The Road Of Crime s-39

by Maxwell Grant

Before Ezra Talboy could utter a scream, Garry had clapped his big hand over the old man’s mouth. Greaser launched himself upon the old man’s form to prevent a struggle. Pete, with calm indifference, lighted a match and began to apply the flame to Talboy’s toes. Graham could see his uncle writhe pitifully.

  GRAHAM WELLERTON was unarmed. Nevertheless, he was a man of courage, and he knew the failings of these fellows who had served under him and Wolf Daggert. There was no time to treat with them; the moment was here for action.

  With a furious leap, Graham sprang through the door and fell upon Pete, the nearest one to him. With a powerful swing, he sent the ruffian sprawling on the floor.

  Greaser leaped up and drew his gun; before he could level the weapon, Graham clipped him on the jaw and sent him down in a heap. Garry, the last of the trio, sprang away from Ezra Talboy and jerked a gun into view, aiming it at Graham.

  This was a wise move. Garry was away before Graham could overwhelm him. With a quick dive, Graham plucked up the revolver which Greaser had dropped in his fall and turned to meet Garry’s attack.

  The man fired first. His shot was wide. The bullet whipped through the edge of Graham’s coat. Quickly, Graham responded with a shot. Garry snarled as the bullet nicked his left shoulder.

  Fiercely, Graham turned to meet Pete, who he knew was coming up. He fired one wide shot. Pete leveled his revolver in return. Graham’s second shot was wide; then came the burst of Pete’s revolver.

  Graham heard a scream behind him. Then he felt a stinging sensation in his own right shoulder. As he staggered away, Graham half turned and saw Ezra Talboy kneeling on the floor in back of him. Intuitively, Graham knew what had happened.

  His uncle had leaped up from the chair. Scurrying for safety, the old man had crossed in back of Graham just as Pete had fired. The bullet, passing through Graham’s arm, had ended its swift course by lodging in Ezra Talboy’s body.

  Graham’s right fingers were numb. The young man managed to clutch his slipping revolver with his left hand. He realized, dazedly, that he was on the spot.

  Pete was aiming for a second shot; Garry was leveling his revolver. Graham saw Greaser rising to his feet, pulling another revolver into view.

  Then came a cannonlike roar from the door through which Graham had entered the room. With a snarl, Pete collapsed. Graham, seeing Garry and Greaser turn their aim toward the door, also stared in that direction.

  For an instant, he thought he detected the outline of a tall, human form. Then, as gangster revolvers barked, fierce tongues of flame shot from the muzzles of automatics, and terrific reverberations seemed to shake the room.

  Greaser and Garry tumbled to the floor. Graham fancied that he caught a whispered tone of mockery from the door. He wondered who had been there - the space was empty now. Still dazed, Graham turned to see Greaser, wounded, aiming in his direction. Before the crippled gangster could control his wavering hand, Graham leveled his own gun and fired two bullets into the man’s body.

  Staring at the forms that were lying on the floor, Graham had one new thought - Wolf Daggert. Clutching his revolver firmly in his left hand, Graham pushed his way through the passage to the bank. He found a light switch and clicked it with the barrel of his revolver. The big banking room was illuminated instantly. Graham saw that the place was empty.

  He knew the answer. Wolf Daggert, cowardly as ever, had fled for safety when he heard the roar of guns. The yellow gang leader had evidently dived through the broken window and made a quick escape, leaving his companions to win or lose.

  Weakly, Graham moved back into the house. He came to the room where the bodies lay. He knew that some rescuer had saved him from death - but why had the stranger departed, leaving him alone?

  Four men - three crooks and Graham’s uncle - all seemed dead. Birds of a feather, thought Graham. He felt singularly apart from all of them. Sickened from loss of blood, Graham stared at the forms on the floor. He looked closely at Ezra Talboy’s face. He saw his uncle’s eyelids flicker. The old man was still alive!

  GRAHAM felt no pity toward his uncle. Yet the new turn of mind which he had gained tonight had given Graham a softer feeling toward life, had purged him of the brutality which had never been more than an assumed phase of his character.

  A telephone was in view. Graham dropped his revolver and lifted the receiver. He spoke as he heard an operator’s voice.

  “Call Sheriff Taussig,” ordered Graham. “Tell him to come at once to Ezra Talboy’s home. Call for a physician - at the hospital -“

  The young man dropped the receiver. He sprawled into a chair and clutched his wounded arm. Then, as the throbbing dulled, Graham stared toward his uncle. Ezra Talboy, with an effort, had propped himself against the side of the great chair in which he had been tortured. He was surveying Graham with curious, steady gaze.

  Coldly, Graham Wellerton stared in return. For the first time in many years, he was face to face with his uncle, the man whom he detested most in all the world. The two were alone, in a room with three dead crooks lying on the floor.

  As they gazed with challenging eyes, neither Graham Wellerton nor Ezra Talboy knew that another presence was close at hand; that The Shadow, the stern fighter who had eliminated their common enemies, was watching them from the gloom beyond the doorway!

  CHAPTER XV

  A FAMILY REUNION

  “WHO are you?”

  As Ezra Talboy put the question to his nephew, Graham Wellerton was astonished to observe the old man’s recuperative powers. He knew that his uncle was severely wounded; nevertheless, Ezra Talboy seemed to evidence no concern about himself. He was more interested in learning the identity of this stranger who had come to rescue him.

  Graham Wellerton eyed his uncle coldly. He could see the avaricious gleam upon the old man’s face. He could see the scheming expression which he had always remembered Ezra Talboy to possess. With a grim smile, Graham gave a direct reply.

  “I am your nephew,” he declared. “I am Graham Wellerton, your sister’s son.”

  “I thought so.” Ezra Talboy chuckled weakly. “My nephew - come back to play the part of a good Samaritan. I suppose you feel that you have done a noble deed - to rescue me from those who were torturing me.”

  “Some may feel that I deserve a bit of credit.”

  “Some may,” snorted Ezra Talboy, “and some may not.

  “I have no thanks to offer. I had no use for your father, with his foolish pride that he called ‘honor.’ I have no use for you, now that I observe you to possess his ridiculous characteristics.”

  Graham Wellerton stared in amazement. Of all the despicable wretches he had ever known, Ezra Talboy was the worst. But for his own wounded plight, Graham would have yielded to the impulse of throttling the old scoundrel.

  “I give you no thanks,” repeated Ezra Talboy. “I heard you were in town, and I was waiting for the time when you would come to greet me. You have chosen an excellent opportunity. I suppose you were passing by, wondering if it was too late to drop in and see your old uncle. You noticed that something was wrong, and came in to aid me.

  “Do you know what this means? You are an intruder - like these dead men on the floor - so far as the law is concerned. You will be questioned when the sheriff arrives. I shall not say a word to save you.”

  As the old man chortled gleefully, Graham Wellerton stared in amazement. He had classed Ezra Talboy as a black-hearted wretch; he did not believe such ingratitude was possible. He began to realize that his own meanness toward Ralph Delkin must have been a hereditary weakness. Ezra Talboy’s calloused attitude was the most incredible human quality that any man could possibly possess.

  “I detest you,” declared Ezra Talboy. “I detest you because you remind me of your father. His honor - bah! I ended that folly when I deprived him of all he possessed. He was always proud of his son, always hypocritically sad because I had no children to be my heirs. He died penniless - your father - and now you return to reap a new harvest of my h
atred!”

  Ezra Talboy spat the final words, and his eyes glittered as he watched for their effect upon Graham Wellerton. The nephew, however, had caught the evil spirit of his uncle’s tone. With sudden inspiration, Graham determined to beat the old man at his game.

  “You old fossil!” ejaculated Graham contemptuously. “Do you think I came here to save your useless hide? Do you think I have been living in Southwark in hopes of making friends with you? Do you think I threw myself into a battle with these bank robbers only on your account?

  “You never were so wrong in all your life. Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a bank robber - and a capable one. These men who came here tonight were my underlings. They had double-crossed me. Their new leader - the only one who escaped - had tried to kill me.

  “I suspected that they would come to Southwark. I was waiting for them. I knew they would attack your bank. I have been watching; and when they entered here tonight, I followed. You see the result. Three of the four are dead. One has escaped. He is a fugitive.

  “You and I are alike, Uncle Ezra. We both are crooks. You work legitimately; I by stealth. You speak of revenge. What is your picayune grudge against me - my father’s son - compared to the score I had to settle with these yellow rats who now lie dead?

  “You do not know the joy of vengeance. Nor do you know the joy of evil. You compared me with my father; the comparison is false. The qualities that I have inherited are yours - and I have done more with them in a few years than you have accomplished in a lifetime.

  “I am no hero. I am a crook. I could kill you now; but I do not intend to do so. I am quite capable of handling any situation which may arise. When the sheriff arrives, I can convince him that I came here purely by chance. As a liar, I am as competent as you, Uncle Ezra.”

  The sarcasm of Graham’s statement had its effect. By taking a negative treatment of everything that the old man had said, Graham had gained Ezra Talboy’s admiration. Graham’s story, true enough to be convincing, caused Talboy to stare in utter amazement at his nephew.

  At last, the old man’s feelings became apparent. Vainly trying to arise from his resting place, Ezra Talboy extended his hand. He had recognized in his nephew a man as crooked as himself. Never in his life had Ezra Talboy paid tribute to anyone who was good of nature. His own soul was evil. He appreciated viciousness.

  “So” - a coughing spell interrupted Ezra Talboy’s statement - “so - you take after your uncle. Good - good boy. I am very well satisfied. You are - a crook -“

  The tones ended in a hoarse chuckle. Again, Ezra Talboy coughed. His eyelids closed. Graham Wellerton, contempt showing on his face, knew that he had tricked the man he hated. He had found Ezra Talboy’s weakness - an inherent love of evil.

  All the while, burning eyes were studying this strange scene. Graham Wellerton did not see the observer who lurked beyond the door. His own gaze was upon Ezra Talboy’s huddled form. The watching optics disappeared as the throb of a motor sounded from somewhere outside.

  To Graham Wellerton, that vague noise signified the arrival of the law. Calmly, despite his aching wound, Graham waited, with real confidence that all would go well. He was sure that his words had had effect. Soon he would know. The test was coming.

  Two long minutes passed. Footsteps were stamping in the hallway. Three men burst into the room. With Sheriff Ellis Taussig at their head, the summoned rescuers stopped in awe as they observed two men living with three dead bodies close beside them.

  Ezra Talboy opened his eyes. Before his uncle could speak, Graham Wellerton boldly forced the issue. Half rising from his chair, he spoke to Ellis Taussig.

  “I came to see my uncle,” he asserted. “He was being tortured by these men. I saved him. This is the result.”

  Ezra Talboy, evil admiration glowing in his eyes, spoke the words that Graham had hoped to hear.

  “What my nephew says” - a cough came from Talboy’s blood-flecked lips - “is true. He - he came here at an opportune moment. He - he saved me from torture - and saved my life - for the present.

  “Whatever he may tell you is correct. He worked to help me. He and I are in accord. We” - the old man’s lips formed a strange smile - “were having a family reunion. A reunion - after many years - many years -“

  More men were coming into the room. One, evidently a physician, was leaning over Ezra Talboy’s form. He snapped quick orders. Two others picked up the old man and carried him from the room. Graham knew that they were taking Ezra Talboy to the hospital.

  “Look after this fellow,” said Sheriff Taussig in a kindly tone, as he indicated Graham. “He looks done up.”

  Graham smiled weakly as the doctor began to examine his wounded arm. It was not the fact that aid had come which caused his smile. It was the knowledge that a frank admission of his past, with no confession of his present change of heart, had served him well.

  He was to be the hero, after all. Ezra Talboy would never tell the facts which Graham had admitted. The old man had explained the whole affair. He had called it a family reunion, in which his nephew had saved him from murderous death.

  Yet through Graham’s brain throbbed a new thought - an idea which related to matters unexplained. Graham, alone, knew that he was not the one who had effected this rescue. Some unknown hand had brought about this present state of affairs.

  Who had fired those shots from the doorway? Graham did not know. The possibility of The Shadow being here did not once occur to him. Graham knew only that some weird and hidden presence had intervened - that without its help, this odd reunion between himself and his uncle would never have been completed!

  CHAPTER XVI

  GRAHAM STATES FACTS

  THREE days had elapsed since the affray at Ezra Talboy’s home. Graham Wellerton, recuperated from his wound, was seated in Ralph Delkin’s living room. The young man was alone, idly passing the early afternoon in a leisurely fashion.

  Eunice Delkin entered. The girl’s eyes were sympathetic, as they turned toward Graham. The young man seemed moody; Eunice thought that she knew the trouble.

  “It is too bad, Graham,” she said. “Too bad to think that after your brave effort, your uncle died. We feared that he would not recover, but no one expected that he would pass away last night. Father hesitated to break the news to you this morning - that was why he did not tell you until he was leaving for the factory -“

  “Don’t worry about me,” interrupted Graham. “I am not sorry because my uncle died. There was no good will between us.”

  “But your uncle said that you had saved him!” exclaimed the girl. “It seemed so wonderful to think that you had gone to his home to make a friendly visit!”

  “You are mistaken, Eunice,” declared Graham cryptically. “I had a different purpose in visiting my uncle’s home. When he told his story, I offered no objection - that is all.”

  “Another purpose?” echoed Eunice. “What other reason could you have had?”

  “You may learn that later,” said Graham. “After I have gone from Southwark.”

  “You are leaving us?”

  “Yes. Today.”

  As Graham arose, Eunice stared in bewilderment. This decision was an unexpected one. The girl seemed wistful. She placed a restraining hand upon Graham’s arm, and urged the young man to remain.

  “You can’t leave here now!” Eunice exclaimed. “You have found yourself, Graham! You have been so different since the night you saved your uncle’s life - so friendly - so patient -“

  “I did not intend to leave Southwark,” interposed Graham, “until my uncle died - as I expected he would. Now that he is dead, there is nothing to keep me here.”

  “Nothing?” questioned Eunice sadly. “I thought - we thought, father and I, that you would learn to like us, to appreciate the friendship and the hospitality that we offered. You are free to leave here, Graham, but there is every reason why you should stay.”

  “There is every reason why I should leave,” responded Gr
aham. “I have been a cad. I came to the realization that I was wrong. I have tried to make amends - to reward you and your father for the kindness that you have shown me.”

  “You can do that best by remaining.”

  “Not now, Eunice. I have only one more favor to ask - one that I believe your father will grant. That is sufficient money to enable me to leave town and go somewhere else.”

  “But Graham! You must explain your reasons!”

  Graham Wellerton shook his head. A heavy feeling gripped his heart. He was sick of crime - through with it forever, and it hurt him to realize that the only way he could have found to reward Eunice and her father had been through theft.

  RALPH DELKIN had not yet found the notes which Graham had placed in his safe. Graham had done that job with elation; he had since experienced the reaction. For the first time in his career of lawlessness, he had thought of other persons while committing a deed of crime. The paradox - the belief that the end justified the means - had produced chaos in his mind.

  He had recalled all his previous crimes - actions impelled by thought of selfish gain. He realized that Eunice Delkin was so far above him that comparisons were futile. The thought that he had stooped to crime to insure this girl’s happiness made him feel that he was a creature unworthy even of contempt.

  What would Eunice think if she knew him to be a crook? All Graham’s usual indifference faded at the thought. He wanted to leave Southwark before this beautiful girl would know that he had dealt in crime.

  Let Ralph Delkin find the notes; the manufacturer would understand. He would destroy those paper obligations, without, Graham hoped, mentioning the subject to his daughter.

  Graham Wellerton walked toward the door. He was going upstairs to pack some luggage. Then to the factory, to borrow money from Delkin, and after that a departure to begin a new and honest career.

  It grieved Graham to realize that he was forced to leave behind him the one person who had ever shown understanding. Graham liked Ralph Delkin, but he knew in his heart that the manufacturer had tolerated his idle term of residence only because of Eunice’s persuasion.