MAW FROM THE AIRPORT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22981, 8 March 1938, Page 5

MAW FROM THE AIRPORT

(Copyright)

By LESLIE BERESFORD Author of " Mr. Appleton Awakes, fhe utner rar. lxortn, etc.

SYNOPSIS John Peters, pilot of West-Central Airways Syndicate, brings his machine to the Otterbridge airport at the Canadian end of tho transatlantic air service. An official asks him why ho, as a crack pilot, does not set on better with Mr. Ilughson, general manager of the organisation. Peters hints at a reason, but refuses to disclose it. Then he encounters Hughson's pretty daughter, Rose. They quarrel. Later, ho meets two of his ffllow-pilots and special friends, Pierre de Brissac and Dan O'Corrigan He promises to tell them the reason for Hughson's enmity toward him, when he is suddenly summoned to Hughson's home. There Hughson tries to persuade Peters that ho would bo a suitable partner to launch an aeronautical invention on which Peters is working. Peters refuses and, when Hughson threatens* him, resigns his post. CHAPTER ll.—(Continued) Peters might indeed find difficulty in securing a fresh berth, for these days an increasing air-mindedness had multiplied pilots, recruited now from all classes, the job being no longer so specialised as it had been. So he went on out into the hot night in no happy frame of mind. He was turning to fulfil his promise and join his two friends at the pilots' mess, when ho discovered that they were. standing just outside the Hugh- ! sons' house, obviously on the look-out for him. He joined them with a dry little laugh. "The fat's well in the fire, boys!" he said. "Hughson and I have had the gloves off and fought to a finish. Ho wins, if it can be called a win. Anyhow, West-Central won't have me as a pilot after to-night." "What—he's been after firing you, the damned blighter," exclaimed O'Corrigau. "Not he. I've fired myself," Peters explained, and was about to add more when Pierre de Brissac laid a hand on his arm. "Let that wait, mon ami," ho interrupted. "You can tell us tho whole story afterwards. We came along to look for you, because —just after you left us —a guy camo asking for you. Says it's important he should see you at once. So—" For tho first time, Peters realised that they were not alone. A small-made and lean man hovered in the darkness of tlie background. Peters saw, as he now stepped forward into the glow of an arclight, that his wizened little face had an expression, combining eagerness and cunning. "You're Mr. John Peters, I understand," he said. "Well, sir, I've come a long way to see you. For why? I've something to tell you which is to your advantage." Peters stared for a moment at this complete stranger, who said he had come a long way to see him, with something to tell him "which would be to his advantage." He had no idea what it could be or who the man was, but he liked the old-fashioned phrase and the suggestion of a legacy. "Sounds like something to do with the law," he addressed the other laughinglv, after a moment of silence. "But, as the law. and 1 have been complete strangers from my youth up—" "It is to do with law, Mr. Peters," the little man admitted, with a chuckle. "Matter of fact, I've been—more or less —connected with tho Jaw for many years. And that's how—" he hesitated a moment, looking around—then added: "I'm afraid it's rather a long story I have to toll. I'd like for us to talk in a more private spot, if possible." "By, all means," Peters turnod to the others, "He'd best come along with us to the mess. It won't bo too crowded round about now." ' They agreed, moving round tho outskirts of the airport till they reached the lighted building in which the syndicate's pilots fed, and enjoyed the surroundings of .what was, in effect, their private club. It was not, as Peters had guessed, very. full. The diningroom, indeed, had but two occupants, deep in talk, and not even noticing their entry. Peters led the way to a corner table at the far end, which a waitress began at once to furnish with plato and glass, greeting them pleasantly. The little stranger, when Peters handed him the menu, said the lie had already dined at tho hotel, so the others ordered for themselves. When the waitress had gone, the little man leaned forward, looking doubtful. "I was expecting, Mr. Peters," he said, "that you and I would be alone. I mean—the business on which I have come is for your private information, you see." "These gentleman"—Peters gestured toward de Brissac and the Irishman, introducing them by name, "are friends l of mine. Anything you may have to say to 1110 can just as well bo said in their presence, as 1 should no doubt tell them afterwards, even if you didn't, Mr.— ?" "Tucker," the little man supplied his name. "Clarence William Tucker. As 1 have said, I've been more or less engaged in the law for years—" "And you look like it!" O'Corrigan roared in his impulsive way. "It's a queer thing what an ill-fed, bloodless lot the lawyer-folk are. No offence intended, of course —" The little man, inclined to stand on his dignity at first, forced a laugh. Here, in the light, beside these weatherbeaten men. ho certainly looked a dricd-up specimen of humanity. Peters, studying him now more carefully, was not impressed. The foxincss of his wizened face did not invito confidence. And what such a man could have to do with him he still could not understand. He was anxious to have the point mado clear. "Well, now we're formally introduced." he said, "supposing you trot out this queer information of yours, which you say is to my advantage. Tlow you can know anything about me, for a start, seems to need explanation." "Quite," agreed the other, his beady eyes glittering with a forced expression of amusement, and then he leaned i forward. "I'll tell you something about yourself. Mr. Peters," he said, "which you probably think is altogether wrong. Your name isn't Peters at all." , The statement mado something of a sensation at the table. Do Brissac and . the Irishman turned to stare from the ( little man to Peters and back again, j Peters, meantime, showed no surprise. "Peters was my father's name, any- 1 how," he retorted. "Clive Peters." "I know—l know!" nodded the little ( man. "And no doubt, you were cliris- j toned John Peters too. But that was j not your proper name, either. This, I'm sure, will camo as a surprise to j you. L quite expected that it would." "What I'm expecting." Peters said j laconically, "is that you'll be so good as to say what the name should be, and on what you base the information." "That's exactly what I'm here to do." responded the other, a crafty little smile twisting his pallid face. He ( had an air of importance, as if lie knew that he. and the secret behind his ' tongue, dominated the silence at the 1 table. He held that silence lengthily, ( as though enjoying himself, v till the 1 Irishman intervened in his impulsive way. , _ ! "Man, why don't you get on with tho speech-making? If it's dricd-up ! your tongue is, wet your whistle, and 1 let the flow of words come." Again the little man looked offended t by this directness. It was evident that t lie still was not too happy over the c presence of these two. He would have preferred to be with Peters alone. How- j: ever, he stretched his mouth in a feeble ii grin, and sipped at the drink the Irish- s man had poured out and passed to him. "I can't be hurried — he was be- t ginning, when Peters interrupted.

A ROMANCE OF THE AIR, ADVENTURE, UNWANTED WEALTH AND " THE SWEETEST STORY EVER TOLD."

"Take your time, Mr. Tucker," he said "O'Corrigan is a bit of a speedg fiend. Don't pay any attention to him, ,l please. About this name of mine—" • s "The fact is that your father bore I' the name of Peters," the other exa plained, "and so passed it on to you. e I'here was a reason, which I don't sup- '• ))ose he ever told you. It is possible that * ho did not forsec "the truth ever coming 0 to light." y "What truth?" Peters asked sharply. 1(1 ""I'm coming to it. Your father was 1° the result of a secret marriage made n close on threequarters of a century ago, ■s between a man of a wealthy family is and a girl in a poor position of life. There was likely to ho so much trouble over the marriage that it was never made known, the wife coming over to America, where j*our father was born. His mother had taken the name of 1 I'eters, which was her own maiden - name." I "Well?" urged Peters, as the other j lapsed into an impressive silence for ft t while. , T "Meantime, of course," the little man proceeded, goaded by Peter's sharp tone of voice, "the husband remained 3 in England. Ho could not marr3' again, of course, and in fact he did not live 7 long enough to come into the family - wealth. He. was killed accidentally on t a shoot. As a result, a cousin of his f eventually inherited, and descendants of his have since enjoyed, and are now enjoying what should rightly be yours." 5 "I don't know whether, out in this ? part of the world, you may ever have ) heard of what are known as the Accrington millions?" the little man ' added, with a beam of triumph, as he ' gazed at the fares of the .others. "1 certainly have heard of them." , Peters said, slowly, somewhat to the - little man's disappointment. "In fact, not long ago, a law case was mentioned > in the papers, and it had something to ! do with them." 1 "Well," smiled the little man in his furtive way, "you have only to place ■ yourself in my hands, Mr. John 5 Accrington, and there will be another > law case which will result in you be--1 coming an extremely wealthy man—a ■ millionaire in fact." CHAPTER 111. ' A VITAL DECISION ! "What a story for the newspapers!" chuckled the little man delighted by I the sensation his words had created in [ Peter's two companions, even though Peters himself appeared unmoved. "Just a minute!" Peters began, , sharply. ! "This story of yours may sound very pretty. Doesn't it rather want proving before we get so far as law cases and ! newspaper headlines?" 1 "Precisely, my dear sir, where I ■ come in," retaliated the other. "Do you ' imagine that I'd have gone to all the ; time, trouble and expense to trace the 1 facts and you, if I hadn't the neces--1 sary proof to show you?" "Well, what about producing it?*' ; Peters suggested. The other laughed. "I'm not carrying it with me," he said. "It wouldn't be possible, anyhow, for it's in an old marriage register of a certain country church in England. But where that church is, only ] happen to know. And, naturally, I'm not disclosing that essential piece of information until you and 1, Mr. Accrington, have come to a definite business understanding." "i rather expected that," Peters nodded. "Business is business, after all, isn't' it?" chuckled the little man, with an air of being extremely reasonable. "So soon as 1 made the discovery that a secret marriage existed " "Supposing you tell us how you came to do that?" demanded Peters. "Jt was ;*mple. I was, at the time, j confidential clerk to an old firm of j solicitors who had handled a good deal I of the Accrington family legal business. In this connection 1 was turning up some old papers, and so came on a letter to your grandfather from his wife in America. She wrote, thanking him for a generous allowance he was making her secretly, spoke of the marriage and even of the little church where it had been held. "1 saw at once the importance of this letter, which apparently nobody had noticed," proceeded the other. "And as it mentioned a son, I thought it quite likely someone might still be living as a result of that marriage. My subsequent search has brought me to you." "And now, I gather, you expect it to bring you some money," Peters said merely. ••Naturally," smirked the other. "Tt engage on my inquiries 1 had to relinquish a comfortable berth with thai firm of solicitors. 1 am no longer young. I look to retire in comfort as the result of our talk to-night, my dear sir. Incidentally " He searched in a pocket-wallet, producing and unfolding a piece of paper, yellow with age, which ho handed across to Peters. ) "Just in case you should bo jn doubt as to my bona fides," he said, "here is a half of the letter I have mentioned. , You see how frankly it speaks of the marriage, bearing out what 1 have told you " "And the rest of the letter?" Peters asked presently, having scanned the sheet he held. "That." replied the other, again with I a smirk, "contains mention of the church where the proof is to be found. I cannot let you see that until we have come to an understanding. Merely a matter of drawing up and signing a little legal document, promising me the sum I have in mind." "Whatever that may be," Peters said, "1 don't know, or care. So far as 1 am concerned, the best thing you can do is to restore this letter to the firm from whom you appear to have purloined it, Mr. Tucker. There will be an air-liner leaving for England early in the morning." For a moment, a tense silence fell. De Brissac and O'Corrigau were staring j at Peters as he flung the yellow sheet i on the table before the little man. The | latter was at first too staggered to \ speak. He looked indeed as if he were choking, and his eyes bulged wildly in his pale, foxy face. "Why—why ?" he gasped at last. "You must be joking, surely?" "I'm perfectly serious, Mr. Tucker," said Peters quite definitely. "I am not interested in the Accrington millions, nor in you." "Then you must be stark, raving mad!" expostulated the other. Peters ignored the outburst and continued quietly: "1 may as well tell you this, Mr. Tucker. I have known all about that secret marriage since I was a boy. My father told me, and in fact he left with me certain proofs which might help me to establish a claim to the Accrington money, if ever I felt so disposed. I agree that I have not the name of the church, where the one essential proof is to be found, so you ar« " at an advantage there. Still," he added, 1 "you are welcome to that. I have no intention whatever of even attempting - to claim the Accrington money. So, as i said, an air-liner crosses the Atlanta in the morning ■" "lint—but—you can't treat mo lilu that!" raged the other suddenly, risen to his feet and shaking his first in the calm face of Peters. "What about all the trouble and expense to which I have been put. coming here?" ho demanded. Peters shrugged. "Nobody asked you to go to thai trouble and expense," he said quietly. (To be continued daily) '