear you wight bo buat!"
A hand fi ll upon the door, Han
croft briskly answered the sum
mona. "Your taxi i below, air," said the
hauffeur, hlfl face presslonleas.
"I'll le down In five minutes."
"Tea, Dir."
Bancroft cloned the door and
turned to Jenny, "Bather nice of
him to nave me a long walk. Now,
I'm going to tell you my aide of the
tory." It mi a abort narrative,
"After all," Mild Jenny, "you miro
are a hick slgnln' a thing like that.
Why, It's an plnln as th' nose on
your face. All he wanted waa your
signature, th' notary's Heal, an' th'
witnesses. If n pipe he's changed
th' body o' th' thing, an' you're go
ing to be nicely squeezed."
"Rut It waa printed In regular
type." he declared, not agreeing
Wl'h her, "Ho couldn't clean that
parchment without showing "
"Oh. he couldn't, huh? Well, let
me wise you up. There are men
tn this burg who can (urn a one
spot Int' fen, n' fool Unrle Bam
with It. What a a Ilttlo typo f a
bird like That?"
"Rut thin man lant' a counter
feiter." "You don't know what he Is
now."
Bancroft had to admit that this
was true. "But It doesn't run with
what he was, or what I know of
him."
"You ought t' have a nurse.
Where'? the guy been all thes?
years, an' what's he been at that ho
didn't turn up before? It's my
hunch that lie's been in Jail. Jerry,
do yon leva Nancy?"
The words shocked her quite s
much as they shocked Bancroft.
Jenny would never be able to figure
out how the words hud come to bo
Uttered. They had not Is-en con
sctously in her thoughts. Rut once
spoken, she let them stand.
"That Isn't qnlte fair, Jenny.
Still the answer is yea."
"I kid o' thought bo. An' I
guess this ol' pal of your father's
thought so. too, or ho wouldn't a'
picked on Nancy."
"Written on my face?"
"Often enough. Jeremiah. You've
Hot a lot o' book Btuff under your
hat. but what you know aliout this
world could he written on a postagu
stamp. You, rumilii' around loose,
with seven millions in your jeans!"
"Jenny, do you believe I have any
chance?"
"You poor nut, you can't win at,
poker unless you bet, can you?
You can't tell what chance you
havo with a woman unless yuu give
tt th' once over. Nancy ran to
help you, didn't she?" She uttered
a hard little luugh aa she Raw hi
face light up with tho suddenness
of Broadway at I o'clock. "Why,
you've gut aces. You're goln' t'
rescue her real hero stuff. Why,
If I whs a handsome, young man an'
had seven millions, I wouldn't be
afraid o' th' queen o' lloum.uila,
Not me! Well bring her back as
oon as you can. Hut auppoidn'
this guy won't llicve tli' letter!"
"He's got to. He's a madman on
c-na subject, but al.hi from that h
has reiuMin. Heal.lea, when he see
thai I am i-.ni.iiia tided to plve lum
half of wh.it I have , . ,"
"You re rein' t' give him three
Million" That's tough. Knock on
HvT door When yot r;n buck. I ll
fco hen."
't'tts doesn't earn fr ;!"
'Vha Ihrvw Una down. Slsyh
be hij yuu had seven uulinnn."
"Vmi .km t inan that. Jiuiy.M
"I i.i a Mmtn nip' l if eourae 1
ta t iimam it, Nsn.y Wuuklnl
marry I.1II1..11 if sm auto t uv
h' n i it h.i h,t il."
Taf wviit Mil tutu itu Iwi'i, IWn.
r t 'It lijUl , .'.( i, wild tt
heavy step. At Jenny' door he
suddenly caught both ber hands
and kluaed them nhyly.
"If only I had had a stater like
you, Jennyl 1 wouldn't have
cared."
"Well, I'll be your alster from
now on. lietter toddle along before
Nancy has hysteric."
Aa she saw the top of his head
vsiiImIi below the floor level, she
leaned axalnat the wu and let the
flood of tears fall silently, oh,
Jerry, Jerry! Muddcnly she saw
herself, 10 years hence, wrUikled
and fat, and both Jobs gone.
liancroft Jumped Into the tail and
slummed the door behind him. No
heed of asking the chauffeur any
question a to this or that or
whereabouts; the end of his Journey
would be at Htuwart's door, wherever
that mlKht lie. A he nettled hack
UKalnat the cushion ha sought the
feel of th letter. Ha hail not left
It behind. Then he remembered the
copy of the affidavit stuck behind
the bow In his hat band. Ho would
not require this now; so he tore
It up.
Th mind ha an odd wag,jf dialie
having at times. His thoughts now
should have been eicelusively of
Nancy and were dlvldod between
Nancy and Jenny. He waa very
fond of Jenny; be wanted to help
her In some wsy. The notion had
beun in his head for some days,
nebulously, where he could not at
tach It to a settlement. Now the
notion came Into tho clear. He
would purchase a half Interest In
tho dressmaking shop where Jenny
posed. lie would lend this half In
terest to Jenny. If, by some stroke
of bad luck tho establishment should
fall, the loan would not become a
liability, but would automatically
eta e to exlnt. On the other hand,
Jenny should pay him annually as
much as she could, until tho loan
was wiped out.
He chuckled. Despite the fact that,
by placing himself unreservedly In
the hands of a madman, ho mhcht
be rolling toward permanent In
jury or death, ho could find some
thing to chuckle over. Jenny was
rlKht. If he went on playing the
Good Samaritan to everybody he
took a fancy to his solvency would
ls of short duration. No matter. If
this night's business turned out
well, Jenny would have her chance.
The taxi stoppen so vlolenty that
liancroft was shaken to his kneeu.
The, chauffeur opened tho door.
"Kirst door to the right an you
go up, sir," said the chauffeur po
litely enouph.
Bancroft got out and brushed his
knees. The locality was utterly un
familiar. As for that, there was a
good deal of New York unfamiliar
to Mm.
"Am I expected to pay you?"
"No sir. The gentleman who sent
me for you paid me In advance. He
said Mr. Bancroft, room 4. Ho
said you expetced him to send for
you."
"That's folerably correct."
"None of my business, but nobody
lives In this house. You can tuke
that for what It' worth."
The chauffeur jumped back Into
bis seat and whlseed away Into the
deepening night
Thoughtfully Bancroft proceeded
Into the house and began slowly to
mount the trembling stairs. A dusty
smell suggested vacancy. Tho house
waa tenantless; Stewart hud bor
rowed a room In it. Bancroft had
decided upon one phase of his con
duct: he would offer no resistance
to any physical encounter. This
passivity would serve to lessen any
violent intention on Stewart's part.
All thnt wa required of the fates
was light and a straight look Into
Stewart's face.
The upper and lower hallways
were lit by thin, wavering gas jets.
Tho air was chill, almost as chill as
It was outside. First door to the
right, the obliging chauffer had said.
Bancroft could not rescrlbe his emo
tions as he laid hold of tho door
knob. He did not feel nartlculurly
courageous; neither did he senae
any large panic. He was will
armed, but woud he be given time
to use the one formidable weaiwn
he possessed hi father's letter?
Madmen one could never antici
pate them; and fitewurt waa mad,
as any man Is mad who ha foxtered
an obeaslon for years to a H!it
where It becomes murderous Incli
nation. Ami yet Bancroft could only
reiterate In hi thoughts: "The
poor, unfortunate devil!"
Well, there must be no tlmblerlng.
lie turned the knob and oiwnrti the
door, t Iter darkneas within.
"Hre I am, Mr. Stewart."
Hileuca. Bather Impatiently lr
vnift teip4 aer the Ibri-ahuld,
He b.d tn cross It, there could I nn
tweklug out; and Nanry to think of.
ynf thutikht! Kveryth tUli
in.iii tt.r, him i ctn. i tii
ltt d ine from the t ainnm, fur
one rot or n,.ih.r,
This erKlalkn wasn't u'lli i rti..h
4 when Ml bis vliiows t.
frtwu Whlc.4 In a nwt ! ! nVI
cvi. tt ttwi, -ti trmi h
should resist, but he recollected In
time his plan f passivity, and re
used. Ho tuildeiily burned hi
wrist. Then, with amazing swift
iws, thla rw began lo enc.n lu hi
body, eventually pinioning his aim
uud lugs. After this he was let I.
lis stood balancing himself, rather
a difficult feat In the velvet black
ness of th room. .
There came a till k Ut of the sil
ence, A spilt of light from a but
tery lump struck th floor and
moved toward the wall.
"Melodramatic," saul an Ironic:
voice from behind tho light; "but
the dreat Adventure comimny must
keep to the letter of Its contract,
which consists plainly of thrills
mail stuff, If you will remember. Be
shies, I heard about that alley fra
cua, which, of course, I had nothing
to do with. You are a husky boy,
and I huve ceased to believe In luck.
Ah! Here come the Jet." A phoS'
phormcrnt thread appeared upon
the wall, and a mutch flamed. The
gas wu feeble. Htewart and the
few object In the room bad the ef
fect of being seen In the nebulosity
of water. Bancroft aaw a deal ta
ble and two chairs, one on each
Hide of the table, "Young man, a lit
tle learning Is a dangerous thing."
"I might counter that, lr, by ey
ing that a tittle misunderstanding Is
equally a dangerous thing." Ban
croft's voice waa thick, for hi heart
was pounding. H must do nothing
to Inflame this madman; he must
wait patiently for tho denouement.
"Oho! So you and I misunderstand
each other?"
"Yes, sir."
Stewart did not reply, but ap
proached Bancroft and carried him
one of the chairs. Bancroft was '
forced to sit. Nuncy was probably
In some room above; numb with cold
and "terror. ' Whatever he did, he
must always keep this fact In mind.
, , , Nancy!
"Do you know who I am?" Stew
art demandded, roughly.
"You are Charles Jeremiah Ken
nedy, my futher' fr'end."
"Your father's trusting friend!"
Demoniacal luughter followed this,
mid it broke queerly. "Ah, my Clod!
And in another minute I should
have had my hnqds upon his
throat!"
"In a little while you will thank
Ood. sir, that he died before you
reached him."
"It would 'have been an extraor
dinary m'racle, I have wandered,
these 20 years, through all the
labyrinths of hell; so don't expect
any mercy."
"Do you Intend to kill me In his
stend. sir? I Hliotild like to know."
"I haven't decided," said Kennedy
moodily, "'t remains to be sepn."
"I have never harmed you."
"What has that to do with It?
You are his uon." Then Kennedy
burst Into the Ironic strain again.
"THc Oreat Adventure company
some absurd business to start your
wonder. And a little later you put
two and two together and connected
me with the man who entered your
father's ollice. Everything I
planned for you to do you did. Yon
reasoned that by stepping Into each
pitfall you would eventually learn
what I was up to. Clever, but not
clever enough."
"That is true, sir. I'm not much
more than a boy. Still, I found out
who you were."
"Charles Jeremiah Kennedy. It
is many a year since I heard that
name spoken." Kennedy began to
move about, with abrupt turns, ab
rupt gestures. He did not want to
hurt the boy; and yet . . . the
father's mouth and eye of him
stimulated the will to murder. So,
to keep moving, to tire out the In
clination. Once he paused gloomily
before his prisoner. "Are you
afraid of me?"
"Yes. But only as a normally
sane man has the right to fear an
other who Is "
"I wonder," mused Kennedy.
"Why not? What has there not
been to drive me insane? I have
killed a man. I have spent It
years In pi-lnon, I have kwt all that
earth held dear my wife, my child!
Fourteen years with iron bars be
tween nie ami sunshine because of
your father's perfidy! I trusted him
at.wlulely, and he tegirard me.
My child! She may he dead. ho
may be hungry, she may be a drab
thing of the trets. lmy after day
I have sought hr in the crowds,
oh, I would know her Instantly.
hrM would hv hrr muthr'a stnda,"
Team willed into liancroft' eye
and bri-an to Ml town bis cheek.
What ail iviyxm y of sustalmd mis
furtiinr! !) Knell' comment
returned: Johnny Junes tt South
lk. k. .i.i, tuntent o be a cowboy,
but hM Kun- rtUvd In Kruno
I.uhm a nin by lb r .m t.f v il
ium It l.rn,M rn I he iidext nt by
Mndrr! II nvivt M lh!s unhappy
man relWv hi wwl ol all it mm
iimi.l.lr kattrrnti letl hi Bt..,
tS'ix be iuM b.i the truth. tu
hit a k hVie stiff It iim!
fl., bv e. , Hu lt '1 h SO
on! The truth would not bring
buck the wife and child, return the
14 year wasted In a dungeon keep;
It might not bring buck even the
man' faith In mankind,
Kennedy went on. He did not ut
dress Bancroft particularly. "What
had I done that (lod should pile all
these mlKerles tiisin my head? I
bad never haiiued any human being.
I bad plsved square. And here I
stand, guilty of an Innocent man'a
death, guilty of the denth of your
f n't her. If not by deed, by Intent.
From a kindly man, something of a
dreamer, I lieeame a piece of ma
chinery, d"dlcsted to deHlrucUnnl ,
, , Hooked me, when I waa thou
sand of mile iiwuy and could not
defend myself! Fur 14 years I had
noth'ng tn do but think and plnn,
think and plan. But your fat tier
had bidden so cleverly that I found
him only that day."
Bancroft's bend sank to hi chi-st,
Innocent byslanders! Tills unhappy
wretch. Slloa Bancroft and Silas
Bancroft' mm, all three Innocent
bystander, rooked and pulverised
by chance medley! Bancroft thmicht
of his father's agony; never during
to throw bis arm across ho win'
shoulder fur fenr the emotion mlitht
snip the slender thread by which his
life hung.
"1 knew nothing of finance," con
tinued Kennedy, resuming his part
ing. "That was your father's
game. So I turned everything I
had Into rash borrowed on call
loan dumped It Into his bands,
and salted for South America. T
sailed away!" Kennedy InuvhiaJ
again. "I sailed sway! When I re
turned two months Ister my wife
was dead and burled, my child
gone, the saving of years wiped
out. Why, I didn't even know your
father's brokers . . . P was thai
trustful! I Immediately wrote to a
friend of mine In I,a Pax and turned
over tho mine lo him In trust. To
buy thnt mine hud taken up must
of my ready cash; and I would need
capital to work It. I then destroyed
all my luggage and papers any
thing that would klentlfy me as
Kennedy and started out to ki!l
your father. But first I wanted one
more look at the old home where
I had known such happiness. There
was a crowd about tho door. An
auctioneer wbh chanting inside. The
world became red. I punhe.1 people
aside. A policeman Interfered. I
knocked him Into the nrcaway. Ho
died almost instantly from conciis
slon. An hour later I was in tho
Tombs for manslaughter, under tho
name of Stewart, Die flrnt that
came Into my head. Manslaugh
ter!" Kennedy covered his eyes for
a moment. "I suppose God wanted
to see bow much a human being
could stand and selected me to ex
periment on. So I became Stew
art. I was mugged and thumb
printed and numbered, and stowed
away in a coffin-like cell of gray
stone. I soon became a trusty, due
to my education, and In a little
while they fell to calling me pro
fessor, I had killed a policeman;
bo the peneral run of convk;ts
looked upon me with veneration."
The gas Jet began to whistle
mournfully, and Kennedy modi
fled it.
"Of course, the first thing I
sought, on being liberated, was your
father. He was In neither tele
phone nor city directory naturally.
But In tho end I found him a sec
ond too late. Imagine me, entering
that village home of yours and find
ing my books, my porcelain, my
chairs! Loot!"
But Bancroft now knew that It
was not so. His father had rescued
these treasured objects out of the
crash, intending some day to restore
them to Keunedy, should Kennedy
ever return.
Kennedy once more paused in
front of Bancroft. "I have here a
document. It I a died of transfer
for the sum of 3,tiM),000 in cash,
stocks, bonds, realty particularly
tho house in Ninth street. These
$3,000,000 represent what I now
should have had, Including com
pound interest for nearly 20 years.
In the beginning I had Intended to
kill you. But it came to me that In
so doing 1 should become a hunted
man; mid I want to live the lust
few years in quiet. So I dc.-Med
to break you and shanghai you. But
even then the Old Man of the Sea
would still be on my shoulders,
Wherever I dropped you yon would
find manual labor and work yuur
wsy buck. Ko I am going to take
only that which Is lawfully mine,
and die an honH man. I shall al
ways carry that adantaK or
your father, even after death. I
want only my own. This itnun.iut''
Kennedy produ.wd It "Is ifue.
by you and wltr.i-HwJ by my two
clrrk and the n.aaiy, who niicd
the . Two tl.!ni:i av bap-,
pened to thla pan liim-nt. The iitik
llml Unly -rn deitrjd and
the suif-ien rvatnred J, f jr asf
expert to prunv lhat thla rir bit
lawn Umprd with. A lull rv
I learned fliMU lr!.itt (
lelf. itsr
Knr,.f w u ted to -.k .? l f
liedy mnalden-d this method honest,
bill be dureil not. 1 he Initial
venom wu gonu from the man's
tonus; al leHt, in deerw i rra
der It llCKllglhhl.
'u.yrltht. 111! )
(To be ruMinued )
...The...
Boss' Bounty
tHustlasrd trmm r T )
transisirtatlim paid, soma 1M,eT
down, siid a good J.d, when y.,u R,
there. Of course, thls'U l , fo
gotten In six months public never
remembered anything longer'n sit
month. By and by you ran com
right back here If jmu want m. h
would get the old IUUI out H'
bole, you see, and you, p,. if
you're out of the state there', noth
ing to hold Andy Hatch on."
"No, tlu, I've thought It alt over.
1 don't want to make trouble any
more Ih.in you do, Hut I'm ,-olns;
to tlck, I can't do aoylhln,, else."
An Incorrigibly stubborn youna;
man, doggedly bent on destruction.
"You ain't doing right by your
family," Ous aeeimed, with Urn li
cense of a friend
Certainly, lbs family wus not
flourishing, but Donovaji simply
couldn't help it.
Oravcly, n tried the hist shot:
"You know you're In tho way, f Jene.
Handy Andy Halch' got plenty of
friend's somo of 'cm retklea
enough, too. They know you're
keeping him In Jull. I'm sfnild
they'll bump you off one of these
days If you ain't reasonable."
That mounded like no idle threat
to Donavnn. He knew in bis iM.ncn
thai thorn? three men had meant to
do something to him but somehow
hadn't. It would be III for the lit
tle family If ho should lie humped
off. And In thinking tt all over be
clicrlihed no Idealistic delualons,
Tho waste and pillage of public
fun. In, the thud of the footpad's
billy, tho crack of tho murderer's
plutol, the rour of a aaw. il off shot
gun, tho criminal's facile escape
from the law all those murky and
bloiidy things were Individually
bound up In a rotten regime which
the sovereign public permitted at
the ballot box. An obscure Kugcne
Donavan had no notion that he
could make the slightest Impression
upon that.
But he hail somehow found him
self and was helplessly tied to bis
own Integrity. With an apologetic
little smile he answered:
"Well. I can't help It, 'jus. I've
got Unstick."
denial Ous regretfully gave the
blockhead up.
The family had their Chrlitlmn
at an outlay of !2..r0.
Kvery night as he left the ware
house sometimes with big Know
flakes sifting down through tho
field of light shed by sn arc lamp,
sometimes In a barrngu of sleet, al
ways In the dark, Donavan won
dered whether tho bumpinr; off
would happen then.
He had no illusion about thnt.
Had he chonen to cast in his lot
with Undo Frank, the boss' power
ful, Informal government would
have protected him against the for
mal law like a shield of brass; he
would have been In no danger. But
tho formal law was only a shield of
tissue paper against the vengeance,
of the Invisible powers. Ho might
lie "bumped off" as snugly and
safely as one tosses away an apple
core.
At the spring elections the Mar-tlndale-Hrophy
Cochran .Hanson ma '
chine won easily.
The following wei k Hatch was
put on trial for murder; and Dona
van rather wondered at the Wrung
postponment of that bumping off
He gave his testimony as he had
given it before But OUIe Dunn now
swore that he had been In the cor
ner of the building when the sec
ond robber ran out of the iiaymas
ter's office and positively the man
had a black mask over his fuco,
completely cuncealing It except till
eyes. Hatch had an alibi nU and
was acquitted.
Commenting USn the acquittal
tins Whelpley ..Imerved. "Well,
lime, made a devil of a bit e,f tmu
ble, firH and last, and thst n nil ho
did iki. He might 'a' known f He's
a fcood fellow al heart, but fear
ful sucker etublmrn's no ni. e for
tt "
lXii.avm did tit regret thit
Hatch w acquitted. It mi a re
lief rather, for now Andy fru-nd-i
wiimM have no motive f-r murder
lug an almcure, d fenm-le i tull
eleik who w supporting u w:f
a in I chill en a slender r
The city went cb.i ful'v oi m
Its weltor and ci-iiu-.ii' mini;
liMiiy tbuuwaiidi of el-.-ur ul
who, lt fcuren K.nvi'. wouM
f ive death itn-tf for runs u. mtk-,
let win. Hrr lifted a fiar'f
a.r to hung ' pro'l ."ie pt
f r'f Meousiiaul lul.l t.W tt '-'-W '
Ilea bnIM
(V., (11 It'll
