?, W
EVENING I'TJBUC LEDGBE PHltADELPHIA, FKIDAY, MAY 6, 3921
t
H!l
HOW MANY CARDS?
By ISABEL OSTRANDER
Author of "The Island of Intrigue," "Suspense," "Ashes to Athee," eU.
CepvrfpM, I'tt, Robtrt U. ilcttriit - Co.
-.. , - It 1..L ..!. Ill
V Ford' harsh, dry laughter ran
,nd then was as quickly suppressed.
"I don't know whether ft will help .vou
a not, tor haven't uie sugmesi mca
so killed Crevellng, but I'll give jou nil
U Information you want about tho
-hole rotten bunco 01 menu i unpi
It mouth shut jcitcrday because I had
"J . - fA.lni.ii liniin thnf IfinvM 1i
Ml enough to tide me ovor even after
..1lnir 1 mscir nau weicneti, our
hen Caller thtcw me rfowu cold I
mf un my mind that I'd show them
dl up and I will!
."riev got the money my own, not
or customers', but If I'd had It yet I
nld have weathered the storm. I
kYonldn't kick if tho game nao. Been
JoVrfnced It was crooked nnd I've been
i,da the sucker. God ! Kvcn n tin horn
...j .hum will stake you to cigarette
lonev after he's stripped you of jour
our , ...,
"(1D1P; icjriy ri-jnuiru, a ih
rinnlng to glimmer inrougu ms ton
Itcloutness.
"Of course, i wnn o ')
...... - --- - ,t -,...
htlnt a rlcu man oven in mew! aity-
V11' " . U..1 lia ..11 1t,r nvfll
rocketing uay, uui ii-" " "
ttat mn table of Cjitterl. damn
i7n" Vnr.l Ktonoed abruntlv and tho
rUe In his face gave way to n look of
lr derision. "Vou fellows at head
nuarters are mighty smart, but you
.:An. nm nulled off and havo been for
J,..,, in that resDcotable-looking bouso
if his down on the avenue. Ho Ib
nothing mora uur i ." ....
..t .nmliinr. onlv he docs things on
scale that's never been known before
(,, in the Big Town." ,, .
A jrntnDieri iuc oiuukuiui - i-
Then the memory of a chnwe icmnrk
of Dennis' on the previous evening re
turned to makn his chagrin complete.
.., v, fnlrl his friend what he had
learned from Miss Frost about tho Kip
miin nnrl how she hud been broke one
day and husii ie nci. ""!.
marked "I-Iko n gambler I" Lvcu
then he had not tumbled to ttio truiti i
it oil kcemed ho obvious now in the
lliht of this rovelntlon! Those two
diwlpated rounderti, Wavcrly nnd
Creeling, seeking to stimulate their
riti rentes with the excitement of the
time; mii i""c.i-"'" .,.- -t.
ill of life had been u gamble; John
Civannugh O'Uourke. with the hot,
reckless, sport-loving blood of his lore
Wrs in his veins, nnd Cutter silting
cold nnd Inscrutable In tue miust oi
them' Hut what of the women? Where
did they figure In this scheme of things t
'I'm not yellow!" Ford went on.
'wouldn't cr 'crooked !' just be-
UM 1 a Dten raiu, uui "."""
now I can sec now i piojtu, i.u
trout in a stream, and ibey'ro doing
the same thing to O'Hourke. They 11
clean him and Ills wile, wo, ociurc
they're through Cutter and W overly,
and Crevellng was helping it along
when he got Ills! He stood n, and I
was jiut beginning to sec It : that s why
I went to him first when 1 Baw what
km coming l wasn t a ueggui. x umj
wntel a loan of some of my own back
..J f'r,,7ii1lnv linri rnt most of It. He
iinomtnort. fie knew I was on to the
time and h told me lie d eo me
though : mado an appointment wim
ise for Thursday ana tnen M wit ij
i-,.ia mnb Yinrtt hiH word, wclcbed I
He thought he could bluff me, but Id
hsro gona back jebterday and gotten it
from him FOinehow. onlj Homebody else
... .- Li.. ... ..111. n JJI"
101 in I1IIU uioi, niku .. .... t
MrPiriv was sesreely listening.
'They'll clonn him nnd his wife, too!"
were the lait words which had pounded
tLamoili.pu Into IiIh brain.
"Do j on menu that Iady Mar tbot
MrB O'llonrkc mays, too? inat Airs.
PnM nnil Mrs. Orovelluif and Mm
Watcrly have been going up against a
pme like thaf" , ,
Vr,rA lanirhiil niniti. mirthlesulv.
"They're ivorw than we ore! Not
that my wire 1m nn inveiernio Komuier-,
is a matter of fact the poor kid Iman t
ny card seme at all and doesn t even
core lor it. one ouiy ioui """ii -ciiue
I I compelled nor to "
"You'
Sbord nortUrd ,
' Oh, I admit I c been a fool in
. .. .L... AH. V... I'm nmlnn
mure lHJS UIUU uar, uui ,m v-....tt
cVan tr vnii nniv for 1 wnnt ion tu
HDderaiAml the nitnulioa nnd fir Cutter
md his outfit!' he declared frauKly.
"I was making money nnd we were
hippy enough u few years ago with our
own iallv little crowd, bnt when I
bouiht mv Mat on the exchange Mrs.
mora got ambitious socially, sine met.
Mr, Crerelinz at i-ome chavlty affair
and tot in nith her. and Creveliuir in
troduced me to Cutter. 11iat was the
Mginulng of it. nnd I don't mind toll
ing you that I encouraged Mrs. Ford
to travel with that bunch; I tbonght
id get in myself through tbcm witli
biimonnjed interests nntl I didn't reu
loe I was practically uning my own
wife as n capper, tho win Cutter is
Ming .Mrs UaiUIe Kip Hhe's Just a
kind of grown-up little girl, my wife, is;
"DS lo03 to snantl mnnev ami hi- taVen
ip by the swell people and she never
can rial uv that there might be another
motive U'hlnd the flattery of other men,
ftterrt like Cutter. He innde u sort
of plaj for hor a ear or so ugo and
'be came to me like n big kid nnd told
me. I let lnm know where he got off
and afier that she wasn't bothered, but
iliey had it in for mo You see the
"ne now, don't you. McCarty?"
McCaru nodded alowlv In his turn
W bis uprntjslon was very grim, but
ii,r " w'nui spenKing
Mrs Crevelinir nnil Mn W,U
vf?,i1dlff"fnt , t,lcy llong by right of
tH rOi ,uu,r '"i witnereu lamuy
T,hey don't have to struggle to
"."hcio and in another wny they
Tif... aMrt aH their husbands.
m.i.Te Mhd every allowable
J?"" .f "musing theiDBefvea nnd they
jwned to the game for what ex. He
J?." ulrt get out of it, and It
C'l."0 lhr '"acinatlon. i menu.
ii v ecen them, of courtoV
res, p r
ll i.' 1," oeauiics, .Mrs l.'rovi-
Vr. Vr c0',a' a,oor Bort of way and
!. Wavrl U o .!. n:i. .;...
rdJL.?.0,.b wig"l,' "MraPtive and each
Wferenl type, get me'"
both .Tn ,hat C,Ul8r ia UhiK """
", steerers too?" MeCartv'H hon-
- lonrg were flle( Ult. hnrk.l
tttlilnn"1 'J'nd', '! them, wllti
mail t&nx hlghMt B0C1,,V "nd "loro
noaH 'ban they Lnn Hpend'"
But no Mcandal han ever nttached to
Cutter, Iilfl system was too perfect for
that; Hie poor dcWN who did themselves
In were spirited home and the papers
made n big fuss later over their deaths
from accident or appendicitis opera
tions, or some Riich llv. Of course their
ffltuilleft weie as eager io conceal the
truth bb Cutter J that's wheie he played
pnfe. The worst part of it is that he
Is a real aristocrat, If there is audi a
thing in this country; his family is
one of the oldest and he has nlwava
kept his social position Impregnable,
though I understand he inherited noth
ing but the house and some lotten an
cestor's gambling Instinct! Peoplo
don't dare squeal on liiui, for ho has
clients and victims among the connec
tions of every prominent family in the
country. He thought I wouldn't dare.
either, but I've got nothing to lose
now.
"I wonder he didn't take that into
consideration." MeCnrtv renin rlinil.
"l'oii soy he refused to let you havo
n ion to ttuo you over wnen lie Knew
it meant ruin to you."
Ford colored painfully.
"There was a nerannil matter In.
.-.. f,.lv"lvc" nnd It warped his judgment, I
""'. l" enrm." hw mnmhliul "Kfw tilf. .
'Ob without
their knowledge.
of
?Kb"!'&-n'-iS
eoBitanti. i r. , '""u"'1 uiey were
little f, LJ"$.ll0URl'' at ,be m.i allwl
iuitaVK0 imn" nn,1 "''"noon
whlth rLut woa l'Ploted to give, but
"were JlVi and. .",l,ht- Thtt of
"ti here !n, ' lo.frouim tUut P01'4
l.-t. Hint IN tils i.inat "..
WtMrtS 1,H 1i'v You
Just ,h? nvl h ,n"on out
"owds ZLnL Uo,.l0,,1 ,,p k,,P W"
viiiv ar(ir(.,l til m.nnU K.. I.I
wyti?
'"a nni. n, j i." ."" iwuu .iore
dr SnuTh;,," h,!" Iust '" "n't
lk,t looks it?.' 4llrnsUf in """ mum
k of ISiti. . u i ro"srvatoi.v at the
'? more m,r,H Uo1' Bl"l I'll wagtr
rt'lnnn, T' 'ns .,nBl hands
t Mu" ,v jyun lv.iltUof time thnu
1 "' for the same period!
guess, he mumbled. "My Wife, you
kuow.
"I see." McCarty strove to make his
voice sympathetic, but he was filled
with loathing for tho unprincipled weak
ling before him. He'd borrow money,
if he could, from a man who had in
sulted his wife and if he couldn't, hell
him outl The ex-roundsman's foot
tingled to administer n kick to the cow
ardly sneak, but he must learn more.
"If Mrs. Wnvcrly and Mr. Crevellng
pluycd Just berauhq they were bored unu
Mrs. Ford because jou wanted her to,
why did Mm. Kip nnd and Mrs.
O'Hourkp sit in the game?"
"Oh. Connie Kip is a born adven
turess; a proicssionai gamoicr in a
way, lik Cutter," replied Ford care
lessly. "She's too shrewd to jeopardize
the social position sho has wormed her
self Into by any indiscreet flirtation, but
the cur (Ik nic her means of a livelihood,
and I could swear I've caught her cheat
ing more than once ; though If Cutter
knows it he doesn't mind her counting
herself in on his gruft, for she's populnr
nnd useful to him ns a steeier. It Ih
through her thnt he gets his clutches on
tho young nsseo in society with more
money than brains."
"Was she at Cutter's on Thursday
evening?" asked McCarty suddenly.
"No, only the O'llourkes. Wn ex
pected Cretellng, but be phoned that
he couldn't make It, so we had a Ave
handed game; tame enough, too, with
neither Groveling nor Wnvcrly there.
They were the plungers nntl helping
along Cutter's fleering of O'Hourke. I
suspect. I might have warned him, I
suppose, but I hnd my own fish to fry
in trying to win my money back from
them or get a loan, and then misery
loves company, you know!
"Rut Mrs O'Rourke?" persisted
McCarty. "What possctsed her to
play?"
"For the same reason that her hus
band did: a sheer love of tho gome."
lesponded Ford with nn odd note of
respectful admiration in his tone.
MiCarty rose. He felt suddenly stifled
and, as though his breakfast had not
agreed with him. This cheap renegade
might be useful to him in tho future-,
and his mithe caution warned him to
go beforp be expressed himself openly.
Not for the life of him could he listen
to another word concerning the Lady
I'eggv, even in praise, from such lips.
"Thank you, sir. I guess jou've told
me all I need to know to work on now
and I won't pester you nnv longer. I
won't give you away, but there'll be no
more fleecing of Mr. O'Uourke nor any
one else, I can promise you that."
"I don't give u damn about that, I'm
done!" Ford followed him to the door.
MtCarty breathed deeply wheu he
reached the street once more, ns though
to clear hlft lungs from a fetid at
mosphere, but be felt that he had ac
complished more In the past hour than
at any time sine he had undertaken the
case.
He was on the inside now. looking
out, and although he bad learned noth
ing which pointed to tho actuul solu
tion ofvthe crime there was a chance
that the right thread was In his hands
at last.
During his interview with the bank
nipt broker an idea hnd come to him
which completely revolutionized his
earlier plan of procedure, and he lost
no tlmo in llmllng n telephone booth
nnd calling up headquarters.
Inspector Druet was already nt his
desk nnd informed him thnt Yost re
ported no trace of the missing Hildreth
woman, and Martin, when he wiih re
lieved at tho Creveling house, snid that
Hill hod betrayed neither protest nor
surprise at finding himself under guaid,
nor had he made the least move to
ebcapo espionage. The report of the
thief medical examiner on the autopsy
had come in also, nnd he hud ic versed
the opinion of his assistant; Creveling
could not have killed himself. It bad
been murder.
Perhaps it' just as well, sir " Mc
Carty'a tone was humble "I I've
changed my mind, thinking over tho
dope you'te got against Hill, and more
over I've dug up a few things this
morning that look like Uioj might make
the mho complete "
"I thought so!" tho inspector laughed
jubilantly. "Good old Mac! You're not
afraid to admit you've made a mistake,
are you?"
"No, sir, ' McCaity responded slyly
"Not being legulnrly connected with the
force any longer, promotion don't
bother me and there's nothing to hold
me buck when I'm in the wrong from
saying so, nnd starting over I've ben
thinking that as long as you've got the
dragnet out after that Hildreth woman
and tho stations and ferries and roads
watched so that she can't make her
getaway from the city, we're bound to
land her In tlmo and there's no use In
waiting for her to try to get in touch
with Hill beforo we run him in again.
I think I've got a way to make him talk
after n day or two in the Tombs, but
lil like to niolce the arrest m)elf
"Go to it!" the inspector said
heartily. "Your mind was so set on it
that he wasn't guilty, I thought I'd give
yuu a few days to find out thut you
wero barking up the wroug tree, but
the Hildreth woman is too clever by half
to givo herself away by trying to com
municate with him Come down here
nnd I'll hato u warrant ready for you.'
"Couldn't you send it up to me at
the Crevellng house?" McCarty asked
"I'm on my way there now, sir, and I
don't want to lose any time
".Ml right I'll hne it there in half
an hour" luspector Druet added.
"Have you sten unj thing of Terhune?"
"Yoo, air He broke into my rooms
laet night and Denny and me found
blra sitting there as calm as you please
when wu tame up from headquarters! '
McCarty nlmost choked over the recol
lection. "He's invited us both to one
of bis seanreA tonight "
"I'll see you there, then ' Tho in
spector laughed once moiv 'Up has
the care all doed out to suit himself,
I suppose, but he wouldn't condescend
to take me into his confidence It
won't matter to us, Mac, for if he's
lilt ou the truth we'll liuui the bird
safcl) cngvil beforehand Do jou want
us tu ketp (hit news of Hill's renrieat
out of tho papeis?"
CONTINUED TOMOIUIOW
THE GUMPS Bring on the Cocaine
By Sidney Smtilt
VOU.1 -VyoOAV AU WEM HE VKT -ItlKlA I - ( HE l HAt A LARGE ( f f H ?S? i?
1 V--UiM , . 'z.rTL 4Sr. t-ciw. i .v-c K I X CAVITY ANt lT ) AtW PA.RYICOL'S
ess s Asa m - NSSil woS "- J C0UR OF
SOMEBODY'S STENOGThe Poor Animal
i opvniili lOL' l I'ubllr f df t L
By Hayward
r HOW DO 1t)b I ( REDICULOUS '- I CAHJ-OH V MATTER - r4 WHAT KINO OF FUR IS 1 -J-a-Ss
LIKE MV SUMMER I HW ?AAl StH WHAT TfcU RAY rri; SILLV V .IT? - (JUST THWK !-' S yf - J
H FUR, Boss? -r-UtBUY SUCH Zi "ifjHCRAZV: v what poor amimal. - 3 5ANt).-
-J-2r- SpE)(PESIE.--) fA,3lFT.p-,A pljrtll3 HAD To buffer JUST ""-- AD ' JH" '
(THIM6S AAIrHOWt?l K f---1 r U SO OU COULO HAV&J ' j
4g(K ri?) A-SILLW SUMyERj-r ,Kj
&'- ' '' V ' - ' A-Br HtViAATlO -6 ' C
1 ' ' ii i i i
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&?immi
W& mi
III fill 111 k Y AT y S MJfM
mm
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UJ
The young lady aero the wav
ays there's altogether too much
ccetiirlnnlsm in the new novels and
why can't mi utithor mnk u uning
man and a girl just good friend",
once u a while?
The Young Lady Acrota the Way I WITHIN THE LAW ...
I l J J Oil U 1 J
Lur
liu FONTAINE POX
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mm
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b n 4fcn I o " I
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1?' -flit AuTtjoKifies CANE. A
40
fffoi
CKopprl WHEN TH6Y 5TART5D to
APPREHEND Oi.D MAN 5ARI-0W WHO MAS
BttH YAKiMG 0ArRCJ,S HAJ.F FH.LD WTM
UICKER DOWN GoOS CRlCK. '
SCHOOL DAYS
By DWIG
Wish fMniwvt
Wit i We?! -ir-12 j?? S L&! cumt it must HuP a w . e'.
HiiHH0k S(EL iW&' rr Kl&? V.
Tae.cumc :.. ffgji.y;-.
PET EY Knickers May Improve the Ladies' Game But Not the Gents
By C. A. VoigM
llilr-T. . .y . , I'l
"iiNtn -o nnv
L E IGHT IS a HUUMeF?Dt
vA rouR AMD titveN ll A
MUKjigfRDl-t FlFleKJ
wn?Tiew n
y
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A
" Ml (..- keepnoup. IP 'C riz Ua ft-
- vrwiry uc itvi iiif tsiTS.ii i y isjTM?i i irz-i-x i ainvL l u nff if i "iwtn.iix. -tmi m
?zm viW2 Nou cifted - zl I Yif t iiw
I KJzt). VTT742 fnjRHEADTuATfctft iv'N lrXv JV
fTCx s wtim ttme . Zs- yEgXA xk K Q -Cz - . 7 s v
mi js mm a 1 & -& s y:. Mwm
sStSs -II- ' -3'-" ( . J-jgag8aii':" .v, -sSic1
' " ' " "" iir jji'n pun.- 1 ' , 1 .. 1, . . . tfa - - J"z!r ;
. 1 ' "
THE CLANCY KIDSTimmic Got Him With a Counter
By Percy L. Crosby
SO . YOU le PEfW ?IGHXINC L
Mftf!FrCRALH7Se
AAlO TO YOU AetffTrvO
&IDNT TOJLY00
To close vauRmer
wpawr rpM
UmzWKNGRY'
ii 1 I r
Hoto iwTMweR 010
Vov evert rwHTtf yoo
B6TH CLOSeO V(3U(? eYETJ
And Coonreo 7
He closed vweter
THeN I HAULED OFF WITH
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Li MYMMhr-ANOCOONTCD
TEN A 0 HFl.jACthT
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V ' HIT F'!! 1 V AfUll --UIM-TTiril -7 f I '11
s J Z Lrrr-J c ? rHweoiPNrS ) TEN -MOHFM.ritr
yfe. fo , b- IWTHCLOSeOURi ( , wri-uui
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