Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 142: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

708 and if you'll only get her free I'll tell you everything I know about Eugene Crevel- ing! ” CHAPTER XXXI. THE LETTER. ““W VE found out quite a lot about Mr. | | Creveling, as it is.” a trifle grimly. “ You told me, Hill, that he’d never touched a card in years, for one thing, but I’ve learned different.” ‘You mean those games at Mr. Cutter’s, sir?” Hill paused. ‘“ Mr. Creveling was always great for gambling, from the old, wild days when I first came to him before he was married. He’d bet a small fortune on anything, but cards were always a pas- sion with him. He used to run terrific games himself in that study where you found him dead; that’s why he had that high wall built at the back of the house. One of the neighbors on the side street who was trying to get into society and whom Mrs. Creveling had snubbed, could look - into the study from her rear windows and she got the police there in her house and tried to have the Crevelings raided one night. I must say it looked like a profes- sional gambling-establishment, at that, but Mr. Creveling being so well known he was tipped off and it cost him a mint of money to hush the matter up without scandal that would have reached Mrs. Creveling’s ears. She didn’t know about the games then, sir.” “She plays now herself,” commented McCarty. ‘* All their set do, at Mr. Cutter’s. When Mr. Creveling got intimate with him he stopped having gantes at his own house and their crowd got to meeting regular at Mr. Cutter’s, him being a bachelor and master of his own house.” | “And a professional gambler at that. Did you know that, Hill?” “IT suspected as much, sir, and more. I’ve heard whispers that the games weren’t altogether straight, and that Mr. Crevel- ing and—and one of the other gentlemen knew as much.” Hill hesitated. ‘“ Butlers and valets and ladies’ maids see more than their employers ever stop to think about, McCarty spoke . ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. and I watched people come and go in their crowd, and they all ended the same; they’d come with a fortune and maybe a beautiful wife that wasn’t known as well as she’d like to be in society here, and they’d lose a little and be allowed to win it back, piecemeal, with some more besides, and meantime the wife was being taken up and made much of, and soon they’d be living beyond their income, whatever it was, try- ing to keep up with the procession. ‘“‘Then he’d plunge and lose more and win back more yet, and so they’d play him until he risked everything and lost, and that time there’d be no come-back. Of course, he’d think they were bully good | fellows until the showdown, and she’d think -she was having the time of her life and get- ting in with the real people. I’ve seen all sides of it, sir, and said nothing until now, but if some of the married men only real- ized the dangers they were exposing their wives to in letting them further their social advancement so—so permiscuous like, with people they really don’t know anything about, they’d think twice before they got in with a set of so-called gentlemen gam- blers. Mr. Ford was one of the latest that got stung, I hear—but it was Mr. Crevel- ing you wanted me to tell you about!” ‘“And more than his gambling,” Mc- Carty remarked. “I’ve heard talk of his affairs with women, and df a quarrel with Mr. Waverly not more than a fortnight ago. What do you know about it?” “Only what the butler, Rollins, told me, sir, and that’s not much. Of course, be- fore Mr, Creveling married it was just one affair after another, and what with breach of promise and divorce suits threatened or pending, it was a miracle he wasn’t shot long ago,” Hill said frankly. “I never saw him fall so hard, though, as he did for Miss Alexander, and when they were mar- ried I thought he’d settle down; he didn’t, for long, but he’s been so cautious and dis- creet that even I couldn’t get a line on him. I suppose you think it was funny that I stayed on with him after they’d prosecuted my wife for stealing those jewels, but. I had a purpose, sir. Shé was innocent, but they’d done her a dirty trick, and I meant to fight him the same way, if I could. You > ae nn) (C 6)(0)©) (C(O) S (C(O) nn