Arthur Somers Roche

“ THERE is in the make-up of every man who may lay claim to being an artist—and if Pelham's profession was not artistic, his methods entitled him to be considered, at least more imaginative than his fellow craftsmen—something which enables him to disregard the immediate past and the immediate future, and live only in the moment. ”

“ Imagination had never been Tryon's strong point.
****
SOMETHING of the old spirit sounded in the Gray Ghost's voice. “Warehouses are owned by people who ask inconvenient questions, Mr. Tryon. But if a South American millionaire purchased an estate in Westchester, no one is surprised if vans occasionally drive up to his house. Many of the treasures I acquire have no merchantable value. I took them for my own pleasure. They would give me no pleasure stored in a room somewhere. But in my own drawing room, on the walls of my library——”
Pelham glanced over his shoulder. ”

“ Pelham groaned. “Jerry, now we know why the Gray Ghost was willing to take the chance of arrest, and also the chance of getting away.”
“I don't follow you,” said Jerry.
“No?” said Pelham. “A man steals half a million dollars' worth of jewels, just an amateur. The Gray Ghost is arrested and sent to the same prison. The prisoners are allowed to walk around: even if they aren't, communication is not hard to establish. The Gray Ghost escapes. Two days later your amateur thief puts up a hundred thousand dollars in cash for ball. ”

“ It's all in one place, easy to get at. What's the use of killing a poor old man like me? I am all through: I never can get away.”
For a moment Pelham thought that in the prisoner's eyes gleamed an odd light, a light of eager watchfulness. ”

“ They went upstairs to Pelham's living room, telephoned the Tombs and verified the statement made to them by the district attorney's office. Both of them knew that the attorneys who were responsible for the person of the Gray Ghost would never deliver him to the court. They would offer a story of violent escape, and though all the world might suspect no one would be able to disprove their tale. ”

“ I saw you tip the head waiter.”
“Yet you came with me; you have courage, Mr. Pelham.”
“Rather an extremely natural curiosity,” he retorted. ”But tell me.”
Her color became more pronounced. “A man whom I have known casually for some time—he is a stage manager and I am an actress—knew that I had been out of an engagement for months. He told me that a certain man was badly wanted as a witness in a will case that was being handled by some lawyer friends of his. ”

“ He rose from the chair in which he lounged and slapped Jerry upon the shoulder. “Some day I'll deliberately leave you out of the climax of one of our cases, and my excuse will be that you need your eight hours' sleep. Answer my question: What do we do?” ”

“ Almost as soon as their automobiles stopped before Pelham's apartment, a member of the district attorney's staff waiting there told them that at half past 9 o'clock that night the warden of the Tombs had been served a writ of habeas corpus. Judge Waddell had held court at once in the Ballantyne case and had committed the prisoner to tho custody of his attorneys. ”

“ NEXT morning the papers contained long accounts of the release of the Gray Ghost on a writ of habeas corpus issued by Judge Waddell. The late evening papers were even more sensational. Phillips and Grathwait, the attorneys to whom the Gray Ghost had been turned over, appeared in court to state that their client had escaped. Pelham was not even interested. He merely wanted to know why the Gray Ghost had submitted to arrest. For he knew there was a reason.
”There must be money in stealing,” Jerry said two nights later. ”You know that gardener who worked for Mrs. ”