Anthony Trent, Master Criminal

by Wyndham Martyn

  CHAPTER XXXI

  DEVLIN'S REVENGE

  THERE came a night when Devlin's men were called upon to clean out partof a forest from which many snipers had been firing, and where machineguns and their crews were known to be. It was work for picked men onlyand Trent admitted Devlin made a courageous leader.

  The Americans met unexpectedly strong opposition. It was only when halftheir little company was lost that they were ordered to retreat. The waywas made difficult with barbed wire and shell splintered trees. It wasone of a hundred similar sorties taking place all along the Allied lineshardly worthy of mention in the press.

  Trent, when he had gained a clearing in the wood, saw Devlin go downlike an ox from the clubbed rifle in a Prussian hand. Trent had put ashot through the man's head almost before Devlin's body fell to the softearth. He had an excellent chance of escape alone but he could not leavethe American officer who was his enemy to bleed to death among hiscountry's foes. He was almost spent when he reached his own lines andthe Red Cross relieved him of his inert burden. They told him Devlinstill lived.

  Three days later Trent was called to the hospital in which his officerlay white and bandaged. Although Devlin's voice was weak it did notlack the note of enmity which ever distinguished it when its owner spoketo Anthony Trent.

  "What did you do it for?" Devlin demanded.

  "Do what?"

  "Bring me in after that boche laid me out?"

  "Only one reason," Trent informed him. "Alive, you have a certain use toyour country. Dead, you would have none."

  "That's a lie," Devlin snarled, "I've figured it out lying in thisdamned cot. You saw I wasn't badly hurt and you knew some of the boyswould fetch me in later. You thought you'd do a hero stunt and get adecoration and you reckoned I'd be grateful and let up on you. That wasclever but not clever enough for me. I see through it. You've got awaywith out-guessing the other feller so far but I'm one jump ahead of youin this." He paused for breath, "I've got you fixed, Mister AnthonyTrent, and don't you forget it. You think I'm bluffing I suppose."

  "I think you're exciting yourself unduly," Trent said quietly. "Take itup when you are well."

  "You're afraid to hear what I know," Devlin sneered. "You've got to hearit sometime, so why not now?"

  Trent spoke as one does to a child or a querulous invalid.

  "Well, what is it?" he demanded.

  "Never heard of any one named Austin, did you?"

  "It's not an unusual name," Trent admitted. But he was no longeruninterested. Conington Warren's butler was so called. And this Austinhad met him face to face on the stairway of his master's house on thenight that he had taken Conington Warren's loose cash and jewels.

  "He's out here," Devlin said and looked hard at Trent to see what effectthe news would have.

  "You forget I don't know whom," Trent reminded him. "What Austin?"

  "You know," Devlin snapped, "the Warren butler. I was on that case andhe recognized me not a week ago and asked me who you were. He's seenyou, too. We put two and two together and it spells the pen for you. Hewas English and although he was over age the British are polite thatway. If he said he was forty-one they said they guessed he wasforty-one. I went to see him in a hospital before he 'went west' and hetold me all about it."

  Anthony Trent could not restrain a sigh of relief. Austin was dead.

  "That don't help you any," Devlin cried. "Don't you wish you'd left mein the woods now? That was your opportunity. Why didn't you take it?"

  "You wouldn't understand," Trent answered. "For one thing you dislike metoo much to see anything but bad in what I do. That's your weakness.That's why you have always failed."

  "Well, I haven't failed this time," Devlin taunted him. "I've laidinformation against you where it's going to do most good."

  He hoped to see the man he hated exhibit fear, plead for mercy or begfor a respite. He had rehearsed this expected scene during the nightwatches. Instead he saw the hawk-like face inscrutable as ever.

  "I've told the adjutant what I know and what Austin said and he's boundto make an investigation. That means you'll be sent home for trial andI guess you know what that means. I'm going to be invalided home andI'll put in my leave working up the case against you. They ought to giveyou a stretch of anything from fifteen to twenty years. I guess that'llhold you, Mister Anthony Trent."

  The other man made no answer. He thought instead of what such a prisonterm would do for him. He had seen the gradual debasement of men of evena high type during the long years of internment. Men who had gonethrough prison gates with the same instincts of refinement as hepossessed to come out coarsened, different, never again to be the menthey were. He would sidle through the gaping doors a furtive thing withcunning crafty eyes whose very walk stamped him a convict. How could solong a term of years spent among professional criminals fail to besmirchhim?

  He took a long breath.

  "I'm not there yet," he said. "It's a long way to an American jail and agood bit can happen in three thousand miles."

  He was turned from these dismal channels of thought by a hospitalorderly who summoned him to the adjutant's quarters.

  In civil life this officer had been a well known lawyer who hadabandoned a large practice to take upon himself the over work andworries that always hurl themselves at an adjutant.

  He had heard of the rescue of Lieutenant Devlin by a man of his companyand was pleased to learn that it was an alumnus of his old college whohad been recommended for a decoration on that account. He looked atTrent a moment in silence.

  "When I last saw you," he said, "you won the game for us againstHarvard." He sighed, "I never thought to see you in a case of thissort."

  "I don't know what you mean, sir," Trent answered him.

  "For some reason or another," the adjutant informed him, "LieutenantDevlin has preferred charges against you which had better been leftuntil this war is over in my opinion as a soldier."

  "I am still in the dark," Trent reminded him.

  Captain Sutton looked over some papers.

  "You are charged," he said, "with being a very remarkable and muchsought after criminal. Devlin asserts you purloined a ruby owned by Mr.Dangerfield worth a hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, and anemerald worth almost as much."

  "What a curious delusion," Trent commented with calmness.

  "Delusion?" retorted the adjutant.

  "What else could it be?" the other inquired.

  "It might be the truth," the officer said drily.

  "Does he offer proofs?"

  "More I'm afraid than you'll care to read," Captain Sutton told him."You understand, I suppose, that there are certain regulations whichgovern us in a case like this. I should like to dismiss it as somethingentirely irrelevant to military duties. You were a damned good footballplayer, Trent, and they tell me you're just as good a soldier, but anofficer has preferred charges against you and they must be givenattention. Sit down there for a few minutes."

  Devlin, feeling the hour of triumph approaching, lay back in his bedgloating. The hatred that he bore Anthony Trent was legitimate enough inits way. By some accident or another Devlin was enlisted on the side ofthe law and his opponent against it. One was the hunter; the other thehunted. And the hunter was soon to witness the disgrace of the man whohad laughed at him, beaten him, cheated him of a coveted position.Naturally of a brave and pugnacious disposition, Devlin saw no lack ofchivalry in hounding a man over whom he had military authority. If Trenthad been his friend he would have fought for him. But since he was hisfoe he must taste the bitterness of the vanquished.

  So engrossed was he over his pleasurable thoughts that he did not seethe distress which came over the face of the nurse who took histemperature and recorded his pulse beat. Nor did he see the hastilysummoned physician reading the recently marked chart over the bed.Instead he was filled with a strange and satisfying exaltation ofspirit. Catches of old forgotten songs came back to him. He felt himselfgrowing stronger. He was Devlin the superman
, the captor of AnthonyTrent who had beaten the best of them. It was almost with irritationthat he opened his eyes to speak with the doctor, a middle-aged, grayman with kindly eyes.

  "Lieutenant," the doctor said gently, "things aren't going as well withyou as we hoped. You should not have exhausted yourself talking. Itshould not have been allowed."

  Devlin saw the doctor put his hand under the coverlet; then he felt aprick in his arm. Dully he knew that it was the sting of a hypodermic.Then he saw coming toward him a priest of his race and faith and knew hecame in that dread hour to administer the last rites of the church.

  "Doc," he gasped, "am I going?"

  It was no moment to utter lying comfort.

  "I'm afraid so."

  Then he saw an orderly bringing the screen that was placed about thebeds of those about to die.

  * * * * *

  When Captain Sutton and Anthony Trent came into the ward the priest hadfinished his solemn work and was gone to console another dying man andthe physicians to make one of those quick operations unthinkable in theleisurely days of peace.

  Trent had no knowledge of what had taken place during his absence. Hesaw that his enemy was more exhausted. And as he looked he noticed thatthe eyes of Devlin lacked something of their hate. But it was no timefor speculation. Trent saw in the sick man only his nemesis, theinstrument which fate was using to rob him of his liberty. He was not toknow that here was a man so close to death that hate seemed idle andvengeance a burden.

  "Lieutenant," Captain Sutton began, "I have here a copy of yourstatements and the evidence given by Sergeant Austin of the Britisharmy. I will read it to you. Then I shall need witnesses to yoursignature."

  "Let me see it," Devlin commanded and drew the typewritten sheets tohim. Then, with what strength was left him, he tore the document acrossand across again.

  Captain Sutton looked at him in amazement.

  "What did you do that for?" he asked.

  But Devlin paid no heed to him. He gazed into the face of Anthony Trent,the man he had hated.

  "I made a mistake," said Devlin faintly. "This isn't the man."

  And with this splendid and generous lie upon his lips he came to hislife's end.

  FINIS

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  Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:

  A little aften ten=> A little after ten {pg 11}

  patroling city sidewalks=> patrolling city sidewalks {pg 37}

  a champaign-drinking adventuress=> a champagne-drinking adventuress {pg90}

  recited Brigg's evidence=> recited Briggs's evidence {pg 95}

  said Trent a minute later, "It is the=> said Trent a minute later, "itis the {pg 157}

  His grievance, is seemed=> His grievance, it seemed {pg 172}

  a twenty-foot put=> a twenty-foot putt {pg 173}

  a women I hardly know=> a woman I hardly know {pg 203}

  we found the the big living room door=> we found the big living roomdoor {pg 205}

  "Knowing Andrew Apthorpe it does not," he answered=> "Knowing AndrewApthorpe it does not," she answered {pg 206}

  Most woman hate=> Most women hate {pg 214}

  other friends were to be Trent's guest=> other friends were to beTrent's guests {pg 222}

  Assuredly a a timid=> Assuredly a timid {pg 239}

  so report ran=> so the report ran {pg 243}

  starling a contrast=> startling a contrast {pg 244}

  a certain sublety about=> a certain subtlety about {pg 248}

  In the billard room=> In the billiard room {pg 251}

  furniture Weens had gathered=> furniture Weems had gathered {pg 267}

  looms inaccessibles=> looms inaccessible {pg 294}

  when it's owner spoke=> when its owner spoke {pg 310}

  Conington's Warren's loose cash=> Conington Warren's loose cash {pg 311}

  the adjustant's quarters=> the adjutant's quarters {pg 312}

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