Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1912 — No Man’s Land A ROMANCE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

No Man’s Land A ROMANCE

By Louis Joseph Vance

Illustrations by Ray Walters

Joseph Vance.) t SYNOPSIS. Garrett Coast, & young man of New York City, meets Douglas Blackstock, who Invites him to a card party. He accepts, although he dislikes Blackstock, the reason being that both are in love with Katherine Thaxter, Coast fails to convince her that Blackstock is unworthy of her friendship. At the party Coast meets two named Dundas and Van Tuyl. CHAPTER ll.—(Continued.) Blackstock Interposed hastily “That fourth-beet spade of yours certainly did lead him up to slaughter.” He reached over and took up the, deck at Truax’s elbow, spreading the cards with a dextrous sweep of his strong, blunt fingers. “New game. Cut, you fellows.” "The invitation tempts; but there are some skins too thick . . .’’Van Tuyl pursued. Truax pushed back his chair, nodding cheerfully to Coast. But Tor a heightened tint of color he showed no trace of being aware of Van Tuyl’s insolence. “Cut In, Garrett; It’s your turn. ... Unless,” he added, "you-all want to quit It’s pretty late. I think I’ll drop, for one.” “Drop,” said Van Tuyl sweetly, “and he damned.” “What do you mean by that?” Trusx, on bis feet, turned upon his tormentor with an Imperceptible tremor

1b his voice. Prudence is the better part of bridge,” Van Tuyl explained carefully. “He’s a prudent man who becomes conscious of chilled extremities when ahead of the game.” Crimson with resentment, Truax hesitated, the retort on the tip of his tongue only withheld because of Coast’s appealing and sympathetic look. Then with a lift of his plump shoulders he turned away, nodding to his host, Dundas and Coast. “Good-night,” he said brusquely, and so betrayed the effort his self-control cost him. “You-all can send your checks if I am anything ahead.” “We’ll try not to forget, thanks.” A satiric smile on Van Tuyl’s thin lips winged the Parthian dart. Truax did not reply, but left the room abruptly, Blackstock accompanying him to the door. In his absence Coast cut in as Van Tuyl’s partner and took the chair Truax had just vacated. “Deal?” he inquired. “Yours,” Dundas told him. “And,” Van Tuyl interjected as Coast took up the cards, “let us trust you've more bridge sense than that professional dummy.” He nodded to Indicate the departing Truax. “I carefully told him, early in the evening, that when t doubled I wanted not his highest heart, but the highest card of his weakest suit. Do you think you can remember that?” "Yes,” said Coast shortly, annoyed by the other’s offensive manner. “I sincerely trust so, I didn’t come here to be rooked by everybody, by incompetent partners included.” Coast quietly put down the cards without completing the deal. “Aren’t you spraining something in your attempts to be insolent. Van?” he inquired as Blackstock reappeared. “It happens I’ve been your partner this evening more frequently than anybody else.” “Precisely.” “And you think yourself justified in suggesting that Fve played against you?” -> Van TuyX's dark eyes met -his steady ily in a sardonic stare. “I’m the heaviest, loser here,” he said. “You’ve played like a raw amateur every time you’ve played with me. Interpret that to your liking.” “I shall.” Coast got up, white, to the lips. “It spells good-night to me.” Blackstock struck in with a heavy l note of insincere suavity. “Oh, come now! It’s early yet Van doesn’t know what he’s saying—” It was Van Tuyl’s turn to rise; be accomplished the action with surprising dignity if with a slight unsteadiness. “Since when did I appoint a bounder like you to read my meaning?" he asked crisply. Blackstock hesitated, swaying a little as his temper strained at the leash. “I’ll take that from you in your present condition, Van Tuyl,” he said slowly. In his nervous anxiety to avert the quarrel, little Dundas blundered and . precipitated it “Oh, say now!" hepiped. “We’re an good friends. Don’t let’s us slang one another. Come on. Van Tuyl—let’s bpve a drink and make up.” tkm Van Tttyl’s weathBeered. “All right” he -listens like sense.” e buffet Dundas with

**Why . . . good-night” Blackstock’s mputh smiled, but his speech was mechanical and his eyes, slightly prominent and magnified by thick lenses, met Coast’s with an opaque look singularly suggesting a cast “I’m sorry our party has to break up so early—” “Look here!” Van Tuyl swung round with a glass half-full of raw Scotch In his hand. “Aren’t you going to join us?” “Thank you, no,” said Coast dryly. “No,” said Blackstock. “And,”! he added, “If I were you, Van, I’d chop that drink. It won’t do you a world of good.” “Oh?” Van Tuyl smiled acidly. “Don’t you know I reserve the privilege of acting as my own wet-nurse?” “I advised you as a friend, but I’m willing to push the trespass and tell you something you evidently don’t know, Van Tuyl; drink makes you ugly.” Coast, lingering In anxiety, detected suddenly the gleam of drink-insanity In Van. Tuyl’s eyes. Atermed, he moved to place himself between the men, and in the act received full in the face what had been Intended for Blackstock —the contents of Van Tuyl’s glass. Half-blinded and choking, he stepped back, groping for his handkerchief. The alcohol burned his eyes like liquid fire, and the fumes of it in his throat and nostrils almost strangled him for a moment, preventing his clear understanding of what was taking place. Dimly he heard Van Tuyl raving in his Curiously clear and Incisive accents, heard him stigmatize Blackstock card-sharp and blackguard. More vaguely he heard him name Katherine Thaxter —in what connection he did not know. On the heels of that something barked hideously; Dundas screamed like a rat; Van Tuyl said: Oh, God!” thickly. Dazed with horror, Coast managed to clear his vision. Blackstock had moved to the other side of the room, where he stood at a small table, the drawer of which he

had evidently jerked open the instant before he fired. His feet were well apart and he leaned a little forward, his large head lowered upon its heavy neck. His lips were compressed to the loss of their sensual fullness, his eyes blazed beneath knotted, intent brows. One hand was-clenched by his side; the other held an automatice pistol from whose muzzle a faint vapor lifted in the still hot air. In a corner little Dundas was huddled with a face of parchment, mouth gaping, eyes astare. Both men were watching Van Tuyl. Coast saw the tall, graceful figure 6way like a pendulum gathering momentum. An expression of strained surprise clouded the man’s face. He lurched a step forward and caught himself with a hand on the card-table, and so held steady for pn instant while his blank gaqe, falling, compreth« neat black puncture with tta TgfrioWing «t«in upon the bosom of his shirt “God . .” he said again in a voice of pitiful inquiry. Then he fell, dragging the table over with him. On the sound of that, Blackstock moved for the first time. He a drew himself up, relaxed, and dropped the weapon upon the table beside him. His glance encountered Coast’s, wavered and turned away. He moistened his lips nervously. Coast, with a little cry, dropped to his knees beside Van Tuyl. Already the man’s eyes were glazing, the movements of the hand that tore at Jilt breast were becoming feebly convulsive. While Coast watched he shud-. dered and died. “Well?” Blackstock’s ’ voice boomed in his eats as the man’s hand gripped his shoulder. Coast shook off the grasp and rose. _ , ; v'y -. “You’ve done for salct" wondering kt the steadiness of bis own voice. Blackstock shook his head, blinking

like a man waking from, /evil dreams "Why . . .?’’ he said hußkily. He turned away as if to lose slghl of the figure huddled «t his feet. Dundas In his corner whimpered. Blackstock swung to him with as oath. “Shut up, damn ypu! D’you want—” He clicked his strong- 1 white teeth, jumping as the bell of the house telephone Interrupted. • Then he went heavily to the Instrument in the short hallway that led to the entrance td the apartment. Coast heard him jerk down the receiver. “Well?” he demanded savagely. “Yes. An accident.” "One of my guests. Yes, badly. You’d better call up police headquar ters and tell them to send an ambulance. “And don’t let anybody up here until they come. Understand?” He hung up the receiver with a bang and tramped hack Into the din-ing-room. “That damn* hallboy! . . . They heard the racket in the flat below and called him up. . . . I have made a pretty mess of things! ” He went to the buffet, carefully avoiding the body, and poured himsell q stiff drink, which he swallowed at a gulp. Blackstock strode restlessly bach to the other end of the room and threw himself, p dead weight, into «Ichair, facing the wall. In the silence that followed Coast could hear hi» deep and regular respirations, unhurried, unchecked. After a moment however, he swung round, dug ills elbows into his knees and buried his face in his hands. “Good God!” he said. “Why did 1 do that?”, Dundas coughed nervously and moved toward the door. Blackstock looked up with the face of a thundercloud. “Where are you going?” Dundas stammered an incoherent excuse. “Well, you stop where you are. Get back to that window-seat—and try to keep your miserable teeth still, can’t you? D’you think I’m going to let

you desert me now, after all I've done for you, you ungrateful rat?” Without a protest Dundas sidled fearfully between him and what had been Van Tuyl, and returned to the window-seat. Blackstock’s glowering gaze fell upon Coast. A sour grimace twisted his mouth. “You’r« not a bad fellow, Coast,” h< said —“to stick by me. . . Exerting himself, Coast tried to master his aversion and contempt for the man as well as his blind horror of the crime. “What are you going to do?” “Do?” Blackstock jumped up and began to pace to and fro. “What the, hell can I do but give myself up?” “You mean that?” The question was involuntarily on Coast’s part, wrung from him by surprise, so difficult he found it to credit the man’s sincerity. simply; “it’s too late now to make a get-away. . . . If it hadn’t been for that racket . . . They’d cop me before I could get out of town.” He paused, questioning Coast with his intent stare. “You wouldn’t let me off, would you? You’d tell the police, of course?” “Of course.” Blackstock nodded as If be found the reply anything but surprising. “Of course. He was your friend." “Yours, too. Why did. you do It?" “This damnable temper of mine. He —didn’t you hear?—threatened to tell Kate Thai ter. Blackstuck resumed his walk. “What?” v “Never mind—something to-prevent our marriage:’’ “And you killed him for that??’ Blackstock stopped, staring down at the body. "Yes,” be said, In a subdued voice. - ’ • “If thatte your way, you'd have to marder me also, youltnow, before W could have married Miss Thaxter.” ' (TO BK OOMTmUSQJ

Blackstock Moved for the First Time.