Lincoln County leader., May 03, 1912, Image 7

TRe THIRD
fl DEGREE
lA Narrative
(Metropolitan
Life 1
By CHARLES KLEIN and
ARTHUR HORNBLOW
ILLDSTRATIONS BT RAT WALTERS
(Copr right. Uut, by u. w. UlUioduun CompMiyj
8YN0P8I3.
Howard Jeffries, banker's son, under
Jie evil influence of Robert Underwood,
ellow-student at Tale, leads a life of dis
ilpatlon, marries the daughter of a gam
ier who died in prison, and is disowned
y his father. He Is out of work and in
Usperate straits. Underwood, who had
mce been engaged to Howard's step
mother, Alicia, is apparently In prosper
us circumstances. Taking advantage of
iis Intimacy with Alicia, he becomes a
?rt." social highwayman. Discovering
lis true character, Alicia denies him the
louse.- He sends her a note threatening
luiclde. Art dealers for whom he acted
is commissioner, demand an accounting.
He cannot make good. Howard calls at
Ms apartments in an Intoxicated condl
:ion to request a loan of $2,000 to enable
11 m to take up a business proposition.
Lnderwood tells him he is in debt up to
trf,es- Hward drinks himself into a
naudlin condition, and goes to sleep on a
J1' j caller Is announced and Under
wood draws a screen around the drunken
Heeper. Alicia enters. She demands a
romlse from Underwood that he will not
:ake his life. He refuses unless she will
enew her patronage. This she refuses,
ind takes her leave. Underwood kills
llmself. The report of the pistol awa
tens Howard. He finds Underwood dead.
Realizing his predicament he attempts to
lee and Is met by Underwood's valet.
Howard s turned over to the police,
-apt. Clinton, notorious for his brutal
treatment of prisoners, puts Howard
.hrough the third degree, and Anally gets
in alleged confession from the harassed
n?.n'. Annie, Howard's wife, declares her
teller In her husband's Innocence, and
lays she will clear him. She calls on
Jeffries, Sr.
CHAPTER XII. Continued.
He halted, looking: as If he would
like to escape, but there was no way
or egress. This determined-looking
roung woman had him at a disad
vantage. "I do not think," he said icily, "that
there is any subject which can be of
mutual Interest "
"Oh, yes, there Is," she replied eag
erly. She was quick to take ad van.
tage of this entering wedge into the
man s mantle of cold reserve.
"Flesh and blood." she wpnr on
earnestly, "Is of mutual Interest Your
son is yours whether you cast him off
or not. You ve Kot to hear m t Am
not asking anything for myself. It's
lor mm, your son. He's in trouble.
Don't desert him at a moment nv
this. Whatever he may have done to
deserve your anger don't don't deal
him such a blow. You cannot realize
what it means in such a critical situa
tion. .Even if you only pretend to be
friendly with him you don't need to
really be friends with him. But don't
you see what the effect will be if you,
his father, publicly withdraw from his
support? .Everybody will say he's no
good, that he can't be any good or his
father wouldn't go back on him. You
know what the world is. People will
condemn him because you condemn
him. They won't even give him a
hearing. For God's sake, don't go
back on him now!"
Mr.' Jeffries turned and walked to
ward the window, and stood there ga
elng on the trees on the lawn. She
did not see his face, but by the ner
vous twitching of his hands behind
his back, she saw that her words had
not been without effect. She waited
in silence for him to say something".
Presently he turned around, and she
saw that his face had changed. The
look of haughty pride had gone. She
had touched the chords of the fa
ther's heart. Gravely he said:
"Of course you realize that you,
above all others, are responsible for
bis present position."
She was about to demur, but she
checked herself. What did she care
what they thought of her? She was
fighting to save her husband, not to
make the Jeffries family think better
of her. Quickly she answered:
"Well, all right I'm responsible
but don't punish him because of me."
Mr. Jeffries looked at her.
Who was this young woman who
championed so warmly his own son?
She was his wife, of course. But wives
of a certain kind are quick to desert
their husbands when they are In trou
ble. There must be some good In the
girl, after all, he thought. Hesitating
ly, he said:
"I could have forgiven him every
thing, everything but "
"But me," she said promptly. "I
know it Don't you suppose I feel it,
too, and don't you suppose it hurts?"
Mr. Jeffries stiffened up. This wom
an was evidently trying to excite his
sympathies. The hard, proud expres
sion came back into his face, as he an
swered curtly:
"Forgive me for speaking plainly,
but my son's marriage with such a
woman at you has made it impossible
to even consider the question of reconciliation."
, With all her efforts at ser-control,
Annie would have been more than
human had she not resented the insin
uation in this cruel speech. For a mo
ment she forgot the importance of
preserving amicable relations, and she
retorted:
"Such a woman as me? That's pret
ty plain . But you'll have to speak
even more plainly. What do you mean
when you say such a woman as me?
What have I done?"
Mr. Jeffries looked out of the win
dow without answering, and she went
on:
"I worked in a factory when I was
nine years old, and I've earned my
living ever since. There's no disgrace
In that, is there? There's nothing
against me personally nothing dis
graceful, I mean. I know I'm not edu
cated. I'm not a lady in your sense
of the word, but I've led a decent life.
There isn't a breath of scandal against
me not a breath. But what's the
good of talking about me? Never mind
me. I'm not asking for anything.
What are you going to do for him?
He must have the best lawyer that
money can procure none of those
barroom orators. Judge Brewster,
your lawyer, Is the man. We want
Judge Brewster."
Mr. Jeffries shrugged his shoulders.
"I repeat my son's marriage with
the daughter of a man who died in
prison"
She1 Interrupted him.
"That was hard luck nothing but
hard luck. You're not going to make
me responsible for that, are you?
Why, I was only eight years old when
that happened. Could I have pre
vented it?" Recklessly she went on:
"Well, blame It on me If you want to,
but don't hold It up against Howard.
He didn't know 11 when he married
me. He! never would have known It
but for the detectives employed by
you to dig up my family history, and
the newspapers ' did the rest. God!
what they didn't say! . I never real
ized I was of so much importance.
They printed it in scare-head lines. It
made a fine sensation for the public,
but it destroyed my peace of mind."
"A convict's daughter!" said Mr.
Jeffries contemptuously.
"He was a good man at that!" she
answered hotly. "He kept the squarest
poolroom in Manhattan, but he . re
fused to pay police blackmail, and
he was railroaded to prison." Indig
nantly she went on: "If my father's
shingle had been up In Wall street,
and he'd made 50 dishonest millions,
you'd forget It next morning, and you'd
welcome me with open arms. But he
was unfortunate. Why, Billy Delmore
was the best man In the world. He'd
give away the last dollar he had to
a friend. I wish to God he was alive
now! He'd help to save your son. I
wouldn't have to come here to ask
you."
Mr. Jeffries shifted uneasily on his
feet and looked away.
"You don't seem to understand," he
said impatiently. "I've completely cut
him off from the family. It's as if he
were dead."
She approached nearer and laid her
hand gently on the banker's arm.
"Don't say that, Mr. Jeffries. It's
wicked to say that about your own
son. He's a good boy at heart, and
he's been so good to me. Ah, if you
only knew how hard he's tried to get
work I'm sure you'd change your opin
ion of him. Lately he's been drinking
a little because he was disappointed
in not getting anything to do. But
he tried so hard. He walked the
streets night and day. Once he even
took a position as guard on the ele
vated road. Just think of it, Mr. Jeff
ries, your son to such straits were
we reduced but he caught cold and
had to give It up. I wanted to go to
work and help him out. I always
earned my living before I married
him, but he wouldn't let me. You
don't know what a good heart he's
got. He's, been weak and fooliBh, but
you know he's only a boy."
She watched his face to see If her
words were having any effect, but Mr.
Jeffries showed no sign of relenting.
Sarcastically, he said:
"And you took advantage of the
fact and married him?"
For a moment she made no reply.
She felt the reproach was not unmer
ited, but why should they blame her
for seeking happiness? Was she, not
entitled to It as much as any other
woman? She had not married How
ard for his social position or his
money. In fact, she had been worse
off since her marriage than she was
before. She married him because she
loved him, and because she thought
she could redeem him, and she was
ready to go through any amount of
suffering to prove her disinterested
devotion. Quietly, she said:
"Yes, I know I did wrong. But I
I love him, Mr. Jeffries. Believe me
or not I love him. It's my only ex
cuse. I thought I could take care of
him. He needed some one to look aft
er him, he's too easily influenced.. You
know his character is not so strong
as It might be. He told me that his
fellow students at college used to hyp
notizo him and make him do all kinds
of things to amuse the other boys. He
says that somehow he's never been
the same since. I I just loved him
because I was strong and be was
weak. thought I, could protect him.
Hut n'iw this terrible thing has bat
tened, and I find I am powerless. It's
too much for me. I can't fleht this
battle alone. Won't you help me, Mr.
Jeffries?" she added pleadingly.
"Won't you help me?"
The banker was thoughtful a min
ute, then suddenly he turned on her.
"Will you consent to a divorce if I
agree to help him?"
She looked at him with dismay.
There was tragic tenseness In this
dramatic situation a father fighting
for his son, a woman fighting for her
husband.
"A divorce?" she stammered. "Why,
I never thought of such a thing as
that"
"It's the only way to save him,"
said the banker coldly.
"The only way?" she faltered.
"The only way," said Mr. Jeffries
firmly. "Do you consent?" he asked.
Annie threw up her head. Her pale
face was full of determination, as she
replied resignedly, catching her breath
as she spoke:
"Yes, if it must be. I will consent
to a divorce to save him!"
"You will leave the country and go
abroad to live?" continued the banker
coldly.
She listened as In a dream. 'That
she would be confronted by such an
alternative as this had never entered
her mind. She wondered why the
world was so cruel and heartless. Yet
It the sacrifice must be made to save
Howard she was ready to make it
"You will leave America and never
return is that understood?" repeated
the banker.
"Yes, sir," she replied falteringly.
Mr. Jeffries. paced nervously up and
down the room. For the first time
he seemed to take an interest In the
interview. Patronizingly he said:
"You will ' receive a yearly allow
ance through my lawyer."
Annie tossed up her chin defiantly.
She would show the aristocrat that
she could be as proud as he was.
"Thanks," she exclaimed. "I don't
accept charity. I'm. used to earning
my own living."
"Oh, very well," replied the banker
quickly. "That's as you please. But
I have your promise you will not at
tempt to see him again?"
"What! Not see him once more?
To say good-by?" she exclaimed. A
broken sob half checked her utterance.
"Surely you can't mean that, Mr. Jeff
ries." The banker shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't want the newspapers filled
with sensational articles about the
heartrending farewell Interview be
tween Howard Jeffries, Jr., and his
wife with your picture on the front
page."
She was not listening to his sar
casm.
"Not even to say good-by?" she
sobbed.
"No," replied Mr. Jeffries firmly.
"Not even to say good-by."
"But what will he say? What will
he think?" she cried.
"He win see it is for the best." an
swered the banker. "He himself will
thank you for your action."
Thsre was a long silence, broken
only by the sound of the girl's sob
bing. Finally she said:
"Very well, sir. I'll do as you say."
She looked up. Her eyes were dry,
"You Will Leave America Never to
Return"
the .lines about her mouth set and de
termined. "Now," she said, "what are
you going to do for him?"
The banker made a gesture of im
patience, as if such considerations
were not important.
"I don't know yet," he said, haught
ily. "I shall think the matter over
carefully."
Annie was fast losing patience. She
was willing to sacrifice herself and
give up everything she held dear In
life to save the man she loved, but
the cold, deliberate, calculating atti
tude of this unnatural father exas
perated her.
"But I want to know," she said,
boldly. "I want to consider the mat
ter carefully, too." .
"Yon?' sneered Mr. Jeffries.
"Yes, sir," she retorted. "I'm pay
ing dearly for It with my with all
I have. I want to know -just what
you're going to give hlra for it."
He was lost in reflection for a mo
ment, Uien he said, pompously:
"I shall furnliili the money for the
employment of such legal talent as'
may be necessary. That's as far as 1
wish to go in the case. It must not
bo known I cannot allow it to be
known that I am helping him."
"Must not be known?" cried Annie,
In astonishment. "You mean you
won't stand by him? You'll only Just
pay for the lawyer?"
The banker nodded:
"That Is all I can promise."
She laughed hysterically.
"Why." she exclaimed, "I I could
do that myself if I I tried hard
enough."
"I can promise nothing more," r
plied Mr. Jeffries, coldly.
"But that is not enough," she pro
tested. "I want you to come forward
and publicly declare your belief In
your son's Innocence. I want you tc
put your arms around him and say tc
tne world: 'My boy Is Innocent! 1
know it and I'm going to stand by
him.' You won't do that?"
Mr. Jeffries shook his head.
"It is impossible."
The wife's pent-up feelings now
gave way. The utter Indifference of
this aristocratic father aroused her
indignation to such a pitch that she
became reckless of the 'consequences.
They wanted her to desert him, Just
as they deserted him, but she
wouldn't. She would show them the
kind of woman she was.
"So!" she cried In an outburst ol
mingled anger and grief. "So his fam
ily must desert him and his wife
must leave him! The poor boy must
stand absolutely alone In the world,
and face a trial for his life! Is that
the Idea?"
The banker made no reply. Snap
ping her fingers, she went on:
"Well, it Isn't mine, Mr. Jeffries! 1
won't consent to a divorce! I won't
leave America! And I'll see him Just
as often as I can, even if I have tc
sit in the Tombs prison all day. Ae
for his defense, I'll find some one. I'll
go to Judge Brewster again and if h
still refuses, I'll go to some one else
There must be some good, big-hearted
lawyer in this great city who'll take
up his case."
Trembling ith emotion, she read
Justed her veil and with her handker
chief dried her tear-stained face. Go
ing toward the door, she said:
"You needn't trouble yourself any
more, Mr. Jeffries. We shan't need
your help. Thank you very much for
the Interview. It was very kind ol
you to listen so patiently. Good after
noon, sir."
Before the astonished banker could
stop her, she had thrown back the
tapestry and disappeared through the
door.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
FOES ONLY DURING DEBATE
And That Ended, Recriminating Sena
tors Speedily Forget Their
Differences.
The late John J. Ingalls, senator
from Kansas, let loose In the senate
one day about Conkllng, Hancock and
several other distinguished people.
His remarks were particularly severe.
Joe Blackburn, then senator from
Kentucky, was chosen to answer In
galls, and he took a good deal of hide
off the brilliant Kansan. In one para
graph Blackburn said: "And this
man has the temerity to assail Han
cock Hancock the Superb who was
giving of his life's blood on the
heights of Gettysburg while the sena
tor from Kansas was skulking along
behind a regiment of Kansas Jay
hawkers, trying those Jayhawkers In
the capacity of Judge advocate for
robbing hen roosts.'
. There was more of the same kind,
and everybody thought there would be
trouble, Inasmuch as Ingalls was high
spirited and Blackburn unafraid.
After the senate adjourned Black
burn and Ingalls met, face to face. In
the corridor In front of the marble
room. A dozen spectators looked for
carnage.
Ingalls stopped, looked squarely into
Blackburn's eyes and Bluckburn glared
back.
"Joe," said Ingalls, putting out his
hand, "Isn't this cruel war over?"
"It Is," said Blackburn, taking the
offered hand, and they went off arm
In arm. Saturday Evening Post
Water Found In Arid Australia.
Water Is more precious than gold In
certain parts of Australia. Borings
recently made on the route of the
proposed transcontinental railway
have resulted In water being struck
at Madura and also at a point 340
miles from Kalgoorlle. The officials
are confident that a good artesian sup
ply win do struck, wnicn will greatly
reduce the cost of the railway and add
a new pastoral or agricultural area
of twenty to thirty million acres to
the country.
True Eloquence.
He Is the eloquent man who can
treat humble subjects with delicacy
lofty things impressively and moder
ate things temperately. Cicero.
Smart 8oclety.
People Imagine smart society at
witty, whereas It Is only familiar;
they conceive It as daring, whereas tt
s only Indifferent. 11. U. Marxian
Waton. 1
FOIL SAFE CRACKERS
YEGGS TUNNEL FIFTY FEET TO
ROB RICH VAULT.
Police Informed Too Late to Capture
Gang In Unfinished Drift, but 8car
Them Away Before They
Finish the Job.
-A
Oakland, Cal. Safe crackers after
tunneling 60 feet, have been foiled In
an attempt to rob the Bank of Com
merce vaults, Seventeenth street and
San Pablo avenue. For several days
after the discovery of the excavation
police Inspectors armed with shot guns
lay In wait for the yeggmen, but they
were frightened off, leaving behind
many evidences of their attempt to
break into the bank.
Sheltered by the foundation walls of
the Christian Adventlsta' missions in
Seventeenth street, east of San Pablo
avenue, the gang excavated a tunnel
directed at the bank vaults. Nearly
60 feet remained to be traversed be
fore the operators would have reached
a point beneath the vaults.
Tunnel Made Small.
The tunnel, which Is about two bj
three feet, parallels the north side of
Seventeenth street, and after leaving
the Mission passes under the floor of a
garage. Between the end of the tube
and the vaults of the bank, were the
offices of the United Transfer com
pany, the Paciflo Transfer company
and H. J. Shlllcock's photographic stu
dio. The vault Is situated on the Seven
teenth street side of the bank about 30
feet from San Pablo avenue, in view
of a window and six feet from the
walk. If the robbers had finished their
tunnel Captain Peterson says that it
would have been impossible for them
to break Into the cash compartments,
as 18 inches of concrete in which steel
rails are imbedded form the foundation
fqr the strong box, which Is chilled
steel several Inches thick with a
strong inner compartment still barring
the way, and the use of dynamite or
other explosive would have destroyer'
the tunnel.
Discovery Accidental.
The discovery of the operations wai
made by F. Harlow, a sheet metal
worker who was hunting beneath the
mission for kindling wood. Harlow
reported the matter to George Stutt.
manager of the United Transfer com
pany, who at the same time received
Information from a man who was al
lowed to sleep in the mission that
some one was at work beneath It
nights. Stutt, with A. II. Hawley,
cashle of the bank, Investigated and
reported to Peterson, who detailed In
spectors on the case.
The gang was well organized and
well equipped. A wooden box, three
teet long, two feet wide and five Inches
deep, mounted on furniture casters,
was operated on a pulley to remove the
dirt. The dirt was carefully spread
over the surface of the ground. Three
shovels, a heavy crowbar, a demijohn
with drinking water, a bottle of coffee.
candles, soda crackers and other pro
visions were found about the mouth of
the tube.
PISTOL SHOTS SCARE LOVER
Muscovite Beauty Sought by Two
Young Swains Chooses Braver
of the Pair.
Irwin, Pa. Two shots from a revol
ver fired Into the air lost Mike Polav
a bride and gave her to his rival, Mis
kal Malasky. Polav resides In the
Youghlogheny River district and re
cently he met Annie Borak, a pretty
Russian glrh Polav started a love
making campaign in spite of the fact
that the girl had already promised
herself to Malasky.
As Malasky was disposed to have
a wedding soon, the parents of the girl
told her to accept the hand of Polav.
The girl followed the directions of her
parents and the other night Polav se
cured a marriage license and started
for the home of his prospective bride.
Just near the home of the girl some
friends of Malasky stopped Polav and
told him "to beat It back to the Yough
River." Polav was not inclined to
take the advice of the men and they
turned him around In the roadway
and fired shots from revolvers. Polar
then decided to obey.
Polar was here the next morning
telling his troubles. Showing his mar
riage license he said be wanted law.
He was told to make information. This
he did not do.
Annie, chagrined at the turn of af
fairs, Is said to have changed her
mind. Kalasky Jubilantly announced
a marriage license will be obtained
tnd Annie will become bis bride.
Officer Prosecutes 8on.
Wabash, Ind. Because Of a family
disturbance Patrolman Joseph Bldwell
arrested his son and Into, led him to
the police court, where, by his evi
dence, :he prisoner was sentenced to
thirty days In jail. The patrolman
said he had no control over his son.
The formal charge placed against the
latter was for malicious trespass.
i