Evening public ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, April 29, 1916, Postscript Edition, Page 5, Image 5

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    EYENIK0 frEP&EB-PHIL-APKLPHT SATURDAY, APRIL 29, iDltf.
-M,
MONTE CRISPEN
A Remarkable Story) of the Millionaire-Hero's Adventures in Kensington
A
B
r
1
( r . I,
Jtfortte Crtonen, upon the death of his
Uncle, James Montgomery, inherited a
vast estate, comprised chiefly of steel
and textile mil' In the vlclnlt y of Phila
delphia. A proviso in ihe ttlH mode It
necessary for Monte not to go more
than SO miles from Philadelphia during
the first year after his uncle's death In
order to gain clear title to ihe millions.
DUrlno the course of the preceding
story rt part of the Grlspen Btccl Mills
is blown Up by the agents of Baron
llochmcltler, because tear orders for-
the Allies are being filled. The next
day a cryptic cross icarns Monte that a
similar attempt tUM be made to cripple
the tcxtltc mills In Kensington. Strikes
arc planned, and If these fall dynamite
ulll be resottcd to.
The sequel begins at the point where
Monte, traveling Incognito, arrives in
Kensington to team conditions at his
mills.
By ARNOLD GARRY COLM
CHAPTER I
Among the Workdrs
TRULY It Boomed llko tho end of tho
world to Monto Crlspon when ho got
to Kensington with a single pleco ot
luggage and no body sorant The fixed
habits of tho past, relics of his former
ljfo of plush-llncd easo, rose llko mock
ing spectres dnd smoto hard against his
grim determination to stick out at all
costs any discomforts Incidental to now
IK standards of living. There was tho
sting of tho cactus under every step
ho took in tho mill district. At first tho
irritants wore'' many, and his aroused
nerves refused polntblank at times to
tako orders from his brain.
Ho kept saying over to himself "How
can I seo If I keep myself fbllnd7" until
Tadually tho wigwagging of tho ban
ished comforts becamo fainter and
fainter. Tho facts which towered so high
in tho" fogs of yesterday an always
ready bath, variety ot wearing apparel,
exactly two-mlnuto eggs, etc. strangely
changed their proportions. Ho saw their
limitations and ho felt the Joy of stand,
ing alone, superior to their absenco,
unafraid In tho presenco of aft cxlstenco
shorn of them.
A mechanic who becomes a capitalist
has no no cities to offer. Ho draws to
ward him tho warming-pan, the mani
cure and tho tailor. But tho capitalist
who becomes a mechanic, let it bo for
a slnglo day ah! thoro wo havo a real
somebody, a gc'nulno centre of interest.
Did not John D. Rockefeller, Jr., en
banco his standing with tho American
public when ho went to Colorado to
study for himself the problems under
lying tho industrial disturbances there?
In tho languago of the merchant, tho
middlemen had "oversold" young Mr.
Rockefeller and ho broko away from
trndltlan; ho wanted 'facts guaranteed
fresh from the labor reservoir, so ho
took a train for tho West
But wo cannot tarry long with theso
reflections; this is a story and not nn
essay. And our vlrllo hero Is signaling.
It was after 6 of a lato November aft
ernoon, bleak and chill. It was already
dusk in McPherson Park, and street
lights wero beginning to twinkle In tho
little narrow corridors of homes that
ran hither and thither back from tho
open square. Ono of theso was Halsoy
street, and up and down its sidewalks
came tho patter of eager footfalls, tired
home comers. There wero stalwart
mechanics and lltho girl mlllhands from
t tho nearby factories; clerks from the
downtown wholesale and retail houses
soon to feel tho benefits of rapid tran
sit. As each reached a particular door,
made known by habit, he or she would
suddenly disappear from sight.
Tho wonderful necromancy practiced
in many sections of our great Industrial
city is the nightly finding, of onofs own
homo. In tho rows and rows of "Just
alike," one and two story dwelling
houses. Truo enough, there are tho
private marks known alone to each set
o occupants, such as a familiar door
scratch, a chipped step, a mended win
dow blind or a distinguishing arrange-
ent of curtains. But to a stranger
'atchlng the piquancy of this pageant
f dally life in Philadelphia the picking
out of tho right portal is a profound
achievement.
Vet wo think nothing of It Through
rain or biiow, sunshine or darkness, we
and our neighbors actually sense our
I way home. Unconsciously we turn fa
miliar corners, treading our way
through the labyrinth of similarities;
encircle a pool of water in the crossing
or a bit of rough going in the sidewalk
until we suddenly emerge almost mirac
ulously at the portal of portals our
home. "What wero the forest-piercing
talents of tho American Indian com
pared to tho home-finding genius of the
true Phlladelphlan? As nothing.
For half an hour Monte Crlspen, In
dulging in such reflections, had been
'watching with fascinated eyes the prac
ticed arrivals at the two story brick
fronts in Halsoy street. Bundled tup in
a warm coat, Monte quite Ailed the cold
steps of No, 29, his presence blocking
the entrance of the dwelling where
CralglAndrews, the lawyer, had secured
him a rear parlor with breakfasts at
$3 a week. He was known only as
"Mr. Taller," and with a. pair of heavy-
rbnmed glasses, a rapidly sprouting
"third eyebrow" on his upper lip and tho
most ordinary of ready-made clothing,
there was very little in evidence of the
dandy of the Bellalre-Blltz Hotel and
ri foreign watering places.
H HUf.- Wallow ..111 narnn .-
Monte turned, a bit startled, and faced
a girl about to enter, who loolted
straight into his eyes with a frank
and' pleasant curiosity.
He recovered his poise: "Ah! I see
J am in the way. Miss Marley, I be
lieve," He lifted his (tat politely, and mado
space for a free, passage Into the
house.
"You are mother's new roomer?' she
said timfdly.
i-Tfes,"
L
"I leave so early for the mill that I
have missed you Up to now,"
Monto saw that her features wero
delicate, and her mouth was shapely
and sensitive. Her brownish hair,
which showed an Inclination to wave,
was blowing about her head under a
Jaunty tam-o'-shanter. Sho was Btnall
but welt formed, and sound ns a trained
nthleto. Monte looked down nt her
from his six feet two with undisguised
admiration.
"The mill," he repeated vacantly after
the girl, her ruddy young face and
laughing hazel eyes seeming out of as
sociation with any suggestion of looms,
knitting machines and other mechanical
accessories of Sptndleland.
"Oh! I forgot for tho moment," she
volunteered lrt explanation, "You aro
a stranger In the Kensington district.
"Wo nro all workers up here my mill
is ono of tho Crlspen group."
Monto winced. Ho managed to keep
his voice steady and his faco straight
a ho asked:
"Let mo see, Miss Marley; you havo
a now boss, young Crlspen, back from
abroad for his inheritance?"
'"Precious llttlo wo have seon of him,
or oxpect to; and It's too bad, for ho
ought to know tho way things aro
going."
"Qolng?" ho repeated after her.
Sho cited an Instance: "Other mills
in tho neighborhood havo put in safety
devices'. "Wo haven't."
"How about your not expecting to seo
tho now heir?" ho asked whimsically."
"From what I hear at tho mill, Mr.
Crlspen is not tho sort of an employer
to get wild about They say ho Is a
'do-nothing? I guess you know tho
sort of man I mean there, I should
not have spoken so frankly, Mr. Taller.
Still, you aro a worker and understand.
I havo my own opinion of Idlers."
"Exactly," he answered, with a slight
choking sensation that was completely
hidden.
And then, ns If to give especial em
phasis to her opinion of nonactlves, sho
bounced Into tho house with this part
ing shot at herself: "Which reminds me,
Mr. Taller, that thoro is work for mo
inside."
Monte, left alone, mused on. Ho had
learned first-hand what Andrews had
intimated; that an abscntco ownership
begets wholcsomo disrespect. He was
pot qutto suro that ho liked tho wasp
that dominated tho girl's contempt of
this unknown Monto Crlspon. He re
called she qualified hor opinion with
"they say," and there was comfort In
that. Ho chuckled audibly at tho
thought of her some day learning his
Identity. Ho was surprised at finding
himself altogether moro pleased than
annoyed; thoro wero fine depths in this
young man. t
Already you are saying of young
Crlspen in Kensington: "What a silly
ass thing for him to do. Emancipation
from luxury, lndcedl He still had his
homo in "Walnut street, only CO minutes'
trolley ride from McPherson Park. Is
this chronicle of industrial life In Phila
delphia going to degenerate Into another
ono of those social-uplift, humanity-
saving sermons In dreary dialogue and
torpid action? As a man on Chestnut
street well put it: "I got all those books
at home." Homeant Tolstoy, Thoreau'
and the other famous rcnunciatlonlsts.
Bight hero the teller begs ono tiny
paragraph on the difference between
Idealism and leallsm. Tolstoy and
Thoreau typify the Idealist. They wero
great mental physicians; words and
example wero their cure-all. Alas! For
the example part, tho Russian social
reformer, for all his fine renunciations
and the peasant work ho did In tho
fields, slept and ate In his well-appointed
house, later run in his wife's
name; and Thoreau, the American
recluse, used to steal away regularly
from his near-nature hut on Walden
pond for the good homo cooking in a
nearby farmhouse. These men went
into sackcloth and ashes for "copy,"
material to put Into writings.
Monte Crispen's bold fling of self into
the mill district was wholly practical;
pure realism. He was "north of Market
street" to post up; a belated apprentice
ship in the human elements of manu
facture. He was in dally touch with his
lawyer and ready for emergencies;
Monte kept the blue limousine at a
garage in Jasper street, near Frank
lin Cemetery, with Lars, tne faithful
chauffeur, rooming-within sound of tho
car's siren horn. Many young men of
today dodge their responsibilities more
through a realization of their incapa
cities than a wilful intent to be idlers.
There is nothing mawkish about a man
who wants to "see It tick," and has
the will power to lay aside the frock
coat and silk hat for the time being
and get Into overalls. Having put our
selves right, we shall now proceed with
events.
For every vanishing home-comer from
the sidewalk Monte surmised a warm
welcome waited within. He saw in
each street door the drop curtain of
somebody's haven, a sheltered place
where worries and vexations ot the out
side struggle went tumbling into vapor
under the soothing spell of the eve
ning meal, soft slippers, relaxation and
that craved appreciation always found
among one's own. He realized how
vital to these many homes it was for
those at the helm of industrial affairs
to keep the spindles burning, looms
creaking and knitting machines click
ing. "When it seemed that the street's last
breadwinner had been nested, and the
sidewa)k4 'were again fairly empty,
Monte decided to intrude at No. 3;
something within lilm hungered for a
portion', ever so small, of the evening
welcome spirit that appeared to ooze
from the chimney -pots and other pores
of the dwelling and flU the night air.
"My gating arrangement was for
breakfasts only." he apologized to. Mrs.
Marley, very dignified nd gentle, with
Ill HI itm m mWmili-mIMMM
I'll "'.K'r!.!-) f KOTasHil fJtmfe&'c p' WMimmrM iSKn'-??'-?-'-'
5 m Bi JiHHriiniMKI
m i flpB?;r vjMMraigMtfra&reiM i
iBaiip, --
m ' ' nil IWmmttmmmi' linCLjr Z X. mill ,..".
"From what I hear at the mill,
Marley
black hair turning gray and lots of
lines on her forehead and round her
eyes, whom he met in the narrow hall.
"I hopo you aro quite satisfied?" she
replied, an anxious look crossing her
faco. Roomers aro Jtfngs with strug
gling widows.
"Perfectly;" said tho young man.
"Only now and then I might llko a din
ner. Tonight, for instance. Is it pos
sible?" Relieved, Mrs, Marley answered:
"Why, yes. Our food Is plain, most
simple. Perhaps I had best speak with
my daughter. Sho gets our dinners."
Instead of entering his own room, the
aforesaid back parlor, Monte divested
himself of coat and hat, utilizing the
battered rack in the front hall, and fol
lowed his landlady into the dining room.
Everything was spotlessly clean and
well ordered. The oom was bright and
cheerful, with a live-coal grate Are, and
through the open-door Into the kitchen
he could seo the light of another Are
and hear the contented humming of the
mtllglrl as she prepared the evening
meal,
"Unity, dear, Mr. Taller will have din
ner with us," he heard Mrs. Marley
say.
The humming stopped short, and a
sweet young voice said; "But, mother,
we have only lamb chops and potatoes;
no other vegetables. There Is apple pie
In the Icebox for dessert. You startle
me, mother."
Monto stretched his ears and heard
Mrs. Marley say in that soft, faded sort
of voice: "Mr, Taller Is a real gentle
man; he won't mind, I am certain."
Monte instantly voted himself an
Inconsiderate brute for intruding Into
this restful family circle. He thoUght
of escape, yet never moved from his
chair under the motto, TGod Bless Our
Home." Then came the dinner, served
by the same gifted hands that pre
pared it He soon found himself chat
ting easily with the Marleys, drawing
to the surface their Borrows and their
hopes, the latter chiefly centring
around an absent brother, Strong, who
was a weaver on a night shift, who went
to work for an 18-hour stretch with a
double-portion lunchbox.
"Fear of unemployment and part
time employment hangs a permanent
pall qver Kensington," said Miss Unity.
"So when there la extra time to be had
like now. Strong makes the most of it.
He sleeps Ave hours out of the 24. and
ha is glad ot the chance to mako the
overtime."
Miss Unity said little of herself. Her
Mr. Crispun is not the sort ot an employer to get wild about," Miss
said frankly. "They say he is a 'do-nothing.' "
laughter a Monte's friendly sallies and
anecdotes ot travel was infectious. It
was a natural rlpplo of musical sound,
most melodious, and Indicated tho hid
den ptesenco of a rich, untrained sing
ing voice. It mado him vibrato at each
unexpected drop and rich coloring in
her bell-like notes of mirth.
Our rich young researcher felt
vaguely sorry to And such a flne sped
man of the feminine sex In her lowly
position. He was to learn that our mill
girls in the gioss are lively, happy and
capable, not at all tho drab creatures
fancy and Action has pictured them.
He might have chatted longer, but
there came a ring at tho doorbell, which
Unity answered. Sho came back Into
the room completely changed as to
manner and mood.
She looked at her mother, her eyes
distended by fear, and she trembled con
vulsively. "What Is it?" aBked Mrs. Marley,
frightened but calm.
"It was Jennie Reed's mother. Jen
nie Is worse again. Tho doctor says
6he may die before morning, Jennie
wants me. I must go there, right
away."
And she was gone In an Instant, a
shawl over her head.
"Is Jennie a mlllglrl?" asked Monto
for the want of something to say.
"Yes, poor child, sho was on the next
loom to Unity, right across the 'alley'
at the Crlspen' mills," replied Mrs. Mar
ley, with a Bad, weary expression. "Jen
nie is a victim of Tho Kiss of Death." "
Almost mechanically, Monte repeated,
MThe Kiss of Death?' "
"Yes," droned the elderly woman.
"Other mills have self-threading shut
tles. Night and day I worry over Unity,
She Is in constant danger as long as
the Crlspen Mills use the old fashioned
shuttles."
"In danger of what?" said Monte, very
much puzzled.
"Go over to the Reeds' and see Jen
nie's doctor. We don't like to talk of
It In Kensington. The doctor will ex
plain it all. I cannot."
Whereupon the good woman burst into
tears. Monte rushed from the room,
and, seizing his hat from the rack,
literally flew across the street to No,
26, where the Reed family lived.
CHAPTER II
The Kiss of Death
TIMIS and maximum production Is the
hydra-headed Urant of the presentt
day weave room, for as long as weaver
are paid at a fixed rate per yard by
piecework with tempting bonuses rid
ing upon earnings above a certain
amount, thoro will probably be Jennie
Reeds In tho Kensington district Monto
Crlspen was young, Inexperienced and
emotional, else he would havo accepted
existent conditions Instead of flaring up
ut Mrs. Marley's exposition of "Tho Kiss
of Death."
"It's over," the doctor was saying very
solemnly to a circle of neighbors in the
parlor of tho Reed dwelling when Monte
entered.
"Jennie's gone; oh, dear me! There
will bo no one left soon,," said an elderly
woman, who took each loss In a younger
generation as evidence of a rapidly de
creasing population.
Monte quietly asked for particulars
when the doctor looked in his direction.
"Quick consumption," said tho physi
cian in a low voice. "Help me clear out
this room." They soon had th,e ground
floor liberated of all save Immediate
members of the family and Mls3 Marley.
The incredible swiftness of the calam
ity had plunged the mill girl's family
into a dumb grief. Unity was busy
comtoiting Jennie's mother and two
younger sisters, while a practlcal-mlnded
brother had taken up mortuary ar
rangements. "I tell you that Miss Marley Is a cool
hand for every fevered brow," comment
ed the physician to Monte, admiringly,
as he prepared to leave, adding; "And
who a.re you? I thought I knew every
body in this neighborhood,"
"My name is Taller; I am a' newcomer
hereabouts," replied Monte. "Recently
took up the study of some problems af
fecting the Crispen mills. I confess I
am interested, and want to know all
about '"The Kiss of Death. "
"Come along with me and we can talk
uninterruptedly," said' the physician.
"I am Doctor Willing, ten years ifi the
mill district; 'my father, also a physi
cian, was before me here for half a
century. Good night, Miss Marley."
"Which way?" asked Monte.
"Bunvr! It Is cold. Let me fetch my
coat."
"If you don't mind a good, stiff walk.
I am bound for The Beacon,' on West
Lehigh avenue, wljere I have two con
valescing grip patients."
Dropping down to the "bottom of Mc
Pherson, Park, th? two men shortly aft
erward were swinging south along
Kensington avenue, each warm tn the
pleasure of a budding acquaintance that l
presaged friendship.
"Tho modern loom is n wonderful
automaton that has no brains," said
Doctor Willing. "Let sufficient power
bo supplied, it can go on weaving in
cessantly, no matter what happens to
tho warp and weft or Ailing. Oh! yes;
I know all the terms, the argot of tho
district. What I aim" to point out is
that tho weaver Is no longer the trained
expert who dexterously tossed boat
shaped shuttles, threaded with weft,
from hand to hand between two lines of
warp called the warp-shed. Nor does
he control this passage for tho shuttles
with the aid of strings and levers oper
ated by his feet with the skill of a
church organist. Tnat was the condi
tion In my dad's time.
"Our twentieth century weaver has
become a BWltch-tender. Ho or she
aro engineers no longer. The real
weaver is the mechanical loom. It lifts
and drops tho hcalds to form the warp
shed; It does the shuttle-throwing nnd
it beats up the weft thread or Ailing Into
position. Indeed, in its roaring awe
inspiring presence it is difficult to real
lzo how very different were tho condi
tions in whicl our" great-grandfathers
and even our grandfathers lived and
worked."
Thoy had passed Somerset street and
were under the Reading grade crossing.
Monte paused to drop a dime into the
hand of a crlpplo who was seated on
tho sidewalk, his back against the stono
wall. The shout of the man brought
them both back to htm.
"I am no beggar," said he. "Here are
your nowspapers and change, sir. Good
evening, doctor; I did not see you at
flrst."
Monte looked so crestfallen when they
had resumed their walk that Doctor
Willing explained: 'That cripple was
once a mill operative. He was laid off
during the panic of 1907 and got a tem
porary Job in a railroad freight yard,
where he lost his legs. He took to sell
ing newspapers for a living. He Is
proud and he won't accept charity. But
as I was saying, the demands upon the
weayer of today are different from those
of ancient times."
"Go ahead; I am keenly interested,"
assented Monte, as they turned west on
Lehigh avenue.
"He or she must needs have a quick
eye, vitality, alertness, ambition, system
and the right temperament to keep pace
with the needs of the great mechanical
loom," said the doctor, "Each loom In
the eyes of an employer Is so many
yards In so many hours. To get the
maximum production from the loom
there must be as few and short stop
pages of the looms as possible. Pre
miums are paid on earnings above a cer
tain amount to spur weavers to supreme
efforts. I know of a girl weaver who
wove 10S yards In 3t hours, while an
other" weaver on the identical machine
wove only 90 yards in the same time."
"Where does 'The Kiss pf Death'
come in?" asked Monte persistently.
"Patience,"' laughed the doctor- "I
have flrst outlined all the primary condl.
tlons surrounding the work of a weaver
to show you that he or she Is about
in the position of a horse tied in the
rear of a racing automobile. Employ
ment Is contingent upon his or her abil
ity to get a maximum production out of
the loom. This ability includes prompt
ness in starting and stopping the loom,
seeing that broken warp ends are
quickly repaired and Inserting full bob
bins or spools with new weft thread
the moment the last prick a prick Is a
single strand pf weft reaching once
across a, piece of cloth Is thrown across
from an empty bobbin, a few weavers
can change bobbins without stopping
the loom. Lastly, weavers must attend,
that the metal shuttles which travel
across the width of the, loom with the
speed ox express trains are promptly
re threaded,"
Ml. 1 , ' '
"Now I grasp whore lies the menac
to the operatives' health," exclaimed,
Monte. "It Is this rethreadlng of thai
shuttles, their drawing of tho thread or
yarn throughfctyeye, of the shuttlo by,
means of the suction of tho breath."
"Precisely, Mr. Taller," said the phy
sician, "Weavers themselves often ob
Ject to a shuttle
a hook
HCMTglFMLKUj;
to thread It
itlt 16
quicker to suck
IBB thO
hook. Thus tuberc
other ln-
fectlona arXTlrarisfe
workor
to worker, Glassbtowcf
the same
blowpipe are In tho ear
zono.
It Is this contact with
is of dls-
ease that caused tho '
chrliithn
tho process of shuttle-sj
'Jhe Kisa
of Death" 7
"What Is tho percentage of tuber
culosis urncmg weavcrs7"
"An Insurance company took a sample
flve-yenr period and found that between
25 and 45 years of ago tuberculosis'
claimed 46 per cent of ordinary flfpivcra
who died and 70 per cent of laco'wcav
ers." "A real menace?"
"Well, rather," growled tho doctor.
"You havo all tho facts and you will
have to place tho blame. No mill owner
I know would willingly cause tho death
of an operative. Many havo installed
klssless shuttles."
"Can they bo had?"
"Yos. There nro many sanitary, non
suction Bhuttlo appliances on the mar- ,
kot The nearest approach to a perfect
shuttle, I should say, would bo ono with
a porcelain oyo and metal carrlago with"
no split to weaken It; ono that can bo
threaded quickly by hand, as in tho old
way. But moro Is needed than a proper
sanitary shuttle."
"What?"
Doctor Willing and Monte had
reached a comparatively now building
at Waterloo streot nnd Lehigh avonue,
lighted from ground to roof. It was
"Tho Beacon," known to every worker
In the mill district, a social headquartera
for wage earners, founded and run on
nonsectarlan lines by a remarkable man
nnd his oqually rcmarkablo wife.
"What is needed are moro mill owners
i with wide visions," replied tho physician.
"There Is something in this industrial
world above financial gain. What if
weavors do prefer to tako chances with
tho old shuttles rather than Ioso tho
time attending threading sanitary onea
by hand! Tho mill owner Is1 tho guar
dian of tho health and physical welfaro
of his employes. It is up to him to pro
vide a wage scalo that does not drive
his workers to risk tholr lives. You can
tell tho crowd running tho Crispen Mills
my vlows. Thank God, all mill owners
nro not alike. Good night. Taller. Como
nnd seo me and dad when you got lone
some. Wo aro on Allegheny avonuo
near Broad street." "
It all seemed uncanny to Monto Crls
pen. As ho walked back to Halsfcy
street his faco hardened at tho thought
of an employer who would nit do his
utmost to lesson tho weight of the bur
den upon a woman worker's back.
Suddenly it dawnod upon him that ho
was drifting into Just that sort of nn
employer. How glad ho was to havo
had this glimpse of truth. It had been
denied his uncle, John Montgomery, who
belonged to the old school.
Then Monto thought of the whlto
browed, musical voiced Marley girl,
whoso lips on the morrow might touch
tho self-same poison-coated shuttle
which Doctor Willing insisted had
Aoodcd tho body of Jennie Reed with
the germs of a fatal malady. He felt
himself at close grips with a personal
responsibility for Unity's futuro well
being. Why should he despair? His
wob the power to roll away the stono
from her tomb, and this fanciful thought
flooded light like a sunburst to show
him the open road.
Impulse can always outrun smug
propriety. There wero many drug stores
along Kensington avenue, yet Monts
walked several blocks before he found
one with boothed telephones. On one
thing he was Armly resolved; he was
going to have things changed at the
Crlspen Mills and at once. He remem
bered that sanitation had become a
live tendency of tho age; to wit, tho
disappearance of the common drinking
cup from railroad trains and public
places under health regulations.
In his present state of mind he wanted
action on the shuttle question, and a
most stimulating sensation fllled hln
velns when he Anally cork-screwed hla
long body Into tho right telephone booth.
He asked for "Filbert 9900." He popped
a nickel Into the coin box and said; "la
this 'the Independence Club; Get Mr.
Craig Andrews, please. Blast the rules)
Never mind who wants him. Find him
quick and put him on the wire. He will
know who Is calling. Hurry!"
Andrews was a bachelor end ho lived
at the Independence Club. He left a.
game of solitaire and hurried to the tej-
ephone.
"Yes, this is Andrews," he said,
"Hello!"
"I know you. my boy. What'a up?"
'There has got to be something donoj
right away or I don't sleep" tonight"
"Go ahead."
"It's 'The Kiss of Death,' the thing
has got on my nerves." '
"Rubbish! Blanchard. our mill boss,
says the phrase was probably coined la
soma muck-raking magazine. Our skirts
are clear, he says."
"Andrews, I mean business," replied
Monte.
There was the determined ring of old
John Montgomery In his voice and tho
lawyer saw that his young multimil
lionaire client was thoroughly roused,
Monte continued: "If you Insist upon
chaffing me I will get aboard the blua
limousine and come into town red
eyed.' (CONTINUED IN
MONDAY'S
EVENING LEDGER)