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THE GEORGIAN’S NEWS BRIEFS.
THE KING OF DIAMONDS
===== The Thrilling Story of a Modern Monte Cristo -
Of course*, the discovery that Philip
lived gave a fresh direction to his pur -
I pose. A great load of guht was lilted
off his conscience, but the position re-
I rnair.ed little less serious personally.
.So when, at last, he began to tell hia
story, there was a brutal directness, a
rough eloquence, that silenced all ques
tioning. . 4 .
At first his hearers thought he wa*,
rambling and incoherent as he de-
i scribed his release from jail, his visit
him went all three, the manager lead- to the Mary Anson Home, his long and
fruitless search for the lost boys.
BY LOUIS TRACY.
(Copyright. 190X. by Edward J Clod* )
This Week’s Installment.
With one spring he was free of them,
rushing frantically to the door. After
Ing.
Grenier tore the door open and got
outside It was a hopeless attempt. He 1
sjrjrSLsr! M°and w ^- .asa
He told of his meeting with Grenier,
the espionage they both practiced on
Anson's movements, and the plot
whose relation
al the foot of the stairs by the mana
g^r's loud-voiced order. Yet he raced
for dear liberty, trusting biindly to
fate
And fate met him more than half
way.
A tall man, coming upstairs with a
pag • boy, encountered Grenier flying
downward. He grabbed him in a clutch
of iron and cried sardonically:
’•No, you don’t! A word with me first,
if the devil was at your heels!”
Intent on his prize, he paid no heed
to others.
Which is his room?” he said to the
boy
• NO 41 «jr!” stammered the young
ster who thought that millionaires
should be treated with more ceremony
than this wolf-eyed stranger bestowed
or. the gr*at Mr Anson
"Go on, then! I'll bring him.
"It is Jockey Mason,” murmured
Philip to Dr. Searth. With the man
ager. they had halted in the corridor.
Mason strode past them, w ith eyes only
for the cowering Grenier, who was
making piteous appeals to be set free.
The stronger ruffian threw his con
federate into room 41. and was about to
close the door when he saw Philip, close
behind him.
He stepped hack a pace, mute, rigid,
seeking with glaring eyes to learn
whether or not he was the victim of
hallucination.
Philip knew him instantly. The voice
he heard on the stairs, the policeman’s
rough but accurate picture, the recol
lection of the captive of Johnsons
Mews, all combined to tell him that in
truth Jockey Mason stood before him.
Mason’s Story.
More than that, the would-be mur
derer handled his accomplice in a way
that promised interesting developments.
Now. perchance, the truth might be as
certained. Escape was out of the ques
tion for either of them. The mana
ger's cry brought four strong porters
pellmell to the spot.
You and 1 will enter.” said Anson
to Dr Scarth. "You.” to the manager,
“might kindly remain here with your
men for a few minutes.”
"Shall I summon the police?”
’ Not yet I want to clear matters
somewhat. They are dreadfully tan
gled.”
Mason, spellbound, but fearless as
ever, heard the dead man speak, saw
him move. He couiu not refuse the evi
dence of his eyes and ears. As Philip
advanced into the room, ti e giant put
his hands wildly to his head, and sobbed
brokenly:
"Thank God’ Thank God
boys sake, not for mine!
His extraordinary attitude, his no less
extraordinary words, amazed at least
two of his hearers. Grenier, rendered
now first became known to Philip.
He was quite fair to Grenier, giving
him full credit for having stopped him
more than once from murdering Philip
when opportunities presented them
selves. He dealt ruthlessly with the
scene nw the Grange House, even smil
ing dreadfully a* he described Grenier’s
squeamishness over the suggestion that
Philips face shou'd be battered into a
shapeless mass.
Then followed his journey to Iaondon.
the meeting with his two sons at
Southwark police station, and the tor
turing knowledge, coming too late, that
he had slain the benefactor of his wife
and children.
There was an overwhelming pathos
in his recital of the boys' kindness to
him. He gave a lurid picture of his
feelings during the previous night as
he listened to tlieir praises of Philip
Anson, and their pleasant plans for
their father’s future. He only winced
once, and that was at the remem
brance of the parting of a few hours
ago.
And he finished by a pitiful appeal
for mercy, not for himself, but for Gre
nier!
“I put the whole thing into his mind
Mr Anson.” he said "He would never
have thought of robbing you but for me.
I^et him go. Make him leave ti e coun
try. He will never trouble you again As
for me. when l go from this room 1
walk to my death. You can't stop me
I will not lay hands on you, I promise
but not all the men in waiting there
outside can hold me back. In five min
utes, or less, I will be dead. It will be
an accident No one will be the wiser,
and my boys will be spared the knowl-
! edge that their father tried to kill the
man to whom they owe everything.
A Threat.
don was touched by Mason’s story, thor
ough-paced ruffian though he was.
They re entered No. 41. The pair were
sitting as they were left. Grenier was
not even smoking The affair of the
Blue Atom had deeply wounded his
vanity.
Philip walked straight to Mason and
took him by the shoulder.
"Now. listen to me.” he said. “I gave
you one crack on the head, and you
have given me one. Shall we say that
accounts are squared?"
“Do you mean it, sir?”
"Yes. absolutely.”
“Then all I can say is this. sir. Dur
ing the rest of my life I'll make good
use of the char.ce you have given me.
God bless you. for rny boys sake, more
than my own.”
“And you,” went on Philip, turning to
the disconsolate Grenier. "Will you
leave Enerlang and make a fresh start
in a new lan<^ You are young enough,
and clever enough, in some respects, to
earn an honest living.”
”1 will, sir. 1 swear it.”
The utter collapse of his castle in
Spain had sobered him The gates of
Portland were yawning open for him.
and the goodness of the man he had
wronged had closed them in his face.
Never again would he see their grim
front if he could help it.
He readily gave every assistance In
The brief investigation that followed
Mr Abingdon look, d on askance as he
wrote checks for three thousand pounds
and five hundred pounds on the York
an/1 Heeds hanks respectively, but even
Philip himself gave an astonished laugh
when he saw his own signature written
with quiet certainty and accuracy.
“Oh. that’s nothing.” cried Grenier, in
momentary elation "I took in Mr.
Abingdon, and sent a complete letter to
the London bank.”
"You did not take me in.’ growled
Abingdon. "You made one fatal mis
take.”
"And what was that. sir°”
You alluded to the annual report of
the Home Every one connected with
that establishment, from the founder
th>wn to the latest office boy, invari
ably calls it the Mary Anson Home.’
Mr Anson would never write of it in
other terms.”
Grenier was again abashed.
"I'nve you any money in your pock
et 0 ” said Philip, when the forger had
accounted for every farthing
Kor one appreciable instant Grenier
hesitated Then he flushed. He had
resisted temptation.
“Yes," he said, ‘plenty Langdon
supplied me with funds."
A Job.
“How much 0 ”
“Two hundred and fifty pounds. I
have over seventy left.”
will arrange matters with him
This amazing stipulation, backed up
by a feanesn threat, be it noticed, drew
an indignant protest from Mr. Abing
don. Philip said nothing.
“Oh, very well,” growled Mason.
Hi^righV hand dived into a pocket j C'ome to my West End office next Mon-
ami Dr Scarth again fingered his re- day, and you will he given sufficient to
volv**r keep you from poverty and crime until
But Philip cried imperiously: I you find your feet in Canada. Remem-
"Sit still Mason. 1 have heard all ber. you sail on Wednesday,
that you have to say. Be quiet. I tell “No fear of any failure on my part,
you Wait until I refuse your request, t sir. I can hardly credit my good or.
"My dear boy, interrupted Mr. Abing- i what 1 want ^to say^ is, 1 can never
don, who knew Philip's generous im
“I'll find him a job. sir He can pack
your bag .’
The words recalled to Philip the
knowledge of his incongruous attire
Soon he wore his own clothes. He re
fused to allow Grenier to divest hims If
of the garments he wore, but he was
glad t<» see his old watch again
Dr. Scarth bade them farewell and
returned to Scarsdale by the last train.
Philip and Abingdon arrived in Lon
don at 2:15 a. m. On the platform, ac
companied by her mother, was Evelyn.
She wept all the way to Mount street
where Philip would be accommodated
for the night. She cried again when
she saw his poor, wounded bead; but
she laughed through her tears when she
ran off to fetch a very small and very
sleepy dog with long blue hair falling
in shaggy masses over his eyes and
curling wonderfully over his tiny body.
* •> *
Mr. James Crichton Langdon was im
peratively summoned to London, and
given such a lecture by Mr. Abingdon
that he so far abandoned the error of
his ways as to strive to forget that such
a person as Evelyn Atherley existed.
The ex-magistrate had seen him in
Devonshire, and was so skeptical of his
statements concerning the whereabouts
of Sir Philip and I*ady Morland that
he traveled direct to York, via Glou
cester and Birmingham, to clear up
with Philip in person a mystery rend
ered more tense by the curious letter
and telegram he received in London.
One day in August the Sea Maiden
droped anchor off the Yorkshire coast
not far from the gaunt'cliff on which
stood Grange House.
Dr. Scarth entertained Mr. and Mrs.
Anson in his house for the night, and
some of the men were allowed ashore.
They came back full of a story they
had heard, how the ’skipper’’ had met
with a mishap on the big point to
s’uth’ard. was rescued by three fisher
men. and had bought for each man the
freehold of the house in which be lived,
besides presenting them jointly with a
fine smack.
“He’s a rare good sort, there’s no
doubt about that,” said the chief narra
tor. "an' of course, e can afford to do
that sort of thing, bein' the King o’
Diamonds.”
"He’s more than the King of Dia
monds; he’s the King of Trumps.” ob
served a gigantic, broken-nosed stoker,
who listened to the yarn, not being one
of the shore-going men.
“You’ve known him this long time,
haven't you. Mason?” said the first
speaker.
“Yes—ever since he was a bit of a
boy Ten years it must be. But we
lost sight of each other—until I met
him the other day. Then he gave me a
job for the sake of old times'
THE END
TRAPPERS
carry mutters
you, Grenier.
pulses, "you will never think of con
doning "
"Forgive me! Let nit
a stage further. Now
What have you to say?”
“Very little!" was the cool response.
"My excellent friend has made a clean ,
breast of everything. You didn't die,
and so spoiled the finest coup that ever |
For ray * mAn dreamed of. 1 had no difficulty
* l in concocting the requisite epistles from
I Sir Philip and Lady Morland. \ our
London bank accepted my signatures
I with touching confidence. I have opened
< a.lou» now by sheer huiwteaanoaa. was ^co^ts^in^oiir^nsjne. wie^in T «j*^
injuring out some brandy and lighting a ’ lrorn London that
Hga.efie. The revulsion of feeling at ,* hi?lee" real-
the -ight of Mason had calmed him. He • J i ace d to your current account
would make the most of the few mm- , tote feeling the pulse of the local
utes that were left before he was hand- I Just to oe leeuug i * _ ....
Set fotore Money ForYour Furs
Don’t ship anyone furs till you get
Our Free Bulletin quoting cash price* ^
. we actually pay fer Conn. Mink, Skunk.
thank you sufficiently. . i Oppos&um and other furs. We charge
“Pay Mason’s fare to London. Bet- I no commission*. Write today for Free
ter stay with him His sons may have j Bulletin, it will pay you big.
a good influence on you. too NATIONAL FUR AMD WOOL CO..
Mason rose heavily. jjept, 183 et. Louis, so.
cuffed
Dr. Scarth look
money market. I drew out LAOOO to
dav It is there, in notes, on the table.
' will also And the checkbooks and
known to X’hiitp. he carried a revolver, manteau 11 is m » ,
whu-h he whipped forth when a renter all, I think, lam so y
bolted and as rapidly concealed when
it was not needed.
"You did not kill me, you see,” said
Philip, sinking into a chair, for the ex
citement was beginning to tell on him.
The big man slowly dropped his
hands. His prominent eyes seemed to
be fascinated by the sight of one whom
he threw apparently lifeless into the
sea.
• i could lick your boots,” he said,
thickly. . ,,
The queer idea sounded ludicrous.
Yet it conveyed a good deal, it smacked
of remorse, repentance.
orried the
cried ITiil-
“T
“what
ELL me.” began Philip, but a
loud knocking without inter
rupted him.
• W ho U there?” said Dr. Scarth.
“Abingdon. I want to see Mr. An
son, was the reply, in a voice that
Philip hailed Joyfully.
Mr. Abingdon was admitted. His as
tonishment was extreme at the nature
of the gathering, but he instantly
noticed Philip's wan appearance,
the bandage on his head.
"My dear, dear boy," he cried
has happened?”
I*hilip told him briefly. As the ex
magistrate's glance rested on Mason and
Grenier it became very chilly It
brought Portland prison near to the
soul of one of them. He poured out
more spirit.
The respite given by Mr. Abingdon s
arrival gave Mason time to focus his
thoughts. The man had lived in an in
ferno since he slipped away from his
sons that morning on a plea of urgent
business in order to catch a fast train
for York in the afternoon.
He knew that Grenier would make
the Station Hotel his headquarters, and
his sole desire was to stop that enter
prising rogue from committing further
crimes which might be damaging to
Anson's estate, and disastrous to the
peace of mind of the girl he loved.
In no way did he hoki Grenier re
sponsible for urging him to commit
murder. The journey to York was un
dertaken in the first place to save
Philip's memory from the slur which
was intended to be cast upon it, and.
secondly, to afford a p’easurable pre
text for a platform accident whereby
his own life should be dashed out of
him by an engine.
He would stumble over a barrow, fall
helplessly in front of an incoming train,
and end his career far from London,
far from inquiry and published reports
which might be injurious to his sons.
It might, perhaps, be necessary to
use forcible means to persuade Grenier
to abandon his tactics They would be
forthcoming; he gave earnest of that on
the si&jra.
and Fhilip’s Plan.
Anson led his friends from the room
young lady
"You unutterable scamp
P- Well 1 had to keep her quiet, you
know. As it was, she suspected me l
suppose m> messages badn t the proper
ring in them. And—what the deuce is k
a Blue Atom?”
I)r. dearth was even more interested
than ever, if possible. _
"Blue Atom! Blue Atom is a nobler
specimen of a dog than yourself. He
is a prize toy Pomeranian. i ou are a
mongrel!”
Grenier, (or an instant, grew con
fused attain He sighed deeply.
"A dog!" he murmured "A blue I om-
eranian! Wno would have guessed It .
Philip turned to Mason.
“If I leave you alone with this man.
Grenier, will you keep him out of mis-
‘ hockey gave his associate a glance
which caused that worthy to sit down
suddenly.
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And yourself?
w ill remain as you
"1 promise."
Promise that you
are until l return?”
He thanked the manager fer the ajn
sistance he had given, and told him in
affair might be arranged without police
ln Uong re and earnestly did he confer
with -Mr. Abingdon. It was a serious
thing to let these men off scot nee.
Grenier’s case was worse, in a sense,
than that of Mason.
There were three banks involved, anu
foreerv. to a bank, is a crime not to
be forgiven. There was a dubious wsy
out. Philip might accept responsibility
for Grenier's signature b>r his. Surely
the local institutions would accept his
' "mr''*\bingdon was wroth at the bare
SU «! e „ S u t,0n wm be forging your own
"* m v e e’r'y WfiS'- VC ”^
checks payable to self or order,
dorse them.,and X will pay them Into
'"“I'Vare'not approve of any such pro-
C< So r phllip. though sorely tried, again
labored his arguments that the trial
of Grenier would he a cause ce *®bre
In which his (Anson's) name would be
unpleasantly prominent Evelyn would
he drawn into it, and Abingdon himself.
There w ould be columns of sensation in
1,1 Moreover? 0 ^ 3 was quite certain that
lockey Mason would commit suicide un-
ieas they captured him by a subterfuge,
and then the whole story would leak
° U U ended by Philip gaining the day.
for at the bottom of his heart Abinff-
write
in-
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Si, 009